Flathead Power @ Oley AMCA Meet. Featuring the Anders Nygren engine.

Flathead Power/ S&S Cycle attended the AMCA National Swapment in Oley PA, hosted by the Perkiomen Chapter, April 27-29^th 2012.  AMCA events like the Perkiomen Swapmeet have long been a great place to network with fellow vintage enthusiasts as well as get the word out on new and existing S&S products under the Flathead Power Brand.  Flathead Power founder Anders Nygren used the same venues to display and sell his wares, and this year, following the recent release of an American Iron magazine article, Flathead Power debuted the Anders Nygren Signature Series 93” Knuckle Engine, and what better place to honor the man that got Flathead Power going, than a National AMCA Meet?

Flathead Power road crew members, Eric Wangen & Kayle Pauling left for Oley PA on Tuesday, April 24^th for the 2 day drive to East Central Pennsylvania.  A day before we left, we saw on the news that most of PA was hit by a late snow storm, depositing as much as 13 inches in some areas, but a day later when we went thru, just a trace amount of snow in the higher elevations was the only evidence to be seen.  Other than a near miss by a kamikaze turkey outside Boaz WI and an “over the cab” car hauler in western PA who suddenly felt he needed both lanes in a construction zone before he fully passed the our truck and trailer, the trip out was pretty uneventful.  On Wednesday we made a stop to visit S&S/Flathead Power Dealer Paul Friebus at American Cycle Fab in Bloomsburg PA to see some of the skunkworks that goes into Bonneville racing a flathead motorcycle, sorry we didn’t take any pics there, but trust me, Paul is a record setter for a reason! 

Thursday is considered a setup day at most all of the AMCA Swapmeets and is not open to the public, but there is still a lot of people for booth traffic as the other vendors take a chance to see what everyone has brought into the show in hopes they might find that hard sought after item they need or they think they can turn a bit of profit on.  We’ve found that if you can get to the meet as it opens on Thursday, dropping the trailer and setting up is way easier if you can get in long before your neighbors arrive.  With new display materials, we got setup in short order, and were busy most all day Thursday.

Now some may not know this, but S&S holds a strict policy that we won’t sell retail and compete with our dealers, so linking up with one of our dealers at these events allows us to bring along some select parts to sell thru the dealer in attendance, in this case we had WayBack Wheels from Portsmouth New Hampshire in the very next row.  We brought some seconds and blem parts to sell along with some select firsts.  Fully functional, seconds and blems can be pretty good deals if you don’t mind a bent or a small broken fin or other defect that inadvertently makes it thru the machining process but would not be a sellable item at MSRP.  We get people looking for mock up parts, parts they want to try some modification on or with a little work, repair the fin or other blem feature and run the parts.  We even had a guy that wanted to take a blem knuckle housing and make a beer tapper handle.  The only way to get in on these rare second and blem parts deals is by attending one of these meets where the flaws can be seen handled and explained face to face by our road crew.  (All blems and seconds are marked and are sold as is, and not under any kind of warranty)

Our UL/WLA Hybrid military display bike featured on our Facebook page was also a big hit for the people in attendance and the road crew who took it out for a spin around the grounds every couple of hours.  We didn’t keep count, but I bet it was one of the most photographed bikes at the meet.  Sporting our UL cylinders, heads, lifters and kicker cover, the bike was a great way to showcase parts and our commitment to the vintage market.

Friday was cold, overcast and extremely windy, at a few points in the day the guys were holding down the tents while talking to customers, almost like being in a day long bank hold up.  The cold and wind did'nt deter too many from venturing out to find their parts, attendance and booth traffic remained pretty steady.

Saturday weather was fully cooperative, and the booth traffic was very steady right up to the close of the show as most vendors pack up and leave Saturday night.  A side story about some of the pictures below, about mid afternoon Saturday, one of our neighbors was getting all packed up for his drive back, accidentally locked his key in his truck.  With his spare set at the other end of the state, he was ready to break his back window to gain entry.  Not wanting to see that happen, crew member Kayle Pauling stepped up and after about 20 minutes of work, was able to fish a coat hook in and bump the electric lock.   Now that’s customer service!

Our next show is at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa Iowa, and we may be adding another AMCA meet in Wauseon in July, we’ll keep you posted, or check us out on Facebook for more Flathead Power road tour events.

Vintage bikers invade sleepy farming village again for chopper class.

