When contemplating a custom Harley build, most
riders don’t usually imagine an aggressively designed performance driven
machine, as the brand’s legacy has become more akin to looking good than going
fast. For Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts it is a different story, as he recently
transformed a Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight into ‘Raging Dagger,’
giving new light to those looking to hop up their hogs to be track ready
racers.
Taking cues from the deceased line of Buell
motorcycles, Winston knew he had to make major modification to the suspension
and brakes, as well as cutting a lot of weight, to achieve the street fighter
look his customer was after. This was achieved with a custom swingarm from Trac
Dynamic intended to carry only a single Öhlins shock in an unconventional
horizontal mount at the bottom of the chassis, which was complemented by a new
inverted Öhlins fork to provide some cushion up front.
The bike then saw the addition a set of BST carbon
fiber wheels before being fitted with hand made carbon fiber body panels and a
bespoke exhaust from MS Pro, dropping a whopping 90 pounds from the factory
trim. As Winston says, this bike is a night and day change over the stock unit,
and we believe him.
