# HERCULES Ladies Bicycle help



## Brams (Jun 15, 2020)

I recently bought a Hercules Ladies Bicycle & after countless hours of research I'm still coming up pretty blank on any info. I think it might be a 1930's bike, it has 22" frame, 25" diameter rims (not inlc tires), a PERRY back pedal rear brake & Rod Actuated front brake but unlike any I can see online. The leather seat has 'Lycett 26' on the side & the only identifying number I could find is on the seat tube which is TC 2329.
Any help identifying this for me would be greatly appreciated as I plan to do a sympathetic restoration as a surprise for my wifes birthday.


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## bleedingfingers (Jun 16, 2020)

1. Bicycle Frame / Serial No Dating – The Online Bicycle Museum
					

1. Bicycle Frame / Serial No Dating




					onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk
				




Try these guys  if you have the serial number


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## Lamont (Jun 16, 2020)

nice find!

wonder if Perry hubs bear a date, or a date code or date symbol ?


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## bleedingfingers (Jun 17, 2020)

I think there are markings and the model number on the brake arm will give you a rough idea .
I dig the tail light mount  I have one similar but for the front fork .
Hard to tell the age  with Hercules bikes as they held on to those rod brakes for a long time and the styles really didn't change much.
I'm no expert but had one so have been through this only reason I new mine was a 1930s was I got it from the son of the original owner .
Cool pinstripes wish I still had it.


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## Oilit (Jun 18, 2020)

The "TC 2329" is the serial number, but nobody's been able to figure out the system that Hercules used, at least that I know of. The one thing I've heard is that the round head badge was last used in 1949, then it was replaced by the shield style, which seems to fit with what the catalogs show. The "darts" in your paint were used by various Hercules models post-war, whether they were used pre-war is beyond me. The best source for information is the Veteran-Cycle Club based in England, who have a large selection of Hercules catalogs on-line, but you need a membership before you can access their library.
But I've downloaded the 1939 catalog, and this bike is a good match to yours, down to the basket! But I don't know how many years this was built.
I'll tag some other members who might be interested, @dnc1, @SirMike1983, @fat tire trader, @bikerbluz, @bulldog1935, @3-speeder, @1951 C.W.S .
There are more Hercules posted on this site, mostly in the "Vintage Lightweights" forum. Welcome to the club!


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## Brams (Jun 18, 2020)

Oilit - Thank you, that certainly is a very good match. The front brakes on that pic look like the standard 2 lever handle bar mounted ones whereas mine are actually a single lever mounted on the stem of the bars. I wonder if this was a variant for export models or something? I have been on the Cycle UK forum & someone there checked the V-CC site but didn't come up with anything more really. 
Thank you to everyone else's info as well, I will keep researching & update this if I find anything more.

Nb. I did find this site with some bikes & catalogues if anyone was interested? https://herculesmuseum.wordpress.com/


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## Oilit (Jun 18, 2020)

I noticed that about your bike, and also that it has rod brakes on the front and a coaster brake on the rear. The bikes I've seen usually have rod brakes on both wheels, but there could have been a difference between the single speed and three speed options. Hopefully some of the regulars on here may have an idea.


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## Oilit (Jun 25, 2020)

A few more more who may want to see this (if they haven't already). @usarnie1 @rennfaron @wrongway @RidgeWalker @Eatontkd


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## rennfaron (Jun 25, 2020)

Really like that head badge. I don't know much about these bikes, but it reminds me of this post. Sounds like @usarnie1 needs to take a peek at it.








						1953 Hercules Tourist Queen Elizebeth II Coronation Celebration Bicycle | Vintage Lightweight Bicycles
					

I have had this bike for over a year now.  It is by far my favorite bicycle.  Over the past year I have seen two other 1953 Herculels Tourist QE II Coronation Celebration bikes posted on The CABE.  So, it is not as rare as I thought it was.  It is a fun bike to ride and creates a lot of...




					thecabe.com


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## GilesB (Jul 13, 2020)

Hi, 
Greetings from New Zealand.
New here,   I've also got something very similar. Ladies Hercules that is also single front brake with a coaster on the rear. Repainted red so I plan to repaint it with black lacquer.
Just refurbished a 1907 BSA fittings bike made locally in Christchurch.
Cheers
Giles


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## Brams (Nov 10, 2020)

So I've finally stripped down the bike, which came apart fairly easily for a 90 year old bike, but the only part I'm not sure how to get off is the crank. Any ideas on how these pins off/out, after I remove the nuts, to be able to remove the whole crank assembly?