S&S® Cycle, Inc. of Viola, Wisconsin invites anyone with an interest in vintage bikes, technical education, or just having a good time to attend the second annual Knuckle Shuffle in Yuba, Wisconsin.

The Knuckle Shuffle is a vintage motorcycle event that will take place in the normally quiet farming village of Yuba, Wisconsin, located about half way between Madison and La Crosse. This S&S sponsored event is actually a fundraiser cleverly disguised as a party! Metal shop instructor Kevin Baas, aka “the Teach,” is the founder of the chopper building class at Kennedy High School in Lakeville, Minnesota and he – along with many supporters – is trying to keep the class available to his students after funding was cut to an all time low.

The Knuckle Shuffle was conceived and organized by S&S Sales Manager Jeremy Gilbert. Jeremy was a college friend of Kevin’s and when he heard the news that the chopper class budget was barely able to sustain the class, he came up with a plan to help keep it going. The first Knuckle Shuffle in 2011 provided $3300.00 for Kevin’s class at KHS. Doubling that amount is the goal for 2012. And the wheels are in motion to donate money to other high schools with similar programs. Corby Bodenburg, another classmate and Jeremy’s right hand man, has donated countless hours of graphic and web design to help out this event.

Corby Bodenburg and Jeremy Gilbert (bottom left) present Kevin Baas and his chopper class the check from last year's event.

The residents of Yuba and the surrounding area stepped up and pitched in to help make the first Knuckle Shuffle a success. S&S Cycle jumped at the chance to sponsor a local event for such a good cause. Says S&S Director of Sales and Marketing Gary Wenzel, “S&S Cycle has always supported technical education and the local community. First and foremost, education is what the Knuckle Shuffle is all about, and of course it’s right in our back yard. Yuba is only about 20 miles from Viola, and the tie in with our Flathead Power® line of vintage engine parts makes this a perfect fit.”

If this year’s Knuckle Shuffle is anything like the first one, you’ll see more original running knuckles, flatties, and Indians® in one place than you’ve ever seen before, or are likely to see again. Not to mention a lot of other rare and unique vintage machines. Rest assured that you don’t have to show up riding a knucklehead. The main thing is to come and have a good time… and of course support the Teach’s chopper class! Good times for a good cause!

Bruce from S&S interviews Kevin Bass from last year's Knuckle Shuffle

To make the party even more fun, an Anders Nygren signature KN-Series engine by Flathead Power (FHP) will be given away in a drawing to be held Saturday evening June 2nd. This is a special limited edition of the FHP KN93 engine, which boasts a 93 cubic inch displacement and the signature of Anders Nygren, the founder of the original Flathead Power Company in Sweden, CNC engraved on the cam cover.

It all starts on Friday, June 1st, when folks start showing up and getting ready for the main event. On Saturday, June 2nd, four rides from four different locations in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin will converge in Yuba for live music, food, good times, and an engine giveaway drawing. Sunday, those still standing can take a tour of the S&S manufacturing facility in nearby Viola, Wisconsin.

Shenanigans from the First Annual Knuckle Shuffle

For more information about the Knuckle Shuffle, visit the event website at www.theknuckleshuffle.com.

S&S® Shows Off New Stuff At Cincinnati V-Twin Expo 2012

Spring is Just Around The Corner!

S&S Cycle just wrapped up three days at the V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati, Ohio.  This is a yearly rite of spring for the v-twin motorcycle industry.  It's a dealer show, which means that admittance is restricted to registered motorcycle dealers and repair shops.  That's why we're giving the rest of the world a peak at what goes on at one of these events. 

The whole idea is that manufacturers show off their new products to the dealers so the dealers will be ready to present these products to their customers back home.  S&S featured the new Super Stock™ Stealth air cleaner and its associated line of custom air cleaner covers.  The new black exhaust products, with Jet-Hot® life time coating were another major introduction on display.  The Stealth air cleaner was a big hit with the dealers.  Although the idea of running your stock air cleaner cover on a performance air cleaner was appealing, they especially liked the new Muscle air cleaner cover that uses mini muscle-car style hood pins to hold the cover on the air cleaner.  The coolness of the idea is undeniable and when you see it up close and personal, the Muscle cover has a great appeal.  Most dealers agreed that the Muscle cover looks best on leaner, meaner bikes like Sportster® or Dyna® models and similar custom bikes.  The bagger crowd seemed to gravitate to the teardrop shaped Airstream covers. All of the new covers are available in either a show chrome finish or Black Jack wrinkle black.

