Sweet Time

November 1, 2016

Article By: Will Ramsey

Photos By: Mark Velazquez

Originally Published In The May 2016 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

It’s easy to write a motorcycle feature about a professional builder who has a solid reputation and a long list of accolades. Nearly every bike feature I’ve written in the last three years, has focused on the talents and creations of well-known builders; most of whom have had a profound impact on my own work. This month Chris Callen threw me a curve ball by asking me to write a feature on a bike and owner with whom I was unfamiliar. The features I have written in the past have always focused on the passion and inspiration of a prominent builder and the use of his or her creative talents in manifesting a functional artistic vision. This month I was unsure how I would relate to a custom motorcycle owner whom I knew nothing about. Where would I find the passion, the vision, the talent? Well, I was surprisingly humbled and totally inspired to write this story after nearly an hour long conversation with the owner of this classically styled hot rod chopper from the far North East. This story goes beyond the talents and inspiration found within the shop walls of a professional builder. This is a story of one man’s imagination, trapped within his own mind; and the camaraderie of multiple shops to bring this vision to life for possibly the most important person in this entire industry: the individual custom bike owner.

Vincent Migliaccio has spent half a life time riding motorcycles. Progressing from Sport Bikes to Cruisers, and finally to Custom Choppers. He has experienced most of what the two wheeled industry has to offer. Along this road Vinny has clearly paid attention to the industry as a whole and observed the designs of many of the top builders. As time would have it, these observations eventually evolved into his own vision of a custom chopper. Having had a bad experience purchasing one of those “factory choppers” Vinny decided in 2004 it was time to find a way to bring forth this hidden vision of his very own chopper. Drawing inspiration and design cues from industry leaders like Billy Lane and Paul Cox, Vinny set about the process of finding a shop that could help him bring his own unique vision to life. In the end it was a conglomeration of shops that would participate in the final creation of this bike. It is their combined efforts and open door policy that makes this bike a tribute to what the custom industry needs to maintain: Integrity!!

Vinny reached out to many shops to acquire the parts needed to get started with this build. A modified Chica gooseneck frame and Denver’s Choppers Springer front end made up this killer classic chopper stance. When it came to the Engine, Vinny called on the guys at R&R Cycles for a top of the line hot rod motor. Combining the reliability of an Evo with some old school style, the motor features cast iron cylinders and external oil lines. To top things off, some inspiration from the west coast styling of the late Johnny Chop lead to the gas tank, that was hand made by the guys at Central Coast Cycles and shipped out to Vinny in New England. After finding and acquiring all of these top shelf parts which would eventually lead to the manifestation of his chopper, it was finding the right builder that presented the greatest challenge of all for Vinny. It is an unfortunate truth that sometimes things don’t come together the way you hope when trusting someone else with your dream.

The initial build and assembly of Vinny’s dream bike had a daunting number of problems, and for many customers this would have marked the end of their entire custom bike experience. However, Vinny’s passion and desire to ride the chopper of his own design would not allow him to falter. It is at this point that the negativity of the first outcome would in fact spark the true nature of solid reputable custom shops. The guys from Acme Choppers literally opened their doors to Vinny, helping him redesign and remake small parts and mounts that had not survived Maine com the first few weeks of test rides including letting him machine his own set of brass grips. Surprisingly, a local Ducati sport bike shop, Moto Milano, reworked issues with the hand controls and exhaust with an incredibly open arms attitude often reserved for proper old school chopper shops. Ray’s Customs jumped into the mix, rebuilding and redesigning a handful of parts including the rear fender. It was a long and difficult road for Vinny to finally see his design come to fruition; and in the end, the journey was worth the ride. Thanks to the combined help and integrity of multiple shops in New England, who had little or no involvement in the initial build, the bike named Sweet Time is now Vinny’s daily rider, and can be seen screaming down the streets in Freeport Maine.