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  f you’ve ever tried to build a motorcycle, or even if you’ve only worked on one, you know that little things can bring a big job to a grinding halt so fast it’ll give you whiplash. There you are, with your engine spread out on the workbench, and all that’s keeping you from putting it back together is that one small bolt that goes right there…but where is it? It was here a minute ago, when you stripped the threads on that hardware-store nut you bought yesterday.And that’s when it hits you–nuts and bolts can be the most important part of the job, because without them there is no job. As bad as that is for your customers building and working on their own bikes at home, it’s worse for your shop’s mechanics, who are burning shop time leaning on the back counter while your parts department staff is helping retail customers up front. But there’s no wasted time with hardware–assortments, pre-packaged kits, and specialty items in polished stainless-steel or chrome–from Gardner-Westcott. Jerry Havrinche discovered the job-stopping properties of small things about 35 years ago, when he was working on his ‘71 Sportster. “It had Phillips-head screws on the side covers,” he recalls. “When you’re working on a bike they’re a pain.” Enter Havrinche’s uncle and future partner, Ralph Simons. At the time Simons worked for a large automotive-fastener company. Seeing his nephew’s dilemma, he offered to get him some better fasteners. Soon Havrinche’s Sportster had Allen screws in the side covers instead of Phillips. “That’s basically what got us going,” Havrinche says. Word got around that someone had found a solution to the Phillips-head problem, and suddenly Havrinche and Simons found themselves in business. “People I rode with said they wanted some of those, too, and next thing we knew we were selling them to shops. Then I sized up the screws on the bikes of other people I rode with. We actually started out selling Triumph, Honda, and Harley sets.” Starting a business these days usually means writing a business plan, taking out a loan, hiring staff, and buying inventory. Back then, it was a simpler process. “We started out in my mother’s basement,” Havrinche says, “and from there we moved into Ralph’s basement. We both worked two jobs for a long time. We never took any money out of it.” The trend toward chrome hardware had yet to arise–most of the hardware they sold was cad-plated, chosen for its strength, not its decorative properties. “Back then the fasteners on a Harley were pretty bad, even the motor-mount screws. We replaced the non-heat-treated stuff with heat-treated and supplied the proper washers and nuts.” They soon branched out into other items designed to make working on bikes easier. “We started making case bolts, oil-pump plugs, and transmission fill plugs. The stock transmission fill plug was a hex head, and the oil fill plug was slotted. We replaced the stock transmission fill plug with a hex that also had an Allen socket in the top so you could get at it from the side or from the top. No matter where the pipes were you could get to the fill plug. The oil pump plugs were slotted, and we replaced those with an Allen for easy removal. It wasn’t brain surgery, it was just making fasteners that were more useful.” These days, how hardware looks is as important as how well it works, so Gardner-Westcott’s line includes chrome and polished stainless-steel hardware. And just as there’s no sense in settling for average when it comes to hardware, Havrinche says, there’s no point in doing a halfway job when it comes to finishing metal. “The finishing is everything,” he says. “If you’re going to sell chrome it should be beautiful chrome. We do all of our metal finishing in-house. There are all different kinds of ways to finish different metals, but we still hand-polish. That’s the difference when you pick up a Gardner-Westcott bolt or screw. You’re not going see any buff marks–it’s going to be beautiful.” Gardner-Westcott packaged hardware kits and assortments are designed to make working on bikes easier for retail customers and shop mechanics alike. “You put the packaged sets on the counter,” Havrinche says, “and the customer says, well, I just want to do my motor and transmission in chrome-plate or polished stainless-steel hardware. You pull one package down off the wall, hand it to the customer, it’s one price, and the guy leaves with everything he needs without spending any more money than he has to.” Gardner-Westcott hardware assortments save time and money in the shop, too. “It’s important to have a complete hardware assortment available to your mechanics so they don’t have to stop work on a big job to look for a 50-cent washer,” says Havrinche. “Our packaged sets and assortments keep things moving.” Garner-Westcott also makes chrome head bolt kits, rocker box stud kits, exhaust studs, storage drawers and racks, and much more. Don’t let the little things get in the way of finishing a big job. Look for Gardner-Westcott products in the FatBook in the Hardware/Chemicals section for great hardware to complement great bikes.   |
