Game On: Rough Crafts builds a gaming-inspired Street Bob

The Harley-Davidson Street Bob is one of the most stripped-down big cruisers that The Motor Co. sells. With trimmed bodywork, little to no passenger accommodations and the tiniest speedo we’ve ever seen on a factory bike, there’s very little to remove if you’re customizing one. Which is exactly why Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts in Taiwan loves working with it.

For his latest project, Winston took a stock 2020-model Street Bob, and turned it into a sci-fi-infused custom that looks like it rolled straight out of a video game. This bold aesthetic has a lot to do with his client; the bike was built for Cooler Master, a major manufacturer of computer cases and peripherals.

They’ve been in business for 30 years, and are huge in the gaming community. Wanting a rolling showpiece to commemorate this milestone, they turned to Rough Crafts.

“For their 30th anniversary, Cooler Master asked me to build a bike and matching computer case to celebrate,” Winston tells us. “I set out to combine signature elements of both worlds—the brand’s signature purple lighting, and the sharp edges and boxy shapes that are found on most Cooler Master cases. Plus Rough Crafts’ signature fin details, with lots of forged carbon fiber.”

Nicknamed the ‘Cosmos Charger,’ this Street Bob is wild, futuristic and loaded with really thoughtful details. We were lucky enough to catch glimpses of Winston’s early design drafts, and witnessed first hand how he agonized over finding the balance between cool and clichéd. After all, how do you add LED lighting to a vehicle without making it look like a wannabe street racer?

Luckily Winston figured it out in the end. There are shades of other Rough Crafts builds here—like the heavy scalloping on the fairing, tank and tail. But the closer you get, the more you spot subtle touches that convey the vibe of Cooler Master’s products.

To pull it off, Winston turned to 3D design and printing. Given that he’s worked on numerous Milwaukee Eight Softails already, he now has their chassis 3D scanned and ready to ‘build’ on. The fairing, tank and tail were all designed digitally, then 3D printed in a high-end polymer.

From there, Winston turned to regular collaborator, SFC Simon Fiber Craft, to wrap each part in forged carbon fiber. It not only added an extra layer of material, but also created the stunning marbled texture you see on each part.

Running up the middle of the fairing, over the top of the tank and onto the tail is a series of CNC aluminum fins. Backlit by purple LEDs, they’re a nod to computer heat sinks. The tank itself is actually just a cover though, with a custom-built aluminum fuel cell hiding underneath it.

The bike’s primary lighting all comes from Koso. There’s a pair of LED projectors up front, and LED turn signals at both ends, with the rear pair doubling up as taillights.

Lurking below the bodywork is a host of sweet chassis upgrades. Rough Crafts installed a new set of Öhlins forks, held in place by custom yokes. An Öhlins shock connects to a new swingarm from The Speed Merchant.

The wheels are from Performance Machine, measuring 18” up front and 16” out back. The tires are Metzeler ME888s, while the braking setup matches Beringer calipers to Performance Machine discs. Rough Crafts upgraded the clutch to a hydraulic setup from Rebuffini too.

The Street Bob’s engine wears Rough Crafts x Arlen Ness foot pegs, grips, and rocker box and cam covers. The handlebars and finned air filter are Rough Crafts parts, while the switches are from Rebuffini. They’re totally plug-and-play too, designed to integrate directly with the Harley’s CAN bus system.

Winston roped in his usual dream team of collaborators to push the build over the finish line. MS Pro handled all the fabrication—including the custom exhaust and its burly box muffler—while CT-Garage took point on the final assembly.

Line&Circle Custom Paint laid down the livery, using subtle black finishes and pin stripes to complement the forged carbon sections. 2Abnormal sides came to the party with custom push rod collars and tank badges, plus a special Rough Crafts emblem for the custom computer case that Winston designed.

It’s exactly the sort of attention to detail that we’ve come to expect from Rough Crafts. This Street Bob might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s no denying that it’s as cohesive as it is menacing. From front to back, every part here feels like it belongs.

