Arlen Ness
1992, Industry
The time was the mid-60's and East Fourteenth was the hangout for
anyone who was into wheels. It didn't matter if your thing was 55
Chevy's or Harley's. Anyone who wanted to be seen made the scene on
East Fourteenth. Standing near the curb was a quiet young man,
watching it all go by with a particular intensity. That quiet young
man was Arlen Ness.
Arlen had wanted a motorcycle in high school, but his father always
said, "No motorcycles". After graduating, Arlen moved out of the
house and got married. His wife, Bev, unfortunately agreed with
Arlen's dad, "I'm not going to be married to anyone who rides a
motorcycle".
Arlen turned his natural talent to cars. After days of moving
furniture, Arlen would spend his evenings customizing his cars and
those of his friends. Friday nights would be spent cruising East
Fourteenth Street. Arlen always checked out the other cars, but the
machines that really caught his eye were the two wheelers, the
Harley's, Triumph's and BSA's. Motorcycles held a certain fascination
for Arlen.
In 1967, Arlen found a Harley Davidson Knucklehead for sale, only
$300. He bought it with money he won bowling. He didn't know how to
ride; a friend had to drive the bike home for him. Eventually the
storm died down at home and Bev realized this wasn't just a passing
fancy.
In between riding lessons, Arlen stripped the Knucklehead and began
experimenting with his spray gun. Soon there were nods of approval
on East Fourteenth Street and a growing list of people asking Arlen
if he could do a nice paint job like that on their bikes.
In 1970, Arlen and Bev opened their first store. The location was
never in question; it was on East Fourteenth Street. Arlen kept his
day job and worked on bikes at night. One year later Arlen gave
notice and went to making his job the motorcycle business.
The person who always believed in the success of Arlen Ness was Larry
Kamferman. Larry told Bev in 1973, "Someday, mark my words, Arlen's
name will be known across the country. There's no doubt about it."
Bev still had doubts and asked Larry if he really thought so. Larry's
reply was only one word: "Absolutely."
Arlen lives in San Leandro, CA with his wife, Bev, and has two
children, Sherri and Cory.
Arlen is now known as the "MASTER HARLEY CUSTOMIZER."
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