A lot of dealers were impressed with the new black S&S exhaust.  We had a 2012 FLHX equipped with black Power Tune duals and black SPO® mufflers on display.  To top it off, the hog also had a Stealth air cleaner with a black Airstream cover.  It looked really bad, by which we mean it looked really good, if you know what we mean.  Our slash back and 3 ½” Touring mufflers are also offered in Jet-Hot® black. Already have chrome Power Tune Duals? Switch the look with our black heat shield kit! 

S&S conducted several seminars.  S&S rep Scott Hakins did an informational presentation for the sales reps from Tucker Rocky Distributing called the Knowledge of Power, and S&S customer service and tech guy Jeremy Gilbert did two sessions of a presentation called "How To Win Sales and Influence Horsepower" for the dealer attendees.  Both seminars provided good information about S&S products and suggested ways to let the end users know the benefits of using U.S.A. made S&S performance components.

Also in the S&S booth at the V-Twin Expo were representatives from the Power Sports Institute (PSI) in Cleveland, Ohio.  PSI handles all of S&S Cycle's dealer training classes.  Dealer training is another way that S&S strives to ensure customer satisfaction.

Of course S&S wasn't the only company strutting their stuff at the V-Twin Expo.  This show is like a Who's Who of the v-twin motorcycle industry.  Check out the photos of new products, custom bikes, vintage bikes, and industry notables.

At the same time S&S was showing the new products to the dealers in Cincinnati, we had a display at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show (IMS) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  The IMS show is a consumer event and all are welcome.  We don't actually sell products at the show – we're just trying to get the word out so people know that they have a lot of choices when they are thinking of making performance upgrades.  Of course we hope they will choose S&S.

 

S&S Cycle® co-sponsors the AMA Hall of Fame 2011 Induction Ceremony

 

November 13-15, 2011 - Red Rock Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

S&S® was proud to be a co-sponsor of this year’s event as the Who’s who of the motorcycle world gathered in Las Vegas Nevada for the AMA’s 2011 Hall of Fame Induction event. Over 800 people were in attendance at the banquet ceremony hosted by actor/motorcyclist, Perry King.  Newly named, S&S President, Steve Iggens and his wife represented S&S Cycle at the star-studded affair.

Industry leaders gathered to pay tribute to this year’s inductees which included Fred Fox, founder of Parts Unlimited, Phil Schilling, managing editor of Cycle magazine, Stu Peters,

Photos by Camilla Sjodin, courtesy of the AMA.

S&S President: Steve Iggens

Continental Motosports Club racing promotor, Norbert Schickel, early designer and innovator/founder of Schickel Motor Co. and Doug Polen, World Superbike roadracer.

Special awards were also given to existing Hall of Fame members, racers Kenny Roberts and Roger DeCoster.

This year’s induction ceremony was held in conjunction with the Dave Mungenast Memorial Concours d’Elegance. Over 100 beautiful classic and historic motorcycles were on display.  Best of Show award went to Bob Mitchell’s 1947 Indian Chief.

Other winners included:

Loren Carpenter’s 1958 Harley Sportster             Al Lutino’s 1971 Kawasaki F-5

Dan Selman’s 1961 Triumph TRS AC                   Don Harrell’s 1966 BSA Hornet

Don Johnson’s 1967 BSA Spitfire                          Peter Palko’s 1972 H-D XR-750

Brad Boyle’s MV Augusta 500                                 Paul Wheeler’s “Easy Rider” replica

Rick Huemmerich’s 1960 BMW R69S                   Eric & Lee Hale’s 1978 Yamaha OW-36

Gary Brigg’s 1966 Honda CA-77 Dream               Don Johnson’s 1953 AJS 185

 

S&S company founder George J. Smith was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994.

Established in 1958, S&S Cycle has been the industry leader in high performance accessories and engines for American and metric V-twin motorcycles. From engines, big bore kits, camshafts, valve train components and more, S&S has delivered the finest in American made high performance products to a worldwide market for over 50 years.

Count on S&S to bring “Proven Performance” to your motorcycle.

Back to School: Road Trip To PSI For S&S Dealer Training Classes.

