The
Great Biker Build-off: Indian Larry vs. Paul Yaffe
Did you happen to catch the latest episode of this show?
What
a difference in style bike builders have. Namely Indian Larry
and Paul Yaffe. It is really obvious in the beginning of
this builder war that the final products will share mainly
one similarity,
it is a chopper. Other than that, these guys are building
two completely different monsters.
So first we head to New York to Gasoline Alley, Indian Larry’s
shop. Larry designs the bike, Paul Cox does the leatherwork
and Gunner the shop dog watches over things. With 30 years
in the business, Indian Larry is THE old school chopper builder.
The plan…a jockey shift, no front brake 1950 pan head
reproduction rebuilt with today’s technology and yesterdays
charm. This chopper’s engine will kick out 100 horses
and the tranny will be an old style kick-start. Top is off
with a springer front end.
Twenty five hundred miles west is a modern breed of bike builder.
Yaffe Originals produces sleek, one of a kind, pieces of art.
Paul Yaffe’s shop is out of Phoenix, Arizona. He has
won the Roadster Show three times and a hundred or so shows
since with his unique designs. Paul sketches his designs with
charcoal and makes it happen. The heart for this anti-chopper
is a TP engine that yields 143 horsepower at the rear wheel.
The frame is a modified custom frame. Yaffe dropped the neck
down and added to the rake to make it seven inches longer and
four inches lower so the neck meets the frame at a more extreme
angle.
Yaffe’s style is most unlike Indian Larry’s in
that Yaffe like to hide as much as he can with body pieces
that are shaped by hand. Indian Larry on the other hand likes
to let the meat show. He believes the mechanics and gizmos
of the bike should be showcased. In Larry’s own words,
this is “elegance.” For example, Yaffe hides his
oil filter in the primary behind a piece of the body while
Larry has it in the wide open. Larry mounts the oil filter
on the outside of the bike, which makes it easier to change.
This is undeniably evident at the end of this build.
In the meantime, back at Larry’s, the wheel shows up
and it is really a puzzle. Since Larry is one of the few builders
left that know how to lace a spoke wheel, you are really watching
a master at work. Although, it proves to be a difficult assemble
even for him. The pattern of the spoke wheel is a maze of a
pattern but Larry believes that every chopper should have at
least one spoked wheel. He is not into a machine fabricating
these wheels nowadays. Larry finishes the wheel after a little
while and after a distracting visit from Larry’s wife,
Bambi and her dog.
Back at Yaffe Originals, Paul describes to his wheel guy the
design for his front and back wheels, which will be created
by a computer, guided lathe. Yaffe doesn’t only build
bikes, he also has his own line of manufactured parts. He uses
one of his own stock fenders on the bike and barely adjusts
it before attaching it to the bike. Indian Larry has a different
approach to his fender. Larry uses a trailer fender and adds
a strip to the center to fit the bike. Larry says the old fender
is more stabile and adds an onboard compressor for rigidity.
How about a little history on these two? Well, Paul Yaffe was
a bit of a hoodlum while growing up in the San Fernando Valley
in Los Angeles. He was a drug addict and dealer until he was
in a pretty bad accident. His parents basically paid him to
go to a drug abuse program and it changed him so much that
he opened his shop in 1991 and hasn’t looked back. As
for Larry, he quit drinking and drugs about eight years ago.
He too has made his mistakes and served five years in prison
for a bank robbery. It is really amazing how these two have
overcome so much and become so successful.
In Arizona, Yaffe is still under the gun to get this bike
done. Remember, both builders only have thirty days to complete
their bikes so Yaffe has to work through the Arizona Bike Week.
Visitors make their way to his shop to see his latest creations
but it is day 20 and there is a lot of work to do. His bike
needs to go to paint and the exhaust isn’t done yet.
