The Motorcycle Portraits is a project by photographer/filmmaker David Goldman, who travels the world making documentaries, and takes time out to interview interesting people in the motorcycle scene, wherever he might be.  The result is a single exemplary photo, a geolocation of his subject, and a transcribed interview.  The audio of his interviews can be found on The Motorcycle Portraits website.

The following is a portrait session with John Pera, whom I’ve known since 1990 or so, through the vintage motorcycle scene and Velocettes in particular.  He was already working for Jay Leno, and organized a tour of Jay’s original warehouse at Burbank Airport, and a ride to the Rock Store. We’ve been friends ever since.  David Goldman caught up with John in Burbank CA on Feb 9, 2023, and asked him a few questions about motorcycling.  The following are his responses:

John Pera photographed at Big Dog Garage in Burbank CA in Feb 2023. [David Goldman]

Please introduce yourself:

I’m John Pera. I’m 57 years old, and operations manager at Jay Leno’s Big Dog garage. I do motorcycle consulting, manage several large vehicle collections and broker some of the most exotic motorcycles in the world. I’ve been involved with motorcycles for about 40 years, but I made it my full time job for about 35 years.

How did you get started with motorcycles?

My earliest memories at two years old at my godfather’s ranch; he was the famous cowboy Roy Rogers. Everybody loved him for being a cowboy and for all the horses, but I loved his garage full of motorcycles. And my uncles were motorcyclists. I also had godmother whose husband was a Glendale police officer, he used to stick me in his the saddlebag of his bike, and ride all over near our house when I was two years old. Ever since, my whole goal in life was to acquire my own motorcycles, which I started at 14 years old and continue to this day. I’ve owned 1000s of motorcycles through the years and brokered 1000s of motorcycles. My collection now is about 35 bikes.

John Pera’s godfather was the cowboy Roy Rogers, seen here with his Indian 4. [internet]

What is a great story or experience you can attribute to motorcycles?

You know, probably the coolest thing is doing the restorations.  In 2002 with my own personal bike that I restored [as opposed to Jay Leno’s – ed.] I entered the Concorso Italiano, and won Best in Class, the People’s Choice,  Judges Choice and Best of Show with my 1969 MV Agusta 250B. It was a 100-point show bike.  In 2007 with another motorcycle, a different one, I won the same exact thing – four awards at the Concorso Italiano. In 2011 with the same bike I won second place at the Pebble Beach Concours. Every aspect of my life is about motorcycles, all my closest friends are motorcycling friends. I’ve supported myself for almost 40 years with motorcycles, and all the motorcycles I’ve ever owned. I’ve never spent a paycheck from my job to buy those motorcycles; it was always side hustle, motorcycles that paid for motorcycles.  And even now, motorcycles in general have paid my salary for 35 years and very well. I use money from wheeling and dealing bikes to pay for my own bikes.

John Pera at his day job with Jay Leno and Kevin Mahoney during a Royal Enfield new model launch. [Taylor Mahoney]

What do motorcycles mean to you?

Motorcycling means everything to me. I mean, from my earliest memory, wanting to drive one day, it wasn’t to drive a car. I had a car at 16 and bought it myself, and I’ve had some great cars. I love cars and have some cool cars, but motorcycles are my relaxation. I work full time, probably seven days a week, up to 12 or 14 hours a day, mostly on motorcycles. And then when I go home, I work on my own motorcycles.

You know, I love riding my bikes. I love acquiring bikes, and always swear I’m not going to buy any more project bikes, but it’s like dog rescue. You see a a forlorn motorcycle that needs to be saved. I mean, motorcycles are everything.  They pay my rent, my mortgages were all paid, I put my daughter through college with motorcycles, everything I have – I own two homes all paid for by motorcycles. Everything in life is to me – motorcycles.

John Pera testing the BMW R18 on its launch for American Motorcyclist magazine [David Dewhurst]

 

David Goldman is photographer and filmmaker who has traveled the world on projects documenting human trafficking, maternal health and marginalized people. He also interviews and photographs motorcyclists in this travels for his series The Motorcycle Portraits. You can follow his website here, his IG here, and his FB here. Explore all his stories for The Vintagent here.