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Read More Bikernet West – Belt Drives Limited Open Belt Installation
By Robin Technologies |
 Here’s the deal. With less than two weeks to go I’m praying, laughin’, grinning and scrambling. The paint finally arrived from Harold Pontarelli of H-D Performance of Vacaville, California, and the dark haired beauty wanted to be at the shed when I opened it. I paced the floor waiting for her alabaster legs to bring her quiet self up the sagging stairs and into the world headquarters of bikernet.com. We took the carefully packed boxes to the basement where we were attacked by the foam peanuts assigned to protect the polished finish. First it was slabs of pressed foam, then thousands of bouncing peanuts, yards of plastic wrap, then plastic bags and bubble wrap until we finally reached the bright candy blue finish with cream flames, silver inserts, for dimension, and gray pinstriping. Unbelievable! The perfect match for the bike. I’m jazzed. But let’s explain some of the praying that’s going one. BDL Belt drives, especially this one in particular, are simple to install. Incredibly simple, but there’s a caveat, a loophole or a tiny chink in the armor. It’s called alignment and spacing. Hot Rod Bikes recently published a full-on BDL installation, and I read it several times. It never made any sense to my simple mind, yet it was full of very precise instructions. The key is how you install and space the motor and tranny. It turns out that your inner primary, or in our case, the motor plate, is the best alignment tool you have. According to Frank Kaisler, the editor, you leave the engine and tranny loose, bolt the inner primary or belt plate to the engine then pull the tranny into place and bolt it up tight and start checking under the engine and tranny for gaps with feeler gauges. In the article it showed big Frank filling the gaps with spacers as thin as .010. Damn, that’s getting touchy. Recently a Bikernet reader, Breeze, sent me the following on BDL installation suggestions and I added my two cents worth to his experience: “When I was installing the BDL 3-inch open kit (the one that comes with the motor plate) I was having a bitch of a time gettin’ the belt on. So, I called and got to talk to their tech support.” “Anyway Buddy Bob, tech master, says, “Oooh, just file the pulley splines (Photo 1) it will go right on.” Filing splines applies to S&S motors with slightly larger main shafts, like .001 so take your time and it will work out fine. If you don’t and force the pulley on, you may have a serious problem taking it off. I used a handmade puller from the bottom of the tool box to get the pulley back off.” “As far as alignment I use the good ol’ straight edge across the pulleys method. Check at top, center, and bottom, to get things straight on both axis. I do this without the belt and space the front pulley out so you can use feeler gauges to compare the front to back space between the rear pulley and the straight edge. Of course the ultimate alignment test is to run it and see how the belt is tracking. It should not wander and should track on the front pulleys outer flange and center on the rear pulley.” “I think they have a great design there, it is one of the smoothes clutches I’ve run, but you need to check tolerances for reliable running. Be sure to follow the instructions on the clutch install, the Locktite they tell you to use on the basket splines is important for the basket to seat properly.” “They call me the Breeze, I keep rolling down the road!” Well, that’s the Breeze’s story. In fact Breeze has given me a couple more things to check. I put one of the polished rotor covers on, which threw my pulley alignment out of whack, so I had to take it back off. I’d rather have reliability that flash. Before you attempt to install the belt drive check these alignment areas. Bolt your rear motor mount bolts down tight, without the top one in place. With feeler gauges check the front motor mount. Space the front ones if there is any gap. Now bolt down the tranny plate and the tranny except for the single bolt on the right side (Photo 2.) Check the clearance to the final stud from the frame and correct the spacing. Now with everything loosened up install the inner primary. The BDL system comes with a very heavy duty clutch bearing, so the the stock bearing race must be removed. Fortunately I had a JIMS puller for just that application. That and a couple of crescent wrenches and the puppy was gone, and the new bearing installed. Slide the clutch and front pulley on, and make one more alignment check as you rotate the motor (Photo 4). Grease the starter shaft and bolt in the starter pinion gear. Next install the clutch pack as per the manual. You can now install the belt guard and adjust the clutch. I’m carrying another set of clutch studs and springs, in case the clutch begins to slip. I’m hauling along another belt for safety, also. Couple of years ago, I ate one (it wasn’t a BDL, though). Seems like a lot of work, but actually this is one of the cleanest, simplest systems out there, and once you have it dialed in, you can put it on and take it off in minutes. Damn, I running out of time. Gotta git to the wiring. Rock and roll. –Bandit
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Bikernet West Bogged Down In Pheonix
By Robin Technologies |
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I knew it! The sonuvabitch couldn’t make it to the Badlands and back on that piece of shit. I knew it! The way Bandit mounted that tank was fucked from the beginning.
 I told him. Nuutboy told him. Harold Pontarelli told him. Shit, his 78-year-old mother told him. Did the big bastard listen? Nooo. So it jumped off the frame in Aspen, Colo., and landed in his lap.
 Yeah, they welded it up in Aspen with the help of Randy Aron from Cycle Visions in San Diego, and he limped into Sturgis, rode around the Badlands for the week and then the scoot was kidnapped from him by someone who knows what the fuck he’s doing, namely Paul Yaffe from Paul Yaffe Originals in Phoenix. Paul is working with Kyle of Independent Tanks, who hand makes steel tanks from heavy 16-gauge material. It’s about time someone grabbed that bike before it exploded into flames and scorched the ornery sonuvabitch.
 So we sent that fly-bitten claybrain to Phoenix for a welding lesson and instructions on how to properly mount a gas tank. If he wasn’t such a hasty-witted old fool, he would have put the bike together right the first time.
 Here are shots of the existing piece of shit with the new tanks recommended by Paul, who builds some of the most innovative bikes on the planet.
