ure, this bike is “a little conservative compared to a lot of the rides we build,” as Dave Perewitz puts it. He’s got a point. Perewitz’s shop, Cycle Fab, in Brockton, Massachusetts, is generally known for the creation of some pretty wild bikes, the kind of bikes that show up on Discovery Channel build-offs, one-off customs going head-to-head with the likes of Billy Lane and Choppers, Inc. But Dave’s no stranger to doing the custom deed on a dresser. Far from it. “Lots of guys who have a solo-seat chopper also have a ’King,” he says. “There’s just no better mount for comfort, or two-up riding.” And Cycle Fab does indeed get involved with plenty of these dresser customs, and has for years.
     For all of those reasons a Harley-Davidson Road King was bought, boxed and shipped to Massachusetts. The instructions taped to the crate were simple: “Make it cool, Dave, and shop the FatBook.”
Now, of course Dave Perewitz couldn’t just leave it at that. To begin the project Dave and his crew stripped the bike right down to the bare frame, “and raked the neck out to 35 degrees.”

The Gary’s 7-inch Tri-Bar Light is fitted with a Headwinds 7-inch Hooded Nacelle Bezel.	This Road King received a Legend AirRide suspension system.	That’s a Metzeler 150-70/18 ME1 tire on the back.

Other bike modifications include a stretched out fuel tank, some minor filling to the rear fender and an all-over molding job on the frame.

     Other changes to the basic Harley-Davidson included a stretch job on the stock fuel tank, some modifications and minor filling to the Harley's rear fender that included the installation of a new taillight, and of course a complete smoothing and all-over molding job on the frame. All of the unneeded tabs and brackets and ugly went away. With that framework complete, Dave shot on a few coats of PPG Prizmatique Blue, the same color that would be used on the tin, “and a color that really lights up when the sun hits it,” says the man who sprayed it, Dave Perewitz himself.
     And all of that makes a huge difference, too, says Dave. “Clean up a factory frame and rake it out just a little, then paint it the same color as everything else on the bike and you pretty much have an instant custom.”
Not quite. Then comes all the FatBook part. More changes made towards that true custom look included the mounting of some 18-inch Carriage Works “Olympic” wheels in place of the factory 16-inchers, and lowering the bike front and rear. The rear was dropped with a Legend Air Ride suspension, while up front a pair of Joey Perse’s fork legs, just a little shorter than stock length, were slipped into the Harley triple trees. All FatBook stuff.
     The ’King’s saddlebags are stock, modified with just the addition of some LED lights and filler panels on the top and at the back. More FatBook, and definitely adding to the custom “smooth.” In fact, spend some time really studying the parts list here, it’s a pro’s lesson in choosing just the right part every time. And whether it’s something from Russ Wernimont, or Arlen Ness, or Don Hotop, or GMA, or JayBrake, or Lindby, or Carlini it’s something chosen to blend with the overall theme, contributing to a whole that’s most definitely more than the sum of its parts. And naturally, it’s all right there in the FatBook.
     Now, most people looking at this bike wouldn't even realize that it’s been raked, not right off, but they’d sure notice that something is just a little different, and that the bike looks a lot lower and a lot better. That gentle, and eye-catching, rake-increase also goes a long way towards evening out the bike’s road manners, Dave says. It slows down the steering just a bit at high speeds, giving this custom ’King a more stable highway ride. Good looks that actually serve a purpose, what a concept! And what a demonstration of FatBook cool…

Finishing off this Road King special is a Half Moon Horizontal Drag Specialties Taillight/License Plate mount.	The 13.75-inch CycleSmiths’ Banana Boards are bowed and feature machined billet construction, chrome-plated finish with black rubber inserts and bright finish rivets.
The Lazer Star Saddlebag Latch Covers are billet aluminum with a chrome finish and are available with or without LEDs.	The Jagg Lowmount Oil Cooler is designed specifically for Harleys and features six oil passages with in-line turbulators.

Parts Magazine
Volume 11 #3

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