Custom Motorcycle

Appearing along with Jay Leno and Ted Turner at the recent International AWEA Wind Power Conference in Anaheim, Calif., Dave Perewitz left little doubt the motorcycle industry would be hard pressed to find a more competent, adaptable and universally respected ambassador.

As the international spokesperson for Allstate Motorcycle Insurance and PPG paints as well as one of the premier custom painters and bike builders for nearly four decades Dave has a unique and extremely personable ability to interact with members of any industrial performance minded market.

Early last year representatives of AWEA contacted Dave regarding his designing and building a Wind Power theme bike to be the center piece for the 2011 conference. Dave recognized the opportunity to introduce our industry to a rapidly expanding, sophisticated, technically savvy community and went for it.

Recognizing the unique, cutting edge nature of the exhibition, Dave went with a sleek, contemporary, strictly business mount that would appeal to the technically sophisticated mind set of the AWEA membership.

And it proved dead on as it took its place as the centerpiece on opening day. Riding onto the stage with AWEA CEO as passenger, the motorcycle brought the crowd of thousands to their feet and became the object of discussion in more languages than one could recognize.

Representatives from over 40 countries and the highest levels of the Wind Power industry converged on Dave and the bike, most expressing their surprise at the sophistication, detail, mechanical ingenuity and utility of the first real custom motorcycle they had ever come into contact with. The acceptance continued at the invitation only dinner where the bike and Dave were introduced on a more intimate level by none other than motorhead and true bike enthusiast Jay Leno.

Flanked by Jay Leno, and custom motorcycle and automotive dignitaries Bob Clark, Matt Hotch, Danny Gray and Chuck Fredrick's and Paul McKelvey from Renegade, Dave spent hours mentally and verbally rebuilding the bike for an audience thirsting for every detail.

The bike itself was designed and built by Dave, his daughter Jody and the entire Perewitz Cycle Fabrications crew. Based on Perewitz familiar road proven custom format the bike is built around a stretched custom swing arm chassis fit with TP 121 power and Baker RHD 6-Speed. Finished in Champaign with Wind Power art applied by Perewitz the Wind Power theme in carried off by a set of one off custom rims designed and built exclusively for the occasion by Renegade Wheels in Orange, California.

Dave had discussed the bike's unique audience with Chuck and Paul at Renegade and the duo, well known for their progressive, trend setting wheel styles, came up with a pattern that resembles the 3-bladed geometry common to windmill turbines. The brilliant pattern proved unmistakable and really struck a note with the Wind Power representatives.

Venture's into such diverse markets opens the door to unique opportunities for our industry as a whole. Not only are the potentially thousands of new enthusiasts but who knows where the access to new technologies could lead.