Bonneville Land Speed Bike

Bennett's PerformanceWe all know that with the right timing good things can come our way. Case in point: S&S Cycle in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, was celebrating its 50th anniversary in business and wanted to find a way to show off years of service. S&S came up with an idea to have 50 builders from around the world build a bike using one of its engine platforms. Each builder would utilize an S&S engine and build a bike that fit them (their shop) and their style. So when the call came in to Bob and Eric of Bennett's Performance in Signal Hill, California, they were a bit shocked. Not because they were picked to be part of the 50th anniversary, they use and like the S&S line of parts and motors, but they build performance motors and not too many bikes. Never the less, timing is everything, especially in racing.

That phone call I was talking about was from Communications Manager Howard Kelly of S&S Cycle. Howard was inquiring as to whether or not Bennett's Performance would be interested in being one of the 50 builders for the S&S Cycle 50th anniversary celebration. Howard went on to say that top bike builders from around the world would be participating.

Bob's first response was "Why call us, you know we don't build bikes?" Howard responded by saying " I know, but Bennett's Performance has a reputation for building fast and reliable engines, so why don't you think about building a bike that represents what you do so well."

Bob told Howard that he would think about it and talk it over with his son and business partner, Eric. After much discussion between Bob and Eric a decision was made: They decided to build another Bonneville land-speed bike in the 2000cc class. They already hold three land-speed records in the 1650cc pushrod gas class at Bonneville in both AMA and STCA sanctioned events, so it only seemed logical that if they were going to build a bike, why not build something that not only represents S&S history, but could also be used for something they enjoy doing.

The next step was choosing an S&S engine. They decided on the 126ci TCSA engine, which is 2065 cc, too large for the 2000cc class; the solution, de-stroke it with a 4-inch crank. This along with the 4.375 bore makes the engine 120.26 ci or 1970 cc, which places the bike in the top part of the 2000cc class.

To cut expenses Bennett's used an existing Kenny Boyce Pro Street chassis that was from a custom bike Bob had built in 1998 and had been collecting dust for a few years. A Chopper Guys billet steel swingarm was added not only for good looks but also for the added weight it offers. If the engine made the horsepower, they were expecting the extra weight would be required to help prevent wheel spin on the salt at top speed.

Next came the front fork assembly and suspension. After some research an RMD billet airfoil-style Girder fork assembly was chosen for the front. The forks are shaped like an airplane wing, which helps the bike cut through the air with less drag. Work's Performance provided the shock package for the rear. To make the chassis a roller, Performance Machine was contacted; they provided the 18-inch rear and 17-inch front wheels, rear brake caliper, master cylinders for the brakes and hydraulic clutch as well as the hand controls. Lyndall Racing Brakes sent out its Apex Performance rear brake rotor and a set of its Gold Plus brake pads for the added stopping power required to slow things down from the 200 mph mark the Bennetts were expecting to hit. A Dunlop ZR rated 18-inch rear and Mickey Thompson 17-inch front tires were fitted to the wheels then shipped to Nate Jone's tire service to have half the tread shaved off, the wheels balanced and filled with nitrogen. "Shaving the tires increases the speed rating of the tire by 50 mph and the nitrogen is dryer than air and doesn't expand or create more tire pressure as the heat of the tire increases," Bob said.