Bruce and Justin from S&S visited the Power Sports Institute, a division of the Ohio Technical College, in Cleveland Ohio to observe an S&S Dealer Training Class.  This session was the Sidewinder training class, which deals with the mechanical aspects of servicing S&S engines.  The focus of the class was the S&S V-Series and T-Series engines for 1984 – 2006 Harley-Davidson big twins, and numerous S&S Hot Set Up Kit® configurations for 1984 – 2011 big twins.  This class is only available to S&S dealers.

The purpose of these classes is to get technicians who work in S&S dealerships up to speed on the special care and feeding of S&S engines and S&S modified Harley-Davidson® engines such as those that contain an S&S Hot Set Up Kit.  Each participant in the class is required to tear down, measure and reassemble an S&S V-Series engine and either an S&S T-Series engine or a Hot Set Up Kit modified Harley-Davidson Twin Cam 88® or 96 engine.  In the process they learned not only the techniques, but the how's and why's of the S&S components and the engines that contain them.  

The students in the class ranged from seasoned technicians to near entry-level technicians.  Regardless of the level of experience, all participants of the class learned a lot.  In the case of the less experienced students, it was an eye opening introduction not only to basic engine building and maintenance techniques, but an insight into the difference between stock and performance motorcycle engines.   For the old pro's, it was a chance to hone their skills and find ways to do their jobs better.  Nobody walked away from the class without a head full of newly acquired ideas and solid v-twin performance knowledge, regardless of how much they knew before the class.  

The fact is that S&S engines and S&S modified stock engines are different from stock Harley® engines.  That's why they're faster.  With that fact in mind, it should be pretty reasonable to conclude that they need a little different approach when you have one in the shop.  Making more power isn't just about increased displacement, although that's a pretty good way to go.  It also has to do with cylinder head flow, ignition timing, cam specifications, carb tuning, and a lot of other considerations that generally are not even a concern to the mechanic who works to the maintain stock function of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.  Modifying an engine for more performance takes more knowledge and the ability to think outside the box.  
Related: Students from PSI's Dealer Training Build Bike for AMD Championship

"We don't just want these guys to be parts-changers!"  Says PSI campus director Bernie Thompson.  "They need to be able to think about what they're doing and make the right calls when confronted with the special problems of high performance work."  V-Twin Education Manager Ron Radeke adds "To receive the S&S Sidewinder certificate, students have to do the work and pass the tests.  Without these strict requirements, the certificate wouldn't mean much.  This way you know that any technician who holds a Sidewinder certificate from PSI is the real deal.  They've earned it!"

Bernie adds "To go along with that, we have a separate v-twin course here at PSI where we not only teach our students how to service Harley-Davidson® and other v-twins, but we give the students the opportunity to build a custom bike from scratch.  This year we used an S&S engine and our bike took 8^th place at the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building event in Sturgis."  Click here to see the bike!

A cool chance meeting occurred when we discovered that the technicians from Gateway Big Dog, who sent us the picture and dyno chart featured in an earlier S&S Performance Times Blog were taking the class when we were there.  Other participants included two brothers from a new shop in Australia called Karbo Kustoms, and two guys from Lowbrow Customs, one of the sponsors of the recent Knuckle Shuffle in nearby Yuba, WI.  See our Road Tour Blog entry here!

Dealer training is something that is pretty unique in the high performance industry, and S&S is committed to making sure that our dealers can back up the great reputation that S&S products have with performance enthusiasts all over the world.

If you are interested in attending S&S Dealer training, visit our site for more information and this year's class schedule.  If you would like to become an S&S Dealer, or learn why partnering with S&S is great for your business, visit our Become an S&S Dealer page on our site.

Antique Car Club Visits S&S: Being cool while going slow.

Viola, WI.  September 15, 2011.  The AACA Illinois Brass & Gas Touring Group made a stop at the S&S facility in Viola, WI.  The day started out cool with the first frost of the season, but warmed up nicely as the sun came up.  That's a good thing because these are all open cars!  That's why the old timers always wore those big car coats and goggles.  Some of the cars were actually steam powered, so they had to fill up with water here at S&S.

The club is for owners of cars built before 1915.  The reason they call it Brass and Gas is that up until 1915 the cars used a lot of brass in the radiators and other structural parts, but after WWI started, brass was in short supply, most of it going to the war effort for making ammunition.  Later cars used painted or nickel plated steel.  All the cars on the tour were fully restored and fully functional.  It requires an incredible amount of dedication to restore and maintain these vehicles.  Replacement parts are pretty much nonexistent and the amount of TLC and financial resources required are considerable.  However it all pays off on a beautiful fall day, with an event like this.

