Crane Cams is back!
08-06-2009, 05:35 PM
#1
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Crane Cams is back!
Crane Cams has reopened under the new ownership of S&S Cycle. With manufacturing and sales operations of its ignition and motorcycle lines up and running, the company is newly housed in a facility at 1640 Mason Ave. in Daytona Beach. S&S Cycle acquired Crane’s intellectual properties, patents, trademarks, camshaft masters, inventory and some equipment in April 2009.
08-07-2009, 09:14 AM
#5
Team Owner
Member Since: Mar 2001
Location: Boston, Dallas, Detroit, SoCal, back to Boston MA
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Hold the phone, they're not back all the way. 
Crane as we knew it is DEAD. Forever this time as everything is gone/sold. This has been a done deal couple of months now. No big deal to me as Harvy Crane hasn't had anything to do with the business since the early 1980's. It has also been bankrupted before at the hands of some other pathetic Corp management conglomerate.
Scorpion posted on their site right after Crane closed its doors (like hours after) that they were trying to buy the assets of Crane but no one in charge of auctioing off Crane knew anything about it.
S&S Cycle does indeed own the rights to the Crane brand but not much else really. I know they specifically wanted the rights to the Crane HI series ignition boxes that are so popular with Harley guys... but all the camshaft manufacturing machinery was sold to "over seas investors". The masters are useless without a grinder.
I'm afraid we may see alot more of this in the future as the economy tightens, less and less money is being spent on racing/hi performance. I don't want to turn this into a political debate but the "GREEN" movement isn't making it any easier for people to modify their street cars either and thats a big part of the industry. There is alot of competition for those of us who are still spending and even the strongest/most innovative companies are feeling the decrease in sales. They are going to have to get right in order to survive.
Now another real crying shame.
REED Cams also closed it doors last month. REED Cams has been my go to cam grinder for my entire engine building career (10+yrs) and my fathers before me (35+yrs).... I knew John Reed, grew up around him and he was a first class man. He kept his business small concentrated on supplying the very best product he could make for racing engine builders and almost never advertised outside of the occasional REED sticker on a NASCAR or NHRA/IHRA fender. He always took time to show/teach me something about camshafts when me and my dad would go over to his place to pick up a new cam. The people he hired to work there like wise, Donnie, June Bug and Steve were alway good to us over the years. His stuff would run and we have NEVER got embaressed using it. After John got killed a few years ago (plane crash) things haven't been the same and his family made some bad business descisions (like buying Blake Carburation) before they sold it off. The company never really recoverd I think. I also know the man who has possession of everything at this time (a well known Atlanta area engine builder) but like Crane Cams I don't think REED Cams will ever see the light of day again.
So in the past year, 2 icon companies of the racing industry are gone. I wonder who's next?
Will
Scorpion posted on their site right after Crane closed its doors (like hours after) that they were trying to buy the assets of Crane but no one in charge of auctioing off Crane knew anything about it.
S&S Cycle does indeed own the rights to the Crane brand but not much else really. I know they specifically wanted the rights to the Crane HI series ignition boxes that are so popular with Harley guys... but all the camshaft manufacturing machinery was sold to "over seas investors". The masters are useless without a grinder.
I'm afraid we may see alot more of this in the future as the economy tightens, less and less money is being spent on racing/hi performance. I don't want to turn this into a political debate but the "GREEN" movement isn't making it any easier for people to modify their street cars either and thats a big part of the industry. There is alot of competition for those of us who are still spending and even the strongest/most innovative companies are feeling the decrease in sales. They are going to have to get right in order to survive.
Now another real crying shame.
REED Cams also closed it doors last month. REED Cams has been my go to cam grinder for my entire engine building career (10+yrs) and my fathers before me (35+yrs).... I knew John Reed, grew up around him and he was a first class man. He kept his business small concentrated on supplying the very best product he could make for racing engine builders and almost never advertised outside of the occasional REED sticker on a NASCAR or NHRA/IHRA fender. He always took time to show/teach me something about camshafts when me and my dad would go over to his place to pick up a new cam. The people he hired to work there like wise, Donnie, June Bug and Steve were alway good to us over the years. His stuff would run and we have NEVER got embaressed using it. After John got killed a few years ago (plane crash) things haven't been the same and his family made some bad business descisions (like buying Blake Carburation) before they sold it off. The company never really recoverd I think. I also know the man who has possession of everything at this time (a well known Atlanta area engine builder) but like Crane Cams I don't think REED Cams will ever see the light of day again.
So in the past year, 2 icon companies of the racing industry are gone. I wonder who's next?
Will
