Building the first generation of
California customs
In
1968 I moved to Playa Del Rey, next to LAX, set up a small shop in a
two-car garage and went back to building motorcycles.
Custom
bikes had always appealed to me and around this time they were becoming
extremely popular. I built some choppers and cruisers, mostly
Shovelheads, before going to work for Harry D. Foster, another legend,
but this time in the motorcycle racing world.
Harry
was a well-known engine builder for Triumph’s successful flat-track
racing program. Working on these temperamental two-valves to get maximum
power and torque without breaking anything, I learned many secrets that
I later put to use building Harley-Davidsons.
I
was now getting requests from all over the country to build motorcycle
engines for custom and race bikes, mostly Harleys, so in 1978 I moved
out of the noise and pollution of Los Angeles, a couple hundred miles up
the coast to the quiet town of Oceano.
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Immediately upon
moving to Playa Del Rey, Perry became involved in a number of cultural
activities.
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Perry has built
the engines for custom Harleys for celebrity clients in L.A. and across
America.
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Applying my racing experience to Harley
street bikes
I
opened up a small shop, called it FLO Dynamics, and planned to
specialize in aluminum-based headwork for Harley-Davidsons. Like
titanium, aluminum is hard to work with but if you know the techniques
can give you major power and lightness benefits. My years of race engine
building under the masters were paying off.
Orders
started coming in right away, and I came to the attention of Keith Ball,
editor of “Easyriders” magazine. He encouraged me to take photos and
write tech tips for his mag.
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Every one of
Perry's valves is made by hand.
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I
wasn’t satisfied with either the factory valves or the aftermarket
alternatives, so I created my own. Starting from that time and
continuing to today, each one of my performance kit valves, valve
springs and valve
seats are matched by hand, by me.
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Dissatisfied
with the stock carbs at that time (and continuing today!) I developed a
computer program with enables me to blueprint CV carbs on the bench. My
CV carb modification, combined with my optional high-flow air filter
kit, vastly outperforms the stock unit. This was a very productive
period for me, and a happy one.
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Keihin CV carb
with Hi-Flow air filter.
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