Dave’s 1950 H-D EL Panhead bobber, Old School, is a textbook example of what he’s talking about. Using vintage parts in a timeless design crosses every boundary of customs and makes anybody with the least bit of motorcycle DNA in their blood want to take it out for a spin and actually experience what Old School was really all about, both the good and the bad. One thing that absolutely stands out, first and foremost, is the stunning fit and finish. No ’60s- to ’70s-era custom I’ve ever seen was this flawlessly finished and assembled simply because of economics. Dave stayed the course through the thin pickings of building customs back in the day until Perewitz Cycle Fabrication became the custom powerhouse it is today. Using his years of experience and knowledge along with a modern shop and talented crew produced this beautiful vintage-style bobber with more to come.

The 1950 H-D frame wasn’t cut, altered, smoothed, or molded. “Back then nobody ever molded it and as far as just smoothing off welds, nobody did that either,” says Dave. “We just sprayed it.” Keeping it real is Dave’s use of a ’46 FL springer on the front end. With the stock geometry, Old School rides like a bike fresh from a 1950 crate. For a thrilling trip back in time, the steel rims were laced to a set of Harley drum brakes. If I remember correctly, those vintage drums require a wee bit of pre-planning and counting on engine braking as part of their charm. There are no atheists on a drum brake bike, or at least, not for long. They do look right in a way no six-piston disc brake can and truly add to the vintage bike experience.

Dave’s mantra of “no aftermarket engines” was possible because an old ex-Massachusetts friend of his, Bill Combs, owns a shop in New Orleans, B&B Racing, specializing in restoring, rebuilding, and upgrading vintage Harley motors. “Bill specializes in nothing but Pans and Shovels and early stuff. His shop is set up to do anything that needs to be done on an early model motor, case repair, head repair, cylinder repair, anything,” says Dave emphatically. “I ship him an engine and I get back a runner.” What Dave got back was a 74” engine using original internals with mods consisting of an Andrews cam, S&S Super E carb (breathing through a stock FL air cleaner), and most importantly, a Mallory electronic ignition. A period-looking combo of H-D headers and a Paughco fishtail muffler finishes it off nicely. The kick-only bike is a sweet runner, says Dave. “To start it, I prime it twice, put the switch on, and it fires first time every time. It’s extremely smooth. For kicks, I put it on a friend’s dyno, brought it up to four grand and it made 44hp and 63ft-lbs of torque. It really goes ‘cause that thing doesn’t weigh nothing.” A BDL 2’ open belt drive and clutch passes those reincarnated 44 horses to the ’50 H-D 4-speed “which didn’t need a thing.”

Perewitz Cycle Fab then knocked out a fuel tank reminiscent of an early Sporty unit and in a nod to the scary atomic age of the Fifties, chose a Sucker Punch Sallys H-Bomb oil tank with its cool spinner cap to handle the engine lube. A Russ Wernimont Designs fender was modified to fit and supported by a short sissy bar with a big “P” on it. I still think of sissy bars as the signature piece on any chopper/bobber from ancient times. Dave used 1950 floorboards with original H-D rubber inserts with stock foot controls and mounted a set of mini-apes on stock 6” risers. The sprung seat is another handsome piece from Duane Ballard Custom Leather and helps smooth over Bridgewater’s potholes.

Paint is what Perewitz is famous for and the PPG Candy Apple Red finish with trademark flames caps doesn’t disappoint with a very un-Perewitz-style white pinstriping by Keith Hanson encasing the flames. Originally built for PPG’s SEMA Show booth that had an Old School theme, Dave used Big Flake in the Candy Apple Red paint and says, “It’s very dark, but with the Big Flake gold base that’s the way it came out.”

Never one to pull a punch, Dave laughed like hell as he summed up Old School: “This bike is a blast to ride! It’s f**king slow as sh*t, don’t stop for sh*t, and it ain’t no highway cruiser, but it’s fun. I love it. Hey Buck, you can print that.” And so I did. Dave, you’re a hot sh*t.