SC: What was your first feature in SC?
AN: Had to be my Knucklehead. Of course I changed it over the years. Back then I had the one bike and had to change it to put in the shows.
SC: What did you like most about Street Chopper?
AN: I just thought it was great. When I got my bike in the magazine it was a cool thing. Then getting the phone calls from people who'd seen it. I got to be friends with all the editors. We bent over backward for them. I was tickled to death to have a feature. The stories were good for them and us and they still are.
Goin' Pro: The First Shop
The '60s and '70s were mixed for Harley-Davidson. Sure, racers like Cal Rayborn and Mert Lawwill made sure Harley was a strong contender at the track, and yeah, garage monkeys evolved into full-fledged shop owners, giving birth to what would later become the custom bike aftermarket. On the other hand, AMF served Harley-Davidson a huge shitburger by merging with it. Some might call AMF the Yoko Ono of motorcycling. With the golden age of chopperdom in full swing, though, Arlen Ness found more and more business coming his way. In 1970, Arlen decided to rent a storefront. It was a modest operation that was open from 6-11:00 at night. He made handlebars, fiberglass rear fenders and did paintjobs at first.
SC: Why'd you decide to do it?
AN: Well, I was working two jobs and painting at nights and on weekends. I was getting a lot of paint jobs but I didn't want a ton of people hanging out at my house while I was trying to work. They'd all come over with six packs and I couldn't get any work done.
SC: What made you decide to start making your own parts?
AN: You couldn't buy anything back then. People saw my stuff in roadster shows; pretty soon magazines picked up my work. After that you'd get calls on where to get the parts on the bikes. That eventually lead to my mail order business.
SC: Describe opening day.
AN: It was just a big deal for me. We only had a few parts on the wall. At first, it was mostly open to take in paint orders and deliver finished paint jobs. I think I started the shop for $300. Heh, that was most of my savings right there (laughs). Rent was $75 and one job a month handled it.
SC: How would you do it different if you had to open a new shop now?
AN: I don't know. I'd probably go in with more schooling. Back then I didn't know anything about owning and operating a business.
The Second Shop & the 80's
Talk to the salty old veteran builders from back in the day and chances are you'll get a small cringe if you mention business in the '80s. The golden age had ended and business took a downturn. Street Chopper went on hiatus following the re-birth of sister mag HOT BIKE. In 1981, Harley-Davidson successfully divorced itself from AMF after a decade of spousal abuse. By 1984, H-D retired the Shovelhead in favor of the newly designed Evolution V-twin. The early '80s saw Arlen relocate to a bigger shop, just down the street from the original. He also gained a protege.
SC:How'd you survive the AMF era and the '80s?
AN: We were very small so we kept painting and doing small accessories. It didn't take much to stay afloat and the bikes were shitty so that made more work for you to do.
SC: How do the lessons learned then apply to now?
AN: It didn't bother me back in those days. Now, it's the worst I've ever seen it.