Amidst America's cultural maelstrom in 1969, two hot rod enthusiasts took separate chances that grew into 40-year legacies. At the start they hadn't met, nor did they live near each other, but the chances they took grew like vines and intertwined on occasion as the custom motorcycle industry flowed, ebbed, then repeated the cycle. The first guy was Tom McMullen, who launched Street Chopper that year in Southern California. Meanwhile up in the Bay Area, Arlen Ness went into business in San Lorenzo. Although Tom's legacy outlived him, Arlen's still a daily part of his, now with two generations of progeny to carry the torch. Aren was kind enough to give us a few minutes out of his busy day for some reflections on his past, and ours.
In The Beginning...
Born July 12, 1939, Arlen Ness grew up in scenic northern California, where he resides to this day. By the end of the '50s, hot rodding was a permanent fixture in American culture, and California was its West Coast headquarters. Like many kids during this time, Arlen caught the custom car bug early on, and learned the skills that would later serve him as a bike builder.
SC: What drew you to motorcycles?
AN: We had hot rods in high school. I'd see Harleys in front of this burger joint and dad wouldn't let me have one, then my wife wouldn't. But I saved up money and bought one. The bike ended the car stuff for me, though. Later on I met some guys down the road and started painting their bikes.
SC: Where did you learn to paint?
AN: It was something I picked up. At first I used one of those old spray-out-the-end vacumm cleaners. The more you did, the better you got. Later on, painting for others let me do stuff to my bike.
The Garage Days and Early Street Chopper
That first Ness bike was a '47 Knucklehead that Arlen picked up for $300 in the '60s. It wasn't exactly what he wanted, but the lessons learned from hot rodding cars applied to customizing V-twins too and came in pretty handy when tailoring the Knuck. There wasn't an aftermarket to turn to back then, and just like anyone else who wanted a chop job, Arlen had to do it himself. When it was done to his liking, he entered his first show with it and won. It was the start of something special for Arlen and he's kept that bike all these years (in one form or another). Right now it's part of a year-long, 11-bike exhibit at the AMA museum in Ohio. It was during this early period that Arlen met Tom McMullen and had his first magazine feature.
SC: Why'd you buy that Knuckle?
AN: I just really didn't know too much back then. Didn't know a Knuckle from a Pan but I liked that low-slung Harley-Davidson look. I saw it for sale and took someone along who knew something about them.
SC: What shape was it in? Was it a basket?
AN: No, nothing like that. It was in nice shape. Kind of a bobber with fat bob tanks and a short back fender. I added apes and the painted tank.
SC: How'd you like painting your first bike versus painting a car?
AN: It's a lot easier to work on bikes (laughs). There's less area to paint.
SC: What did you like most about that bike?
AN: I loved the bikes. The whole phenomenon took me over. It was the sound, the feel and just riding around. It's a free-spirit type of thing that's hard to explain to anybody who doesn't ride.
SC: How'd you go about setting up the garage operation?
AN: It was just a regular double-car garage that I worked out of for a few years. I'd work as a carpenter, nail man, that kind of thing during the day, then paint on nights and weekends.
SC: How'd you meet Tom McMullen?
AN: I met him a few times. I'd see him at the trade show in Long Beach or I'd see him when buying a few parts. He invited me to the house for lunch, that type of thing. I didn't know him all that well but he was one of the main guys who got the custom thing rolling making parts.