The Cosmos Charger actually looks like it’d be totally wild to ride too. Winston may have designed this custom motorcycle for a computer parts company, but we’d take it out on the streets in a heartbeat.

Rough Crafts | Facebook | Instagram | Images and video by An Lee

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K is for Kit: A BMW K100 café racer from Munich’s finest

From the minute it hit the custom scene, the BMW K100 has been an underdog. With a brick-like motor, overly angled bodywork and a kinked subframe, it’s a far less appealing option than the more handsome R-series boxer. But that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a surprisingly popular choice.

The key lies in how you customize the K100. If your strategy is to shoehorn it into a traditional build style, you’re destined for heartbreak. But if you find a way to harness the K100’s quirkiness rather than fight it, the results can be pretty damn spectacular.

That’s the approach that Motoism and Impuls have taken with this ultra-sharp 1983-model BMW K100 café racer. The two Munich-based outfits share a love for good design, and are well-versed in modern manufacturing techniques. With support from VOR Shoes, Kruno Trim Studio, Öhlins, ABM and Pirelli, they set out to reinterpret classic café racer concepts in a retro-futuristic style.

“This sporty fresh K100 pays tribute to the 80s to the furthest extreme,” says Motoism founder, Ben Ott. “A throwback that combines iconic features with futuristic artifacts. Illuminated wings, a pair of custom sneakers and rear light flares get you ready to put neon into overdrive.”

The idea was to build the bike in such a way that the parts could be replicated, to be sold as either individual pieces or a kit. So Motoism and Impuls leaned heavily into 3D scanning, design and printing technologies to pull this off.

First, the bike was stripped down to its bones and 3D-scanned. Then the team redesigned the entire bike digitally, from the headlight shroud and ‘aero wings,’ all the way through to the refined tail section. From there, a multitude of parts were 3D-printed, using a high performance copolymer and a carbon-reinforced copolymer.

Starting at the front, Motoism mounted up a new headlight nacelle by way of laser-cut stainless steel brackets. It houses a Koso Thunderbolt LED headlight, with a small Motogadget digital speedo neatly embedded up top. It also holds a slim row of LED warning lights, and a hidden RFID-equipped keyless ignition point.

The cockpit’s further equipped with new ABM clip-ons, a Brembo brake control and new grips. The tidy switches are Motoism’s own design, using blacked-out 3D-printed housings.

Flanking the stock fuel tank are a set of translucent ‘wings,’ bolted to stainless steel mounts. They obviously do little for the bike’s aerodynamics, but they do serve a purpose—other than complementing the tank’s lines perfectly. Equipped with LEDs, they effectively operate as daytime running lights for added visibility out on the road.

Lower down you’ll find a stubby 3D-printed front fender, mounted on laser-cut stainless steel brackets. Motoism also designed new fork covers, which stealthy integrated turn signals.

The forks themselves were lowered a touch, and kitted with new spacers and springs. A custom-built shock from Öhlins props up the rear end, bolted to a custom-built subframe. Motoism and Impuls worked on the frame together, welding together CNC-bent tubes to get the shape right.

It’s topped off with a custom solo seat, followed by a 3D-printed hump. The taillight is a completely bespoke, with translucent plastic fins illuminated by LEDs.

The rest of the build sports a smorgasbord of custom and add-on parts. The foot controls are a mash-up of ABM parts, with custom mounts and linkages by Impuls. Impuls also fabricated a new coolant expansion tank, and the stainless steel four-into-one exhaust headers. The muffler is a titanium unit from GPR, and the whole system has been finished in black.

The K100 also features a new 3D-printed intake manifold, and a 3D-printed battery box that houses two tiny LiFePO4 batteries. For the tires, the crew chose a set of grippy Pirelli Sport Demons.

Most of these parts are available from Motoism’s online store, along with a few items not pictured here. There are multiple options for the tank ‘wings,’ plus a license plate bracket… but the paint job is up to you.