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## jimbo53 (Nov 11, 2020)

Those are tapered cotter pins that hold the crank arms to the spindle. They need to be pushed out carefully so as not to damage the threads. They are relatively soft metal intentionally so they can snug up tightly in the keyway on the spindle. I would recommend putting some WD40 around the threads after taking the nuts off. On an old bike they can be really stubborn to get off. There are expensive cotter presses but you can use a socket and a bench vice to get it loose. After soaking the cotter pin for a bit back the nut off so it’s flush with the end of the threads. Put the socket over the unthreaded end and put it in the vise. Carefully apply pressure to the nutted end and if you’re lucky the pressure will push the other end out into the socket. If it’s stubborn don’t force it. The threaded end is easy to bend but a little patience and you can get it off. Try to salvage these because they come in different sizes and could be hard to find at your local bike shop


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## Brams (Nov 11, 2020)

Jimbo53 - Thanks for the quick response & the very helpful information. I have sprayed the pins with WD40 over the last couple of days so hopefully that's helped. I'll definitely try the vice trick & if that doesn't work I might have to make my own custom press. Cheers.


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## Brams (Nov 11, 2020)

Jimbo53 - Thanks for the tip, I managed to get both pins out using the vice trick. My next hurdle is getting the part in the 1st pic off as there's not a lot of purchase & it's not budging & do you know if the bearing collar in the 2nd pic is just press fit in?

Also I'm not quite sure which route to go down with the restoration, do I keep the original paint & all it's chips & imperfections or do I sand everything down & repaint it, I was thinking original colour or something a bit brighter? What's your thoughts?


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## Oilit (Nov 12, 2020)

Brams said:


> Jimbo53 - Thanks for the tip, I managed to get both pins out using the vice trick. My next hurdle is getting the part in the 1st pic off as there's not a lot of purchase & it's not budging & do you know if the bearing collar in the 2nd pic is just press fit in?
> 
> Also I'm not quite sure which route to go down with the restoration, do I keep the original paint & all it's chips & imperfections or do I sand everything down & repaint it, I was thinking original colour or something a bit brighter? What's your thoughts?
> 
> ...



The paint on your frame doesn't look that bad to me, and if you strip it, you'll lose the pin stripes and the darts. As for the fenders, I'd try an OA bath first, they'll look a lot better once the rust is gone. I like an old bicycle to look old, but not neglected. Here's an example of what an OA bath can do:








						1941 New World race bike | Project Rides
					

Finally got the stones to try an OA bath on my 41' Schwinn New World. Did a test run on a girls bicentennial stingray with similar rust stains. Never tried it before, so quite nervous. Didn't want to ruin a great bike.  Attempted to go with the 1 Tbsp per gallon, but only had a 1 tsp...




					thecabe.com
				



It's your bike, so the final decision is up to you, but once the original paint is gone, you don't get it back.


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## Brams (Nov 17, 2020)

If I do end up stripping it I was going to redo the stripes & arrows as I've got loads of photos with a tape measure next to it for reference. I've got a 5kg tub of OA & have been using roughly 100g> to 1L water for the rusty metal parts like brackets & some of the chrome work, but what ratio should I be using for the painted frame & will the paint/pin stripes be ok with the OA? I was going to see if I can get the paint laser colour matched to touch up some of the smaller areas & chips, which I would obviously test discretely first. 
Any recommendations regarding getting the decals remade?


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## Superman1984 (Nov 17, 2020)

That BB being 3 piece is more than likely threaded & seized by time + grease & gunk. I would soak the crap out of it with Liquid Wrench penetrating oil or PB Blaster & use a good crescent wrench or a pipe wrench to work it back n forth before removal. I have had this issue with every 3 piece crank from 3 vintage to probably 20 modern with 1 coming out by hand after a quick mallet tap.


