There’s a wonderfully gothic, Victorian vibe to the latest machine from Taiwan’s Rough Crafts. It’s built around an S&S Harley Knucklehead motor, using a kit from legendary ‘samurai chopper’ builders Zero Engineering.
Rough Crafts’ Winston Yeh is a big fan of Zero. “The ‘Zero Style’ created by Mr. Shinya Kimura has always been amazing to us. When we finally got our hands on a Zero kit, we decided to build a bike that was inspired by Shinya’s creations, yet still has that Rough Crafts flavor.”
The frame is Zero’s Type 6, and other Zero parts include the springer forks and seat. Most of the sheet metal is pure Rough Crafts though, and a showcase for Yeh’s fabrication skills. “When you’ve got this great canvas to work with, you just want to add more and more details,” says Yeh. “Like custom foot controls, and weld-on hand controls with a remote hydraulic master cylinder.” Originally, the battery was exposed but Yeh has made a box to house a smaller, more powerful Lithium-Ion battery and the master cylinder.
“The whole design aesthetic follows our earlier bike, the Brass Racer,” says Yeh. “Brass, black, neo-vintage. Just the way we love it.”
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