Ness is survived by his wife of 59 years, Beverly, and his children and grandchildren. Soon local bikers were visiting Ness, who made his own parts, asking him to customize their bikes, too. Very saddened to hear of the passing of the great motorcycle designer, Arlen Ness today. “On Friday nights, we’d cruise East 14th Street (in Oakland and San Leandro). were building look alike choppers, I stumbled upon Arlen Ness’s works - at the SEMA show if I’m not mistaken....Anyway, it was amazing...His art deco bikes were astounding. (Mike Lucia/ Staff Archives), Arlen Ness (left) checks out the progress of a bike with Aaron Ferer in Nov. of 2005. (Doug Duran/ Times), Arlen Ness stands admist his mortorcycles he has designed over the years in 2004. Ferer purchased the bike and was waiting for it to be completed. If you want to describe a Ness bike, you have to say, that motorcycle looks like it’s going 90, standing still, and you aren’t exaggerating ! Arlen Ness, a designer whose wildly colorful customized motorcycles are sought after by riders and museums alike, died March 22 in the East Bay after a long illness, family and friends reported. Arlen Darryl Ness was born in Moorhead, Minnesota on July 12, 1939 to Elaine and Ervin Ness, and moved to San Lorenzo, California when he was in the sixth grade. With just his high school shop experience, Ness took the Knucklehead apart, added a peanut-shaped gas tank, painted it green and entered it in a motorcycle show. “Nobody was doing what he was doing,” said Danny Perez, the retail manager of the Dublin shop, which features a museum of some of Ness’s creations. While the Californian will be remembered for his more recent flamboyantly styled choppers and the one-off models he designed for Victory motorcycles, his greatest legacy was created in the early 1970s. Ness … HAYWARD — They called him the king of custom motorcycles. He rose to prominence for building custom race-inspired skinny-tube 5/8ths inch chromoly frames for his bikes, which was truly unique at the time. The motorcycling world is saying a prayer for the family of Arlen Ness after the tragic death of his brother on Monday due complications suffered during a multi-vehicle crash on July 30 in Reno, NV. Every bike he created was literally a work of art. “My dad was extremely well-respected around the world,” said Ness’s son, Cory Ness. “Everyone loves his artistic side and the creative things he did with motorcycles.”, Ness’s company announced on its Facebook page Saturday that he had died, describing him as a “visionary, loving husband, father, grandfather and leader of our family.”. I’d go by that place 20 times a night just to look at the bikes. Arlen Ness, a designer whose wildly colorful customized motorcycles are sought after by riders and museums alike, died March 22 in the East Bay … “He’s considered the godfather of custom motorcycles,” Lovell said about Ness. Arlen Ness family is mourning the loss of his brother Kevin Ness. The Ultimate Motorcycling website said a memorial service and celebration of life will be held at a later date. His son Cory and grandson Zach are also noted custom motorcycle builders who run the Dublin operation. Mr. Ness tweaked and changed major pieces on the bike every year so he could enter it in an annual custom bike show that didn’t allow the same bike twice. Arlen Ness died on March 22, 2019 at the age of 79. She's a Bay Area native and a San Jose State University journalism graduate. It is with heavy hearts that we announce Arlen Ness the visionary, loving husband, father, grandfather and leader of our family passed away last night March 22, 2019. Her previous roles at the Mercury News include Lowell Thomas award-winning editor of the Travel section, Alameda County bureau chief and Getting Ahead editor. 5 restaurants in Pasadena closed for failing to comply with coronavirus rules, Geologists assess debris flow risk in Santa Cruz Mountains, Marin drug company develops coronavirus nasal spray, Marin fundraiser supports Coast Miwok cultural center. The custom motorcycle retailer, which is a landmark in Dublin, also features the legendary Arlen Ness … He was a bright feature in the bike world, and he will surely be missed by his friends, family, and fans. Arlen Ness Motorcycles posted on its Facebook page Saturday that the man, the myth, and the legend has passed away at the age of 79. In 2016, he earned the Sturgis Lifetime Achievement Award. Your work brought joy into this world ! As a young man, Ness earned money as a semipro bowler, parlaying $300 of winnings into his first motorcycle purchase, a 1947 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead, according to Bay Area News Group archives. The custom motorcycle world is mourning the death of Arlen Ness, aged 79 years. (VALLEY TIMES/TOMAS OVALLE), Arlen Ness, 63, sits on "Smoothness," one of his custom motorcycles. The first Ness Signature Series model was the 2004 Arlen Ness Signature Series Vegas, which carried a U.S. MSRP of $19,999 (compared to a standard black Vegas MSRP of $15,349). That first 1947 Knucklehead, called Untouchable, is a great story. Arlen Darryl Ness was born in Moorhead, Minnesota on July 12, 1939 to Elaine and Ervin Ness, and moved to San Lorenzo, California when he was in the sixth grade. (Yuki Saito-Miller/ Staff Archives), CLICK HERE if you are having a problem viewing the photos or video on a mobile device. “He was the nicest guy,” Cory Ness said, adding that people have contacted the family from around the world as news has spread about the death of his father. Click here to browse. Ness is survived by his son Cory, grandson Zach (both in the family business), and his wife of 59 years, Beverly. Kevin J Ness, brother to the famous motorcycle customizer Arlen Ness has succumbed to his injuries after being involved in a crash on the I-80 … Ness received a patent for the Big Shot, a method of altering the motorcycle’s fuel injection system, and thereby enhancing a motorcycle’s performance. Ness grew up in San Lorenzo and San Leandro and customized bikes at home before he set up shop on East 14th Street in San Leandro. The Inventory team is rounding up deals you don’t want to miss, now through Cyber Monday. Instead of patches, Hamsters wear yellow T-shirts. According to Nevada Highway Patrolman Chuck Allen, a motorcyclist riding a 2008 Victory Vision was thrown from his bike after being struck by a vehicle; the rider was identified as Arlen Ness, ‘king of custom motorcycles,’…, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Live updates: 49ers lead Rams 14-3 at SoFi Stadium, Arlen Ness, ‘king of custom motorcycles,’ dies at 79. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! (Travis Lindquist Staff Archives), Motorcycle designer Arlen Ness sits atop a Speedliner one of the manufactured motorcycles for sale in November of 2005. That was what you did back then. The family said a memorial service and celebration of life will be held at a later date. Ness was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1992. 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