RSD also knows that many young buyers are obsessed with customizing their rides, are looking for something that's not their "dad's bike," and tend to want to go their own way — more so than motorcyclists already do. It's a target market that the OEMs have yet to really get a handle on. Sands notes that some car companies, such as Scion, are recognizing these traits, as are some motorcycle OEMs.

"They can't be told, 'You will like this,' because unless the design is built with them in mind, they will not relate to it," says Decker. "They know that they have options, and to reach them, you have to know them. No one knows them like RSD because we are them."

That Extra Pop

As the custom industry continues to evolve, so does RSD. Sands' genre-bending skills have grabbed the attention of many others in the established motorcycle industry. The company is working on projects with Bell Helmets, Ducati, Victory and Yamaha. It's also involved with Gavin Trippe and Troy Lee Designs in the 450cc Super Singles project.

Sands' aim is to stretch RSD into more of a general design house than a custom motorcycle shop, a crossover that's admittedly pretty tough. Sands says the company's goal is to build the RSD brand name around his design aesthetic and its product line, and, to attract the attention of the top-level OEMs.

"We're working with Ducati right now on a project. To me, they're the Ferrari of the bike world," Sands says. "They're the baddest motorcycle company in the world right now. They're making the baddest MotoGP bike. They're the most progressive. They're just the most amazing.

"It shows that we're definitely in the right spot with our thought processes and in our conceptual design. ... I mean, does Ducati really need help? They seem to have everything nailed down ... but they're still looking for that extra pop," he notes. "I mean, one day maybe there may be a line of RSD Ducatis that you can buy off the showroom floor."

All of this points to Sands' belief that many customers don't want the same old thing. They want two, possibly three, different bikes in one, and they want them to look radically different. (He points out Ducati's Hypermotard as an example.) Customers of the near future will want the same.

Not surprisingly, this is the same school of thought that has and continues to inform his work. For good reason, too, given his background as a road racer, dirtbike rider, skate punk, surfer and heir apparent to one of the American V-twin market's most well-known aftermarket companies. Toss in an appreciation for architecture and fashion, and you have something decidedly different.

"I've gotten some flak for not sticking with V-twins and not saying I'm only going to work on American bikes. People think you're a traitor or whatever. ... I could give a f**k about that. To me, I'm a motorcycle lover," Sands says. "If it's got two wheels and it's got a fun motor and we could make it better and have a good time riding it, that's what I'm about."