Introducing Our Newest Contributor to Road Dirt
Drew Perlmutter is a fascinating anachronism.
A younger Millennial born into the digital age of the internet and social media, Drew is nonetheless an outlier, a young man who doesn’t follow the crowd, doesn’t live or die by post clicks. He’d rather tinker on an old Honda Dream 305, his 1982 Gold Wing, or ride across the country on a motorcycle, tent camping along the way.
The first time I met Drew, after an hour of conversation I told him, “You have an old soul, and I mean that as a high compliment.” Though in his early 30s, Drew reminds me of the free spirit and heart for adventure that existed among my generation that came of age in the 1960s-70s. We grew up riding beater motorcycles, could tinker enough to keep them running or fix them, and we loved to see the world without windows and ceilings, riding and camping out in the elements.
Drew is cut from our cloth.
The day we met for coffee, Drew had been throttling around Atlanta on a loaner XR150L from Honda. He was already kitting it out for some serious travel.
The son of south Florida parents who decidedly disapproved of motorcycles, Drew bought his first bike at 19 years old, a 1980 Honda CM400A Hondamatic that he hid from his parents while away at film school. A few bikes later, Drew picked up a 2007 BMW F650GS single thumper, and was gripped by the adventure riding bug. After cross country trips to Alaska and up to the Arctic Ocean, that little Beemer has amassed over 60,000 miles beneath Drew, and he has since traversed the continent several more times, up into Canada and south into Baja.
Think “Easy Rider” on Hondas and old dual sport motorcycles.
Drew in his “happy place”, when he’s not on a motorcycle.
A professional photographer by trade, Drew reached out to us over the summer, having followed Road Dirt for several years, asking how he might publish some stories with us. We learned he’s penned travelogues for Rider, Road Runner, and ADV Rider, among others. A gifted writer and wrencher, we welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with him.
An Atlanta mid-towner, Drew prefers the shop space he and some friends rent south of the city, filled with motorcycles, project bikes, parts and various other moto-related miscellany. Drew even drives an 80s era Chevy G20 van, outfitted for camping and living out of, like the vans we remember by the beaches of Southern California or coastal Florida. The G20 even bears the patina of its years, to Drew’s credit, as well as some distinctly-Drew vintage looking artwork. We especially dig the “Perl Motor” moniker.
Drew’s (somewhat) restored 1988 Chevy G20 conversion van. Notice the logo, as well as the bike rack out back. Cool.
“Motorcycles are just plain fun to me,” Drew opined as we sipped coffee at a local shop in Lawrenceville, Georgia. “I love the freedom, the feel of the bike beneath me, being out in the elements when riding. I even enjoy working on them, getting old bikes running again. It’s all very satisfying to me.” We agree. From his 70s-vibe mustache, to his 1960s-looking metallic fleck “VROOM VROOM” helmet, and his collection of vintage motorcycles in various stages of completion/disassembly, Drew seems to have stepped out of a greasy motorcycle shop from the era of my youth. Hence the “old soul” comment after our first meeting.
Drew helped us conduct the Honda CB750 Hornet vs. Yamaha MT-07 comparo, and we thoroughly enjoyed working with him. While he prefers vintage motorcycles, Drew will ride anything two wheels and motor, as he’s proven recently with a cross-country run on a 50-year anniversary Gold Wing, throttling through the Tail of the Dragon on a Fury chopper, and zipping around downtown traffic with a Dax 125. Did we mention that he’s partial to Hondas? Drew also rode to Baja for some work with the revived Scout truck brand. Remember those?
If this photo were a black/white, it could pass for 1975.
Drew is a self-taught mechanic, and like stated above, is as handy with the wrench as he is with the pen. He sent me a photo last week, of a power steering line he had to pull and replace in his old G20 van. He’s pulled apart dirt bike engine casings while way out in the middle of “Nowhere, USA” before, has “MacGyered” fixes to get old motorcycles rolling again while far from home, then can write a fascinating account of it all to share the experiences. If that’s not the “old school” motorcycling spirit, I don’t know what is.
Drew tinkering on one of his old project bikes, and the power steering line he had to pull and replace on his old G20 van.
So we welcome a new, unique storyteller to the Road Dirt Crew, and look forward to reading his musings on the #RIDELIFE, as well as following him on his many adventures.
Rob
*top photo- Drew with a 2025 Honda Fury chopper, about to tackle the Dragon.
For more on Drew, check out his website here:
Here’s his Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/drewperlmutter/
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