Baggers
Vince’s been a real estate broker for 40 years. A tough job in an industry that’s been particularly hard hit by this economic beating we’re taking. But he remains upbeat and said, “Anytime I feel a little down, life or business is not going right, I just get on the bike and ride. There’s no better damn therapy than that.”
He’s been riding motorcycles for 42 years, beginning around 1967. He always had a fondness for the fast and custom: “I started out with a 1957 Harley rigid with a ’66 Shovelhead motor,” said Vince. “It was painted in 11 colors by a wanted outlaw who went only by the name of ‘Greg.’ That was one colorful, beautiful machine.”
After he got back from duty in Vietnam, Vince joined the Cleveland Competition Club, racing motocross for the OSSA factory. He has since gone through an evolution of motorcycles, demanding more performance as his skills expanded. He downshifted to a 1969 1000cc Sportster, the last of the pure kick-starts, he recalled, “Because it was fast as hell.” A 1974 Super Glide followed, noting the ‘71 Super Glide was the prototype factory custom. It handled beautifully, and became the builder’s choice for custom rides for years to come. As Vince aged, his need for bigger and harder-charging motors grew.
“I had several custom rigid frame bikes, the last one based on a Paughco frame with a 130hp Zippers motor. It had so much torque, I cracked the frame three times,” said Vince. He has also owned a couple of hot rod bikes powered by big Merch motors that he could only describe as “violent.” “The torque of those Merch engines comes on so hard and quick it will rip asphalt,” he said, and apparently any steel frames in its way.
Fit and looking a lot more like Jack LaLanne than any AARPster, Vince still has that edgy, “I’ll race anyone, any time, any where” attitude even though his drag bike days are behind him. “I just don’t have the reflexes for it anymore,” he said. “Even if I still have the juice.”
Not that this personable, soft-spoken gentleman biker has retired from competition. “Yeah, what did you think, that I just sit around all damn day eating oat bran and waiting for my social security check?” said Vince. He races his Porsche on the National Auto Sports Association (NASA) circuit and said, “Right now, I’m preparing for the national finals in Salt Lake City.” He used to teach motorcycle drag racing and is now a certified NASA instructor.
Vince certainly doesn’t go through life standing still; sometimes he even flies through it. “I was riding my 2004 Road Glide, this Road Glide right here, back from Sturgis last August. It was a nice day, a pleasant ride; everything was feeling routine. And it was, until I flew over the cliff.” Vince was taking a mild turn when a couple on another bike passed him on the right, clipping his rear end and sending him off an eight-foot embankment. “I did $30,000 worth of damage to the bike, and $42,000 to my body,” he said. The bike blew into pieces, and so did parts of him, which only proves they don’t make bikers like they used to.
“In 45 years of motorcycle riding and racing, and a half-million miles, I never had an accident until then, and boy it was a good one,” said Vince. “I never wore a helmet before, but after losing a patch of scalp off some embankment in Sturgis, and various injuries to pretty much every bone and joint, I wear one now. But I got to tell you, I feel like some goddamn bobble head.”
Vince is lucky to have a head to fill up a helmet, but it did not deter him. His friend and wrench, Paul Yaffe, was at Sturgis; they had been hanging out just a day or two before. Paul heard about the wreck and raced to the scene. Vince was already in the hospital, so Paul took care of everything else. “He’s really a sweet guy,” said Vince. “He brought the bike and its pieces back to Phoenix, dealt with the insurance adjuster, just didn’t want me to worry about a thing.”
Since he was into the bike for about 50 large, pre-cliff-crash, $30,000 worth of repairs was doable. The shattered dream bike got the whole makeover, including an Axtell 97-inch engine kit and a Baker six-speed tranny. “The bike makes 100 hp and 125 ft.-lbs of torque and still gets 45 mpg,” said Vince quite proudly. “It’s fun, it’s reliable, what else do I need?”
Up Close: Five Gallons of Therapy
“My favorite part of this bike, and believe me it’s very hard to pick just one thing,” said Vince Vaccaro, “are the pipes, or I should say, the way they sound.” For that delicate balance of sound and power, Paul Yaffe installed a set of SuperTrapp True Duals, modified with Thunder Header baffles. “It is just musical to me,” said Vince. “It is that combination of wind, power and sound, that sweet exhaust note that sends me on my way. It feels like this motorcycle is much more than a machine; gas it up and run through five gallons of therapy.”
SuperTrapp would likely agree as their website states, “The design of these head pipes is completely new and unlike anything else on the market today. They feature full length 2.25” heat shields that protect the pipes and keep the rider and passenger’s legs cool.” The True Duals offer the option of adding either the SuperTrapp SE Series, Kerker, or FatShots slip-ons to the their headers. They come with hardware, instructions, and are compatible with 14 SuperTrapp end caps.
The exhaust system is the coup de grace, the finishing but crucial touch to a bike that combines acceleration and horsepower for a full-on “surround sound” experience. “As an old drag racer, I love to twist the throttle. Engine builder Nick Trask has got that motor where the grunt is great. The SuperTrapps bring it all to life. It is everything I wanted that bike to be,” said Vince with a fat grin. “Everyone gives me the thumbs up when I ride, and for an old guy on a bagger that feels pretty good.”
Visit www.supertrapp.com or call 216-265-8400 for more info.
Builder: Paul Yaffe
Vince Vaccaro can’t say enough about the skills and attitude of his bike’s builder, Paul Yaffe. “I’ve known Paul for 12 years, this is the third bike he’s built for me,” Vince said. “ He’s by far the nicest motorcycle guy I have ever met; he’s very personable, he does what he says he’s going to do and more, and he’s the best at what he does, a true artist.”
Yaffe and his Phoenix-based company, Paul Yaffe Originals Inc. has built a national reputation as a top builder in the American V-twin market. His work has rolled onto scores of magazine covers worldwide. He’s been described as a student of style, as well as one of its most gifted creators.
“I’ve done deals with Paul just on a handshake, and his word has always been good, never a misunderstanding. He and his staff really aren’t satisfied until you are,” said Vince. “They just love bikes, and have so much respect for their customers. It never has felt like it was about the money, these guys are genuine and they care.”
PYO is a multi million-dollar enterprise housed in a 10,000 square-foot facility, employing as many as 25 full-time workers. Custom bikes definitely keep the spotlight on the company, but it’s their product line created from those bikes that is the business end of PYO. The projects demand hundreds of handmade components that Yaffe and his team create in-house for each bike and eventually quite a few reproductions of these components then find their way into PYO’s parts lineup.
Paul has recently turned his attention to the ever-popular bagger trend. He’s created a company offshoot called Bagger Nation with its own a 50-page parts and accessories catalog for baggers and his new bagger website www.baggernation.com.
For details, contact PYO at 602-840-4205 or visit www.paulyaffeoriginals.com.
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