'Noir King' Custom Harley Bagger
Daily Slideshow: 'Noir King,' Rough Crafts' first Bagger build is an attention commanding, 'murdered-out,' antithesis to current custom Bagger styling.
Rough Crafts' First Bagger Build
'Noir King' is Rough Crafts' clinical slice into the custom Bagger world. Better known for his hard-hitting Sportster and Softail designs, Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts accepted the collaborative project after being approached by Zach Ness, grandson of the legendary motorcycle builder, Arlen Ness.
[Photo credits: JL Photography]
'Noir King,' 'Murdered-out' Custom Bagger
With a measure of restraint not often found with many Bagger builds, Yeh kept true to Rough Crafts' signature style and crafted a 'murdered-out' antithesis to the usual colorful flash of today's customized Baggers.
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Knife-like Profile
The result of Winston Yeh's attention to design detail is evident in the lethal-looking, knife-like, profile of 'Noir King.'
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Road King Challenge
The base platform for 'Noir King' is a 2012 Harley-Davidson Road King. Part of the challenge of 'Noir King' was that Rough Crafts had never taken on a Bagger build, because as Yeh states, “Somehow, customers who asked us to build bikes never asked for a Bagger.” Collaborating with Zach Ness and using Arlen Ness parts was the perfect opportunity for Rough Crafts to tackle this challenge.
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Resisting Temptation
Rolling out front with a nice design throwback to the iconic Invader wheels is a seven-spoke 23×3.50" Arlen Ness Beveled Black Wheel sporting a 130/60-section Pirelli Night Dragon tire. Resisting temptation, Yeh decided to keep the front wheel on the smaller size to complement the overall look. “Instead of going for the trend of the bigger the front wheel the better, we decided to stay with a 23" front, looks more balanced for the whole bike.”
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Sleek Front End
The Road King's stripped front end was pushed out for a better stance using Arlen Ness raked triple trees. In keeping with the sleek front end, the lower forks were swapped for Arlen Ness Hot Legs and the uppers topped with Rough Crafts' FAT/FIN Fork Covers. Between this dark, minimal sandwich sits a modified Arlen Ness Wrapper Front Fender, topped with a 5 3/4" headlight shrouded with a signature Rough Crafts headlight grill.
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Form Follows Function
Extensive fabrication work went into the gas tank to achieve the stretched and indented form topped with a Rough Crafts Anodized Black Groove Gas Cap. The light-absorbing matte black paintwork was handled by Air Runner Custom Paint Studio. Performance Machine controls on tracker style bars provide the input points for steering and braking.
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Motorvation
Right below the handcrafted gas tank is a 96" Twin Cam motor with Arlen Ness dress-up parts on the rocker box tops and lifter blocks. Air filtration is provided by a Rough Crafts' Black Anodized Air Filter with exhaust exiting through a set of custom pipes that bear a close resemblance to Rough Crafts' Guerilla Styled Exhaust Pipe. Arlen Ness foot controls backed by Rough Crafts floorboards keep things planted.
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All About Lines
Made in-house at Rough Crafts, the diamond-stitched leather seat provides a rider perch that effortlessly flows off the gas tank in a smooth transition line. Keeping the back-end tracking true is a blacked out stock 16" rear wheel with a 180/70 Pirelli Night Dragon tire.
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Graceful Curve
The real design magic starts as your eyes move back from the custom seat following the graceful curve of the rear-end. A Legend Air Ride system keeps the back-end lowered and the stance just right.
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Down-N-Out
Getting the back-end dialed in started with a set of Arlen Ness Down-N-Out Stretched Saddlebags and Stretched Fender. Shown here are variations of the Down-N-Out package with exhaust cut-outs. Rough Crafts' opted for a smooth look with no exhaust outlets. Yeh states, “I always think the coolest look for a Bagger is to have no exhausts coming out, so the bags and fender creates a full ‘skirt’ look from the rear.”
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Full Dress(er)
With a dedication to design, 'Noir King' is a gorgeous, but still functional, bit of vehicular styling. The Rough Crafts and Zach Ness pairing is yet another entry for Winston Yeh's impressive roster of collaborations with top builders.
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