04/10/2008 by info.

S&S Cycle President and company founder’s grandson Brett Smith is resigning from his post with the Wisconsin-based engines and performance parts manufacturer effective December 1st.

In an exclusive interview with AMD Magazine, Brett’s father George Smith said that “accepting Brett’s decision has been the toughest business decision of my life, and not something that I welcome or have sought”.

He went on to say “I’d like to pay tribute to the job that Brett has done for S&S Cycle. He took up the challenge some six years ago and under his watch the company has faced the most difficult period in its history. Recent times have been challenging for any company in our position and whoever had been in the hot-seat would have had the most difficult series of issues to address”.

“However he has done an outstanding job in dealing with those issues, and I and the board of directors at S&S Cycle are grateful to him for the determination and creativity that have characterized his stewardship of the business”.

“I and the board are one hundred percent supportive of the initiatives he has set in motion to help prepare the business for its next fifty years of market leadership, such as the internet re-seller policy, authorized dealer and distributor training and qualification programs, the successful creation of our world-class Customer Service Center at La Crosse, the way he has provided market leadership in the development of the Certified Engine Program, the successful launch of the X-Wedge engine and more”.

“The list of Brett’s successes is long and impressive. In a short time he has made an outstanding contribution to the future of our company, and I genuinely believe that he has also done the interests of the wider market, of which we are a part, a vital service through the vision and leadership he has shown in relation to regulatory matters”.

George Smith will now operate S&S Cycle as Executive Chairman and CEO, with Brett Smith’s tenure as President ending on December 1st.

Commenting on his decision, Brett Smith told AMD Magazine that “Those who know me well know that I have been considering stepping aside for some time, but wanted to see the plans that we had laid for celebration of our 50th anniversary through to their conclusion, and to supervise the first stage of the reshaping of our costs that is inevitably necessary to ensure the company is able to maintain its position of market leadership for years to come”.

“I have enjoyed my time as company President even though it has been a tough period for us; indeed for the market as a whole. I think I have achieved a lot, and have reached a point where much of what the company needed to do to shape itself for the future has been set in motion. So I sense that now is the right time to step down and take a break before setting myself some new challenges”.

“I’d like to thank my family for the opportunity they gave me, and to thank our fantastic workforce and dealer network for the wonderful support they continue to give to S&S Cycle. I firmly believe ours is a business that can now face the future with confidence, and that generations of riders to come will be able to enjoy the benefits of a product line that combines the greatest aspects of the market’s past with a genuinely future-facing performance opportunity”.

S&S CYCLE
La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
Tel: 608 627 1497/0253
Fax: 608 627 1488/0771
E-mail: sscust@sscycle.com
www.sscycle.com

Posted in Engines | Print | No Comments »

30/09/2008 by info.

American IronHorse (AIH), which was acquired three months ago by Scott Meyers, is undergoing a range of changes aimed at re-establishing the brand.

The new management at the company has rehired key staff to support warranty, parts, paint, and technical departments. Changes to the production facility are also underway, streamlining the plant’s overall footprint from 224,000 sq. ft. to 90,000 sq. ft.

A new dealer program is being put into place, with key markets in the US being targeted. Talking about the dealer program, Meyers said: “In addition to our loyal IronHorse riders, our dealer network has shown terrific support and proved their dedication to the survival of the brand.”

More significantly, new models are nearing completion. A Pro Street-styled prototype was debuted in Sturgis, and a second will be shown at Biketoberfest in Daytona, October 16-19. Both prototypes utilize the S&S X-Wedge 117ci engine. Commenting on AIH’s product development, Jeff Long, Vice President of Design, said: “We are committed to the progressive design, performance and heritage that makes American IronHorse a premium brand in the market.”

The last few weeks have seen excess and obsolete inventory not purchased by Scott Meyers liquidated by the former ownership group.

The new models will join the existing bike line, which is made up of four models: the Texas Chopper, Slammer, Bandera and Judge.

www.americanironhorse.com

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25/09/2008 by info.

MEDIA, PA (AP) — John McCain picked up a surprise gift Tuesday, an Orange County Chopper motorcycle, courtesy of the stars of the “American Chopper” reality TV series who roared in to present it to the Republican presidential hopeful.

