Instant Karma

February 20, 2019

To Read The Full Article, Go To www.cyclesource.com

Article By:Jack Schit

Photos By: Tracy Smiles

Originally Published In The September 2018 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

I’ll begin by quoting John Lennon: Instant Karma’s gonna get you, Gonna knock you off your feet. Better recognize your brothers, Everyone you meet, Why in the world are we here? Surely not to live in pain and fear, why on earth are you there, When you’re everywhere. Come and get your share, Well we all shine on, Like the moon and the stars and the sun!

What the hell does that have to do with a bike build you ask? The answer, everything! What follows below is the tale of selfless people who got together a decade ago to try to change the world, one single act at a time. People always ask me, “what can I do, I’m only one person”? I usually respond with “anything…. The tiniest gesture can change lives.” Bikers For Boobies right here in the Valley of the Sun began as many do, out of necessity, grief, philanthropy, and motorcycles and it began with only a few like-minded people in a parking lot taking their first ride together in the name of others. In the time since then, many lives have been touched through grants in the neighborhood of $100,000. A few friends on bikes has grown into thousands joining each other annually wearing the most ridiculous Pink outfits that can be created while riding around without shame to raise awareness and desperately needed funds. All of which culminate in an epic bash at the world famous Dirty Dogg Saloon in Scottsdale. There is something unforgettable about seeing a multi-tour Marine Veteran sporting head, neck and face tats in hot pink spandex pants with matching feather boa and pink Chuck Taylors that makes you realize that we are not all that serious, but cancer is! The tradition of giving away a custom bike has become part of what they do. The very first bike ever built for the giveaway was built right here in town by the one and only Paul Yaffe, it was a huge hit. Paul was asked to lay hands on this years build, number five and Paul being Paul, he couldn’t say no, but he had a few tricks up his sleeves, and we are sure glad he did!

What you’ll see here is in this humble correspondent’s opinion, the future of motorcycling in America. We love the handling; we love speed, we love leaning over a little further than we should in the twisties but many have given up on choppers with their rigid frames and FXR’s or Dyna’s for great big baggers and the joy of comfort. There lies the inspiration for the Sport Touring bike. Go fast as hell, be light, be nimble, handle like it’s on rails, be able to pack more than a phone and do it all two up if need be while pulling a monster wheelie were the parameters set before the build, and the result is all of the above and more! When your name is Paul Yaffe, you hold a lot of “chips” and have the direct phone numbers to all the right people and believe me, Paul used them to get the parts needed that could not be fabricated in-house and then played one of my favorite chips of all, he brought in Miguel from Lane Splitters Garage in Phoenix as his partner on this project. If ever you get to Phoenix, I urge you to visit both shops. Both teams, Lane Splitters, Paul Yaffe Originals and Bagger Nation pulled many a late night turning this bone stock 2016 Road King into the beast you see here. Several of the parts are simply oneoffs or the very first of their kind. So much weight was taken off this bike that when you stand her up off the kickstand, you nearly throw it over on the ground it’s so light. The heart of this beast comes fresh from the Vance and Hines Race shop with more power than most will ever need. Check out the cerokote that adorns much of this machine. The wheels and swing arm came by way of Brock’s Performance and were responsible for a huge portion of the weight exchange from bricks to feathers. The swing arm alone looks like it weighs a hundred pounds, but you can pick it up with only a few fingers, and the carbon fiber wheels are a work of art! There are so many details and so many people to thank that it’s hard to do them all justice, so I’m going to include who they are and what they brought to this build on the tech sheet, it could have never been done without them, period!

Now, the Instant Karma part of this story. The winners are always pulled live, in front of the crowd, it’s a totally honest bike raffle, no BS! It just so happens that friends from another charity, Hogz United were there to present us with money they raised while their family battled cancer themselves. Since what they raised was only a token amount in the grand scheme of cancer treatment costs and would do little to help them, they donated the money to Bikers For Boobies with a check on stage. Two hours later it was their ticket pulled, and they were sitting atop their brand new PYO / Lane Splitters Sport Touring asphalt eater, and for the first time in my life, I got to witness Instant Karma in action! Congrats Ken and Annette Grey on your new bike and thank you for all you do for this community! Shellie Martin, Jack Estes and Missy Hughes, the work that you have done and continue to inspire others to do makes the world a better place for so many while constantly putting your own lives on hold to do it and again, to all who attend the event year after year, for those who made the build a reality and for each and every single one of us who have been touched by cancer, hang in there, you are forever in our hearts and prayers! Now buy a damn ticket for next year’s bike will ya, we’ve got some good to do here!