"[3] After his family moved to Stockton, California, Perkins began working part-time for an Indian motorcycle dealer while still a student.
Later, he moved to live with his father in San Francisco, and began hanging around at the local Indian dealership, later working there.
[3] During World War I, all of Harley-Davidson's production was furnished to the U.S. military, so the Dudley Perkins Company survived by buying, refurbishing and reselling used motorcycles.
[3][4] At the end of World War II, the company thrived by buying military surplus Harley-Davidsons, repainting them, and selling them to the civilian market.
[4] Perkins continued to support motorcycle racers including Mert Lawwill and Mark Brelsford who both went on to win the AMA Grand National Championship.
[4] He represented the AMA in negotiations with various city officials regarding motorcycle rallies in the late 1930s, emphasizing the economic benefits to communities that agreed to sponsor such events.
[13] [14] In 1948, he spoke out on behalf of the American Motorcycle Association against outlaw motorcyclists who had created disturbances such as the Hollister riot and a similar event in Riverside, California.