 Paul’s philosophy is to manufacture enough custom components to allow his customers to build something without doing a piece-meal job. “Instead of buying fenders from me that don’t fit the other guys’ frame properly and then mount a gas tank from so and so, and nothing fits properly, I want to give the customer half a chance to build a world-class custom on his own.” Paul’s positioning himself, unlike Bandit, to afford customers with frames, plus the fenders, tanks and billet components to match. Paul began his operation building LED taillight products. Unlike the slob who runs this joint, Paul is a young man of vast energy and talent who could not contain himself building bikes with existing components. He began building his own fenders, air cleaners, frames, etc. The young upstart with the flaming red hair does share one notion with Bandit: “If you’re going to build a new full-custom for a customer, I want the bike to be a reliable runner, of the newest technology, or how can you call it a new bike?” So all of Paul’s bikes are built with Harley-Davidson Twin Cam drive lines. “I use as much Harley stuff as possible,” Paul said. “Plus the factory is going crazy building more new accessories all the time. The selection is growing by leaps and bounds.” Damn, if I told that lunkhead Bandit once, I told him a thousand times, it’s time to move away from the Evolution shit into the real world of Twin Cams. But that motley-minded minnow is still out in the garage trying to put two Mikuni’s carbs on his ’48 Panhead. If you want to check true customs, built to ride, check Paul’s site http://www.paulyaffeorginals.com Finally, after much consternation, Bandit succumbed to one of Paul’s buddies, Kyle at Independent Gas Tanks. These are new, contoured tanks and here’s how ya do it right.
 Kyle has been building his own line of steel gas tanks for two years. Prior to ’98, he built tanks for Roger Borget for three years and before that he built Porsche 911 race cars. He won’t get near aluminum. “Not with the engine sizes that are bouncing around in these frames,” Kyle said. None of his creations are Mig welded, either. “I only Tig weld my tanks. I’m glad to work with builders and make suggestions.
 I’ve hand-built over 1,000 tanks for Harleys, and if told the brand frame, the stretch and rake, I usually know which tank works the best. I can go with one of my six to eight standard styles, or I can design something out of this world. I can make a bike blend into the crowd or stand out anywhere.” Kyle’s tanks come with mounting straps. Don’t just weld ’em on and go, though. “Depending on how the tank is designed to mount will depend on if the existing tabs will work immediately or need to be modified,” Paul said. In this case, he created some spacers to allow the tank to set on the frame perfectly to capture the look the big bastard wanted, then he cut the tabs and tacked them to the frame. Next he removed the tank and solid tacked the tabs. He put the tank back on and made sure everything was in place. These tanks are handmade and not manufactured with a jig, so no two tanks are alike.
 The tabs were finish welded and the tanks shipped to Harold Pontarelli for repaint. Paul welds everything with Tig because the Argon gas shield makes for a more controlled burn. It gives him better penetration and a less brittle weld than a Mig. Kyle had one other recommendation. He often gets calls from brothers requesting tanks after they have taken their frame to the powdercoater. Don’t do that. Make sure all the sheet metal is prepped and assembled before any finish work is undertaken. In fact, many builders ride scoots without paint for a hundred miles or so before tearing down for paint. Saves the headache, and makes for a much tighter custom.
 Of course the whole operation must have a photo finish. Two days before the Love Ride, the tank is floating into town via Harold and eight H-D Performance troopers. The bike is rumbling in on the back of Paul Yaffe’s custom trailer. The two will meet with Bandit in Woodland Hills for the install and road test for the parties to come that weekend. He doesn’t deserve this scoot. It should be mine. –Renegade
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Bikernet East – The Zebra Reports
By Robin Technologies |
Bikernet East, Zebra Report 8/17/2000:
ZEBRA CRUSHES BANDIT! ARRIVES FIRST IN STURGIS!
Despite overwhelming odds, such as a rev limiter installed secretly byBandit (later ripped out and thrown in the ditch), heavy rain on the eastcoast, phony tags (fuck the Florida DMV), a bleeding gas tank (Bandit issuspected here as well), hail in Atlanta, deer in Kentucky, troopers inIllinois, and a host of other hurdles, as well as a distance over 500 mileslonger than Bandit’s short hop from L.A., Special Agent Zebra rode like anoutlaw and arrived four beers and three Jack and Cokes ahead of Bandit andhad the promised Jack on ice awaiting the West Coast slowpokes. Kudos tothe Doctor of Throttle, Special Agent Zebra.
And in answer to West Coast Chopper’s Jesse James’ question, “Should weconsider Special Agent Zebra a real biker now?”, we at Bikernet.com have ourown questions- how’d that Winnebago ride? Is it a rigid? As Bandit oncesaid, time will tell and shit will smell.
The Great Northern Steamer made the trip up and back, wracking up around-trip total of 6,002 miles on the virgin odometer. Zebra sustained onefried starter motor, two gas tank leaks, one missing kickstand (tore it offon a low left-hand sweeper in Georgia) and a pull-start behind bro andsister Tommy and Mary Ann Mills of Kittanning, PA. Zebra says, “many thanksfor the yank. Got home fine.”
While the Zebra was forced to ride the final 1,300 miles without stoppingor even getting off due to the fried starter motor and missing kickstand, hearrived relatively unscuffed, save for a wracked back and a bit of fatigueinduced delirium.
The actual ChopOff vote, was a washout, since Bandit apparently moved thevote at the last minute to a secret location, garnering every vote.
Stay tuned for the full story, after we wake Zebra up and get him on thekeyboard.
Big Lucy, reporting for Special Agent Zebra, recovering
Bikernet.com East, Miami
Bikernet East, Zebra Report 7/11/2000:
Working with Eddie Trotta of Thunder Cycles in Ft. Lauderdale, I’mputting the finishing touches on the Great Northern Steamer, my entry intothe Bikernet ChopOff 2000. We can’t say what the secret changes are thatwe’re making, as we would tip off Bandit and the crew on the West Coast.But suffice to say, they’ll be good. – Zebra
Bikernet East, Zebra Report 7/15/2000:
In the race to the finish line, I’ve sent out the tanks and rearfender,which Eddie Trotta and his sheetmetal gurus recut and redrilled (theyweren’t satisfied with the fit we got over the rear tire at Bikernet).Eddie Meeks at Hardly Civilized is doing the paint and artwork wasprovided by our own Ink Dink, Jon Towle. Eddie and his men at Thunder Cycles havechecked and double checked, tweaked and poked our geometry. Break-in isscheduled to start ASAP. Tanks and fender should be back and ready tobolt on in three days. Eddie Meeks is fast and Eddie Trotta is even faster.
The goal is to get a few thousand miles on the horse prior to blast off fromMiami Beach, about as far from Sturgis as you can get. Nobody likessurprises and we’re working hard to eliminate as many as possible. Banditis closing fast and the race is narrowing. It may actually come down to avote after all.
