The TIMELESS is a ball that teases me and that I really want to love, but it just keeps playing hard to get.

I like the powerful motion produced by the combination of the big Dual-Drive weight block and famed R2S coverstock.

And I have had no problem getting it to the pocket on a variety of lane conditions.

But the result all too often is a 9-count — and it’s a maddening variety of flat 10s, ringing 10s, solid 9s and mixer 7s.

My hunch is that this ball would be dynamite with a different drilling than my choice of pin under the middle finger with CG kicked right. And I probably will plug and re-drill mine eventually.

With my PAP of 4 inches over and 5/8 up, the numbers on my TIMELESS are 4 3/4 pin-PAP, 4 1/8 "MB"-PAP and 4 1/2 pin buffer.

I also think this ball probably is best for players with more revs and speed than my aging body and creaky 3-operation wrist can deliver. And that makes sense since it was designed in part by Jason Belmonte.

In fact, it is exactly what I would have expected from Belmonte — an R2S cover (hybrid in this case) with a core that produces powerful motion but not skid-flip motion since he creates plenty of flip with his 2-handed power.

The idea of the first ball in what Storm says will be a line of signature balls is to combine the fast-revving motion of the IQ TOUR with the hitting power of the HY-ROAD.

The Dual-Drive, Storm said, places “a weight block of specific size and shape inside of another weight block. The outer weight block incorporates strategically placed geometric shapes that, in conjunction with the inner weight block, establishes a new standard in bowling ball motion — faster revving action with a higher level of energy transfer at the pins.”

The result is high RG and high differential, which should equate to length and hitting power.

The TIMLESS definitely has easy length — I had to hit the shiny cover with a 2,000 pad to get it to slow down enough to be usable on a variety of conditions.

Perhaps if I take it down to 500 or 1,000 it will smooth the motion out enough to carry better for me.

I definitely hits hard — I don’t think I’ve left as many solid 9s with a ball in years!

From others I have spoke to, the TIMELESS definitely seems to be a love-hate ball: those who love it swear by it as one of the best balls they’ve ever thrown, while those who struggle with it have called it bad names.

I’ve seen too much good from it to give up and think I just need to find the right drilling for it.

Of course, I am someone who didn’t like the HY-ROAD or IQ TOUR, which are two of Storm’s most popular balls of all time.

I think this ball can work for any style of bowler. The key recommendation I would make is to work with your pro shop guy to get the right drilling in yours.