To say that Winston Yeh likes the color black would be a gross understatement. The man behind Taiwan’s Rough Crafts has a sense of style that would make Johnny Cash’s wardrobe blush, and seldom builds a custom motorcycle that isn’t swathed in various shades of black.
We checked; a mere 10 percent of the Rough Crafts bikes featured on our pages buck this trend. So when Mr. Yeh does deviate from this formula, it’s usually for a good reason—like a special request from a client.
“He wanted an old school chopper, he wanted it silver, and he wanted the ‘Rough Crafts’ style,” says Winston of the succinct brief he received for the project. The only other request was that Rough Crafts use a modern bike as a donor so that reliability wouldn’t be an issue. Winston settled on a 2020 Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight for its simplicity and malleability.
Working with his coterie of trusted local craftsmen, Winston started by sourcing a hardtail chopper frame from The Gasbox in Ohio, USA. Sporting a 32-degree rake and a 3”-up stretch, the frame’s propped up at the front by a bespoke girder fork.
Winston modeled the girder setup using CAD software, before having the parts CNC-machined. The design treads vintage ground, while details like the Öhlins shock and gusseted pockets add a modern vibe.
“I wanted to mimic those old tubular girders that are boxed in with sheet metal,” he says. “This one’s for all those who say my builds are ‘too new’ and I can’t build old school style bikes.”
Winston’s classic sensibilities extend to the wheels—a stunning set of five-spoke Invader hoops from Led Sled Customs. Measuring 2.15×21” at the front and 3.5×18” at the back, they’re wrapped in Shinko rubber.
Despite the lack of rear suspension, Winston didn’t skimp on the brakes. As per Rough Crafts’ standard operating procedure, the Sportster is fitted with Beringer calipers and discs, with the discs mounted on Rough Crafts carriers that mimic the shape of the wheels. The custom rear sprocket, made by KCT Sprockets, follows suit, pulled by a black chain from RK Takasago.
The Sportster’s bodywork is a cocktail of aftermarket parts, all of which have been tweaked to suit Rough Crafts’ signature style. The tank was cut and shut to give it deep side scallops, then topped off with a one-off gas cap. The oil tank came with the GasBox frame, but it’s been modified to mirror the tank scallops.
The seat is a Biltwell Inc. item, mounted on a one-off bracket with a pair of springs to add a modicum of comfort. An elegant fender from Cooper Smithing Co. finishes off the tail, with neat tabs that interface with the custom rear fender stays.
The cockpit wears custom mini-ape bars, mounted on Rough Crafts risers and fitted with Rough Crafts grips. The controls are from KustomTech, with the front brake and throttle lines running inside the bars. A discreet bracket, mounted just below the fuel tank on the left-hand side of the bike, hosts the ignition and a tiny Motogadget speedo.
When it came to adding a headlight, Winston couldn’t settle on a system that didn’t interfere with the fork’s operation. So he had a new lower shock collar CNC-machined, that includes an integrated headlight mount. The finned headlight is straight from the Rough Crafts catalog.
Other changes include mid-mounted foot controls with Rough Crafts pegs, a Rough Crafts air filter, matching engine covers from EMD, and KOSO LED turn signals and taillights. High-mounted reverse cone exhausts add the appropriate soundtrack.
Rover Works Custom Paint handled the atypical Rough Crafts livery; a silver base with elegant silver leaf details. Meister Powder Coating tackled the hard parts, JZO Crafts was responsible for fabrication, and Triroad Moto Co. took on the assembly. Regular collaborator 2Abnormal Sides supplied a set of gorgeous handmade push road collars, plus a Rough Crafts headstock badge.
Dubbed ‘Mad Raider,’ this sublime Harley-Davidson Sportster chopper might break some of Rough Crafts’ rules, but it’s still instantly recognizable as the Taiwanese powerhouse’s work.
Will Winston build more bikes that shake up his formula? According to him, it all depends on what his customers want.
Rough Crafts | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Kazuo Matsumoto