Special Agent Zebra
Bikernet.com East
Miami Beach
Bikernet East, Zebra Report 7/24/2000:
In a dark twist of fate, I have fallen behind the dreaded Bandit in ourSturgis 2000 ChopOff, as we near the blast off point. Paint has taken threedays longer than expected and we’ve yet to get even one break-in mile on theGreat Northern Steamer. Eddie Trotta and his boys at Thunder Cycle Designswill be pushing hard to get sheet metal in place, final tail lights wiredand get the big mother RevTech on the asphalt and start the painstakingbreak-in process. Eddie and his boys like to run a bike no more than onemile, bring it back in, check and measure everything, take it back out andrun it two and so on. After they’ve done this several times, they run thebike 25-30, and repeat. You can see how this helps avoid ruining anythingwhich might be slightly off alignment or loose. It’s a good process, but ittakes time, which is something we’re getting damned short on. Bandit hasbeen jeering over the phone daily about how well his scoot is running,although he’s had some clutch difficulties which he’s trying to iron outwith Wrench and the Bikernet West garage gang.
It’s going to be close. Will the Great Northern Steamer leave on time?Will Bandit and the Blue Goose make it from the western country? Will thetorrential Florida rains wash me off the interstate before I can even breakthe Georgia line? Will the searing Death Valley expanse fry Bandit’s enginebefore he can cross into the cool deserts of the north?
It all remains to be seen. Stay tuned as we race to the wire and ourlaunch date, this Saturday at 0-early hundred.
Special Agent Zebra
Bikernet East
Miami Beach
Bikernet East, Zebra Report 7/25/2000:
EAST COAST BIKERS RALLY TO ZEBRA’S AID! RACE TO STURGIS HEATING UP FAST!
In an unexpected show of brotherhood, numerous East Coast bikershave rallied to underdog Special Agent Zebra’s aid in the savage Bikernet.comSturgis 2000 ChopOff. Offers of everything from places to bed down andhome-cooked meals to bullets to broads are pouring in all along the Zebra’sroute. Special Agent Zebra, working with minimal support and even fewerresources, has managed to stay neck and neck with the dreaded Bandit and hismassive phalanx of factory technicians and C.A.D.-assisted motorcycleassembly line at the sprawling Bikernet World Headquarters in San Pedro,California, just south of Los Angeles.It was beginning to look as if Special Agent Zebra was going to haveto run on bailing wire and luck, but with the outpouring of biker brotherhood fromliterally thousands of bikers all along the route, Zebra should have a roadpaved with flying panties, roses, fried chicken and cots all the way toSturgis.
Now if Zebra and Eddie Trotta can sweet talk the local DMV cuss intoallowing them to tag and bless entirely unsafe, illegal freak chopperrolling felony, AAA is dumb enough to insure the fuckin’ thing and somebodyis crazy enough to sell him some high-octane fuel, the race will be on. Amoment of silence to the DMV gods. (Actually, the backup plan is to slap aphony plate on the Great Northern Steamer and hope like hell the local fuzzin the lower 49 don’t read this.)
God bless America and may Bandit drive off into the Grand Canyon.
Big Lucy, filling in for Special Agent Zebra
Bikernet EastMiami Beach
-Just one of hundreds of e-mails pouring in from around the nation insupport of the goodly Zebra in his war against the repulsive bastard,Bandit-
Zebra,
_______________________
I am in Hermitage Tn. Just about 10 miles sw of downtown Nashville. Justoff major interstate cluster (figuratively) of 1-40 guick passage back toI-24. Would be glad to put up a fellow armed gypsy biker, Get you fed, bedand on you way. Would be honored to have you stay at my digs. You have mye-mail. phone is 615/883-6490 home/615/620-5266 work. Let me know your plansand I will make necessary arrangements.
I am sure that we can make it easy for you to fly through the middleTennessee area with no time lost to that scoundrel Bandit. If you read theoriginal message I am sure that you known that I would not hinder anyone’sprogress. I was pulling for the Bikernet East all the way. So just lay atease about that alms thing from the west.
Just a hole in the wall, where a good armed outlaw/gypsy can rest hisweary bones.
RH
Bikernet East, Zebra Report 7/27/2000:
Special Agent Zebra nabbed at Florida DMV!
In a henious turn of events yesterday, Special Agent Zebra was nearlyimprisoned at the Florida Deparment of Vehicles, while trying to registerthe barely legal Great Northern Steamer, Zebra’s entry into the dreadedBikernet ChopOff 2000 competition. Foul play is suspected as one of the MSO(manufactuerer’s statement of origin) was sent by Bandit from the West Coastand in fact was the offending document which led to a rush of State Troopersand much dark swearing and wrestling about.
Upon presentation of his special construction bike, Special Agent Zebra waspromptly informed that he was guilty of a felony in the third degree forattempting to register a motorcycle outside of the area in which he resides.
Sensing danger, Special Agent Zebra made an immediate attempt to abort themission when the DMV agent in charge, a savage cunt with one eye and titsmade from rotting gauze wrapped around cantelopes, called in the FloridaHighway Patrol. A hairy chase ensued as Special Agent Zebra put in somefast break-in miles and managed to give the rule-crazy cops the shake innorthern Miami.
“It’s going to be an outlaw run from here on out,” Zebra told Bandit overthe phone from an undisclosed location. “I’ll deal with you when I get toSturgis, you evil sonofabitch!” Zebra roared, as Bandit bawled with laughteron the other end of the line.
Turns out Bandit sent Zebra an engine MSO from a chopper he’d reportedstolen over ten years ago and then parted out. A dirty trick, consideringthe actual engine Zebra is running in the Great Northern Steamer is a brandnew, monster RevTech 88 given to the Zebra by our fine bros at CustomChrome.
Set up, wanted by the law and running underground now, Zebra is by far theunderdog in this dastardly competition.
It’s anyone’s guess if Zebra can move from one friendly club house to thenext under the cover of darkness as he makes his way along the undergroundbiker railroad to Sturgis, where he will even the score with Bandit.
Bandit, law abiding yuppie that he is will have the advantage, as heblissfully strolls along in broad daylight on his entirely legal cruiser,having worked closely- perhaps too closely (could Bandit be a cop?)- withthe local California Highway Patrol to get his motorcycle licensed.
Stay tuned as we continue to update you on the mad race to the Badlands.
