Paul Yaffe and his shop Bagger Nation, used the opportunity of the 2016 Arizona Bike Week motorcycle rally to celebrate 25 years of designing and building custom motorcycles, parts and accessories.
Paul opened his first custom shop, American Legend Motorcycle Company, in 1991. Today, 25 years later, while not operating out of the same location, Paul Yaffe’s Bagger Nation (together with Paul Yaffe Originals) is recognized as a preeminent custom motorcycle and parts manufacturers in the world.
“It all started with a love of motorcycles and a curiosity and desire to see what could be made of them,” says Paul. “I never would have guessed, when I first started experimenting in the mid eighties, that it would lead to where we are today.”
Paul Yaffe has enjoyed one of the most storied and influential careers in motorcycle designing and building. In the past 25 years, he has won many awards, contests and honors, including three “World’s Most Beautiful Motorcycle” awards at the famous Oakland Roadster Show and two “Builder of the Year” and three “Trendsetter of the Year” honors from Easyriders Magazine. The subject of over 300 magazine articles and profiles, Paul has also featured in the Discovery Channel’s popular show Biker Build-Off and the 10-episode docudrama Biker Battleground on the History Channel as well as dozens of other nationally televised shows on networks such as NBC, Travel Channel and Speed TV.
Bagger Nation was also the starting point and sponsor of the 6th Annual Hamsters Charity “Dry Heat” Run, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars when combined for Lifescape Children’s Care Hospital. Riders joined fellow Hamsters Arlen Ness, Donnie Smith, Paul Yaffe, Nick Trask, among others, as they welcomed special guest for this year’s charity run: NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace, making his first Dry Heat run on his brand new Bagger Nation custom Street Glide. After a scenic and exhilarating ride through the foothills, participants enjoyed lunch, prize giveaways and frosty beverages as they spend the afternoon “Hamster Style” before wrapping up at Arizona Bike Week at Westworld for the Reverend Horton Heat and Social Distortion live shows.
