Oct 5, 2009
We’ve been big fans of the S&S company for years and since using them on almost all our custom builds here at Guilty Customs, we’ve learned first hand their products definitely deliver. And when we saw this release the other day it brought a smile to our ugly mug simply because these guys do things right. Nothing is done have cocked or sloppy. And we’re happy to see some of our friends included in this book too! So here is the story.
In 1958, George Smith started a small company called S & S Cycle. His mission: “To make all bikes go faster.” Fifty years later, S & S Cycle is everything Smith envisioned. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the world’s premiere builder of aftermarket V-Twin motorcycle engines and components commissioned custom motorcycles from 50 top builders.
The competition that grew out of this challenge unfolds in the pages of S & S Presents Today’s Top Custom Bike Builders, which showcases the splendid bikes built for S & S’s 50th anniversary show. The book, beginning with a brief history of S & S Cycle, features four-page spreads on each motorcycle, along with profiles of the builders–including Chica, Cory Ness, Paul Cox, Jerry Covington, Jesse Rooke, Redneck Engineering, Arlen Ness, Kim Suter, Brian Klock, Kendall Johnson, Roger Bourget, Rick Fairless, Fred Kodlin, Mike Tomas and many others. With illustrations by master custom-bike photographer Michael Lichter, this is as much a celebration of the custom builder’s art as it is a tribute to S & S Cycle’s accomplishment.
About the Author and Photographer
Howard Kelly, former communications manager for S&S Cycle, has been editor at Hot Bike magazine and at Street Chopper magazine and a staff member at Hot Rod Harleys and Motorcyclist magazines. He lives in Onalaska, Wisconsin.
Michael Lichter’s motorcycle photography has been featured in Easyridersmagazine for over a quarter of a century. His photos have also appeared in numerous Motorbooks titles, including Indian Larry, Choppers: Heavy Metal Art, Top Chops, Arlen Ness: Godfather of Choppers, Billy Lane Chop Fiction, Harley-Davidson Century, and Sturgis. He lives in Boulder, Colorado. You can see more of his work at www.lichterphoto.com.