Big Lucy, filling in for Special Agent Zebra
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Sturgis 2000 Project Bike Crew
By Robin Technologies |
| Daytec Center 17469 Lemon Street Hesperia, CA 92345 (760) 244-1591 |
Downtown Harley-Davidson Russ Tom 6727 Martin Luther King Way Seattle, WA 98118 (818) 901-7037 |
Bay Area Custom Cycles Ron Simms 25224 Mission Blvd. Hayward, CA 94541 |
| Milwaukee Iron Randy Simpson 3000 Lenox Lynchburg, VA 24501 |
Headwinds Cycle Products Joel Felty P.O. Box 661213 Arcadia, CA 91066-1213 (818) 359-8044 |
Custom Chrome, Inc. See your local dealer Or Call (800) 729-3332 |
| Performance Machine Ted Sands 6892 Marlin Circle LaPalma, CA 90623 (714) 523-3000 |
South Bay Chrome 2041 S. Grand Ave. Santa Ana, CA 92705 (714) 434-1141 |
S&S Cycle Rt. 2 Box 215 County G Viola, WI 54664 (608) 627-1467 |
| Rich Products 12420 San Pablo Ave. Richmond, CA 94805 (510) 234-7547 |
HiTech Products 11023 Glenoaks Blvd., Unit H Pacoima, CA 91331 (818) 834-1060 |
Hannon’s Machine Shop 21050 Mission Blvd. Hayward, CA 94541 (510) 581-5315 |
| Corbin 11445 Commercial Parkway Castroville, CA 95012 (408) 633-2500 |
Weerd Bros. Inc 329 W. Lone Cactus, #10 Phoenix, AZ 85027 (623) 869-9477 (623) 869-9478 FAX |
SJP Engineering www.sjp-engineering.nl |
| Joker Machine 1078 West Kirkwall Road Azusa CA 91702 (626) 334-9371 www.jokermachine.com |
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The Road King Report Installment 1
By Robin Technologies |
ROAD KING REPORT–Initially I had some questions regarding Road Kings. I wanted to know some about the frame geometry. I perfer a little trail over low speed, parking lot handling. I like to run fast and stable. Next I’m old school. I perfer a bike with minimun extras so I lean toward a carb model over the fuel injection, EFI models.
I immediatly spoke to an expert, Paul from Charlotte, H-D:First as you always say “What year is the damn thing”??????? If it’s a newer model why get rid of the EFI?? The new stuff works good. Harley has new sofware to tune the thing, just out from the dealer show. This will put a big hurt in the Powercomander II and any other after market add on stuff!!!! It’s in the new P&A book for ’03 in the Screamin Chicken (Eagle) section. I like the new Dephi stuff. Also BC Gerolamy has a new dual throat induction throttle body for the Delphi system that is kick ass!!
To take off the system, man it’s lot’s off work. The ECM has all this start up shit it goes thru. checking all the system’s and sensors. Again I have never done this. So to be honest I just don’t know for sure on this one. I can run it by Old Bob tomorrow and see what his thoughts are on both the frame/trees and removing the EFI.
On the frame, my first thought is no. Are you familiar with what they did to the trees? They are not like the old FL stuff at all. The stem is in front of the fork tubes. This makes it a self centering front end. One of the tests they have to do at Talledega on the track is to smack the handle bars hard at 80 MPH++ and see if the damn thing will straighten itself out!!!!
I’ve never thought about doing this so who knows maybe it could be done. Christ you come up some stuff man. Was Jack Daniels involved in all this brain storming??
A week later…
’03 is good year for the Road Queen. The EFI is much better than years past.My question to you is why do you want to loose the EFI?? What are your plans?? Pipes, Big Bore, Stroker kit?? We just did a 103 Stroker kit with cams, heads and a V&H 2-into-one pipe, megaphone, on a ’03 Road Queen for a salesman. He should have used a Thunder Header but most of these clowns want the magazine yuppy chrome look. Shine and billet are in I guess, drives me nut’s!!!!!
You can remove the fuel pump and that shit from the tank. You can put a regular fuel valve in the tank in place of the EFI fuel line. There are two bung’s on the left side of the tank, one is plugged. I did make an adapter for a fuel valve for a Softail EFI bike once. The guy bought these tanks at a swap meet and didn’t know they were for fuel injection.
I think maybe you might just need to change the ECM from EFI to a Carb. ECM. Disconnect the senor’s, eng. temp, crank pos., induction module stuff. Do the tank, install a carb and you might be just be down the road. That way you could leave all the stock wiring and shit in place if you ever wanted to go back to EFI.
On the trees I guess when they went to that style the early top tree was just turned around for that newer style configuration. Don’t know about the setup now. If you did a rotation of the top tree putting the fork tubes forward the bars would be in a different forward location. That would screw up all that headlight cover shit. You might be able to put a complete early FL front end on. Hey maybe even the adjustable sidecar trees. Remember them? The front fork’s are non-air assist now.
I’ll keep plugging away on this “Amazing Raked Road Queen” project for you. I can check out some front end’s and take a better look. Also will try to call tech services at H-D and see what won’t say!!!
–Later, PSD
1928 Shovelhead Project Part V
By Robin Technologies |
The pressure is on. Lena Fairless, a 15-year-old bubbly Texas beauty, is after Bandit. This hell bent young woman plans to become his sixth wife. To lure the big bastard from the coast, Easyriders of Dallas has been working hard on his Shovelhead under Lena’s strict direction.
Even this article was investigated while the shop fabricator was sick in bed awaiting surgery. Lena’s wrath reached him bed side. “Keep the project moving,” she screamed into the phone, “we’ve sent out the wedding invitations.” We couldn’t find Bandit for comment.
At this point the motorcycle is almost ready for paint, powder and chrome. According to Jim, who coughed up blood as we forced him to speak clearly into our failing 20-year-old tape recorder, “Since the bike is designed to be reminiscent of the ’20s vintage motorcycles, instead of lots of chrome we’re going with a matching powdercoat on the rims and rear legs of the front end.
“We have finished much of the detail in the form of the handmade Milwaukee Iron handlebars by Randy Simpson with the internal throttle control from Pat Kennedy, which I installed just before the ambulance came to get me. As they attempted to load me from the concrete floor onto the gurney, Lena asked if I could finish the exhaust system.
“We ordered the material and the flanges from Paughco, the one company that devotes most of its energy to building retro parts. I welded the 1 3/4-inch tubing to the Paughco flanges as the EMT tried to insert an IV into my right arm. We designed the rear of the pipe to be adjustable. The kicked-out cap is removable, along with the mounting bracket, so that the baffle can be removed and adjusted for tuning. The pipes will be finished with Jet Hot coating to avoid the problems of chrome and give the pipes a lasting, even finish.” Jim mumbled the words then passed out.