The club holds a number of these tours during the year.  They bring the cars in covered trailers to a specified location; in this case Richland Center, WI.  Several day trips are planned by the club during the tour.  The members don't really know where the will end up until they receive their trip book with detailed directions as to where to go and where to turn.  At an average speed of 30 mph, the trip is a pleasant cruise.  In most cases it's not about the destination, it's more about the trip.  In the case of the S&S visit, the destination proved to be really cool too.

The group toured the S&S museum and manufacturing plant, and many picked up S&S t-shirts as souvenirs.  Not only do the owners of these antique autos love cars, many of them have motorcycles and other toys too. 

When S&S Engineering Manager, Jeff Bailey brought out our brand new Morgan three-wheeler test car they all fell in love with it on the spot.  Even though this Morgan isn't an antique, it's modeled after the old time Morgans which were first produced in 1910. 

The Morgan Motor Company of Malvern Link in Worcestershire, UK started out producing the three-wheelers in 1910 but discontinued them in 1954.  However, Morgan is reintroducing the three-wheeler this year, and the modern version is powered by the S&S X-Wedge® engine.  That's why S&S happens to have one of these yet to be released vehicles.  It's here for testing and a fun part of that testing includes showing it to people to see what they think.  "I think I need one!" is what most people say after they see one.  After they have a ride in one that changes to "I know I need one!"  Jeff gave rides to several of the antique car owners and they reciprocated by giving rides to several S&S employees.  Good times!

S&S At The Rally In Sturgis 2011 +videos

Damn The Economy, Full Speed Ahead!

Every year S&S goes to the Black Hills Rally in Sturgis South Dakota to show off our new stuff and to have a good time.  We were located right downtown on Lazelle Street.  That’s smack dab in the middle of the action, and traffic at the S&S trailer was phenomenal. It looks like even in a down economy, our customers put the yearly pilgrimage to the best known rally in the country, pretty high on their priority list.

As usual the S&S crew was on hand to talk to customers - answering questions about our products and giving out tech advice.  Anything from carburetor jetting to engine building tips.  Of course most people visiting the S&S display trailer were looking for ways to make their Harley® faster.  That's easy because we have a lot of ways to do just that.  S&S offers go fast parts for 1930 to present big twins and 1957 to present Sportster models, so we have performance solutions for just about any bike and for just about any budget, anything from a performance air cleaner to a complete motorcycle engine.

As usual the S&S 4-Step Performance Program generated a lot of interest because you can achieve your performance goals in easy steps instead of writing out one big honkin' check for the whole works at once.  Of particular interest are the S&S exhaust products for baggers.  A complete line of slip on mufflers and the S&S Power Tune Dual header pipes.  With a bike on hand equipped with both, you could actually see them and hear what they sound like

Don't tell anyone, but we were also previewing a new series of air cleaners that will be released later this year.  We can't disclose any details yet, so you'll just have to ask someone who was there!

S&S did not sell anything at the rally, but if you saw an S&S product that really trips your trigger, you can still get it right away.  J&P Cycles had a store just down the street from our location, and Speeds Performance Plus had a mobile shop and dyno right in Sturgis, where they did S&S installs and show you the dyno results in one go.  How cool is that?  (Watch the opening video below to see Speed's in action)

If you wanted to think about it and get your new S&S parts after you got home, you can always order it from your local S&S dealer.  Don't know who or where your local dealer is?  Check our dealer locator and find out in a hurry.

Of course it wasn't all business.  When in Sturgis, do as the Sturgians do.  That means S&S Night at the Broken Spoke Saloon, on Lazelle Street.  A good time was definitely had by all.  Food, music, burnouts, and one lucky guy, Dan "Z", walked away with a free S&S engine!  Watch the videos below and see the action!

Opening Days

S&S Night at the Broken Spoke Saloon

Final Days / Heading Home

Random Burnout at the Spoke... just because.

Anders Nygren, founder of Flathead Power, visits S&S Cycle.

Anders Nygren, founder of the original Flathead Power company in Sweden, recently visited S&S Cycle.  He was accompanied by his son Magnus and freelance magazine writer and knucklehead enthusiast, John Endrizzi.  John was along to do research for a magazine article on Flathead Power and S&S Cycle.

