Sponsor Spotlight. S&S Cycles

1958
S&S was formed

George Smith (S) and Stanley Stankos (S), offically started the
 company in Blue Island, Illinois, a suburb just south of Chicago.
  A year later George and his wife Marge,  bought Stanley's interest
 in the business and began to run S&S out of the basement of their
 Blue Island home.

1958
Pushrods

The first product that George Smith and Stanly Stankos offered

 for sale in 1958, was a set of light weight aluminum pushrods that

 converted hydraulic tappets to solid lifters. This upgrade in the

 valve train of stock engines of that day resulted in the ability to

 operate at higher rpm resulting in more available power.

 

 1967

Carbs

The release of the first S&S carburetor in 1967 offered a much

 simpler and more cost effective way to go fast.

1969

Viola, Wisconsin

Despite a ful-time job and the demands of a fledging business,

 George and Marge felt drawn to the countyside and the tug of

 another passion—farming and ranching.

Family trips took them through the Kickapoo River Valley, a scenic

 area sometimes called God's Country. They were so taken with the

 beauty of the land, that they vowed to settle here when they found

 the right spot. Which they did in 1969.

The Smith family home, nestled in a wooded valley just outside Viola, Wisconsin, became the site of the S&S Ranch as well as the new company headquarters for S&S Cycle.

 

 

1976 Birth of the Sidewinder By 1977, S&S Cycle offered both high performance rod sets and big bore cylinders. As always, Smith was providing simple yet efficient solutions to the problems of building large displacement Harley-Davidson® motors. Now the S&S customer could order stroker flywheels, big bore cylinders, pistons, and many related parts. The "Sidewinder" motor had been born.     S&S Cycle has been in the business of manufacturing high quality, high performance engine components for over 50 years. What started as a passion for speed, grew into the best known company name in the V-Twin high performance aftermarket. George Smith Sr. had to build his own parts to make his motorcycle faster. Now the company he founded manufactures the most prestigious line of "go fast" v-twin engine parts in the world. The company was started in the basement of his home in Blue Island IL in 1958, and moved to Viola, WI in 1969. In 2004 an additional facility was opened in LaCrosse, WI.
"Motor is the first word in Motorcycle" was one of the first things I heard when I arrived at the company headquarters for S&S Cycles in Viola, Wisconsin. The day before I had taken an extensive tour of their facilities. From rough stock receiving to the Dyno room I had been guided threw the inner workings of the leader in American V-Twin Power. Now I was sitting across the desk from the man in charge of decisions. For the next 30 minutes we talked about a dream that I have had for most of my adult life. We talked about how through a chain of events that dream had become a project and we talked about the purpose and the goals of the project. In a nutshell, Building a motorcycle with as close to 100% all American made parts. Not a themed bike with streamers and sparklers sticking out of the grips but a bike that would be tested for endurance, function and dependability. The initial test being The Pan American Highway. As I left his office that day I had a list in my hand of the things that I needed to do to make this bird fly. With a nod, a wink and a smile I was given some assurance that my time would not be wasted in completing that list. After no less than a dozen conversations about everything from altitude and fuel quality to serviceability and preventative maintenance we agreed on an engine configuration that would accomplished our defined goals. We concluded that the Evolution Big Twin V-111 motor with some minor upgrades would be the motor for the job.
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I can not say enough about the good people at S&S. It has been a pleasure working with them on every step of this project. From the technical side all the way down to manufacturing, marketing and sales. These people are top notch professionals who know what they are talking about. And they ride motorcycles. I look forward to continue a working relationship with them. Look for me and "Old Glory"  at the next motorcycle rally you are at. We will be spending time with the good folks from S&S Cycles..
Until we meet again,
PEACE&GREASE