Kenneth Leroy Roberts (born December 31, 1951(1951-12-31) in Modesto, California) is a former motorcycle racer and the first American to win the 500cc Road Racing World Championship.Roberts won two AMA Grand National Championships in 1973 and 1974, three consecutive 500 cc World Championships in 1978, 1979 and 1980 along with three victories at the Daytona 200.He is the father of the 2000 500cc World Champion, Kenny Roberts, Jr., the only father and son duo to have won the title.
Roberts is regarded as being one of the first riders to use his knee to balance the bike on the track in corners, and the first to use engine power to spin the rear tire exiting bends to help steer the bike (a technique known as "throttle steering", common among U.S. flat track racers). These techniques are used everywhere in the top levels of motorcycle road racing, though they are much less exaggerated with today's improvements in tire