Father and son co-stars Paul and Paulie “Junior” Teutul, whose show about building custom bikes together is a popular Learning Channel staple, appeared at McCain’s rally in this Philadelphia suburb to honor him with a special bike they’d built to recognize Vietnam-era prisoners of war.

McCain, a former Navy pilot, spent five and a half years in a Vietnam prison camp after being shot down in 1967.

His running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, introduced the Teutuls and noted that Paul Sr., like McCain, is a Vietnam veteran.

The elder Teutul briefly addressed the crowd. “How many people out there love their country and the military?” he asked to loud cheers.

McCain clearly was pleased with the gesture.

“Sarah and I are going to get on that chopper and ride it straight to Washington!” he said.

Staffers to the Arizona senator later said the chopper would remain with the Teutuls and continue to serve as a tribute to all POWs.

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24/09/2008 by info.

Came across this great video of David Mann Easyrider Centerfolds and featuring music from Bob Seger.  David Mann was THE best biker lifestyle artist of all time….. for me his images captured the very essence of what being a biker is all about!  R.I.P. dude!

Roll Me Away

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17/09/2008 by info.

Take a look at the video and let us know what you think!

Italian Police Display!

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17/09/2008 by info.

TRICKY Air & Billet has reworked its stainless steel shocks used in its air-ride suspension systems.

The company is now producing the shocks for Harley and custom application as two separate units instead of a single one-piece unit.

The change has been made in response to the company’s research into the variations in frame design around the shock mount area. Arnie Gonzalez, Owner and President of Tricky Air & Billet, said of the redesign: “Since we made this separation change to our shocks we have noticed a huge improvement in the wear factor between the shaft and bushing seals. Splitting of our once ‘tied together’ unit lets our shocks find their individual location more freely in the bike while still delivering true center hole to center hole precise measurements.”

Additionally, the company is beginning work on a line of triple trees to allow its Hayabusa front forks to be fitted to Road Kings and other Harleys.

TRICKY AIR & BILLET
Finger, Tennessee, USA
Tel: 866 922 3533
Fax: 731 934 9473
E-mail: arnie@trickyair.com
www.trickyair.com

Posted in Accessories | Print | No Comments »

17/09/2008 by info.

“A landmark event in the company’s 15-year history” is what CEO Sheldon Coleman calls this year’s Big Dog Motorcycles dealer meeting. Currently being held at the firm’s home in Wichita, KS, the motorcycle manufacturer’s dealer meeting is the springboard for launching three new models.

Met with the most excitement by dealers was the all-new 2009 Bulldog bagger. Shown initially without a fairing, after many hours in wind tunnel testing, Big Dog is in the final design stages of a proprietary fairing that will include a Sirius satellite radio and iPod docking. The Bulldog will come complete with lockable hardbags, a rubber-mounted 117ci fuel injected S&S motor, Baker 6-speed transmission, floorboards, nitrogen gas Works shocks and a 5 gallon gas tank. The bike will also run on a 250mm rear tire with 21″ rubber up front.

Also introduced was the new 2009 Coyote. While sharing the same basic platform as the highly successful Mutt, the new Coyote will include many upgrades along with a lower MSRP.

Also shown for the first time was the first production run model of the company’s flagship bike, the Wolf. The Wolf will be driven by a 121″ S&S X-Wedge motor and comes with a full chrome package.

As part of the company’s year-long 15th Anniversary celebration, Big Dog Motorcycles is also planning to release a number of highly limited edition bikes based on current models in the line.

BIG DOG MOTORCYCLES
Wichita, Kansas, USA
Tel: 316 267 9121
Fax: 316 267 2597
www.bigdogmotorcycles.com

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09/09/2008 by info.

Gold Coast Bike Week, August 30th 2008

JOE Schembri, a drag racer and custom drag race car fabricator and parts machinist from Glenmore Park, New South Wales, scooped top honors with his first ever custom bike build at the 10th Anniversary Gold Coast Bike Week event, an hour south of Brisbane on Australia’s East Coast.