Lena moved quickly to the portable refrigerator that rattled in the corner of Jim’s small mobile home on the edge of the Texas plains. She’d told him that he had to continue to work despite his illness, but without pay because she didn’t want to risk a workman’s compensation claim. Tough broad. As they wheeled him out of the 107-degree shop without so much as a fan, Lena slapped Jim until he returned to consciousness and explained the seat mounting assembly to me. He machined and welded a piece of tubing into the seat downtube, then welded it in place. From there he machined a piece of solid stock that the seat clamps to. It was designed to move the seat to the rear to enhance the leg room for Bandit and prevent the seat from lingering over the tank. It too will be powdercoated.
The final panel over the tank hides the oil line connections on the left side. The gas stays in the right side. It also hides most of the electrical components, including the regulator and ignition module. Jim made the oil lines from seamless cold pulled stainless tubing.
As you look at the photos, you’ll notice how the taillight and license plate are mounted off the turned brake caliper bracket. Bandit, under a great deal of pressure from his next wife, was asked what he thought of the progress of his custom scoot. Thinking quickly, he reviewed his options while complimenting Jim’s workmanship. But he knew that if the bike was torn and shipped to paint soon that he would be facing life-changing stress–another marriage. Could he actually move to Texas and face another marriage? He reviewed his options as he watched the battered craftsman slip in and out of consciousness. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his eye. His skin was as white as the lines on the highways running out of town and it took three able-bodied men to shore him up to even a sitting position to face his employer’s daughter.
Bandit succumbed to his own pressure and complained of the flap-like license plate, asking to move it. I was astounded by Jim’s reaction. His artistry came first over his failing heart and the aneurysm creeping steadily toward his brain. He admitted that he too was unsure of the appearance of the license and could possibly conjure up something different. Just then the skies opened up and a summer thunderstorm struck, rattling windows throughout the region. That was nothing compared to the blistering reaction by the 15-year-old high school student.
She ditched school and forced Jim, who was hospitalized at the time, to come up with an award-winning taillight concept and license plate bracket and illustrate it. This is the illustration, and the entire staff concurs that it is brilliant. The taillight will be hand fabricated into the reproduction ’20s fender with LED lights for illumination. The license plate will be mounted to the frame and the rear of the inner primary with steel brackets to avoid any semblance of billet aluminum. The slim, contoured assembly housing the lights will contain 10 running LEDs with an additional six for braking. The license plate bracket will also contain several white LEDs for illumination of the plate. Jim passed out shortly after this illustration was finished and we scurried from his room to avoid the temptress, Lena, who dragged several nurses down the hall to demand more work from Jim.
This machine will ring the wedding bell or break more than just Jim’s back. Rumor has it that Bandit is going to Texas, but avoiding Dallas, to board the tramp freighter “Leon” for his escape from the country. Another report will be forthcoming.
–Wrench
1928 Shovelhead Comes To California Part VIII
By Robin Technologies |
Master builder and mechanic, Deacon, from Pro-Street in Oahu.
Bob Kay. from American Iron Horse. was a bro and shipped the retro Shovelhead. from Strokers in Dallas. to LifeStyle Cycles in Orange County, California along with a new batch of Dallas Choppers. It arrived the day before a handful of weary travelers stumbled into Los Angeles. on their way home, from Sturgis, Glen and Kerry Priddle were headed back to Australia after spending almost a month, with a dozen Aussies, roaming the mid west.
Deacon’s son Chase and the 1928 Shovelhead.
Deacon, his son Chase, and the son’s girl Amanda rode several thousand miles averaging 95 mph wherever they rode. Deacon and Chase are both master mechanics. The ol’ man’s shop, Pro-Street, is located on Oahu, (808) 236-0405 and he’s negotiating with Billy Lane of Choppers Inc. to build engines for Billy’s Discovery Channel Bikes. His son is working in Oregon, but as soon as he returns, he’s packin’ his shit and heading back to the islands.
JIMS machine rebuilt and detailed the engine. It was sharp and runs like a top.
Charging and checking battery connections.
Deacon checking the solenoid.
Deacon rolled into the Bikernet Headquarters just as the Shovel arrived and we attempted to fire the beast to life. I moved the seat forward, detailed the front end and charged the battery. But, even with a fresh battery, she wouldn’t engage. Deacon suspected the aftermarket solenoid. Seems the spacers and gaskets are too thick, just enough to prevent the solenoid from grabbing the shaft. I trimmed the gasket with an Exacto blade and Deacon ground the face of the spacer. Installed, it worked like a champ. We took it for a ride.
Los Angeles Harbor and our first roadtest.
First Deacon checked the connections and voltage at the solenoid. He also shorted across the leads with an Allen wrench to see if the circuit was operating properly.
The solenoid replaced after the gasket around the base was trimmed and the spacer, behind the unit, shaved. Worked perfectly.
Checkin’ the gears.
It was impossible to jam the suicide shifter into nuetral once the bike was running, even while rolling. Deacon and chase adjusted the clutch, and recommended a Rivera, old school, clutch pack to eliminate chatter and afford the rider smoother shifts. The clutch wobbled and was too tight to find neutral. They loosened the springs until only a thread showed past the adjustment nuts and the spring retainer ran true.
Can you see the cracks?
The Millermatic 175 hard at work.
Deacon built a bead then ground it smooth as a baby’s ass.
The tip installed, solid as a rock.
I developed padded fork stops and while running we noticed that the clean, handmade, Stroker’s pipe tip was rattling with only one bolt holding it. Upon removal we discovered that the area around the installation nut had already cracked and Deacon grabbed the Millermatic. He welded the cracks and nut for more strength. Then we discovered that the tip shelf was too small, so the pipe end had a tendency to vibrate. Deacon went back to the welder and built a bead around the outside, of the shelf, then ground it to fit. A much cleaner/tighter fit, and the pipe didn’t require an additional fastener.
Anybody know how old this cast bronze emblem is?
While in Hawaii at the first Choppers Only Show in Wakiki, I gave Deacon, the promoter, a handmade belt buckle for being a gracious host. He returned the favor with an old license plate doodad from the Antique Motorcycle Club. It was destined for the Shovelhead.
