“Fender and Firestone” policeman, here I come,” quipped Winston Yeh, as we discussed the latest custom motorcycle that will roll out of his house. rudimentary crafts. Based on the 2020 Harley-Davidson Fat Bob 107, it is a shortened, low-riding bike motorcyclists, covered with a typical Rough Crafts finish. And yes, it doesn’t have a front fender and it has serrated grooves (though they come from Duro, not Firestone).
Winston is fully aware that his stylistic choices may upset some of our readers, but he is undeterred. Here’s a special build for him; a return to his previous work and the realization of an idea that had been brewing in his mind for more than a decade.
this custom Fat Bob trace its origin back ‘Graphite superman’—a Harley Softail brought Rough Crafts fourth place in the freestyle at the AMD World Championships, in 2014. “The bike has traveled the world and received numerous awards at races. various exhibitions,” Winston told us.
“It is very popular and I have many requests to make another one. But due to the nature of the ‘free’ class, it has a tested billet upper frame with integrated suspension, dual front ends, dual FCR carburetors, etc. All those unique parts make it become a hard-to-maintain bike for your average customer.”
“I’ve been thinking about making a more ‘user-friendly’ version for years, because I love those lines so much. So when a customer came in with a love of our bobbers, but with an open brief, I immediately knew it was my chance to make it happen.”
One of the things Winston loves about Harley’s newer Milwaukee-Eight Softail is how its frame fits into the traditional bobber style. After this car had the bodywork removed and the rear fender struts bolted, the construction got off to a stellar start. Winston kept the original rear swingarm, but upgraded the rear shock with a new part from Progressive Suspension.
Front-end is a completely different story. “I’ve always liked the spring fork,” Winston said, “but the old fork runs like shit; all spring and without damper.
To resolve the issue, he reached out to longtime Rough Crafts advocate, Rebuffini. “They are a great company,” he added. “They have a complete billet spring fork that looks super classic, but includes two custom-ordered Öhlins shocks. It rides super quiet—just like any modern bicycle.”
The wheels come from Roland Sands Design, measuring 4.25×18” at the front and 5.00×16” at the rear. Take a closer look, and you’ll spot Beringer’s excellent Aerotec 4D brakes on both ends. With this setup, each caliper grips two discs—so this Harley is held down by no less than six brake discs.
Beringer is another longtime Rough Crafts supporter, which is why the brake calipers are emblazoned with Rough Crafts branding. If there’s a cooler-looking brake system for a spring-equipped Harley bobber out there, we don’t know about it.
With the important things taken care of, everything else starts to fall into place in typical Rough Crafts fashion. Fat Bob’s new gas tank is actually an RC production part designed for the Sportster. It has been heavily modified to accommodate the Softail, and is fitted with a billet aluminum gas cap from Winston’s own catalog.
The bouncy chair comes from BT Choppers in Poland, along with an empty kit for the area below it; upholstery was added locally. The low rear fender completes the minimalist bodywork.
Most of the finishes on this svelte bobber are from the Rough Crafts aftermarket catalog or from some of Winston’s favorite companies. The cockpit features a set of RC lift bars, designed with a top clamp designed to accommodate the small digital speedometer from HD Street Bob. But on this bike, it contains a matching Koso part instead.
The bars feature RC’s signature ‘Fighter’ design, fitted with Rebuffini’s plug-and-play switches. The grips, foot controls, cam caps, swingarm covers and air intakes are all parts from a collaboration between Rough Crafts and Arlen Ness. The turn signals and taillights are Rough Crafts x Koso items.
The engine is equipped with a Rebuffini hydraulic clutch cover and a Performance Machine clutch cover. It also bears obnoxiously short brass push rods and two-in-one exhaust pipes, made in the same style as that of the Graphite Speedster.
As always, Winston created this machine through a carefully curated network of master craftsmen. Rover Works Custom Paint has treated the paint, on forged carbon inlays made by SFC Simon Fiber Craft. 2 Abnormal Sides does the push rod collars and fuel tank badges, while the CT-Garage handles the final assembly.
Dubbed ‘Miltown Moonshine’ as a tribute to The Motor Co.’s hometown, the final product has perfect proportions as well as good reviews… just as we’ve come to expect from Winston. This is a completely basic Rough Crafts build, but also shows how far the shop has come in the last decade.
And if you want to see for yourself, just book a flight to Taipei City, Taiwan this weekend. There, Winston will display it as part of Rough Crafts’ first official Speed & Craft custom bike show.
rudimentary crafts | Facebook | Instagram | Taken by JL . Photography