This was the first year that the Australian custom industry had staged a World Championship Affiliate event. AMD would like to express its thanks to the event organizers, their sponsors, the Championship program’s Official Partners and the Australian custom bike building community itself for helping to make this latest extension of the Affiliate network a success.

The warm welcome with which integration of the Australian custom industry into the World Championship network was received is greatly appreciated and we are delighted to be able to help provide a global showcase opportunity for the outstanding craftsmanship and practical design and engineering thinking that Australia’s builders are already noted for.

The win scores Schembri an AU $10,000.00 expenses contribution towards competing at the 2009 Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building at next year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (Champions Park, Lazelle/3trd, Sturgis, August 2nd through 5th 2009) from Championship Affiliate sponsor and Official Partner Australian Motorcycle Imports.

Event judging was conducted under Official World Championship rules with the competitors themselves choosing their winner. Independent scrutiny of the judging process and results oversight was provided for AMD and the event organizers by visiting VIP guest Paul Yaffe and representatives from Heavy Duty and Ozbike, two of Australia’s internationally recognized custom bike magazines.

Called ‘Hide & Seek’, Schembri’s Ultima 100 inch engined rigid features an advanced one-off own design and made front end and a level of finish and attention to detail that is characteristic of the standards that Australian customizers seek.

Schembri’s win was by the narrowest of margins (one point!) from Dylan Goldfinch (DG Design, www.dgdesigninc.com) whose 125 inch Patrick engined, modified Independent Cycle ‘LowLife’ framed softail called ‘Spank’ won many admirers.

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18/08/2008 by info.

S & S Cycle cuts 60 workers

By RYAN STOTTS / La Crosse Tribune

VIOLA, Wis. — The euphoria for S & S Cycle’s 50th anniversary in June has been short-lived.

Company President Brett Smith announced Friday that 60 workers have been cut this month through voluntary separation and layoffs.
“This was a very, very hard decision personally,” Smith said. “People I’ve known for years were impacted.”

He blamed the economic slump for a downturn in sales of the company’s high-performance engine parts and engines for motorcycles.
“In the grand scheme of things, we make a product that people don’t need to have,” he said.

All but two of the cuts were made at the company’s Viola site rather than the La Crosse location, Smith said.
The company Aug. 4 offered voluntary separation packages that 33 employees — mostly in product development and sales and marketing — accepted, Smith said.
They began leaving the company Aug. 8, he said.

Another 27 employees, primarily in production and manufacturing, were laid off by Thursday, Smith said.

Others who remained have been transferred to different areas, such as customer service.

S & S now employs a total of about 195 at both sites, he said.

“We’re doing everything we can to become lean and consolidate our efforts for future long-term employment,” Smith said. “We don’t expect to be in this position forever.”

The company’s core business of bolt-on, high-performance, after-market components still is strong and growing, he said, but S & S had to take a pragmatic approach in an economic environment that’s seeing less disposable income.

“It’s a very unfortunate decision, coming on the heels of our 50th anniversary,” Smith said.

The S & S event, which drew an estimated 28,000 motorcycle enthusiasts to La Crosse in late June, played no role in the cutbacks, Smith said. Despite rumors, the cost of hosting the event was completely covered by sales of the 50 custom motorcycles made for the competition, he said, and the support of the community.

Ryan Stotts can be reached at (608) 791-8446 or ryan.stotts@lee.net.

Posted in Engines | Print | No Comments »

18/08/2008 by info.

Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird.  We had made plans to meet at a bar to have a drink.  I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it.

Conversation wasn’t flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk.  He agreed, but he didn’t say much.  I asked him what was wrong.  He said, ‘Nothing.’  I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset.  He said he wasn’t upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it.  On the way home, I told him that I loved him.  He smiled slightly, and kept driving.  I can’t explain his behaviour.  I don’t know why he didn’t say, ‘I love you, too.’  When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore.  He just sat there quietly, and watched TV.  He continued to seem distant and absent.

Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed.  About 15 minutes later, he came to bed.  To my surprise, he responded to my caress, and we made love.  But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else.  He fell asleep - I cried.  I don’t know what to do.  I’m almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else.  My life is a disaster.
 

HIS DIARY:
Harley wouldn’t start today, but at least I got laid.<–>

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