One of my neighbors started bragging that he did some performance upgrades on his car, which now has over 300 horsepower. He forgot to consider that it weighs over 4,409 lbs (2,000 kg), which kind of takes away all of the fun. I still feel slow with 250 horsepower and a weight of less than 2,866 lbs (1,300 kg). I guess I should lose some weight fast and then go for a turbo upgrade. Anyway, I’ve had an interesting start to 2024. After experiencing a prototype vehicle built specifically for drifting, I got an interesting message in my inbox.

I build motorcycles for a living but I’m also into cars

It was late at night when I saw it, so I just read through the lines when I noticed the words “Harley Davidson car.” For a moment, I thought about Sony’s AFEELA and said that anything is possible today. But then I paid more attention and realized the information was more exciting than I initially thought. I don’t think Harley Davidson enthusiasts would be too happy to see their favorite manufacturer building cars. But I’m sure most people would be interested in a custom-built project like this one.

Before diving into the actual build, let me tell you a little about the mastermind behind it, Aaron Boss. You may already be familiar with some of his projects developed at Roland Sands Design, but let’s see what brought him to this point. “From day one, I’ve been building models and LEGOs. My two older brothers were into off-road racing with Rock Crawlers. Seeing them working in the garage made me want to have a go at it, too. I think anyone wanting to be a fabricator needs to work at a machine shop, and that’s just what I did for my first job.”

“It teaches you to be precise and the order of operations. Then I got involved with offroad racing, building Trophy Trucks and Class 1 cars.” One thing led to another, and it didn’t take long for Aaron to meet Roland Sands, and what was originally supposed to be a less than one-year contract turned into a 15-year-long collaboration. Aaron is just a few years older than me, so I wasn’t surprised to hear he also loves 90s-era cars. “I used to watch the Dakar Rally on TV with my dad, which inspired me.”

“Just being in California, everyone rode dirt bikes a lot. I like it all; I’m not stuck on anything. I build motorcycles for a living, but I’m also into cars.” Aaron has built several spectacular bikes over the years, but I wanted to learn more about his first project. I was stunned to hear it was a white Harley Davidson for Mickey Rourke. “Coming from the offroad world, everything is straight to the point; it has to work, and you don’t care what it looks like.”

This thing sounds like a vintage airplane

“I started working on his bike and realized you get to be an artist by doing so. I could be more creative with my fabrication and infuse more style into the work. That’s what caught my attention for motorcycles- style and performance. Working with Roland was the perfect recipe; it wasn’t just about art bikes in a museum as he comes from a racing background.” Before talking about his latest endeavor (one of his favorite ever), I had one more curiosity about Aaron’s work portfolio.

I learned about a very special Indian Chief for which he built the entire frame. However, I was particularly impressed with the BMW Concept NineT he worked on: “That was my favorite one just because I worked on it every day for a year straight. I was going through some hard times then, and this bike was my therapy; it distracted me from the real world. I had put my heart and soul into it, and the whole process helped me grow.”

I’m sure there’s much more to say about Aaron’s work so far, but let’s focus on the current project. I asked how the idea came to his mind, and I was excited to learn that he had just taken it out for a test drive the evening before. He had a big smile on his face, recalling the adventure. “We’re finishing up on the bodywork. It’s rigidly mounted, and it has the vibrations of a Harley.”

“It’s not smooth like a BMW S1000RR, but much closer to an airplane. You have the wind in your face, like you would on a motorcycle. You feel free and exposed, and it sounds like a vintage airplane. The reason why I wanted to build this is because it makes me uncomfortable. It stretches your boundaries, and with this project, I’m going further than just building it. I haven’t raced at Bonneville before, so I must go to El Mirage to work up my licensing. There is still much more work to do after I build it.”

The record sits at 249 mph

“I love land-speed racing. And I also love belly tankers because I’m a history buff. I bought this WW2 P38 belly tanker when my friend Jessi Combs died at Bonneville.” I became all emotional just talking to Aaron about the whole thing. Having just seen “The World’s Fastest Indian” recently, I can’t help but think that interviewing the Roland Sands Design artist isn’t just a coincidence. The only conclusion I can come up with is that I need to see the Bonneville event with my own eyes.

God, that must be an amazing thing to witness live! I tried remembering if anyone had built something like this vehicle before, and I got my answer: “People build belly tankers into land speeding vehicles quite often. After talking to Bonneville officials and some tech inspectors, they have never seen one with a Harley motor. Hayabusa, yes, but Harley no. I went extreme with it, as I didn’t want to do it the traditional way. It has a custom F1-style pushrod suspension up front and a custom rear Sprintcar-style axle and torsion bar springs with 1928 Delco lever shocks.”

“I want it to be capable of driving on the street and around the racetrack, too; I’d love to see what it can do on a road race course (Think Buttonwillow Raceway or Willow Springs Raceway). It has everything you need for a car, but a motorcycle engine powers it.” Going into the interview, I knew this thing had a Harley Davidson Milwaukee 8 engine inside. However, attempting a land speed record with a 117 ci V-twin alone might have been challenging, so Aaron also used a Procharger for an approximate 85% increase in horsepower.

“I need to add 600 lbs (272 kg) to the front end, as it might get too light at 200 mph (321 kph). I can’t give you the exact weight figures right now, but it’s light! So much so that I had to swap the original titanium bolts I had on, replacing them with ARP 12-point bolts. It has a magnesium gearbox, titanium rotors, and three-piece billet alloy wheels; I built it like a racecar. Getting into Bonneville, everyone told me heavier is better. As for the target speed, I’ll try my best.”

“In the class I’m currently in, the record sits at 249 mph (400 kph). But we might switch to a bigger 135 ci motor, and in that class, the top speed is slightly lower.” If I have made you curious about this project, you’ll be happy to know it will show up at the Born Free Motorcycle Show in California next month. I’d love to see attendees’ faces as this vehicle pulls in, and even Aaron is convinced it will stand out like a sore thumb.

“Are people going to hate it? Maybe. But everyone that’s seen it so far has been blown away. That makes me feel good about it. It will be a big deal, and different people will like different things about it.” I’d like to drive it around the track, and I’d be just as happy to be there with Aaron once he makes a run for the Bonneville record. I’ll report back if that dream becomes a reality.