While testing the shifting, clutch and tranny, the gears seemed to bang harshly. We checked the oil level, which seemed precariously low. It wasn’t bad, but we drained the oil and replaced it with fresh Custom Chrome tranny lube.
The 1928 Shovel was ready to rock and so were we. Deacon and Glen broke out harmonicas and kicked off the blues. They sampled the Irish whiskey, Tullamore Dew, Sin Wu barbecued and the party rolled on.
Deacon and Glen bringing down the Bikernet Garage.
One mo’ shot of Tullamore Dew.
Helluva night, sharp bike and times to always remember. The next day Deacon air-freighted his 2003 FLH to Oahu and grabbed a flight. His son and Amanda boarded their basket case Softail and rode north. Glen and Kerry hid out in Los Angeles and waited for their flight back to Australia, and we dusted off the headquarters and pretended to go back to work.
Stay tuned for the next adventure of the 1928 Shovelhead.
–Bandit
1928 Shovelhead Part VI – Coming To Life
By Robin Technologies |
Just when you thought a project slipped off the lift, the paint arrived. Harold Pontarelli of H-D Performance, in Vacaville, California, made this puppy sing. It’s now mighty close to pavement miles. What started as a 1984 Mexican Police bike was transformed into a 1928 Shovelhead.
All the Compu-fire electrics possible were stashed on brackets built into the frame backbone, under the split halves, of the gas tanks. The finish on the frame, front end, brackets and wheel rims came from Custom Powder Coating in Dallas. The drive to finish the bike came from Lena, the lovely daughter of Rick Fairless, the owner of Strokers Dallas, formerly Easyriders of Dallas.
The magazine publisher determined that the 30-odd Easyriders stores around the country were not sending him enough bags of gold and pulled his name from their stores. Whatta shame, but Rick and many of the other store owners have bargained with supportive companies such as HOT BIKE and Big Dog. Some have chosen one of those names to stand behind, others, like Rick and Myron Larabbee, in Scottsdale, Arizona headed in their own directions. We’ll see what happens next.
This scooter is reminiscent of kits now being manufactured by Arlen Ness and Randy Simpson of Milwaukee Iron in Lynchburg, Virginia. Both of these talented builders are developing rolling chassis kits to house the driveline of your choice. Check with them if you have an engine and transmission around that’s dying for a nostalgic rejunivation.
This particular 1928 Shovelhead was built with scraps and components from as far away as England. Parts were ordered from sources that actually remanufacturer fenders, tanks and seats for old Harley restorations. Additional components were scavenged from a shop closing in Van Nuys, California, but the final creation, fabrication and assembly was handled by a couple of talented builders at Strokers in Dallas. JR started the project then escaped the country for four years, while Jim Stultz took over. Jim has since opened his own shop and JR returned to the fold for final assembly.
JR slicked the welds before anything was powdered or chromed and cut spacers for the rear 21-inch wheel. They ran into one problem with the battery box configuration. The battery wouldn’t fit. With some quick adjustments, a super strong Spyke gel battery slipped into place and kicked the scoot right off. The oil is housed in a portion of the gas tanks, so the box above the transmission handles only the battery and the ignition switch, with some wiring.
“When we build bikes,” JR said, “We completely mock them up before chrome and paint, but we don’t juice and start them. That creates too much of a mess to deal with before chrome and paint.” I rode through the final joining of parts with JR for tips that you could use. When the majority of the chrome and paint was in hand he began assembly. “First we had to send the wheels out to be relaced, trued and balanced,” JR explained. Since we went the extra mile to powdercoat the rims, the wheels had to be torn down, then re-assembled once the painted rims were returned. Note that the front 21 matches the 21 on the rear for that spindly, early look.
JR put the bike up with the front end, rear fender (it had tight clearances, so they mounted the fender before the wheel) rear wheel and front wheel, so it was a rolling chassis. Then the engine was installed (after the powder was shaved away from the mounting areas) and the transmission in that order. Before the driveline was tightened, he mounted the inner primary to insure proper alignment. Then the battery box was installed.
Next the electrical components were installed so that the wiring could be run between the gas tanks and hidden from view. Then the gas tanks/oil tank was installed on the backbone of the frame. Jim originally bent solid tubing oil lines, but they leaked some and tight bends were threatening oil flow. “I was concerned,” JR said, “Shovels and Pans need a lot of lubrication, quick. If I could, I’d pour the oil in through a big funnel. He was concerned about the myriad of hard bends and the small I.D. of the tubing. “I chose to use a larger diameter rubber tubing.”
Then JR mounted the brakes, which were both disc and mostly Performance Machine components. Final components followed including the primary drive, the handlebars, headlight and internal throttle to the S&S carb. Note the lack of controls on the bars.
“The engine fired off the first time,” JR said smiling. “We planned to Jet Hot coat the handmade exhaust pipes, but the boss, Rick Fairless, voted for chrome.” After the bike was fired and tested they yanked the pipes for dipping.
If you’ve read the previous installments, you caught the sixth wife threat looming over Bandit’s head. After five wives he has a deadly code, “No more wives”. So he drug his cowboy boots in a dire effort to stay out of Texas. He’s hoping his tactic worked, that the lovely Lena Fairless has grown and lost her desire to chain Bandit down one more time. She’s almost of age and being sought after by a line-up of young Dallas riders. Hopefully, one will sweep her off her dainty feet.
Bandit remains in California and awaits the arrival of the 1928 Shovelhead via a Truck from American Iron Horse, the custom bike manufacturer in Dallas. Then we’ll road test the scoot ourselves and take the photos needed for a full feature on Bikernet and in a bike magazine. Hopefully soon it will rumble down the old streets of San Pedro, its home.
–Wrench
Bikernet East – Zebra’s Chop Unveiled
By Robin Technologies |
| When the dust and metal filings settled, the smoke cleared, and the greasy gang of wrenches at the famous Bikernet Garage sobered up, before us stood a gleaming new chopper, complete and ready to break in, save for a few minor tweaks and a seat.
 The Zebra entry for the Bikernet ChopOff 2000 was complete. The Great Northern Steamer, scheduled to blast from the Caribbean shores of South Beach, Miami, all the way to the western Badlands of Sturgis, South Dakota, stood shimmering in the Southern California sunshine. A moment of silence occurred naturally. Then Bandit farted. The Great Northern Steamer is the first complete entry (or virtually so, save for custom seat, a bit more paint, and a few tweaks and adjustments) to come off the steaming chopper assembly line at the Bikernet West garage in San Pedro.
