S&S Cycle Presents Today's Top Custom Bike Builders [Hardcover]

Howard Kelly (Author), Michael Lichter (Photographer), Jay Leno (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 2009

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 fiftieth anniversary, the world’s premiere builder of aftermarket V-twin motorcycle engines and components commissioned custom motorcycles from fifty 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 fiftieth 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, and Paul Teuttel Sr.  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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The $40 coffee-table tome has a bit of company history, a foreword by Jay Leno and 223 pages of beautiful photography with profiles on each builder.” – Cycle World

Book Description

To celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, the world’s premiere builder of aftermarket V-twin motorcycle engines and components commissioned custom motorcycles from fifty top builders.  This book showcases the splendid bikes built to meet this challenge.  S & S Presents Today's Top Custom Bike Builders, which begins 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, Jim Nasi, and Paul Teuttel Sr.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks; First edition (September 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760336032
• ISBN-13: 978-0760336038
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,199,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great bikes from top builders, September 2, 2011

By 

Steve Bill (Wellington, WLG, NZ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: S&S Cycle Presents Today's Top Custom Bike Builders (Hardcover)

A nicely produced book that's a quick look over the 50 S&S celebration custom machines. Book includes interesting history of S&S but I would have liked a bit more in depth information about each build. The book is a bit confused by trying to be a "coffee table" publication when only bike nuts like me will probably read it. Overall its pretty good though.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best!, January 3, 2011

By 

P. Anderson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: S&S Cycle Presents Today's Top Custom Bike Builders (Hardcover)

Purchased as a gift for my husband.
Made the mistake of giving it to him first.
Once unwrapped we could not get him to put it down!

3.0 out of 5 stars Today's Top Custom Builders reviewed by Ken Aiken, September 11, 2010

By 

Kenneth J. Aiken "Kenzo" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: S&S Cycle Presents Today's Top Custom Bike Builders (Hardcover)

This piece of propaganda was financed by S&S Cycle to celebrate their 50th anniversary, but such creative marketing surely merits recognition. Broken into six sections, each representing a type of engine sold by S&S Cycle (P-, SB-, SH-, V-, T-, and X-Series), the book features top custom builders and a bike made by each of them.
It's unfair to generalize yet this volume provides a glimpse into the different aesthetic styles and engineering approaches of today's custom builders. Bertrand Dubet, Kendall Johnson, Jesse Rooke, Aldo Querio Gianetto, and other less familiar names take their place beside Chica, Paul Cox, Kris Krome, the Teutels, and the team at Redneck Engineering. Naturally, Arlen Ness is included, but Cory and Zach who have too long been overshadowed by the creations of the (their) big daddy of customs are also showcased.
One commendable feature of the book is that it doesn't mention that the 50th anniversary project was a competitive build-off with judging by the builders, S&S personnel, media, attendees at the 2008 exhibition show, and by Internet, nor does it include an index listing the winners or their prizes . The fifty bikes -and their builders--stand on their own merits and the reader is responsible for choosing their favorites.
The book is a delicious bit of fluff that has a luscious look and feel to the final product. I love well-crafted books, more so when the glossy pages are filled with photos of beautiful bikes.