In Scandinavian folklore, the Kraken is a titanic sea beast that haunts sailors. This Harley-Davidson Fats Boy from Taiwan’s Rough Crafts mirrors that fantasy—its monstrous rear tire and menacing livery leaving little doubt why it’s known as the ‘Street Kraken.’
Tough Crafts entrance man Winston Yeh would not typically construct wide-wheeled monsters—and when he does, he not often goes past 240 on the rear. That stated, he is a fan of the unconventional chopper period, the place ultra-wide rear tires had been a defining characteristic. So when a consumer requested him to interrupt the mould, he was completely happy to oblige.
“He mainly wished a Tough Crafts Harley, however with a 300 rear tire,” Winston tells us, including that the remainder of the design was totally left as much as him. This type of religion is frequent amongst Tough Crafts’ clientele—hardly stunning, given the corporate’s formidable portfolio.
Tough Crafts began with a 2023-model Harley-Davidson Fats Boy, which has the widest swingarm of all the present Harley Softail fashions. It wasn’t vast sufficient, although, so Winston ordered a ‘Fats Ass’ equipment from Rick’s Bikes in Germany.
The equipment’s primary element is a bolt-on swingarm that may accommodate a tire as much as 360 vast. It additionally comes pre-installed with two pulleys, linked by a shaft that accounts for the drivetrain offset {that a} gargantuan rear wheel requires. With the requisite belts additionally within the field, it is a true plug-and-play choice.
Winston ordered the Fats Boy’s new wheels from Rick’s too—a 3.5×21” for the entrance and a ten.5×18” for the again. They’re wrapped in Metzeler 120- and 300-section ME888 tires. The braking system makes use of a Beringer Aerotec caliper up entrance, a Rick’s drive-side caliper out again, and Rick’s discs at each ends.
Winston wished to make the front-end slender to juxtapose the Fats Boy’s chunky tail. To attain this, Tough Crafts put in custom-made yokes that tuck the fork legs as near the thin 21” entrance wheel as doable. They grip upside-down models from Öhlins, with a shortened Öhlins shock sitting on the reverse finish of the bike.
The bodywork is customary Tough Crafts fare. A deeply scalloped gasoline tank tapers to a bobbed saddle, with a tightly molded fender tucked towards the again tire. A BT Choppers equipment cleans up the world beneath the seat, with a Tough Crafts filler cap topping off the tank.
The Fats Boy’s mini-ape bars are one-offs. They’re held in place by Tough Crafts riser, with the compact digital sprint from Road Bob built-in into the highest clamp. The levers and built-in switches are from Rebuffini, whereas the grips are from Tough Crafts’ collaboration with the aftermarket elements powerhouse Arlen Ness.
A small LED headlight hovers between the fork legs, geared up with a grill in Tough Crafts’ signature model. The entrance flip indicators are from Rebuffini, whereas the rear three-in-one LEDs are Tough Crafts x Koso gadgets. Decrease down, Tough Crafts floorboards are accompanied by Arlen Ness foot controls.
The Harley’s 114 ci Milwaukee-Eight engine wears rocker field covers and an consumption from the Tough Crafts x Arlen Ness assortment. Winston additionally specced the bike with a Rebuffini hydraulic clutch housing, and a {custom} two-into-one exhaust with a stubby machined finish cap.
As per his customary working process, Winston labored with a trusted community of artisans to get the Fats Boy over the end line. Triroad Moto Co. dealt with ultimate meeting, Rover Works Customized Paint tackled the brooding paint job, and SFC Simon Fiber Craft added carbon fiber inlays to the bodywork, with a heavy weave that creates a checkered sample. Common Tough Crafts collaborator 2 Irregular Sides created the luxe push rod collars and tank badges.
Wrapped in numerous shades of black with slick gold accents, the Street Kraken nails the quintessential Tough Crafts vibe, whereas paying tribute to an age when over-the-top was the usual vibe for choppers.
Rough Crafts | Facebook | Instagram | Pictures by Kin Lin Foto
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