 She’s a fast horse, with no bells, no whistles and a low, clean look. This is a true garage chop. Comprised of our favorite parts from our bad-assed vendors who work with us at Bikernet, the Zebra chop should be a joy to ride and not bad on the eyes either. She’ll roll on new Avon rubber, a 21 up front and a 150/16 in the rear, which is as wide as you can go on a stock softy frame without moving swingarms and trannys. We kept her this way because we know a lot of bros don’t have access to zillion-dollar bank accounts and nine-month time periods to re-engineer entire frames. The Zebra chop was purposely built to be an every-man’s chopper—something any of us could build right in our own garage with a bit of determination and hard work. The Avon rubber will be wrapped around newly released Harley-Davidson Thunderstar rims. The engine is a salty RevTech 88 from Custom Chrome and came out of the box humming like a dragon sitting on a cattle prod. I can’t wait to get past the break-in and give that big horse some oats and see what she’ll do.
 Expect me and whatever lucky lass I decide to strap on the back to arrive early in Sturgis this year. The tranny is a pussy-smooth Baker 6-speed, known for strength (I’m a bit heavy handed on clutches as Bandit is always pointing out) and high-end gearing. I prefer the left lane. We took the narrow-glide front end off the Bandit II along with the lighthouse-bright Headwinds headlight and slipped it on. I might have Eddie Trotta at Thunder Designs in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, (where the bike will be received after being shipped from our garage in San Pedro by Ken Gold) throw on a set of wide-glide triple trees. The jury is still out on that one. Eddie and his men will also be in charge of sharp shooting our work, checking for any errors, and handling break-in oversight. All the wiring was done by our resident electrical genius, Bandit, who spent the better part of his three tours in Vietnam keeping the big guns of his heavy cruiser wired tight and barking day and night. The handlebars are Cyclesmith and set flat and low, like the horns on the big bulls that periodically tried to hook my guts out when I rodeoed. Everything hangs off a Ron Paugh special, a Paughco frame, stretched five inches and raked. She’s got a Harley-Davidson battery. The pipes are also from the Bandit II and were initially a ThunderHeader system, the header part, which we sliced off. Now it’s a pair of flashing noise downspouts that make the big RevTech 88 sound like God falling down the stairs when you roll it on. Talk about a sound boner. The call of this big bull will swoon any lass who’s not deaf. The Ride Lo lowering kit actually took the chop a bit too low and we’re planning on having Eddie Trotta’s boys crank it up a few inches so when I load my 220-pound ass on along with a couple hot rod blondes I scoop up from the topless beach in Miami (I’m not kidding, bros, it’s topless, you should visit), the sucker won’t spark all the way to SD. It’s a chain drive up front, rubber in back. I know everyone says the chains look good in the rear, but they buzz the guts out of my ladies and I’d rather have a 20-year-old, six-foot goddess from Spain on back than a sparkly chain any day. I can do more with the Spaniard when I get to where I’m going, if you get my drift. The oil bag was a complete motherfucker and we re-hung it about as many times as a cattle rustler in Kansas who gets caught on your favorite horse with your old lady thrown over the saddle horn and your best rifle in the scabbard. Phil Stadden painted the custom front fender and stock Fat Boy rear fender, which we bobbed considerably. The paint job matches the existing burgundy paint on the Paughco frame, which was one of the parts we got back from West Coast Choppers. Still waiting on the others. I’ll store my gas in a stretched FXR tank that was jerked long by Russ Tom in Seattle.
 We have a left mirror, the right seems to be lost in the West Coast Choppers abyss of “missing” parts, so I may have to buy two new mirrors or just run the right side glass. I will take the German Feminine (we’re a bit on the outs at the moment, so we’ll see how this part goes) up to Eddie Trotta’s Thunder Design in Ft. Lauderdale when the Great Northern Steamer gets in and measure for a seat and passenger footpegs. I’m going to try to construct a good-looking seat that seats two comfortably, but retains the very low-profile look of the bike we’ve created. The footpegs will probably sit about an inch behind mine, since the German Feminine was born with enough leg to wade in the deep end of the pool. We may also add a very striking and radical sissybar to keep all of my lovely European sweethearts on the scoot as I cavort about the balmy regions of Miami. At the moment, the highest point on the entire bike sits at about belt loop height and I’d like to keep it that way. But if I have to add a sissybar to keep my ladies from burning their breeches on the twirling rear Avon, then I’ll construct something radical and good looking to throw behind them. If I can get Bandit away from the Jack and women to actually send one out, I’ll probably also throw one of the very handy and well-designed Bandit Dayrolls up front to hump gear and any small tools. Thanks to all the bros at Bikernet West who helped wrench together my entry for the Bikernet Chop-Off 2000. Bandit was the master wrench in charge and spent many a thankless hour, welding naked and screaming in the spooky recesses of the Bikernet garage in San Pedro and deserves a clean clap on the back for a job well done. I’ll keep you posted as I run the new horse through her break-ins down in the 100-degree heat of Little Havana and blow off that new chop smell. Hope all you bros out there are getting your scoots ready for the big run and we look forward to blasting north into the Badlands for some serious partying, eating, drinking, and of course loving the ladies in Sturgis. Now the focus shifts to getting Bandit’s entry completed. His scoot is looking damned good so far and the air wrenches are singing the Bikernet national anthem day and night. Bandit and I will be arriving on (we hope) the 5th, covered in bug guts and bragging rights to start campaigning for the big vote to see which chop the bros chose as the Bikernet Chop of the Year.
 Grease up and get your gear, bros, it’s almost time for the big run... May the best badass win. See you in Sturgis. Ride hard, Bikernet East |
Bikernet East Installment 5
By Robin Technologies |
629 E. Sunrise Blvd
Ft. Lauderdale, Fl 33304
| “I’m thinking of having a painter do up the bottom of the bike with some radical paint design because the fucker is so damned fast with this S&S 113 that it brings the front end off the ground in second gear. I’m not kidding. I had to switch it back to a chain from a belt, because the belt would just sit there and whizzzz, spin like crap and fry.”