Here, Motoism and Impuls opted for a simple, yet effective, design. BMW Alpina white dominates the bodywork, punctuated by bright red stripes. Everything below the line has been blacked out, further emphasizing the new kit.

A pair of matching custom sneakers from VOR Shoes completes the set. Although if this was our K, those white kicks would be filthy in no time.

Motoism | Impuls | Images by Peter Langwieser

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Speed Read, November 27, 2022

We continue in our quest to bring you the most diverse Speed Read selections we can. This week includes a Honda Monkey inspired by a train, a Suzuki Freewind scrambler and a rocket-powered Harley. Staying with the Motor Co., we finish things off with sad news about the Evo Sportster.

Honda Monkey 125 by MonQey King We love seeing how creative custom builders can get with the Honda Monkey. The modern-day version of the diminutive city bike is based on the Honda Grom, and is cheap, good looking and approachable. It’s no wonder it’s so popular.

Asia is a big market for the Honda Monkey, and the workshops over there do a cracking job at customizing them. This Monkey was built by Chayakrit Kaewwongwan, A.K.A. Winny Boy, from Thailand. He runs Advance Automotive Accessories, MonQey King and a few other aftermarket motorcycle parts stores.

He’s also a big fan of the Honda Monkey, so he decided to build one for the 2022 Bangkok Hot Rod show. Using the extensive knowledge of ABS plastic and manufacturing that he’s amassed while manufacturing parts, Chayakrit built this entire bike in just 10 days. It also helped that he’d designed the same type of bodywork for a custom Honda Dax recently.

The main inspiration for the bike was, curiously, a train. Specifically, the 1937 Baldwin Locomotive Works Union Pacific P-13 2906. Admittedly, the train is a streamlined work of art and engineering, so it’s easy to see why Chayakrit is loco for this loco.

The dustbin-style fairing, tank cover, side covers, belly pan and rear end were all made from ABS plastic. It’s a material that Chayakrit works with every day and is lightweight, which is essential for such a small bike. Even the diamond-patterned panels on the sides are ABS plastic parts.

Chayakrit designed the body so that it’d bolt straight to the Monkey, without any cutting or welding. But he did make some other key changes.

The suspension was lowered, with a new set of Murazaki shocks out back. The Monkey wears a set of trick ace-style handlebars, with rear-set pegs and a custom seat to complement the low riding position. Wide D-Project wheels and tires complement the new bodywork.

Finished in a custom paint with hints of gold, the results are stunning. We’re not the only ones who like it—Chayakrit took the top spot in the ‘Best Minibike’ category at the 2022 Bangkok Hot Rod Show.

All he needs to do now, is turn this into a kit. [Source]

Custom Suzuki XF650 Freewind If you’ve never heard of the Suzuki XF650 Freewind, we don’t blame you—it’s a strange-looking machine, and only formed part of Suzuki’s line-up for a couple of years. It used the engine from the DR650, but sat lower with a different chassis and a 19” front wheel. And its bulbous bodywork didn’t age well.

But when the owner of this Freewind, Peter Aldby of Gothenburg, Sweden first saw it, that bodywork was already in the bin.

Peter had set out to build himself a functional, good-looking scrambler, and was looking for a suitable donor. While trawling the internet for his first pick, a Honda Dominator, he stumbled across this newly-completed custom Suzuki Freewind. Too good to pass up, Peter bought the bike from its builder, a fellow Swede by the name of Henrik W.

Henrik had swapped the Freewind’s bodywork out for the fuel tank from a 1979 Yamaha RD125, matched to a leather seat on top of a custom subframe. The side covers came from a Yamaha FS1 moped, and hide a small battery and electronics box.

Painted in Suzuki RM-inspired graphics and classic Suzuki yellow paint, it looks absolutely perfect.

