The Harley B motor is not a bad lump in its stock form, but could certainly use a few more ponies if it had any hope of doing anything smoky with an 8.5 rear wheel. Several steel and aluminum parts with Screaming Eagle logos on them would eventually find their way into the motor to solve that dilemma. A Mikuni carb and one-off exhaust were then drafted to take care of the in and out duties. Just to keep things distinct, the cases were stripped and sent out for a subtle gloss gray powder coating. The understated look of the motor would require an equally stately paint scheme to balance things out.

The metal work was done, the motor was nearly finished and most of the details had been settled, but summer had turned to fall and now fall was looking a lot like winter. With only a page or so left on the ol' calendar, the frame and body were sent to Damons paintworks in Orange County. Their directive was clear, lay down the richest, deepest, wettest looking blue you can, and do it quick. As it turns out, painters don't really do anything quick. Collecting the last few pieces needed for final assembly and anxiously marking off days, was all we could do for most of December.

The call finally came, and the parts were ready to be picked up! The PM R&D department was cleared of unnecessary personnel, carefully prepared with padded stands, white gloves and appropriate rock music. PM's principal builder knew he only had a handful of days to assemble the bike and have it ready for the poster shoot, before it would be tossed onto the semi and trucked to Cincinnati for the first of two dealer shows.

The good folks at Legends Suspension had supplied an air adjustable rear shock setup, and it was the first piece to bolt to the sapphire chassis. Brand spankin' new PM Trinity wheels would eventually make their way onto the bike and be accompanied by matched discs and pulley. A state of the art one-piece front caliper and our new clutch housing would be activated by PM Contour hand controls that had been mated to Contour switches and grips. The hand control grips rested on custom fabricated bars and were topped by PM billet mirrors. A Corbin seat and Headwinds headlight would be the final custom touch.

Several days had passed and most still feared treading within the hallowed walls of the Performance Machine Research and Design department. The din of earsplitting screams had begun to die down. By the end of the week a few brave souls had ventured in and were now telling stories of a gleaming cobalt motorcycle that looked nothing like the cheese fed bike that had rolled in months earlier.

Friday would be the true test of man and machine, as the next-door photo studio was loaded with photographers, lights and a leggy model. The preparations were nearly completed for what would hopefully be the 2002 PM poster. A few preliminary shots were handled with a stand in bike and then we patiently waited. A profound stratum of tension hung in the air and threatened to suffocate both model and photographer. Then, just as hope began to fade, the door on the North side of the studio suddenly flew open and as if angels were accompanying it, the new bike lit up the room with a dazzling indigo and chrome luster. The painters had indeed fulfilled their decree; this was the bluest of blues. The 3-spoke Trinity wheels gleamed, setting off a firestorm of reflections as they rolled past. It was now obvious just how far you could go with a Harley based custom.

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