Bringing real uniqueness Styling the scene is not an easy task and is even more impressive if you can make it stick. Winston Yeh begins rudimentary crafts in Taiwan over ten years ago, and every bike he builds is a new take on his signature style. With a roster of collaborators regularly assisting with crafting, assembling, and painting, Rough Crafts is arguably the go-to source for the crowd’s talent — but Winston’s design eye is evident on every vehicle. bicycle.
Black paint options with an interesting application of carbon fiber are the hallmarks of the Rough Crafts machine, alongside donkey suspension, spooky details and imaginative monikers. Winston’s style has been shown on Ducatis, Yamahas, etc., but there is something special about a Harley Rough Crafts.
Asphalt roller coaster Rough Crafts’ ‘Stealth Bullet’ Sporty made waves on the Internet years before it earned its spot at the AMD World Championship, so it’s no surprise that one of Winston’s customers would ask for a something similar. But for ‘Asphalt Glider’, customers wanted something more extreme, more exaggerated, and that’s exactly what they got.
To match the construction’s more extreme proportions, Winston started with a Softail Breakout and dropped it to the ground with rear air shocks from Legend Suspension and beam fork. The second is built by Italy’s FG Racing, a company specializing in performance beams, and is all made from billet aluminum.
The roller coaster rolls on a somewhat unlikely wheel combination, giving it plenty of visual effects. At the rear, is a solid HD Designs steel wheel wrapped in thick 230-section rubber, while the front is a slender 23-inch Arlen Ness wheel. While the two couldn’t be more different, the whole thing worked, and Winston considered it a “strange balance of visual weight”.
With one final request, the customer specified that the bike should be made in a ‘shrimp’ style, meaning extension bars and forward foot controls. That puts the rider lower than the quintessential Rough Crafts gas tank, which folds up on the bike like a cocktail shrimp. If you didn’t know, now you do. [More]
Runway crow Ever since Winston first test-drive the new Milwaukee Eight Softail, he hasn’t been able to get the idea of a compelling performance Softail out of his mind. With an acceptable client, the concept became a reality as ‘Tarmac Raven’—a Street Bob so daring you wouldn’t believe it was a pre-made frame.
With the core geometry unchanged, the Softail transition requires significant suspension work, starting with the powerful 48 mm Ohlins FGRT301 fork—originally designed for the Ducati Diavel. Next, Winston contacted Florida-based Roaring Toyz, who designed a brand new single-sided billet swingarm. “They actually bought an M8 Softail to develop a brand new single-sided system,” says Winston impressed.
To match the aggressive look, Winston chose a set of sophisticated carbon fiber wheels from BlackStone Tek. To complete the package, Winston fitted Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V3 tires, Beringer 4-piston brakes at the front and modified Ducati Panigale brakes at the rear.
With Softail already firmly in place, Winston called in S&S Cycle, who delivered their latest 124 ci Power Pack to the Milwaukee Eight, with 124 hp and 135 lb-ft of torque. Winston completed the engine with a bunch of Arlen Ness, 2AbnormalSides and Rough Crafts parts, and a custom titanium exhaust with SC-Project Titanium S1 silencer dominates the side panels.
No Rough Crafts project would be complete without the necessary blacks and carbon fiber, and a heavily revised Sportster fuel tank and carbon-coated tailgate complete the cockpit. [More]
thunder hunter How do you celebrate a decade of making custom bikes? For Rough Crafts, it’s about going back to the basics, while also giving a new spin to things. With strong roots in retro, modern bobbers, Winston had a few ideas and a client request gave him the opportunity to change the scenario a bit.
Winston is a huge fan of the new Softail after building the Tarmac Raven, and his unofficial 10th anniversary bobber, dubbed the ‘Thunder Chaser’, will be an entirely different take on the platform. this platform. “The answer is ultimately going back to our roots: bobbers with classic lines and modern finishes, but with a distinct look that we have never done before.”
Starting with a standing position, Winston ditched the factory 19F/16R wheels and replaced it with 18-inch Arlen Ness wheels and classic Coker rubber. Progressive Suspension offers upgraded rear shocks and front lowers, and Winston adds black inner tubes from TopLineTubes and Arlen Ness ‘Hot Leg’ lowers.
Aesthetically, the Thunder Chaser follows the signature style of Rough Crafts, with heavy use of carbon fiber and black paint with silver pin stripes. The aluminum reservoir is built by MS Pro and is slightly more rounded than Winston’s usual clamshell design. A significant difference, the tilted rear fender is shaped from fiberglass on a 3D mold and finished with a carbon fiber coating.
The reverse exhaust is also a first for Rough Crafts, and the entire system is custom-built and finished with a black ceramic coating. [More]
raging dagger You can do anything with a Harley Sportster and Rough Crafts has plenty of examples of the genre to credit it with. But when it comes to ‘Raging Dagger’, Winston has some interesting design constraints to work with.
“So I came in and found out that the customer had ordered a brand new Forty-Eight and was waiting for me,” says Winston. “All he told me was: ‘I like the look and feel of the American V-twin, but I wanted something more premium. Something you won’t realize is a Harley, but still very easy to ride’.”
Inspired by Buell, Winston decided to turn the Sporty into a street fighter, prioritizing lightness, while keeping the engine and frame as original as possible. Suspension, braking and weight savings will be central to maximizing the Forty-eight, all without sacrificing drivability.
Like the Tarmac Raven, Winston used donkey suspension to enhance the Dagger’s shape, starting with Öhlins AG629 shock absorbers. He also added a lightweight Trac Dynamic swingarm with a custom oil tank and installed a modified Öhlins FGRT206 fork (originally made for the Yamaha R1). To keep things light, the bodywork is a combination of carbon fiber and aluminum, and MS Pro built a custom titanium exhaust for the Dagger.
With the addition of carbon fiber BST wheels, the Rough Crafts have shed 90 pounds over the Sporty. [More]
Obsidian fighter plane The idea of a ‘modern performance Frisco bobber’ sounds hard to sell, but when we look at the Rough Crafts Obsidian Fighter, we have to say ‘of course’. Proof that it’s all in the works, this Sportster Roadster combines traditional Frisco markings with signature Rough Crafts styling and a wealth of custom parts.
Out of necessity, Winston’s customer for this build was a lover of the traditional chopper era, but already had a Sporty XL1200CX 2019. Winston said: “The main question is: ‘Do you do? How do we combine a Roadster with chopper style, wrap it in a Rough Crafts package and still surprise the owner?’ The answer is a race-influenced ‘Frisco’ Sportster bobber.”
Changing the look of the Roadster starts with new wheels from Gale Speed, 19F/17R, with a pair of custom carbon fiber covers added to the rear. Next, Öhlins offers a slightly shorter FGRT 206 fork with a black-painted reducer and a single-disc shifter. The rear shock absorber of the Blackline HD 757 retains the rear gripper, accented with carbon fiber almost like tracker style at the tail.
For a Frisco look, the Sporty tank sits high and pulls away from the bars, and it’s finished in a Rough Crafts style with carbon inlays and custom badges from 2AbnormalSides. Another trusted Winston partner, MS Pro handled the fabrication of the project, which included crafting a custom cross-cut exhaust with an industrial twist.
With no shortage of customization details, the Obsidian Fighter comes complete with an Arlen Ness foot controller, a Rebuffini switch, and a host of Rough Crafts parts, including headlights, lift pipes, fuel caps and engine covers. [More]
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