A true son of the South, Jeremy got his first ride on a down and dirty pro street- style Perewitz bike when Dave trailered a few from his shop in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, down to Ohio for some NASCAR drivers and bigwigs to use on a charity ride. “I brought bikes for Ray Evernham, Bill Elliott, Kasey Kahne, and Jeremy Mayfied to use,” remembers Dave. “Jeremy liked the bike so much, he wanted me to build him one.” This wasn’t the first bike Dave had built for a NASCAR star. “I’ve been doing stuff for NASCAR for years,” Dave says. “I did one for Tony Stewart, one for Greg Zippadelli, Ray Evernham, Richard Childress, one for Kyle Petty. I did two for NASCAR president Mike Helton, two for Gary Nelson, who is director of racing for NASCAR. I’ve done a few.” 

Jeremy gave Dave a few ideas about what he wanted for his bike. “He wanted something similar to the one we’d brought to Ohio and gave me a general direction. For instance he wanted it long and stretched out, and he really liked our big wheels,” Dave says. “He wanted the 20 and the 23, so that was a big deal.”

Wheels are such an integral part of a custom build, and Dave likes those big wheels himself. The wheels may be big, but there’s a delicateness to the spoke design that is quite a contrast to their overall size. “They handle really nice, you can feel the tallness of ‘em. It changes the gearing quite a bit, so it’s geared a lot taller,” he says. Performance Machine is on board with a set of 4-piston brakes front and rear while Avon provided the rubber in a hefty 280 out back and a 130 up front.

Picking an engine for someone used to handling a 750rwhp NASCAR racer isn’t an easy choice, but for Dave there was only one choice, a 121” engine by TP Engineering in Danbury, Connecticut. He says, “I’m a big fan of the Total Performance motors because they’re so reliable, they look great, and he’s only two hours from me so I can always count on technical support if we ever have a problem.” The beautiful set of short, tightly-wrapped Perewitz pipes would sound great bouncing off the walls of DarlingtonTP’s triple-digit horsepower is passed through a BDL 3” belt to a BDL clutch and on over to a BAKER 6-speed RSD tranny. “Baker, his stuff always works the best,” Dave says.

The Rolling Thunder frame sports definitive Pro Street dimensions of a 38-degree raked neck and a longer stretch of 6” out and lower at 1” down. Dave uses the best equipment everywhere and it’s no surprise to find a set of 41mm Perse forks hanging off the front with an additional 3-degrees in the trees for an even sleeker look while Works Performance shocks keep the back under tight control. Again with the best stuff, Russ Wernimont Design fenders and fuel tank were chosen and Perewitz-modified until they were just right. Did someone say time for paint? 

Being that Dave is today known to many as “The King of Flames,” the paintjob on all of his bikes is extremely important to him. Jeremy’s idea of a paintjob was “somewhat of a challenge,” but Dave was up to the task. “Jeremy wanted it all black, but I told him I, well, I won’t do it all black. It’s just not enough. So I said I’d do it black but with my own touches to it, and what I did was paint it black and then I shaded it with cabernet, so it’s black and then rolls into a real deep wine color. It came out awesome, really nice. He loved it,” Dave says.

Dave likes working with PPG’s line of paint called Vibrance. “I endorse PPG, it’s really nice. I stay on top of all the latest and greatest paint materials, anything new that comes out by PPG I test and give them feedback,” Dave says. “The Vibrance line is mostly all the trick candies and pearls. The stuff they’re making is so much easier to use and the end result is stronger…the colors are very vibrant, the candies and pearls are deeper.”

The King of Flames makes sure all of his clients are treated like royalty, and part of that includes a royal throne. “We do custom seat pans for every bike that we do. That way it fits perfectly. Then I usually send the pan to Danny (Gray) and give him some loose instructions, a rough idea of what I want. I just tell him, make it cool,” Dave laughs.

The rest of the parts needed and chosen to finish the build reads like a who’s-who of high end parts. Oh those little items like Performance Machine hand and foot controls, Jaybrake grips, Headwinds headlight, RWD taillight, Ness bars, and, well, you name it. Jeremy’s accustomed to the best and that’s what he got. Oh and lest we forget, it was fabbed and assembled by some of the handsomest, most talented, and brightest lads in lovely Bridgewater, Massachusetts, home to Perewitz Fabrications. 

The actual build time from the start of fabrication until the bike was done was probably 500 hours total, Dave estimates. He rode the bike himself before handing the bike over to Jeremy, and reckons he put between 500- and 600-hundred miles on it when he took it down to Myrtle Beach Bike Week. “I rode it a lot that whole week while I was there. It handles really well.”

So, you get to build a cool bike, get paid for it, and put the first miles on it. There’s an old saying, “It’s good to be king,” but I say, “It’s great to be Dave.”