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## Brams (Dec 10, 2020)

So I thought I'd throw up a quick update. The bike has been stripped & disassembled so far. I've used Oxalic Acid to de-rust almost all of the parts except for the frame & mudguards, they've come up really well but the chrome is still a little pitted & dull in places. 
I've decided that the original paintwork is just too tatty to try & keep the 'patina' so I will be stripping it all back to bare metal, rust treating & repainting as I found a local guy with a laser spectrometer who has matched the original paint colour. I've got 1 can so far (at £25/can!!) so will get more if needed.
I had to cut the old hand grips off the handle bars but they were going to be replaced anyway. Instead of buying a BB tool & waiting for it to arrive I just ended up making my own then using some big washers & a long bolt I held it in place which did the trick finally releasing & removing it. I ended up using a 3M paint removal wheel to strip the rear guard white tail section back to metal, then I gave it a coat of Kurust before etch priming & repainting it white. It's come up really well too & I did the screws & little clamp bits at the same time too. 
The thing I'm having trouble with is finding someone who can either make stencils or stickers of the original lettering, as I suspect it was hand painted It might be a bit difficult. Also the pinstriping was hand painted. I'm currently repainting the head badge as most of the original varnish cracked off & took some paint with it. I'll also need to weld up the rear hub mounting point as it's split apart but that's not a big job.
Here are some pics.


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## Oilit (Dec 10, 2020)

It's striking to see the color on the part protected under the fender (mudguard) cover. Nice progress!


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## jimbo53 (Dec 10, 2020)

Brams said:


> Jimbo53 - Thanks for the tip, I managed to get both pins out using the vice trick. My next hurdle is getting the part in the 1st pic off as there's not a lot of purchase & it's not budging & do you know if the bearing collar in the 2nd pic is just press fit in?
> 
> Also I'm not quite sure which route to go down with the restoration, do I keep the original paint & all it's chips & imperfections or do I sand everything down & repaint it, I was thinking original colour or something a bit brighter? What's your thoughts?
> 
> ...



The drive side non-adjustable cup is ALWAYS difficult to get out because the flats are so shallow and difficult to get a wrench on. I've just cleaned the inside race from the non-drive side well, put in bearing grease with a finger inserted in the crank axle hole, added cleaned ball bearings, reassemble the refurbed bottom bracket and call it a day. There are expensive Park tools (aren't they all! ) for this, but I'm good with my easy workaround. Good luck!


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## Brams (Dec 11, 2020)

As a colour comparison I have painted the inside of chain guard. With just 2 colour coats it's looking really good & I'm pleased with the way it looks. On a positive note I've found a local graphics guy who is going to make up the lettering for me.


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## Brams (Jan 4, 2021)

Chain guard all painted & ready to pinstripe. white part of the rear mudguard all done, front mudguard (diy) sandblasted, primed & painted ready for stripes. I tried Screwfix's No Nonsense Paint stripper on the rear mudguard & seat stay bars but it was useless & did nothing so reverted to a wire brush attachment on my drill. I noticed the ends of the seat stay & where the rear axle sits (post #18, last pic) were starting to split a bit so I've welded & tidied them up a bit for piece of mind. So once I've found a decent paint stripper or had another go on my pressure washer sandblaster I'll get the rest of the frame done.


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## dnc1 (Jan 5, 2021)

Just noticed this thread.
That's a lot of work, well done.
Have you tried Lloyds in the UK for transfers/decals.
Here's a link:









						Vintage & Bespoke Bicycle Decals/Transfers
					

We are open Monday - Friday, 10.00am - 5.00pm Phone number 01580 292231  (if no answer please email)        You can contact us anytime by email on the following addresses:  sales@hlloydcycles.com for general enquiries, order placement and other order enquiries    steve@hlloydcycles.com  for...



					h-lloyd-cycles.myshopify.com


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## Oilit (Jan 5, 2021)

I notice that your first pictures showed the badge with most of the plastic center intact, where the later ones show it with most of the plastic gone and the design repainted. I'm guessing these were made of celluloid, the same stuff a lot of early films were shot on. Unfortunately, besides being highly flammable it also tends to crack with age, and you don't see many of these badges in good shape.


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## Brams (Jan 5, 2021)

dnc1 said:


> Just noticed this thread.
> That's a lot of work, well done.
> Have you tried Lloyds in the UK for transfers/decals.
> Here's a link:
> ...



Thanks, I will definitely contact them to see if they can help.


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## Brams (Jan 5, 2021)

Oilit said:


> I notice that your first pictures showed the badge with most of the plastic center intact, where the later ones show it with most of the plastic gone and the design repainted. I'm guessing these were made of celluloid, the same stuff a lot of early films were shot on. Unfortunately, besides being highly flammable it also tends to crack with age, and you don't see many of these badges in good shape.



