S&S Cycle of Viola, Wisconsin announced layoffs due to declining sales. A total of 60 employees were either laid off or offered voluntary separation, a total of 195 employees remain at the company’s 2 locations in Viola and LaCrosse.
Company President Brett Smith announced Friday that 60 workers have been cut this month through voluntary separation and layoffs. “This was a very, very hard decision personally,” Smith said. “People I’ve known for years were impacted.” … All but two of the cuts were made at the company’s Viola site rather than the La Crosse location, Smith said.
S&S recently had a very successful 50th Anniversary celebration hosting an estimated 28,000 motorcycle enthusiasts. S&S builds some great engines, the new X-Wedge is already certified by the EPA for the 2010 Tier 2 standards, hope they get things turned around soon.
Link: LaCrosse Tribune
Link: S&S Cycle
sam9870 says
$5000-$11,000 for a nice shiny engine that put out just over 100 horses. For $8000 I can get a new Nippon complete bike with 120+ horses.
Vanity insanity has reached its peak.
Tom says
We belittle the Chinese for knocking off old Honda designs.
We celebrate S&S for knocking off old Harley designs.
Tom
Jim says
More evidence the Harley boom (and maybe the MC boom in general) is on life support. S&S had a nice small business for a long time and then grew it feed the monster. Let’s see how successful they are at shrinking it to a sustainable level, few managers can complete that trick.
Jeff says
Fashion is fickle and people can’t use their home as a bank anymore .I was out and about on a ride and I have noticed the above average numbers of HDs and choppers on the front lawns for sale .
skooter says
I want that 139ci engine they make… it’s like two giant 1100cc single cylinders slapped together! I wonder why nobody builds a motorcycle with a giant 1100cc air-cooled single cylinder engine. Must be something about compression and heat or some other engineering mumbo-jumbo. Anyway, I want that 139ci engine and I want it bolted to a heavy bent tube frame with a wheelbase in excess of 64-inches so it waddles like a pig in the turns. And chopper forks… can we add chopper forks? Just having some fun you guys (smile).
sam9870 says
Skooter you forgot to add so you can only ride it on weekends when the sun is shining cause heavens to betsy you don’t want to clean that sommona beatch.
Had to smile this weekend at a Show and Shine get together watching tattoo’d badasses hauling their $100,000+ customs out of the trailers and then riding it 100 ft, get off and break out the ArmourAll spray in unison like a bunch of pansies to clean up the road grime.
I have more respect for the guy that rode a moped covered in bumper stickers 50+ km than any of those wanna be hereos.