Brave Hearts. High Hopes
BRAVE HEARTS. HIGH HOPES
LIKE THIS CUSTOMIZED Honda 919 streetfighter? It could be yours for just $5. Yes, it’s true. This is the latest in a six-year run of Cycle World raffle bikes that so far has raised almost $300,000 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s “Ride for Kids” program. This year’s bike is the most ambitious yet.
American Honda’s donation of a stock bike ^ got the effort rolling, while ^ Roland Sands of RSD and “Biker Build-Off” fame lent his considerable customizing skills to the project. The bike was sent to Sands’ shop with just a month to get the work done; it came out with an edgy AirTrix paint job, hand-shaped aluminum radiator shrouds and intake covers that gave “Brave Heart” its new identity. Along the way, RSD fabbed custom triple-clamps to hold the Öhlins fork and then bolted on a matching shock. Spiegler brake lines feed the radialmount PM calipers that squeeze custom rotors front and rear. Dunlop 208GP rubber covers trick CNC’d RSD wheels. Sands collaborated with Vance & Hines on the sharply styled underseat exhaust, while RSD hand controls are mounted to a Renthal Fatbar and risers. All the ^ aforementioned / performance and /
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donated, including
a matching custom leather jacket from Alpinestars. Sands said he even got a good night’s sleep before the bike’s debut at the ^ Cycle World Show in Long
Beach last . December. Thousands bought a $5 (or five for $20) raffle ticket and saw Brave Heart at one of the CW Shows. Want in? Mail a check to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, CW Raffle Bike, 302 Ridgefield Ct., Asheville, NC 28806. You can also purchase tickets with your credit card by phoning 800/253-6530. The drawing will be held May 1. Just remember, the more tickets you’re holding the better your chances of wheelying away on Brave Heart. Visit www. cycleworld. com for the full buildup story of Brave Heart, including some very cool videos. -Mark Cernicky