Yes you are right, there was more plastic at the start but when I tried gluing it back on I stupidly held everything in place with some electrical tape which when I removed it took part of the original badge with it, hence me having to painstakingly paint it back on. Close up it looks a bit blotchy but from a distance it looks ok, I need to get some finer brushes & a magnifying glass to touch things up a bit I think.


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## SirMike1983 (Jan 6, 2021)

It's a nice project. The fixed bottom bracket cup should be cleaned in situ unless it is cracked, broken, or the race is unusable. The same goes for the head set cups - clean in place unless you absolutely must replace them. My experience has been that the cups wear much slower than the bearing balls or the spindle.

The rear fork had incipient separation at the point where the seat stay attaches. This is a common issue because of the way the rear fork is constructed with the relatively thin tubing wrapper around the eyelet insert piece. The preferred method is to braze a repair in keeping with the original method of frame construction, but a little careful welding should be fine at that spot. The other place that tends to separate is where the front fork is pinched down to the fork ends - they will sometimes try to crack and then separate around the pinch line.

On the Perry hubs, look on the side surface of the brake arm for a date code. Many have a code, but not necessarily all of them do, especially the older ones.


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## Brams (Jan 26, 2021)

Going to be getting the frame, front guard & rims blasted this week then I can paint them myself & start reassembly. I'm going to try using finger nail tape, which is 1mm wide, to do the pin stripping as it'll be small enough to lacquer over it. I will do a small test piece first to see how it turns out.


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## Brams (Feb 1, 2021)

I thought I'd tackle the harder part of the striping trying to match up the lines on a curve & to be fair it only took about 5 mins to get this done. I'll wait for it to be a bit warmer before clear coating it though.


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## SirMike1983 (Feb 2, 2021)

Interesting - sticky decal stripes? They look nice on there.


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## bleedingfingers (Feb 2, 2021)

This is a 1930s Canadian Import  Eatons Glider made in England and probably a Hercules by the looks of the seat stays and Crank  and striping .
But it has a New departure hub and the pedals are half inch .
Paint on frame and wheels came out awesome with just some WD40 and 0000 steel wool .
Lots of pin striping.
The crank is an exact nos replacement I got lucky .
Tons of 3/4inch pedal cranks like this but you never see 1/2 inch  the original one on the bike had a big farmer weld on the sprocket .
Had to use a new Crank bolt they aren't hard to find here but you have to shave them to size with a file .


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## Oilit (Feb 2, 2021)

bleedingfingers said:


> This is a 1930s Canadian Import  Eatons Glider made in England and probably a Hercules by the looks of the seat stays and Crank  and striping .
> But it has a New departure hub and the pedals are half inch .
> Paint on frame and wheels came out awesome with just some WD40 and 0000 steel wool .
> Lots of pin striping.
> ...



Any idea of the year? I think those are the first truss rods I've seen on an English bike. Was that just for export bikes?


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## Brams (Feb 3, 2021)

SirMike - Yes, they are a 1mm self adhesive strips
Bleedingfingers - That is a lovely looking bike, very nicely restored.


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## bleedingfingers (Feb 3, 2021)

Oilit that's a tough one as finding info. like serial number dating for Hercules bikes doesn't seem to be out there .
1930s was as close as I could get and was probably from an old Eatons catalog  picture .
Thanks Brams  I think mine was stored indoors so was just in very good condition to start with.
Paint was faded about the same color as yours but really came back with the WD-40 and steel wool wheels were dead straight even with 1 broken spoke .

Also wanted to tell you if you are looking for handlebar grips like the ones that were on your bike check out   Vintage CCM  site it is Canadian but there is a guy on that site that reproduces those bee hive grips in various colours .


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## Brams (Feb 4, 2021)

Thanks for the heads up, I will check it out. Do you have a name on that site for the guy please?


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## bleedingfingers (Feb 4, 2021)

www.bicyclepedalrubbers.com
Here's his site also makes pedal replacement rubbers


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## 2jayscafe (Apr 9, 2021)

Could the Perry coaster brake arm font/logo be a clue to the decade of mfg?
I have a similar bike with what looks like the same Perry font (poster's pic is not clear). At least in the Perry & Co ads on Grace's Guide, only in the teens and 20s are cursive fonts using upper and lower case used. I posted Cyclesmithy's other variation on the font for comparison.




