The Mysterious Rovad

I’ll give the boss a break since young Derek Pauletto, of Trillion Industries, out of Calgary, is such a tech head. We spent a half-hour discussing Plasma cutters and TIG welding before we shifted to his Rovad, one-off motorcycle. The name came from the owner, although he’s not sure he liked Derek’s choice. It’s the owner’s first name reversed.

Derek started out life saving anything to make something else. “My folks weren’t wealthy,” Derek said. He studied woodworking and anticipated becoming a deft cabinetmaker. He made his own toys and repaired anything broken until he was 18. “I learned how to drink at 18,” Derek said, “and not much else for a couple of years.”

He found himself working in an auto upholstery shop, thinking he was going to learn a craft. “I didn’t like it much,” Derek said. “We messed with cheap seats and replaced soaked carpets.” The shop had a little unused MIG welder and Derek asked to learn how but was turned down. “I went to the local community class. I got certified and brought the certificate to my boss. He let me weld.”

He still thought wood was his life, clean and natural, then he snagged a job at Aero Tech and learned how to TIG weld, repair and fabricate. He grew and began to build bikes on the side for 9.5 years. He finally swallowed hard and drifted out on his own, working out of his garage for a year. Wood was toast. He was a young master fabricator and customers recognized his talents. “I got a job building a Rotorway international Exec 162 helicopter and converted it to turbine, the kit is based in the States. “We’re going to start it this month,” Derek said. He’s been on his own for two years.

Some 50 percent of his jobs are bike related and the other fabrication. “I build anything you can’t buy, like wild railings,” Derek said. “Anything with metal.” He still doesn’t waste anything. He’s currently repairing a salvaged Ducati as a tribute to the downed rider. “Frames are expensive and simple to repair. I like sticking with the original and salvaging the existing serial numbers.” He’s also fixing a ’98 R-1 wreck and a Buell XB9 labeled Non-Repairable by the insurance company. Repair work is also a major aspect of his business.

We finally rolled around to this wild bike he built for Davor, a retired pro-soccer player, in his early 40s who did well in the Calgary Oil biz. Calgary is the sister oil center to Houston. Davor spoke to Derek a couple of times, looked at rough sketches and a laundry list of components and gave Derek the green light. Derek tried purchasing Chrome Moly in Canada but the price was prohibitive. He found a company, Aircraft Spruce, supplying building materials to the aircraft trade and he could buy it by the foot.

After ordering the wheels, front-end, 124-inch S&S motor, “That was fast and good looking,” Derek said. He made the cradle for the engine, then the neck. He took a class in SolidWorks, a computer software program for three-dimensional designing, and went to work building the one-piece triple trees.

He figures he has 110,000 bucks into the Rovad with $55,000 in parts and the rest in fabrication and building time. The air dam in the front housed the oil cooler, battery and coil. The pipes are all stainless and he faced another computer to develop the formula for the exhaust configuration. “You input the engine size, timing, cam specs, transmission gearing, running rpms and it spits out the pipe diameter and length. He started with 2-inch chunks and moved up to 2.1250, 2.750 and finally a 4-inch collector with a baffle. “Too loud is not acceptable.”

He built the frame, designed the suspension and swingarm components, and made the seat, even pinstriped the wheels. “I still want to build a cool bike under 300 pounds,” Derek said. “I’m working on a single cylinder engine with a turbo and fuel injection. Now I’m studying turbo technology.”

So how did Bikernet discover this young gun from north of the border. Bandit ran into him at the Avon booth in Cincy. Ski of Avon Tyres discovered Derek in a big show in Edmonton. “I couldn’t afford to attend,” Derek said, “but I went to the Calgary show and people responded to the Rovad.” The guys from Parts Canada offered to sponsor him in their booth three hours away at the next show in Edmonton and that’s where he met Ski from Avon, who invited Derek to Cincy. “It took 35 hours to drive to Cincy and 38 back.”

That’s his story, the Rovad Saga, and I’m sure we’ll work with him again in the future.

–Wrench

General

Owner: Davor Domic
City/State: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Builder: Derek Pauletto
City/state: Calgary, Alberta
Company Info: Trillion Industries
(www.trillionindustries.com)
403.243.0036
mailto:info@trillionindustries.com
Fabrication: Derek Pauletto
Manufacturing: Derek Pauletto
Welding: Derek Pauletto
Machining: Derek Pauletto

Engine

Year: 'O6
Make: S&S
Model: Twin CAm
Displacement: 124″
Builder or Rebuilder: Paul Shore of Motorrad Performance, Calgary Alberta (www.motorradperformance.com)
Cases:
Case finish: Black Powder Coat
Barrel finish: Black Powder Coat
Head finish: Black Powder Coat
Carburetion: S&S

Transmission

Year: '06
Make: Baker
Gear configuration: RSD 6Spd
Final drive: Chain
Primary: RMD Billet
Clutch: Barnett

Frame

Year: '07
Make: Trillion
Style or Model: Rovad
Rake: 36 degrees
Modifications: Custom Built 4130 Chrome-Moly Frame Work

Front End

Make: Trillion/Ohlins
Model: Triple X
Year:'07
Length:
Mods: Custom Built One Piece Triple Tree

Sheet metal

Tanks: Trillion
Fenders: Trillion

Paint

Sheet metal: Donny Klukas & Troy Benson
Molding: Donny Klukas & Troy Benson
Base coat: Donny Klukas & Troy Benson
Frame: Donny Klukas & Troy Benson
Molding: Donny Klukas & Troy Benson
Base coat: Donny Klukas & Troy Benson
Pinstriping: Trillion

Wheels

Front RMD Billet
Make: Smooth 9
Size: 18×3.5
Brake caliper: PVM
Brake rotor: Trillion/PVM
Tire: Avon Venom 130/70

Rear
Make: RMD Billet
Size: 18×10
Brake caliper: PVM
Brake rotor: Trillion
Sprocket: RMD Billet
Tire: Avon Venom 300/35

Controls

Foot controls: Trillion
Finish: Black Powder Coat
Master cylinder: Hope
Brake lines: Spiegler
Handlebar controls: PVM
Finish: Anodized
Clutch Line: Spiegler
Brake Lines: Spiegler
Shifting: Trillion

Electrical

Ignition: S&S
Wiring: Trillion
Headlight: MV Agusta Brutale
Taillight: Trillion
Battery: Odyssey

What's Left

Seat: Trillion/Hoagey's Upholstery
Pipes: Trillion
Gas cap: Aviation
Handlebars: Trillion
Grips: Rizoma
Pegs: Fastway
Oil filter: Harley-Davidson
Oil cooler: Trillion

Specialty items: Too much to list!

Credits: Davor Domic, Chris Taggart, Chad Gouthro, Neil Lots, Paul Shore, Keith Smith, Donny Klukas, Troy Benson, and my wife Shelly for their relentless help and understanding.