Up front is a motocross-style fender, bolted to the forks below a round headlight from a Honda Hornet 600. The suspension was rebuilt but left mostly stock, along with the DR650-derived engine.

The dashboard was cut off and replaced with a digital Koso EX-02 unit, bolted straight to the handlebar clamp, which now holds a set of Renthal bars. Henrik also added a new bash plate, and an exhaust muffler from Snell.

It’s hard to believe that such a stunning bike came from such unassuming beginnings. Peter and Henrik deserve knighthoods for making the world a better place… one Freewind at a time. [Source]

The Bob Maddox Twin Pulsejet Super Jet Motorcycle Have you ever wanted to own a rocket-propelled motorcycle? If you have, then today is your lucky day. This is the Twin Pulsejet Super Jet motorcycle, originally built by the Rocketman himself. No, not Elton John, but Oregon local Bob Maddox.

Bob was fascinated by space and aircraft as a child, so he began experimenting with rockets. Now that he’s all grown up, Bob builds rocket-powered vehicles, and has modified everything from hotrods to go-karts. But this jet-powered Harley-Davidson is arguably his most famous creation.

Made to look like an original 1929 Harley Davidson board track racer, the bike is built around a custom-made tubular steel frame. Skinny tires and a sprung saddle are the only comforts here—the front forks and back end are completely rigid. The inverted handlebars look like something from the Wall of Death itself, while stopping power is sent from the bars to the back wheel by way of a custom braking setup.

But this bike is more about the go than the show. It just screams power, with a pair of twin pulse jet rocket engines running down both sides of it. Producing 250 pounds of thrust, they propel the bike (on regular 87RON gasoline) from 0-60 mph in five seconds flat. Red heat shields not only protect the rider’s legs, but the back tire as well.

The bike will be going under the hammer at Mecum in January. If one of our esteemed readers has the means and decides to pick this up, can we please have a go? [Source]

The last Harley-Davidson Evolution Sportster On the 19th of November, 2022, a Gunship Grey Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron 883 rolled off the production line in York, Pennsylvania. That wouldn’t usually be something newsworthy, but that day was different—it was the last time an Evolution-powered Sportster would be produced by the Motor Co.

The Evo Sportster is a motorcycling legend. Yes, it’s agricultural compared to its Japanese (or even other American) counterparts, but the Evo is an icon. Driven more by character and quality, more than a million Evo Sportsters have been made since 1986.

Countless have been customized too, making it one of the most popular platforms on this website, and a favorite of top shops like One Way Machine [below] and Rough Crafts [bottom]. It helps that the Evo Sportster is easy to tear down—and that the aftermarket for it is gigantic.

The Sportster name, which stretches back to 1957, now lives on in the Sportster S and Nightster. Powered by the all-new Revolution Max engine, the new Sporty is a serious departure from the Evo, which hasn’t really changed much since the 80s. The new engine is liquid-cooled, has double overhead camshafts and variable valve timing, and now acts as a stressed member of the frame.

No doubt, it’s the end of an era for the Sportster. Will the Revolution-powered Sportster live as long and be as successful? Will the global custom scene embrace it like they have the Evo?

Only time will tell. Until then, vale Evo Sporty! [Source | Check out our favorite custom Evolution Sportsters]

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Lo-fi boxer: A carbureted BMW R18 from Kingston Custom

We live in a world where you can stream entire discographies of music straight to your phone, yet vinyl sales are booming. Technology might be advancing at a relentless pace, but we’re still drawn to analog things—either for their charm, or for the sake of our own nostalgia.

In this context, neo-retro motorcycles are something of an anomaly. They look vintage, but they’re loaded with features that weren’t around back then—like catalytic convertors and electronic rider aids. This BMW R18 from Kingston Custom shatters that mold.

On the surface, it looks like a gentle, albeit tasteful, visual reworking of BMW’s monster cruiser. But the real genius here, is what you can’t see—or, more accurately, what isn’t there. This R18 runs without fuel injection, traction control, electronic rider modes or ABS.