Anders started Flathead Power in Sweden in the early 1990's as a way to get parts to fix his own engines.  The business grew to be known for their quality parts for vintage motorcycles.  To take advantage of reduced shipping costs and access to the larger American vintage motorcycle market, Anders partnered with some American backers and the company moved to Morgan City, Louisiana.  The move turned out to be ill fated and Anders was forced to leave the company and returned to Sweden. 

S&S Cycle Inc acquired the Flathead Power brand name, intellectual property, tooling and remaining inventory in July of 2007.  At the time that transaction occurred, Anders had already gone back to Sweden.

Mr. Nygren was in the States for a about a week, during which he was visiting relatives, touching base with old friends, and buying parts for his hot rod Chevy truck that his son drag races back home in Sweden.  We were really happy that he was able to fit in a visit to S&S Cycle.  After all, our location is a little out of the way.  If you end up in Viola, Wisconsin, either you really want to be there, or you're really lost!

Anders toured the S&S museum and manufacturing facility, which has changed tremendously since he was last here in 2003, as far as any of us can recollect.  He was particularly interested in how S&S machines the parts and assembles the KN series engines.  Flathead Power Product line manager Eric Wangen, and Marketing Manager Bruce Tessmer served as tour guides and hosts for the visit.  While Anders was here we shot a video interview, which you can see here in the blog.

 

In this video interview, Anders Nygren, founder of Flathead Power in Sweden talks about how he got started in the vintage motorcycle parts business and how he ended up leaving the company.

Heading to Sturgis with an engine to give away for S&S Night.

Here we are, looking down the barrel of another year at Sturgis. This year we are going to bring some firepower of our own and one lucky person is going to come home from the Broken Spoke Saloon (downtown) with a brand new, 1 of a kind, V113 engine made by yours truly, S&S Cycle.

Mark your calendar and set yourself a reminder to be at the Broken Spoke on Wednesday, August 10th for this year's S&S Night.  The giveaway starts at 9pm but be sure to get there early.  The only catch is your presence is required to be eligible to win. That's it.

"What sort of engine are we talking about here?"  Well I'm glad you asked.  It's the V113, replacement engine for Evolution® big twins. The V113 yields a broad torque curve while maintaining excellent reliability, making it a great engine for any Evolution® equipped big twin. But this one is NOT the average V113 though.  This engine is 1 of a kind, in a black finish not offered in our usual lineup.  Another special feature is this one comes with the Tuned Induction System that has nearly twice the filtering area as our teardrop air cleaner.  Normally this engine, depending on options, retails for about $7,650.00.  Not a bad haul for coming to party with us at the Spoke!

FITMENT

• 1984–’99 carbureted chassis
• Custom chassis designed for Evolution® engines

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

• Shorter than stock height engine makes installation easy
• S&S Super G carburetor with tuned induction system
• S&S® Super Stock® ignition system
• black finish
  
  

S&S V113 Engine Specifications
Displacement	Bore	Stroke	Camshaft	Piston Type	Compression Ratio
113"	4"	41/2"	600	S&S forged	10.1:1

So we hope to see you front and center at the Broken Spoke Saloon, downtown Sturgis at 9pm (or sooner), Wednesday Aug 10th for the S&S Night and engine giveway!  Good times will be had by all.

S&S Cycle 10th Annual George and Marjorie Smith Memorial Ride

Beautiful days and a lush green scenery are not uncommon – at least in the summertime – to folks who live in Wisconsin. The riders of S&S Cycle got together for the tenth annual memorial ride honoring S&S Founders George and Marjorie Smith.  It was a gorgeous day for a ride, 37 riders gathering for a route that took us winding through the beautiful countryside and Home to S&S, the driftless area of southwestern Wisconsin.

Two groups, one starting in Viola and another in La Crosse, met at Jersey Valley county park where current S&S president George B. Smith (son of George and Marjorie) gave a speech commemorating his parents and thanking all of the riders for their enthusiasm and hard work.

"My parents started this company in 1958, to make high performance parts for american v-twins. It's all of you who have taken our motto "Proven Performance" to the next level, and helped shape the company into what it is today. I look forward to the years ahead and thank you for your hard work. Now, get out and ride!"

Motorcycling is an important part of life for many S&S employees, as it was for George and Marjorie Smith, both avid riders and enthusiasts.

Following the Memorial Ride, employees and family enjoyed a picnic bash, including a feast of BBQ favorites, games, a bouncy castle (not just for the kids) and camaraderie.