Your bike is as much an extension of your body on the open road as it is your personality when parked at the curb, and as such, the desire to set your machine apart from the herd is universal. In the hunt for more speed, harder cornering and increased curb appeal, we swap handlebars, exhausts and brake parts to make our rides uniquely ours, but the aspiring gearhead is often met with a monumental challenge: ‘How do I make my bike look like that?’
Wading through the seas of cheap universal bolt-ons, the path to your ultimate vision is difficult to plot, especially if you’re limited on the resources needed to fabricate truly custom parts, and what’s widely available doesn’t always make the grade.
There’s no shortage of inspiration on the pages of Bike EXIF, and if you’ve spent any time here, you’ll certainly have taken notes on the iconic style of Winston Yeh’s Rough Crafts motorcycles. Winston’s monochromatic style has been applied to roadsters, naked bikes and every manner of Harley-Davidson, each dripping with carbon fiber, trick fabricated pieces and go-fast goodies. Fortunately for us mere mortals, Rough Crafts offers a bit of their signature style with their line of off-the-shelf parts, and if builds like Sovereign Raven, Nocturnal Unicorn and Iron Guerilla inspire you, you’re in luck.
We’ve recently added a curated collection of Rough Crafts components to the Bike EXIF shop, and in the spirit of opening your eyes to the possibilities, let’s take a quick look at five of our favorite Rough Crafts parts and how they contribute to some of our favorite builds.
Racetail Seat and Fender Kit Going out on a limb, we’ll say that Harley-Davidson is far from the most popular brand amongst core Bike EXIF readers, and it’s plain to see from the comment section that many will always regard HDs as leaky, lumbering road sofas. That reputation may be fitting in some ways, but narrow-minded in others, as we regularly feature Harleys that break from the standard touring convention, with inverted forks, top-spec Öhlins parts and liberal doses of titanium and carbon fiber. Sounds a bit like a Rough Crafts build, doesn’t it?
If the idea of a ground-pounding V-twin with a performance image is up your alley, Rough Crafts’ parts catalog needs to be on your radar. Take the Racetail Seat and Fender Kit for example. With Rough Crafts’ signature chiseled styling, this lightweight combo dramatically transforms the tail of narrow-frame, 2018+ M8 models like the Streetbob, Fatbob, Heritage Classic, Low Rider (S), Softail Slim and Sport Glide.
Exemplified by builds like the NEIGHBORHOOD x Rough Crafts Street Bob and ‘Tarmac Raven,’ the Racetail makes our shortlist for any serious Softail build.
Long Ducktail Fender You know what you’re getting when you buy a late-model Softail, and when it comes to the back of the bike, you’re dealing with a pseudo-bobbed fender that looks like a cheap afterthought. It’s the kind of piece that clashes with any stylistic changes, especially if they’re aggressive. Perusing your aftermarket options, you’ll find all the typical HD fender styles, but nothing as eye-catching as Rough Crafts’ Long Ducktail Fender.
This high-quality fiberglass fender is shaped over a 3D mold and mounts directly to the Softail’s rear fender strut mounts—making installation a breeze. It’s compatible with 2018 and up M8 Softails and works with most solo seats designed for the stock fender.
As used on Rough Crafts’ 10th anniversary ‘Thunder Chaser’ build, the Ducktail fender completely reshapes the Softail’s profile, creating a more aggressive, svelte line. Compare that with the pontoon it replaces, and we’re willing to bet you’d be hard-pressed to find a single, more impactful, bolt-on piece.
Faster Track Seat and Fender While Rough Crafts is best known for custom Harley builds, Winston’s signature style blends seamlessly with other genres as well. Take the Yamaha XSR900 for instance, a bike that’s easily one of the tougher models to transform visually with its awkward mechanical clutter. However, one look at Rough Crafts’ XSR street tracker alerts us to the platform’s endless possibilities, and Winston designed his XSR to be as easy to replicate as possible.
Winston’s mechanical upgrades to the XSR were moderate by his own admission, but his custom carbon-fiber panels make the XSR feel like a completely different motorcycle. The fuel tank bears the telltale Rough Crafts lines, but they’re actually tank covers executed in carbon fiber and fit the OE fuel tank.
The flat track-style seat is the biggest departure from stock, making an aggressive statement where Yamaha’s overhanging fender and plate mount used to reside. The visual effect is massive, but it’s actually a simple bolt-on affair developed by Rough Crafts to work with the stock subframe. Built from lightweight carbon fiber, the Faster Track Seat comes with an upholstered saddle and stainless-steel brackets for mounting and even accommodates the stock two-up seat pad.
Iron Guerilla Gas Tank Harley’s classic Sportster fuel tank is one of the most timeless tank designs ever penned. It’s functional, creates a smooth no-nonsense look on any bike, and can be run low, high or full Frisco. To keep with the times, HD increased the size of the Sporty tank in the early 2000s—softening its aesthetics—and swapping your Sporty back to the lean early design is one of the best ways to bring the sharp edge back to your bike.
Rough Crafts’ Iron Guerilla Fuel Tanks are direct-fit pieces for Sportsters from 2004 to 2022, offered in both carbureted and fuel-injected versions. The trim 2.45-gallon capacity tank looks like a Sporty tank should, without sacrificing fuel range, and the scalloped tank sides are a huge upgrade over off-the-shelf tanks.
An essential piece of a Rough Crafts’ Harley build, the Iron Guerilla tank design is used on bikes like Bomb Runner, Obsidian Fighter and more, often highlighted by pinstriping and contrasting finishes.
Guerilla Diamond-Stitched Solo Seat Quality motorcycle seats are damn expensive, and if you peruse all the normal sites, you’re met with options ranging from $300 to over $500. Sure, some of them look nice, but you’re unlikely to field compliments by being another guy to bolt on a Saddleman.
If you’re rocking a 2004 to 2022 Harley Sportster, Rough Crafts’ Guerilla Solo Seat is a high-quality piece with an agreeable price tag. A boost in comfort and cosmetics, the diamond-stitch Guerilla solo seat is built with premium materials and is a direct fit for the ’04 to ’22 Sporty. Run it solo for the bare-bones look as seen on the Iron Guerilla, or go two-up with Rough Crafts’ matching Passenger Pillion Pad.