__





						Perry and Co - Graces Guide
					






					www.gracesguide.co.uk


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## Brams (Apr 9, 2021)

I've made a little progress but not as much as I'd liked, it was just too cold to try paint anything here. I did have the frame, rear guard & rims blasted & they are now painted, I just need to do all the pin striping & clear coat everything then reassemble everything. 
I've also been working on my Peugeot road bike which I've decided to upgrade the components. https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/is-thie-a-peugeot-px10.183969/ 
*2jayscafe* - I think the closest look to my bike I've been able to find is the 1939 Catalogue with the CA/LT Model. What get's me though is the unique front brake lever, it's totally different to all the other bikes of the era as the brackets were all handle bar mounted not stem mounted like mine. Good find with the Perrry Vs PERRY logo though, thanks.


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## 2jayscafe (Apr 9, 2021)

Brams said:


> I've made a little progress but not as much as I'd liked, it was just too cold to try paint anything here. I did have the frame, rear guard & rims blasted & they are now painted, I just need to do all the pin striping & clear coat everything then reassemble everything.
> I've also been working on my Peugeot road bike which I've decided to upgrade the components. https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/is-thie-a-peugeot-px10.183969/
> *2jayscafe* - I think the closest look to my bike I've been able to find is the 1939 Catalogue with the CA/LT Model. What get's me though is the unique front brake lever, it's totally different to all the other bikes of the era as the brackets were all handle bar mounted not stem mounted like mine. Good find with the Perrry Vs PERRY logo though, thanks.
> 
> View attachment 1388444



After hours of searching just to pin down it's a Hercules, I started to wonder if it also had some 1950s parts on it. Finally finding your post (and the many helpful comments) satisfied me it was mostly original, though later than first suspected. 

Regarding your hand brake, are all the parts held on with clamps or are there fixed mounts/holes for it? I'm wondering if mine was originally just a coaster brake model (though I have yet to find one example without hand brake) or was the hand brake removed at some point? I saw the other bike in this thread which had mounts on the handle bars, mine has nothing.


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## Brams (Apr 10, 2021)

If you look at pic number 6 in my first post you can see the brakes mounted on the handle bar stem with a bracket. 

Have you got any pics of your bike you can upload? I think it would be interesting to compare.


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## 2jayscafe (Apr 10, 2021)

I started a thread on it, just should have been in post-1933. Someone suggested mine was from the 60s. I found similar in 1930s and 40s catalogues (none in a 60s), but found only one year from each decade so hard to know when variations took place. So many details though are similar to yours so I'm at a loss.

If any other detail pics would help just ask. With all the info I've been given I plan to look closer for clues, maybe remove some paint. Either way I'll try some restoration and bring out that greasy black with red pin striping, which I quite took a liking to while researching.  









						I think this is a 1920s Hercules Loop, but wonder if later year's parts added? | Antique Bicycles Pre-1933
					

I've seen the chainring design on 1950s bikes, but possibly pre-war models too, although difficult to make out in the pictures/drawings. Chain guard also looks like from the 1950s. Red pin striping can be seen in a few places (rear fender), which I've seen on other 20s models.  The black paint...




					thecabe.com


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## Brams (Apr 17, 2021)

Here's a little sneak preview of the frame & rear guard. The pin striping tape is time consuming to apply but I do like the shiny gold against the maroon paint. I am still in 2 minds about whether to paint the arrow style back on to match the original paint work as I quite like the way it looks now. Anyone's opinions or advice is welcomed?


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## juvela (Apr 17, 2021)

-----

thanks very much for this update -

beautiful work you are doing there!   

shall look forward to seeing the reassembly...


-----


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## Superman1984 (Apr 18, 2021)

Brams said:


> Here's a little sneak preview of the frame & rear guard. The pin striping tape is time consuming to apply but I do like the shiny gold against the maroon paint. I am still in 2 minds about whether to paint the arrow style back on to match the original paint work as I quite like the way it looks now. Anyone's opinions or advice is welcomed?
> 
> View attachment 1392638
> 
> View attachment 1392639



If you like it as is Now then be content with it & Enjoy your Good work & effort. Ride It Like You Stole It


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