Perry first moved to San Francisco in March of 1979 from Philadelphia with a dream to be “A Comedian” (always said melodically). His apartment was located on the ever-famous Haight Street, a few blocks east of Ashbury St., where The Grateful Dead started. One of the problems with living in S.F. (never call it Frisco to a Friscan) is the intense lack of parking. (When looking for a parking space, pull over at the beginning of the block and wait 5 minutes for someone to pull out) Being a party town, there is one bar for every five adults, AND there is one parking space for every 3 cars. You can, however, rent a garage for about a hundred bucks a month (property owners make a bundle). This explains why people in San Francisco drink so much.

With parking scarcer than Kojak’s hair, Perry decided to buy a motorcycle. He plunked down a few grand and got a blue 1977 Kawasaki 650, a 4 cylinder, smooth riding, road machine. And if you know Perry, you know that he is one mean road monster. It was a match made in the showroom. He outfitted it with a windshield (bugs taste terrible and leave pock marks in eyeglasses), cruise control (for freeway naps), and a matching blue trunk. On the gas tank and trunk was the word “PERRYCYCLE”, meaning it was Perry’s cycle. Not everyone got the joke. Often people would pull up next to him at a stop light and ask, “What’s a Perrycycle?” “Mine.” “Your name is Perry?” “Yes.” “What are you, a comedian?” On replying yes, they would usually try to run him over. Defensive driving became a way of life.

In 1981, he traded it in on a 1979 model with the same coloring (cause it was cheaper) and continued to cruise the Bay Area and the rest of the West Coast. For many years he was the “Biker Comedian,” as he had no car, and became an occasional writer for Motorcyclist magazine spouting his limited ideas on comedy from the biker’s viewpoint. Sometimes, late at night, on his way home from some hell-gig in the boonies, San Francisco police, who knew the bike & rider well, would pull him over just to make him tell them jokes. They even let him park it on the sidewalk in front of the door of  The Legendary, now closed, Holy City Zoo.  

After a few dozen trips to Los Angeles and becoming a paid regular at The Comedy Store (his name is on the back wall) in Hollywood, passersby would spot it parked out front and come to the club looking for a few good Perrylaughs. Boy, did THEY learn their lesson. Perry moved to L.A. in 1989. A short year later, Perry met his wife ONLINE.
In 1994, the Perrycycle developed some major engine problems and passed away. It is still a softly spoken legend to older San Francisco Comics and fans. It WILL be replaced with a new Perrycycle soon.