Unfinished Business – An FXR That Became More Than A Machine

June 9, 2026

Originally Featured In Issue 318 Of Cycle Source Magazine

Article By: Chris Callen Photos By:Josh Elzey

Some motorcycles get built to be impressive. Others get built because there’s no other option. Kristy’s 1991 FXR is the latter, a bike finished not for trophies or trends, but to honor a promise that never got the chance to be kept.

The FXR originally belonged to Kristy’s mother, a lifelong rider with a deep love for motorcycles and an even deeper respect for craftsmanship. She passed away unexpectedly before she could turn the bike into the custom she always talked about, what she called art. What she did leave behind was the bike itself, worn and in need of attention, and a name she mentioned often enough that it stuck: Dave Perewitz.

Kristy brought the FXR to Perewitz Cycle Fab knowing there was history here. Back in the late ’80s, Dave had already laid paint on this very motorcycle once before. Kristy remembers her mom talking about that time constantly. Rather than drag the bike into the modern era, Dave made the call to build it exactly the way it would have been done back then, when FXRs were raw, purposeful machines and long before the stretched-out digger look took over.

Dave looked back at his own Hot Bike Magazine cover bikes from that era for direction: Little Ness fairings, strong stance, heavy chrome, detailed engraving, and paint that stopped you in your tracks without trying too hard. This FXR lives squarely in that moment.

The 1991 Evo motor stays true to form, an 80-inch RevTech-built mill with stock pistons and heads, fed by an S&S carb and Tear Drop air cleaner. An Andrews EV3 cam gives it the right kind of attitude, while a Daytona Twin Tech single-fire ignition keeps things crisp and reliable. The original primary remains, but it didn’t escape Dave’s eye, now engraved, like so many FXRs were back when that kind of detail separated real builds from parking-lot customs.

One detail old-school guys will spot immediately is the motor finish. Back in the day, shaped and trimmed fins were a serious flex, sometimes shaving off the last few fins and polishing the lower cylinders. It was a look that defined Evo-era customs but became far less common as Twin Cam and M-8 motors made that kind of work more difficult. Seeing it here is a nod to a time when builders weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty for the sake of style.

Out back, a Baker six-speed transmission replaces the stock box, giving the bike long-legged highway manners without sacrificing its roots. The FXR frame remains stock-rake, but Perewitz added a RamJet trans kit to tighten things up. The 39mm front end stays traditional, wearing Pro-One billet trees, with stock-length legs to keep the stance honest.

The Ness influence runs deep throughout the build. The dual-rail Ness swingarm is one of those parts that instantly tips off anyone who knows FXRs. Dave remembers when Arlen Ness first introduced those swingarms for Big Twins—they were red-hot, easily recognizable by the “A” stamped into the side. Even today, they’re still highly sought after. Paired with Brock’s Bitubo rear shocks, the bike sits just right, aggressive without looking forced.

Rolling stock stays FXR-correct with stock wheels, 19-inch up front and 16-inch in the rear, wrapped in Shinko rubber and slowed down by GMA brakes front and rear. Ness bars top the front end, matched with Avon grips and GMA controls. A Hotop chin spoiler and under-belly oil tank clean up the profile, while RWD fenders and Ness struts finish the tail.

The Ness 2-into-1 exhaust is pure period-correct attitude. Like most of them, it had to be cut and fitted to sit just right. That’s how they were back then.

Engraving plays a major role in tying everything together. From 1979 to 1981, Perewitz Cycle Fab had four full-time engravers working nonstop, unloading pallets of parts from CCI, Drag, and Mustang straight off tractor trailers. A fully engraved primary once cost about sixty bucks. Today, Denny’s Engraving brings that same spirit back, only now it’s craftsmanship you pay real money for.

The paint is unmistakably Perewitz. Laid down in Kandy Purple with a flake base and flame graphics, it glows with the kind of depth that only comes from decades behind a spray gun. Chrome by J&D Plating finishes it off without going overboard—because restraint was part of the era too.

Kristy’s own story is inseparable from this bike. Born in Lake Forest, Illinois, now living in Massachusetts, she’s a registered nurse and wound care consultant, but motorcycles have always been family business. A third-generation rider and second-generation female rider, she started riding dirt bikes with her mom at 12 and got her first street bike at 18.

Her real education came on this FXR. When her first husband wouldn’t “allow” her to ride, her mom would sneak away with her for days at a time, riding side by side at a pace that made most men uncomfortable, back when women riding their own bikes was still the exception.

Kristy never knew another woman with her mother’s passion for motorcycles. Her mom never had the means to build the custom bike she dreamed of. When she passed, Kristy did her best to fulfill that dream, knowing her mom knew more about bikes than she did.

Dave understood exactly what this FXR meant. So did Kristy’s husband. Without telling her, they added a final detail, a painted butterfly hidden in the flames. Her mother loved butterflies.

Now, every time Kristy fires the bike, she kisses her fingers, rubs the butterfly, and takes off, riding with her mom once again.

Value: Priceless.

Some numbers don’t belong on a price tag.

Unfinished Business Tech Sheet

Owner: Kristy Bulkeley

City/State: Massachusetts

Builder: Dave Perewitz

Year: 1991

Model: FXR

Value: Priceless

Time: 6 Months

ENGINE