Indian Larry is in just about the same boat. He too needs
to get his bike to paint. What’s left to do? He has to
lock the wheels on, add the sissy bar, an old school component,
and finish up the details by end of day. While Yaffe’s
seat is missing and not completed, he is behind until it finally
shows up and it is a perfect fit. Paul has the rear end rise
and fall on a coushion of air and he unveils it to those at
Arizona Bike Week. Larry finalizes the bike with his signature
question mark logo and dedicates this bike to Big Daddy Roth
who is Larry’s inspiration and whom he gives credit for
his own career.
And now paint! Yaffe’s bike starts with a silver metallic
basecoat with stripes covered in silver leaf. A black pinstripe
is added for definition. Lastly a candy apple red is laid on
the bike and the silver stripes glow through the candy color.
Larry’s bike is a flashback to the late 60’s. Since
the bike is already primed, a gold metal flame basecoat is
sprayed on first, and then the custom paint artist prepares
the tank and fender for ruby red stars. When the paint dries,
he peels away the mask and re-masks it with a plastic mat with
Indian Larry and Gasoline Ally logo is placed. He then applies
gold and silver glue to adhere the gold and silver leaf to.
Finally he removes the mask and brushes the excess leaf away.
This is a very delicate process. A plastic mask is laid over
the oil tank and he airbrushes Big Daddy Roth’s green
character on it.
It is finally time for the final assemble and since it is
day twenty-nine, everything better go as planned. Who am I
kidding, you know something will go wrong. These bikes need
to be ready to ride in twenty-four hours and Yaffe’s
rear light and license plate rack is not ready. He really looses
it with the manufacturer and cusses him out up one side and
down the other. The exhaust arrives from powder coat and is
ready to be mounted. Paul now goes to mounting the rear wheel
when come chrome plating chips away and it needs to be re-plated.
Meanwhile the oil tank and exhaust go on. This bike is has
such clean lines and everything tuck in so well that you would
never know there was a million little parts and maneuvers going
on in there. Later the rear wheel returns and it is mounted
without any problems. The seat goes on and it is now midnight.
The bike is ready and comes off the rack. Does it start up?
And a resounding YES! The 120 Cubic inch motor starts right
up.
Day 30 at Gasoline Alley and the bike is back from paint.
Assembly begins with the motor first then the shaft, channel
locks go on the nuts, then exhaust and sissy bar. Rear fender
is then attached and the cross rear light (like Jesse James
logo) is attached. Larry calls this an “adrenaline producing
art form.” Larry’s bike features a dual carb, which
will allow more fuel and air into the bike. We then watched
Paul Cox create this amazing seat. He makes it seem so easy.
Paul says this seat will be an embellished version of Larry’s
question mark logo. He uses buffalo tan, which is wetted for
softening and to make it easier to work with. He scores the
design into the leather and slides it over the seat form. It
fits like a glove. This seat is a true piece of art. Oil is
added to the bike and Larry takes it out for the first test
run. Like a dream.
A few days later, Yaffe’s bike arrives at Gasoline Alley
and Larry and his crew inspects it. Soon the two finally meet
and do the typical man hug. You know the one…smack hand,
hold fist to chest and come in for a hug with a smack on the
back. Anyway, it is time to go to New Hampshire, which is over
300 miles away. Along the way, Larry signs a few autographs
and they arrive in Laconia on opening day. Laconia Bike Week
started in 1923 and has grown to 350,000 bikers who descend
on this little lakefront town. After a little showing off,
Yaffe shoots flames from his exhaust and Larry burns rubber
in all gears, it is time for the people and fans to choose.
Is it old or new? Two time Build Off winner, Billy Lane, shows
to visit and show his support when the verdict comes in. Indian
Larry wins and Old School Rules.
It had to be a very hard decision to make as far as who had
the better bike. It seems to me that the bikes were both so
far on opposite ends of the spectrum that one could not really
distinguish the two. Modern vs. Old School and fans voted for
their favorite builder in the end.
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