Where retro elegance meets race-born aggression

Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts has been putting his signature on custom bikes for over a decade—each build defined by dark aesthetics, race-ready components, and a hyper-considered silhouette. The latest machine from his Taipei-based workshop is no exception.

Meet Silhouette R, a purpose-built Ducati Monster 937 SP that merges aggression, elegance, and pure engineering precision.

Platform and Purpose

Winston has long been a fan of the Ducati Monster lineup, having previously customized the 1200 and 821 platforms. When Ducati launched the updated 937 generation—praised for its agile handling and tech-forward feature set—he saw the perfect foundation for a new vision.

“I want something performance-based and super cool,” was the brief from his client. That kind of open-ended commission gave Rough Crafts the freedom to get experimental without chasing trends. Starting with a base-spec Monster 937 (pre-SP release), Winston built out a bike that outperforms its factory sibling in both function and style.

“I want something performance-based and super cool.”
– Rough Crafts client, kicking off the Silhouette R project

Design Philosophy

Instead of discarding the stock tank—a compact, tight-fitting unit—Winston leaned into it. The team fabricated a set of custom wings that link the tank to a newly designed front fairing, preserving the Monster’s design DNA while enhancing its visual mass.

The rear end posed more of a challenge. Ducati’s one-piece plastic tail left little room for adjustment, so Rough Crafts replaced it entirely. The new 3D-printed tail section, paired with a custom billet CNC subframe, keeps things lean while visually echoing classic café racer lines.

From there, the team focused on harmony: blending retro cues with high-performance elements and minimalist details. “The rest is to find the perfect lines that blend retro styling with modern high-tech race elements,” Winston notes.

High-Tech in Disguise

The build’s blacked-out theme runs deep: Öhlins FGR300 forks are custom-coated and mounted via a CNC Racing bottom tree and Rough Crafts’ own top triple with integrated gauge mount. The rear uses an Öhlins unit from the Monster SP, upgraded with a hydraulic preload adjuster by Andreani Taiwan.

Brembo calipers and SICOM carbon discs handle braking duty. Ultra-light Jonich wheels are wrapped in Pirelli Supercorsa V4 tires for razor-sharp grip. And even the exhaust system was upgraded to a titanium header fabricated by Zinja Handmade, feeding into an SC Project S1GP can.

Materials and Craftsmanship

The visual touches elevate the whole package. Rover Works laid down a subdued black paint scheme with blue accents, matching the bike’s neo-industrial aesthetic. Carbon fiber components abound—radiator trim, fenders, sprocket cover, and more—most courtesy of CNC Racing. The seat, wrapped by CHIRUI Leather Custom, sits low and flat above the tail’s angular lines.

Every piece—from the gauge relocation to the custom tank badges by 2 Abnormal Sides—serves the final silhouette.

A New Shadow

Silhouette R isn’t just another café-fighter hybrid. It’s the distillation of Rough Crafts’ design language: monochrome minimalism with a hint of menace, executed at an obsessive level. It also reminds us that you don’t need 200 horsepower or a V4 to create something thrilling, timeless, and unapologetically custom.

“It’s the shadow of speed—shaped by intent, sharpened by engineering.”
– Winston Yeh, Rough Crafts

Silhouette R: Full Specs