Beauty and brains. It’s an unbeatable combination. AFT Customs owner, Jim Guiffra realized this when starting the Powersports Modeling Agency (PMA). After convincing a couple of his wife’s friends to hang out at AFT’s booth during a bike show, the results were better-than-anticipated. Not only did it attract attention to his booth, but he got requests from other vendors that wanted the girls to represent their companies as well. Seeing the potential in this arrangement, Guiffra started PMA in 2005.

And while most tradeshow models get by on looks alone, this wasn’t enough for Guiffra. To be able to better represent clients, the accomplished custom builder wanted Powersports’ girls to have a working knowledge of the products they represent beforehand. And if the majority of customers you represent are from the motorsports industry, what better way to improve your knowledge than by customizing a motorcycle yourself?

Now the PMA girls are taking it a step further and have set about building a bike of their own, tackling the task of converting a 2005 Honda VTX1300 into a show-quality, one-off custom. The motorcycle is scheduled to make its debut at the 2009 LA Calendar Show in July and will eventually become Sukhee’s (one of the models) daily rider.

According to her, the idea arose last year as she and Jim were traveling to Sturgis to show Guiffra’s award-winning build, Er Hed. The more he talked about the intricacies of the build as they traveled cross-country, the more she wanted to learn.

“I shared my love of bikes with Jim, and that someday I wanted one of my own. That's where it began. Jim and I came to the conclusion that the next AFT Customs bike build would be my own personal bike,” she said.

No sooner did distributors hear about the build before they were jumping on board to support the project. Milwaukee Iron was one of the first companies to step up, offering fenders for the latest PMA project. A host of others quickly followed suit. But the motorcycle still needed a name.

“Bikes should be built with emotion. The name of the motorcycle should convey that emotion. Sukhee’s friends used to tease her about her alter ego named LowLa, so we named it after her alter ego,” Guiffra said.

Sukhee describes LowLa as “the part of me that is rebellious and doesn't care what people think. The sexy and provocative girl with no fear, motivated by adventure and the quest to live life like she means it.”

LowLa will roll on a slightly modified frame and engine sourced from a 2005 Honda VTX1300. Guiffria has a reputation for creative component designs, like the ‘Univoir’ (fluid-filled) handlebar he introduced in Er Hed. LowLa will feature some of the innovations that Guiffra has already perfected in prior builds, like concealing the radiator under the seat and a using a hydraulic clutch conversion like he did in the 2004 Honda VTX1300 he entered in the AMD World Championship. He also “just had some hand-blown Pyrex done that runs up the frame in the front of the bike,” that carries coolant to the liquid-cooled powerplant.

Of course, installing these more complicated modifications will require the expertise of Guiffra and his partner, Ron Abel. But the girls are encouraged to do as much of the work as possible themselves.

When I called AFT for an interview, one of the models, Sara, was just arriving at the shop to work on LowLa. Sara is one of the newer girls and was excited about getting to do some welding for the very first time. She was raised around motorcycles. Her father rode a Harley-Davidson and she grew up riding dirt bikes. And while a lot of people wince at the thought of welding, Guiffra said that surprisingly five out of seven of the models want to wield a torch.

“Kylie doesn’t like the noise and the sparks, but enjoys working on the engine,” Guiffra said with a laugh.

The girls are fortunate. They get to learn the trade from an accomplished craftsman. AFT Customs has won the Metric Class title twice in the AMD World Championship of Custom Building (2008 & 2005), and Guiffra has earned respect as an ambassador to the metric revolution for his creations within the platform. He has witnessed the slow changes in the bike show scene that is finally acknowledging that metric cruisers deserve their share of the spotlight.

And his work has received a lion's share of accolades. Guiffra’s last build, Er Hed (pronounced ‘Air Head’), a bold interpretation of a board tracker of yore, is the motorcycle that won the 2008 AMD metric title. The bike combines a nostalgic look with modern technology. An AFT tank stretches seamlessly down the thick-tubed backbone of the Red Neck frame, a girder front end gives it an industrial feel, and the slim wheels, swept-back handlebars and thin pan seat give it old school charm while a Red Neck swingarm and 1700cc Yamaha engine keep it from running like a relic. It was while transporting Er Hed to Sturgis that the idea for LowLa was spawned, so it is only fitting that LowLa will be the one to defend Er Hed’s title at the AMD Championships in Sturgis this year.

Guiffra is never one to follow convention. If so, he would have been satisfied with banking in on the Powersports models’ beauty. But that type of stereotyping doesn’t fly with Guiffra. Not only is he making his business more marketable to a corporate crowd with the girls’ class and professionalism, but the models themselves often benefit from a boost in self-esteem and confidence while doing their job. This last point was confirmed in my conversation with Sara when I asked her about working on a motorcycle.

“It’s totally empowering. I also think it’s sexy for women to work on their motorcycles.”

We do too, Harrah. Brains and beauty. AFT Customs has conjured up a winning cocktail.



• Catch AFT Customs next weekend at the Easyriders V-Twin Bike Show Tour 2009 in Sacramento, CA
January 17-18.

• Look for LowLa’s debut at the 2009 LA Calendar Motorcycle Show July 18-19th.