Removing all of that from a modern motorcycle is arguably far harder than changing its looks. So why did the man behind Kingston Custom, Dirk Oehlerking, even bother? Simple: he was asked to.

It all started with a chance meeting last year, at the St. Moritz Automobile Week, in Switzerland. Dirk was there to compete in the Kilomètre Lancé with his jaw-dropping ‘Spirit of Passion’ custom R18, which, unsurprisingly, garnered much attention. That’s how he met Kurt A Engelhorn—the founder and organizer of the prestigious classic automobile festival.

“I got to know Kurt through the bike and had some intense petrolhead talks with him,” Dirk tells us. “He challenged me, and asked me if I could rebuild a BMW R18 with very simple technology. Without fuel injection, ABS, a CAN bus; something like the Concept R18, with a carburetor.”

“I replied that it was no problem at all. These days, you can build almost anything—and after all, BMW themselves did it.”

“At the end of the event, we exchanged contact information. At the time, I had no idea that this interesting man was also the organizer of the St. Moritz Automobile Week. A few days later, his R18 arrived in my studio—and, after a few phone calls, it was clear that this would be a special project.”

Dirk started by disassembling the bike, so that he could figure out exactly how he was going to pull off what he was planning. The chunky plastic cover that normally sits at the rear of the R18’s engine block went into the bin, post haste. The lower half of that space is now filled by a handmade box that hosts the ignition key and starter button.

Mounted on top of that is a custom airbox, feeding a pair of 40 mm Bing carbs—the kind you’d find on a classic boxer, only bigger. Dirk had a BMW R51/3 in the shop at the same time as this project, so that’s where the inspiration for the airbox design came from. Owners of older BMWs will recognize the fuel taps too.

As you’d imagine, none of this was plug-and-play stuff. Dirk had to get around the BMW’s ignition and CAN bus system, and he had to modify the carbs themselves. But he’s keeping shtum on exactly how he pulled it off.

De-modernizing the R18 went beyond just changing its fueling system. Dirk took the transmission apart to remove the bike’s electric-powered reverse gear too. And he removed the ABS system from the OEM brakes.

Visually, this R18 is as tidy as they come. Dirk went for a stripped-down bobber aesthetic, to mirror the changes he had made under the hood. So there’s nothing left on this BMW that doesn’t absolutely need to be there.

Peek under the seat, and you’ll see just how meticulous Dirk is. There’s nary a wire in sight, and the battery’s now held by a custom-made bracket underneath the transmission.

The bodywork is a mix of OEM and custom bits. A BMW R nineT headlight sits up front, with an aftermarket Harley-Davidson seat out back. The rear fender is a custom piece, and holds a pair of tiny taillight and turn signal combo LEDs from Kellermann.

Dirk upgraded the cockpit with a set of 1” handlebars and risers from BMW’s own aftermarket catalogue, fitted with new grips, a classic cable-operative throttle, and Rebuffini brake and clutch controls. The speedo and bar-end turn signals are Motogadget parts.

To fine-tune the bike’s stance, Dirk lowered the front forks, and swapped the stock wheels out for a 21F/18R set. The front fender was tweaked to fit the bigger wheel, while a side-mounted license plate bracket finishes off the rear.

Dirk also fixed one of the R18’s most unsightly features—its bulky ‘fishtail’ exhaust design. A pair of Rough Crafts mufflers were fitted instead, modeled after those on BMW’s original R18 concept bike.

As a finishing touch, Dirk picked a classic pin-striped livery that’s just as restrained and tasteful as the rest of the build. Appropriately dubbed ‘Good Vibes,’ the bike was delivered to Herr Engelhorn at the 2022 edition of the St. Moritz Automobile Week.

There, Dirk piloted it over the Bernina Pass in the Swiss Alps, without an iota of electronic interference between his throttle hand, and the massive pistons shuddering beneath him.

Kingston Custom | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Marc Holstein

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