“The customer is completely nuts,” Eddie Trotta continues, as he closely examines a gorgeous, low-slung chopper which he hand built for a local Fort Lauderdale, Florida client. “The fuckin’ guy, he walks in here, I let him take a ride, he comes flying back in and says, ‘Jesus Christ! That’s the best running motorcycle I’ve ever ridden! How much?!’” “I tell him ‘$40,000, he writes a check and then, then the crazy motherfucker spends the next half an hour, eeeeeeeeeeeeowww! ZZZZZoooooommmm! Back and forth, roaring up and down the street out front like he wants to kill himself on this fast damned scoot. We’re all in here watching with our jaws on the floor and this guy’s outside going completely nuts. Finally, he comes back in grinning like a lunatic, the thing’s smoking like crazy, the back tire’s fried and he laughs and says, ‘I gotta let you guys know, I ride pretty hard. This thing has to be bullet proof.’ I asked, ‘Can I give you your money back right now?’ And he says, ‘Hell no! I love this thing! It’s tough as shit!’” Eddie lets out a casual laugh as he pulls a massive hunk of turf out from under the bike. “What’s this?” he asks incredulously looking at what appears to be golf course sod wedged under the bike. “What the hell? I think he’s taking this thing off road! That crazy bastard. He came in here the other day with a tiny crack in the back fender. Turns out he JUMPED the sonofabitch with his old lady, some broad who’s huge and he actually cracked this fender. Feel how thick this thing is! That’s the heaviest fender made in the business. I gotta get this guy a slower bike or a lighter old lady. Or a shorter ramp. He’s totally nuts.” I feel the metal and it is a really heavy fender, a beauty. “He jumped it?” I ask, thinking I must have heard wrong. “Yes! I’ve fixed this tiny running light down here behind the pipes at least 15 times. That’s a $100 light. I’m going broke off this one light!” Eddie says laughing, examining the light closely. “I don’t know how the hell he’s doing it, probably has flames shooting out of the pipes and he’s melting it or something, shit I don’t know. The guy owns 53 businesses, he’s my roughest riding customer. Totally nuts. I fix it all for him for free. I stand behind my choppers. Once in a while he puts up a new gutter at my house. It evens out.”
Good customer service? You be the judge, but by my standards, that’s going above and beyond. Stands to reason. If you want a gorgeous custom chopper and I mean gorgeous by the most rigorous show standards, a no-nonsense, built to ride, powered by beat-the-motherloving-crap-out-of-it equipment like RevTech engines and Baker trannies, Eddie Trotta at Thunder Cycle Designs is the man. Eddie’s is one of the nation’s premier custom motorcycle builders, specializing in one-of-a-kind choppers. He started building in the 70’s and opened his shop, Thunder Cycle Designs in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1990. Currently he has around 50 custom bikes for sale on his showroom floor at any one time and there is nothing that he can’t build for a serious customer.
“My bikes average about $40,000,” Eddie tells me as he cranks up a gorgeous new chopper with a stunning paint job. The big S&S 113 rumbles to life. “Sit on it, tell me what you think of this shape.” I gladly get on and the long, elegant monster fits like a high-speed glove. This is what it must feel like for a fighter pilot to slip into the seat of a well-oiled F-16, I think. “I try not to price my motorcycles into dumbass numbers,” Eddie says.
“Which some other builders do. My goal is to make an incredible, unique chopper for my customer and sell it to them at a reasonable profit and have them ride the crap out of it. These bikes aren’t built for trailers. I build them to ride. Sure, they look pretty, but they run like motherfuckers. I have some customers who trailer from show to show and that’s okay, but I still build them with the components to ride and ride hard. These are motorcycles, not art. They might look like art, but first and foremost, they’re hardcore machines.” “And now we come to Zebra chopper,” Eddie says, winking. We walk up to my new chop, the Great Northern Steamer, my entry into the fierce Bikernet.com Chop-Off competition for Sturgis 2000. This will be the horse, which I try to beat the mighty Bandit with, out on the West Coast. Taking on the Godfather of motorcycling isn’t an easy task which is why I’ve called in the master, Eddie. “I’ve taken the fender off and re-cut it. It was okay the way you had it, but we made it better, hugs the tire tighter. Eddie Meeks, at Hardly Civilized is painting in the artwork (5437-A Church St., Greensboro, NC 27445, 336.545.9064) now,” Trotta says. Eddie Meeks, one of the top painters around, was kind enough to light up his spray gun and blast off a paint job in just under a week, including curing and shipping time. “I put on a different kickstand, rear passenger pegs, we’re going to raise the bike a bit as well. I might change out these brakes on front, put on two small calipers instead of the one big one. Not sure yet. We’ve taken off the back tire, checked all the alignments, double-checked all the rear end, it looks good. This is the seat. It’s a custom job, made from a nice tan leather that fits perfectly and matches your paint.” Eddie shows me my new seat, a hand built beauty, which ends in a fine dovetail over the bobbed fender where the lass will perch. “You’ve got a great tranny with this Baker six-speed,” Eddie continues, “which is what I use on my bikes. These RevTech 88’s are beauties, too. They’re strong and smooth. I’ve had no problems with either the Bakers or the RevTechs, and you know how my customers ride,” Eddie says, rolling his eyes. “You don’t plan to jump the motorcycle, do you?” “Not voluntarily,” I tell him. “But of course, it is Bikernet, so it would be foolish to rule out such things entirely.” Eddie chuckles and shrugs. “That’s true,” he says, “I’ve known Bandit for a long time and I know better than to put anything past that damned outlaw.” Look for more tech tips coming down from Eddie Trotta and his boys at Thunder Cycle Designs as they finalize the Zebra Great Northern Steamer and the break-in process begins. Eddie Trotta’s Thunder Cycle Designs is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Their web address where you can see Eddie’s entire line of incredible choppers and his full catalog of custom parts (if you don’t see it, call, he can make it), is http://www.thundercycle.com. You can call Thunder Cycle at 954-763-2100. Or, visit Eddie and his metal magicians by taking I-95 to Fort Lauderdale, to Sunrise Blvd, exit, head east over the tracks to 629 E. Sunrise Blvd, which is on the north side of the street, you can’t miss it and you don’t want to. It’s well worth the trip.
Thanks to Eddie Trotta and his boys at Thunder Cycle Designs, RevTech, Burt Baker at Baker Transmissions, Ken Gold at Gold Rush, and Eddie Meeks at Hardly Civilized. Couldn’t do it without you. Bikernet recommends all these businessmen for your biker needs. They’re tried and true. Gear up, grease up and gas up, all you bros out there. The big run is fast approaching. We’ll see you in Sturgis. Ride hard, |
