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In the Name of the Father
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George Smith, the founder of S&S Cycles
David Morris
11/01/2006
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“I want to make all bikes go faster.” Almost a half-century has passed since
George Smith, the founder of S&S Cycles, made this statement his company’s
philosophy. Founded in 1958 with his wife Marjorie in their basement in Blue
Island, Illinois, Smith began by producing high-performance pushrods for
Harley-Davidson engines. The family business has since become a global
enterprise with an expanding scope, but the elder Smith’s ethic resounds in the
ambition of his scion.
George’s grandson, current president Brett Smith, has
a clear vision of the past, present and the future. “From the company’s
inception, people wanted the parts my grandfather built because they saw how
fast he was on the track. He didn’t make a product to create a market; his
product created the market,” he asserts. “As S&S company evolved from an
aftermarket component maker to a builder of engines and fuel delivery systems,
we made an enormous impact on the V-twin world by providing an alternative to
Harley. Today, with our ability to apply best-in-class technology to the process
of personalization, S&S is the AMG or, from an R&D perspective, the
Porsche, of the motorcycle world. We are, in effect, pushing the envelope of the
exotic.”
 George Smith, S&S Cycle’s founder. (Click image to enlarge)
One of Smith’s stated goals is to continue to extend S&S
Cycle’s pedigree beyond its stature as one of the world’s most respected
manufacturers of leading-edge V-twin powerplants. The company already entertains
close relationships with American IronHorse, Arlen Ness, Big Dog, Buell,
Confederate, Gator, Pantera and Victory, among others. The endorsement of master
designer/builders such as Cyril Huze, Eddie Trotta, Jim Nasi and Roland Sands,
speaks to the firm’s quality and innovation. Its World Builder Showcase presents
collaborations with custom creators from America, Europe and Asia. This year’s
edition featured ex-Ducati designer Aldo Quierro from Italy, France’s Nicolas
Chauvin, Germany’s Habermann Customs, Japan’s Yokio Sato and Australians Scott
Cox and Grant Purkiss. “Five builders, five bikes, five countries, no rules,”
Smith says. “These machines are making a difference. We feel it’s our duty to
share their brilliance with the public.”
As chief executive, Smith’s
relentless energy is married to a rigorous business process that lays out a road
map of corporate objectives, while maintaining the original creative spirit. “In
this industry, you can’t just be a businessman, because the business is so
driven by relationships and by passion,” Smith explains. “You have to balance
those factors.” He holds as fundamental the realization that the motorcycle
world is in a state of profound change, and the conviction that his family’s
firm is a seminal force.
 Street Pro powerplant. (Click image to enlarge)
“S&S changed the industry by creating the
performance market for V-twins. At the beginning, we responded to a pent-up
demand for parts among Harley owners during that company’s struggles in the
’70s. In the ’80s, the Evolution engine and the resurgence of Harley fueled
explosive growth for us, which has carried on,” he says. “We became the choice
for discerning enthusiasts and entrepreneurs who wanted to buy our crankcases
and, eventually, our complete engines. And we have opened the door for
customization in a way we never could have imagined. When we consider that many
of the once-small custom shops have now themselves become OEMs, we know our work
has been a very important part of that migration.”
Smith’s accession to the
S&S throne in 2001 came at a time of multiple uncertainties, not only in the
U.S. economy, but within the company itself. His strategy was to refocus on the
firm’s core competency. “We had a history and a competitive edge, providing
proprietary complete engine and fuel delivery systems,” he says. Smith then
arrested the trend to outsourcing, bringing manufacturing back in-house. Named
Ernst & Young Regional Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005, Smith’s four years
at the helm have seen revenues increase annually by as much as 25 percent and
profits by over 50 percent.
 T-Series Sidewinder motor. (Click image to enlarge)
He takes a vigilant view of change. The S&S
product development team has a firm mandate to break the mold; the company
released the first closed loop fuel injection system in the V-twin industry.
“With increasingly stringent emissions standards, you have to be thinking about
more than just torque and horsepower,” Smith reasons. “You need to take the
track-proven performance gains and adapt them for today’s regulatory
conditions.” One of the original members of the Motorcycle Industry Council’s
V-Twin Committee, he is also a vocal advocate taking the lead in environmental
protection laws and EPA compliance issues. “While striving for new levels of
performance, we need to build engines that are emissions-friendly,” Smith says.
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