The best custom motorcycles are those projects commissioned to a great builder when a client gives him close to complete freedom of creation. ‘Do whatever you want with it’ have always been the magic words to get the most and the best of your partner in motorcycle customization. Advice to all. Choose your builder like you choose your surgeon. Take your time, make your own intensive research on who you will enjoy working with. Then when you find him, give an overall direction and trust him as an expert without systematically challenging all his ideas. You are looking here at the result of a great collaboration between a very good custom shop and a very trusting client.
Conceived by Harley-Davidson to be the “urban brawler” of the Sportster lineup, the Forty-Eight model is factory born already dripping a lot of attitude from every element. But builder Winston Yeh from Rough Crafts has a weakness for street fighter bikes, a style which the client agreed on for his Sportster makeover. With a great sense of humor and perfectly fitting the project, Winston called it “Hooligan Tactics”…
A Harley XR1200 swingarm that Yeh had lying around inspired this custom build. Piggyback shocks from Progressive Suspension were attached to it. In the front, inverted forks from a Suzuki GSX-R600 replaced the factory set. Not an easy bolt-on task, but requiring the custom fabrication of a new triple tree and custom axle. To add more “sport” to the bike, factory wheels in size 16” were replaced by a 18” (front) and 17”(rear) black anodized forged aluminum set sourced at Arlen Ness. Matching composite rotors are from Lyndall Brakes and stock “balloon” tires were replaced by Dunlop’s Hardcore Sportmax. To keep the right hand-side as clean as possible and to open the view on the rear wheel, Yeh cut the radial brake caliper mount.
Rough Crafts proprietary custom parts are all over “Hooligan Tactics.” Among them, the engine rocker covers, the grooved clutch cover, the straight-shot exhaust system, the finned air filter, the headlight grille, the rear lights, the risers holding the narrow drag bars on which are bolted Performance Machine controls, the seat, etc. To fight the street on this machine, Winston went a very original route for the paint job: blue-grey patterns like on a military combat uniforms, but others will see an evocation of the screen pixels of our digital age. Rough Crafts.
Its kind of hard to say anything bad about this one . So I won’t .
Two thumbs up and a Sportster worthy of the moniker ‘ Sport ‘
Great job!
A great Sporty. Congrats to the builder.
Nice…I love the look of the tank on the side view…very nice indeed.
That’s really nice.
TJ, You must have Cyril’s readers confused with people that give a s*** about what you say, if there are any.
Funny thing Joe … you cared enough to not only read what I said … but then taking the time and effort to comment on it as well .. hmmmmn … so I guess you really do care after all .
Nothing to bitch about. Great small machine.
I rarely comment but damn, does this bike look good. Good enough to launch a new line.
Neat bike! Would be nice to see this bike in an assortment of colour schemes. One minor glitch might be that the front signal lights are mounted in a vulnerable position at the bottom of the frame.
Very street worthy !!!
Love those pipes… love ’em.
Very nice bike ,but since it is a “Street” bike …where do you hang the TAG?
SSDD; David
My kind of bike … would be great in S.F. for getting on and off sidewalks etc.
Has the stance of a wild boar on the charge……………..just get outta da way mon
Cool very cool………………….
The best custom motorcycles are those projects commissioned to a great builder when a client gives him close to complete freedom of creation. ‘Do whatever you want with it’
I disagree with this statement , I would say the “BEST” custom motorcycle project is one built in a garage by the guy whos gonna ride it .
now that being said , this bike does look like it would be a blast to ride .
RUB. You compare a guy in his garage versus an excellent custom builder as Cyril described. If it’s an excellent builder he will always do a better job in his shop than a non-pro in his garage. It’s the reason why a pro is paid.
RUB. Think before you write.
@ Johny & Drake , what can be better than riding your “own” custom built motorcycle built by yourself ? Is it going to be a “piece of art ” no , but the PRIDE of riding what ya built is what I’m talking about . Sorry if I offened any of you sheeple followers / leg humpers . wasn’t my intention .
Great job as always (from the far East). Only the front tires seems an awfully tight squeeze between the fork legs.
She’s a beauty. Nice job.
Well I read the “Horse” and often garage homebuilts are the equal of the professional shops builds.
The bikes in that great Mag prove it, also the little shops often with very low profiles who don’t like being in the Media lime light build some amazing MotorSickles. So I think RUB cannot be thus ignored !!
AND guys where did most of the builders out there start off ??? just walked into a shop and started building ?? I don’t think so…… many started out building in the front room ,bedroom, lounge, shed, garage or a mates place.
What a great, fun looking machine!
James Kiwi. so following your reasoning, when garage builders become professionals they turned bad at building bikes? Huh…
Tom Ryan, I think you missed the turn signals in the Levers. Those are the Driving Lights. Great looking Sporty. Many a Kawasaki Z1000’s have the same look. but every Build or Bike has some Evolution in it. Great Job!