Hey,
I have to tell you. We got an email from Jody Perewitz which is just what we needed right now.Jody is the daughter of Dave and Susan Perewitz and a very skilled motorcycle designer and builder in her own right. She and Sara Liberte are fast friends and they do so much for the industry and for charity. Jody also is a major player in Dave’s business. We saw the family in Massachussets and got to experience first hand the great part of this industry. We think so highly of all of the Perwitz’ that we had to go to support them and their charity. It wasn’t just us by any means. There were many Hamsters and other folks who flew in from all over the country to support Muscular Distrophy and show their support for the incredible effort the P’s make each year.We are not Hamsters but we met some incredible people. It was fun and heart warming to experience the feelings that all of the folks have for one another.Susan even cooks her famous soup and the family puts in an enormous amount of time and effort to do this good deed.Train and myself talked a lot about how THIS is really why we love the motorcycle community and why supporting people like this is an important thing.
The Perewitz family would do fine without us but for all these years and all the dreams I had a younger man this is what I wanted to be a part of. I have been riding since 1967 and growing up a lot of my friends were bikers then. It was different. There were no magazines, no t.v., no shows, just people with the same passion who took you in just because that was the code.It was like playing football(which I did in h.s. and college) in that you felt like you were part of something bigger, something that you could count on, somewhere to go and know that you were welcome.It was brotherhood at it’s highest level. It is something I was never able to recapture in my life as I wasn’t a builder and I had to make a living for myself and later my family.I never however, forgot my dream.
I finally got to a point where I could indulge in my passion so along with Train we began The Beachcruiser.We wanted to be part of something bigger than us where we could look someone in the eye and know who they were. Well, we have met some amazing people and we have given our best shot to support them and the industry. There have been some disappintments along the way but when you get to spend a little time with Dave and Jody and Susan and Donnie and a bunch of folks who are the real deal the negative part seems much smaller. I mean there must have been a couple of hundred people who made that trip( a guess) and they had fun, kept bidding up the things at auction, and just celebrating life.M.S. got a nice check and we left feeling renewed. What more can you ask for?
I was particulary touched by Jody writing today because we needed it and she knew. She took the time to say hi.It really made a difference. It was a special thing to do from a special person. No one in my opinion has the skills of a Dave Perewitz and a Donnie Smith and an Arlen Ness, a Roger Goldammer, a Matt Hotch, an Eddie Trotta,a Doug Keim, a Bert Baker, a Kendall Johnson etc. These are special people with special gifts and they don’t come along that often. There is always the next generation with people like Scott Webster and others who possess all of these possibilities.Right now however, htese people along with Hank Young and Cory Ness and a few others are the best we got.Cory of course has a son( Zach) who is already well on his way.
We, unlike some don’t think you have to be a great builder to epitomize all that is good in the industry. There are others that work long hours doing what they do best in different areas that just as much a part of it as anyone else.Darcy Betlach comes to mind, Barb Elmore comes to mind, and there are many others.Some people think that if you don’t build you are subhuman, unworthy, not entitled to an opinion. I don’t think so and I will always stand up for the ideals and people like these.Me and Train, we’re going to support our friends because for every bad experience there is Jody, a Barb, a Donnie, an Arlen, and all the others to remind us we are not alone.
Beach
Great post, I couldn’t agree more!