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RIP Arlen Ness

I was just talking about him this week. Cool guy. Nice guy from my interaction.

Godspeed Arlen. :rip
 
Sad news.... used to see him at the GP’s, always a gentleman to everyone.

2008

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OMG,:(

I met Arlen Years ago at his shop when he was on E 14th in San Leandro.

Over the last 20 years id bump into him regularly and he would remember me.

The last place I saw him was a Hawaiian BBQ place in Danville.
He'd be driving the shop ford F150 every time.


I have a special story about him and my dad that changed the way choppers were wired (electrically) forever.

Rest In Peace Arlen, I new him as a man who always had time to sit down and chat no matter how busy he was.
:rip

:rose
 
Sad to hear this.....
Met Him also in the San Leandro shop...
He showed me the upstairs bike collection
and was as real as it gets.
Great guy, and a talented bike artist with
innovative designs...
Rest in Peace Arlen.
a1scoot
 
:rose I met him once at his showroom in Dublin. Very nice and cordial man. :rip :cry
 
Both myself and my father have had several interactions with Arlen. Every one of them pleasant. My last conversation was with him at The Quail. It was the highlight of that show, and one of my fondest memories.
Condolences to the family. Thank you for sharing him with us.
 
Well all pass...1939 to 2019 that was a good run Arlen.... RIP.
Met him once at a bike show, personable man.
He leaves a legacy...nice work Arlen.
 
Arlen Ness was a great guy and one of the few chopper builders I could really respect. He was a true family man, didn't let his celebrity status go to his head, and did a lot of innovative things. He will be missed.
 
I saw this the other day. I bought a couple of bikes from Arlen Ness Motorcycles. Of course I've seen him around I never heard anybody say a harsh word about him. God speed Arlen, you are missed.:rose:rip
 
Sad news. Arlen Ness always remembered my name. Always, even though after our initial meeting a decade ago I wasn't a regular and te times I would run into him was usually not motorcycle specific. A man with the ability to make everyone feel special, such a gift.

RIP Arlen Ness, you will be missed!
... long may you run!

:ride :cool :ride
 
Want to add my words here in memory of a really great man who always had a kind word and a smile to share.
A rare individual who humbly accepted his accolades from the riding community and the public.

All of my interactions with him started back in the 70's when he set up shop here locally in San Leandro. He was always helpful and most of my Harley riding friends purchased their parts or had work done at his shop.His body of work is incredible in creating custom builds,that were truly inspired.
When I used to visit the shop in Dublin he would always ask when I was going to buy a new ride :)) he complimented me on my ride a couple of times.

Thank You Arlen for all the good memories may you rest in peace.Sending prayers for all your loved ones.
 
Saw him last gassing up his supercar on the way to street vibrations... my dad knew him from way back when...
 
AMA Hall of Fame

From the AMA:

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame extends condolences on passing of Arlen Ness - Hall of Famer was well-known custom motorcycle builder and entrepreneur

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association offers its condolences to the family and friends of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Arlen Ness, who passed away on March 22 at age 79.

He is best known for his innovative and wild custom motorcycle designs and custom parts business, and often was called "The King of Custom Motorcycles."

Ness grew up in Oakland, Calif., and started as a custom hot-rod car builder before making the transition in the late 1960s to customizing motorcycles. Ness' first custom motorcycle build -- a 1947 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead he bought for $300 and known as "Untouchable" -- was a hit when he entered it into its first show.

The attention Ness garnered from that first bike prompted him to open a motorcycle painting business. Soon after that, he branched into custom parts that he made and sold at his shop and through catalogs and shipped nationwide.

Ness' custom bikes were known for their low-slung, stretched-out look. His trendsetting designs have been studied and copied by other bike builders and factory engineers. He was among the first people in the motorcycle industry to recognize the value of CNC machining technology to the production of aftermarket motorcycle parts.

In 2008, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame honored Ness' contributions to motorcycling with "Awesome-Ness," an exhibit that featured memorabilia and motorcycles, including "Untouchable" and 10 other custom motorcycles from Ness' personal collection.

Early this decade, Ness worked with Victory Motorcycles on the Arlen Ness Vision, a hot-rod version of the Victory Vision touring bike.

Ness was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1992.

For more information about Ness and his contributions to motorcycling, visit the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame website at www.motorcyclemuseum.org.
 
1 thing I appreciated about Arlen was that he kept modifying some of his customs, time & again, over the yrs & decades

separately, there was a brief time period when his Arlen Ness-branded road race(!) leathers (made by Berik) were worn in SBK by some top riders - weird.....
 
Yeah, he was cruiser oriented, yet he was open minded and liked all kinds of bikes and racing. Real BA OG.
When I lived in Danville it felt like I saw him all the time driving the shop truck. Did see him in other cars, like a Lambo I think. In person he was just a pleasant, mild mannered, interesting guy, from what I could tell from brief interactions.
RIP Arlen.
 
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