Arlen Ness, known for his hard work ethic, creative designs, and an originality that could not be copied, leaves behind big shoes that will be hard to fill in the motorcycling world.
The motorcycling world’s lost a legend in bike customization that’s seen its highs as well as its lows. As per Arlen Ness in an official announcement on their Facebook page earlier today (Mar. 23, 2019) Arlen Ness passed away earlier last night at the age of 79.
Check out the Facebook post with quite the fitting summary of the patriarch of arguably the most successful bike customization shops of the modern era.
Hot Bike did a great “A day in the life” last year and it’s worth a read. During a time when American bike customization was just being born, Arlen Ness’s iconic designs wowed the world pretty much right out of the starting gates. To say Arlen Ness was a success right from the get-go wouldn’t be an understatement as orders from all over the world for his customization products took off.
As mentioned, even through the lows, especially during the recession of 2008, Ness strived to stay relevant in an ever-changing motorcycling scene. In 2013 Ness partnered with Magnaflow, marketing a one of a kind motorcycle exhaust combining two iconic names in the exhaust world.
Ness legacy continues to live on through the numerous builds he’s pioneered, crafted, and birthed into life throughout the years. Even former late night Host Jay Leno has one of his bikes.
Ness’s official Facebook post put it best,
Although the Ness family cannot put their loss into words, they can look up and smile knowing Arlen has done something that few men do in a lifetime of trying. He has inspired.
Do you own any Arlen Ness products? Do you have any stories to share? Let me know in the comments below.
Source: Arlen Ness
