Arlen Ness Strikes Again
ARLEN NESS STRIKES AGAIN
THIS TIME, FOR THE FIRST TIME, ON A DYNA GLIDE
IF THERE WERE A CUSTOMIZING COMPETITION IN THE Olympics, Arlen Ness would surely carry home more gold (or would it be chrome?) than anyone else. Using an agile and active imagination-and lots of built-from-scratch parts-the acknowledged King of Customs has been muscling motorcycles into the shape and style of his dreams for 25 years now.
“Extensively modified,” is how Ness describes his bikes, but anyone who has seen the Big Red Bike, The Sled or Two Bad knows that’s an understatement. His customs may have Harley engines at their rich, rumbling hearts, but there’s no doubt Ness gives them their body and soul.
A recent experiment at Ness’ shop in San Leandro, California, is no exception. For this custom, the designer decided to use a new Harley Dyna Glide frame, instead of the FXR Low Rider frames he usually prefers, as the foundation for a flight of fancy. “It was a fun project,” Ness says. “The frame is nicer to work with than the FXR in some ways.”
Nicer, perhaps, but certainly not easier. Before he even thought about sculpting one of his motorcycle masterpieces on the '92 Dyna chassis, Ness knew he needed to do something about its seat height. “On a stock Dyna, you feel you’re sitting on top of the motorcycle,” he explains. “The real Harley feel-what people like about them-is that you sit right in ’em.”
He tackled the rear end first, chopping it and sliding the rear subframe 2 inches down the backbone of the frame. Next, Ness took on the front end. It was lowered and then stretched 2 inches, with about 5 extra degrees of rake thrown in for good measure.
Once this lower silhouette was in place, Ness could finally start engraving the famous Arlen autograph on the Dyna, using custom parts he billet-machined. From front fender to taillight, the bike is almost all Ness parts.
But the man who has found success in excess decided to tone it down this time. The Glide’s slung-back sleekness doesn’t come with a second set of bodywork, as one of his recent creations, The Sled, does. Nor is it a four-carbed, twin-supercharged beast like the Big Red Bike. “I didn’t get really radical with it,” Ness says.
Still, you can hardly call it a conservative custom. The Glide is brash and bold. Bursts of blazing orange lightning bolts and whimsical pink-and-blue clouds brighten a blacked-out paint job. It practically bristles with chrome and alloy, too-clean, horizontal lines on the fixtures echo one another. Fuchsia pinstripes complete the package. Even the hard-to-please creator seems happy with his finished product. “It’s pretty well-proportioned,” he admits.
And that means this lightning bolt is sure to strike more than once. Because Ness liked working with the Dyna Glide frame, his shop is gearing up to provide similar custom parts in his San Francisco Bay-area retail accessory store and through his mail-order catalog, Arlen’s Ness-ecities, so customers can soon start recreating the look.
But the prototype won’t find a place in a museum or showroom, where many of Ness’ motorcycles are spotlighted. It will ultimately reside in a more hallowed home: Arlen’s personal garage. And that is a sure sign Ness’ first Glide is a gold-medal winner in the eyes of customizing’s most particular judge. -Brenda Butiner
