User-friendly was the end goal for a back-burner idea—years in the making.
Shop Creation
Good things take time. Over the past decade, Rough Crafts has carved out a unique profile in the custom bike scene. Based on a 2020 Fat Bob, 'Miltown Moonshine' is the latest creation to roll out of the Taiwanese shop. Owner Winston Yeh reflected on the bike's throwback design, stating it has been on his mind for years.
Photos: JL Photography
International Product
Yeh explained that the inspiration for 'Miltown Moonshine' was drawn from one of his first custom builds. Dubbed 'Graphite Speedster,' it was awarded fourth place at the AMD World Championships in 2014. The recognition helped establish Rough Crafts on an international level. Orders for similar builds soon followed, but there was a problem transforming the show bike design into a commercial product.
Order Motion
Many components on 'Graphite Speedster' were one-offs. Yeh elaborated, “All of those unconventional parts make it a difficult bike to maintain for your average customer.” Enter, 'Miltown Moonshine' and Yeh's desire to build a more user-friendly version of his award-winning machine. That back-burner idea got put in motion when a client placed an open-ended order on a new bobber build.
Traditional Favorite
Yeh immediately knew that it was his chance to make things happen. In stock form, the Fat Bob has an aggressive 'sports' look, but at its core sits Harley-Davidson's latest Milwaukee-Eight Softail frame. Yeh elaborated on his choice, stating that the chassis was a personal favorite because its contemporary lines were very similar to a traditional hardtail bobber.
Located Look
The 'Miltown Moonshine' build began by stripping the Fat Bob down to its bare essentials. The stock, bolt-on fender struts were removed, along with the remaining bodywork. The factory swingarm was retained, but Yeh fitted an upgraded rear shock from Progressive Suspension—located under the seat. Blacked-out, aluminum spoke wheels from Roland Sands Design tied the new look together.
Class Touch
With little need for performance improvements, the factory Milwaukee-Eight 114 was left alone. For a lighter pull, a hydraulic clutch from Rebuffini Cycles was added, along with a Performance Machine clutch cover. Characteristic of most Rough Crafts builds, the short, two-into-one exhaust, was fabricated in-house. Brass pushrod tubes add a touch of class while highlighting the finned rocker covers.
Smooth Retro
Cinching the bobber look, Yeh again turned to Rebuffini Cycles for a Springer front end. He noted, “They’re such an amazing company. They have a full billet springer fork that looks super retro but includes two Öhlins shocks. It rides super smooth—like any modern bike.” Front and back Aerotec 4D brakes, with a total of six discs, provide insanely good stopping power.
Cool Mix
True to his vision, the majority of parts on 'Miltown Moonshine' were pulled from the Rough Crafts aftermarket catalog. Keeping it simple, the handlebar-mounted speedometer was purloined from a Street Bob. A mix of Arlen Ness and Rebuffini Cycles controls finish off the rider inputs. Despite being a cool and unique custom, this 2020 Fat Bob 'bobber' is most certainly user-friendly!
>>Join in the conversation about this custom Fat Boy right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.
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