To say that custom bike builder and designer Paul Yaffe isn't intense is like saying that a five-pound sack of flour doesn't make a big biscuit. Paul has become one of the undisputed icons of custom bike building. After meeting him, it is easy to see just why. Recently, we had a chance to visit with a man who has already reached legendary status in his field.

Paul is a man of many talents. He said that he was always "a crazy kid," tearing bicycles apart and rebuilding them. Later, when he was the bouncer in a night club, Paul bought his first motorcycle and customized it. Soon he realized that he had accumulated five or six bikes and began customizing them as well. Paul said that he then began going to California state auctions and buying old California Highway Patrol bikes. He would take them home, customize them, and sell them. Word quickly spread about Paul's custom work. A friend of his (who would later become his business partner) gave him a bike to customize. The two friends then formed American Legend Motorcycles, and the business took off from there.

Paul's involvement in the custom motorcycle world started on the same path as many folks who enter the business. After growing up in Los Angeles , he eventually moved to Phoenix in 1989 to attend Motorcycle Mechanics Institute (MMI). Paul said that moving from L.A. to Arizona was great and that the weather for riding was phenomenal. He noted that in Arizona , they stop riding in late July and August when the heat is unbearable. That is just about the time when everyone gets to start riding in other parts of the country!

At that point, we had the opportunity to view a couple of Paul's creations. First, we saw a completed custom bike and then looked at one that was still a work in progress. Paul referred to the first bike as "Double Trouble," and he us that he rode it to Sturgis a couple of years ago. The bike has been stretched eight inches. The neck has been dropped four inches as well, giving the bike a long and lean look. Next, we saw the bike that is in progress, and it is simply awesome! Powered by a reworked and fully chromed 88 cubic-inch Harley-Davidson twin-cam counter-balanced engine, this bad boy is radical in terms of design. It features inverted manifolds equipped with twin carbs that are fitted with velocity stacks mounted through cutouts in the gas tank. We can't wait to see the finished product.

Concerning the business aspect of his world, Paul talked about the recent popularity of custom bikes. Since 1990, his business has doubled and almost tripled each year. He said the increased media and television exposure has a lot to do with the growth. However, he still doesn't always understand the success of it all. "It's like gaining weight. You don't really notice until you are fat!" He doesn't like the pressure of big business, and he hates the "desk jockey" side of it all. Paul made it clear that he is much more comfortable being out in the shop designing and building. For him, building requires focus and time. Sometimes it is okay to mess up in order to become better. The ultimate proof of that philosophy came to pass when Paul said, "I won't let anything go out of the shop that I don't love." Cool.

If you would like to learn more about custom motorcycles and parts from Paul Yaffe Originals, you can visit them on the web at www.paulyaffeoriginals.com . That's it from Phoenix , Arizona , so until our next ride, "Keep the shiny side up and Ride On!"

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