“Fender and Firestone police, here I come,” Winston Yeh quips, as we discuss the latest custom motorcycle to roll out of the house of Rough Crafts. Based on a 2020 Harley-Davidson Fat Bob 107, it’s a stripped-down, low-slung bobber, swathed in typical Rough Crafts finishes. And yes, it has no front fender and it wears sawtooth treads (although they’re from Duro, not Firestone).
Winston’s fully aware that his stylistic choices might irk some of our readers, but he’s unfazed. This is a special build for him; a throwback to his earlier work, and the realization of an idea that’s been marinating in his mind for the better part of a decade.
This custom Fat Bob traces its roots back to ‘Graphite Speedster’—a Harley Softail that bagged Rough Crafts a fourth place finish in the freestyle class at the AMD World Championships, back in 2014. “The bike was toured around the world and got numerous awards at different shows,” Winston tells us.
“It was well-loved, and I had many requests to build another. But due to the nature of the ‘freestyle’ class, it had an experimental billet top frame with built-in suspension, dual front heads, dual FCR carbs and more. All of those unconventional parts make it a difficult bike to maintain for your average customer.”
“I’ve been thinking about making a more ‘user friendly’ version of it for years, since I loved 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 Winston’s favorite things about Harley’s newer Milwaukee-Eight Softail, is how well its frame suits traditional bobber styling. Once this one had shed its bodywork and bolt-on rear fender struts, the build was already off to a stellar start. Winston kept the stock swingarm, but upgraded the rear shock with a new unit from Progressive Suspension.
The front-end was a different story altogether. “I’ve always liked springer forks,” Winston says, “but the old ones ride like shit; all spring and no damper.”
To solve this problem, he reached out to long-time Rough Crafts supporter, Rebuffini. “They’re such an amazing company,” he adds. “They have a full billet springer fork that looks super retro, but includes two custom-ordered Öhlins shocks. It rides super smooth—like any modern bike.”
The wheels are 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 absolutely bonkers Aerotec 4D braking system at both ends. With this setup, each caliper grips two discs—so this Harley is stopped by no less than six brake discs.
Beringer is another long-time Rough Crafts supporter, which is why the brake calipers are adorned with Rough Crafts branding. If there’s a more badass-looking brake system for a spring-equipped Harley bobber out there, we don’t know about it.
With the major stuff out the way, everything else started falling into place in typical Rough Crafts fashion. The Fat Bob’s new fuel tank is actually a RC production part designed for the Sportster. It was modified heavily to fit the Softail, and topped off with a billet aluminum gas cap from Winston’s own catalog.
The bobbed seat came from BT Choppers in Poland, along with a blank-off kit for the area underneath it; the upholstery was added locally. A low profile rear fender rounds out the minimal bodywork.
Most of the finishing kit on this svelte bobber is either from the Rough Crafts aftermarket catalog, or from some of Winston’s favorite companies. The cockpit wears a set of RC risers, designed with a top clamp that’s designed to accommodate the small digital speedo from the H-D Street Bob. But on this bike, it holds a matching Koso unit instead.
The bars are RC’s signature ‘Fighter’ design, fitted with plug-and-play switches from Rebuffini. The grips, foot controls, cam cover, rocker arm cover and intake are all parts from a collaboration between Rough Crafts and Arlen Ness. And the turn signals and taillights are Rough Crafts x Koso items.
The engine’s dressed with a Rebuffini hydraulic clutch housing and a Performance Machine clutch cover. It also wears brass push rod tubes, and an obnoxiously short two-into-one exhaust, done in the same style as the Graphite Speedster’s.
As always, Winston created this machine via a carefully curated network of master craftsmen. Rover Works Custom Paint handled the livery, over forged carbon inlays that were done by SFC Simon Fiber Craft. 2 Abnormal Sides made the push rod collars and tank badges, while CT-Garage handled the final assembly.
Dubbed ‘Miltown Moonshine’ as a tribute to The Motor Co.’s hometown, the final product is as perfectly proportioned as it is well judged… just as we’ve come to expect from Winston. It’s a quintessential back-to-basics Rough Crafts build, but also shows just how far the shop has come in the last decade.
And if you’d like to see it in person, just book a flight to Taipei City, Taiwan for this weekend. There, Winston will be showing it off as part of Rough Crafts’ first official Speed & Craft custom bike show.
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