What do you get when you take the biggest name in motorcycling and combine it with a city that never sleeps? Arlen Ness Las Vegas, that's what! Arlen, the undisputed king of the American V-Twin industry, has decided to expand his kingdom by opening a store that bears his name right in the heart of Sin City-Las Vegas, NV.
From the company headquarters in Dublin, CA, Arlen and son Cory have had a plan in place to make the Ness name, products, and services more accessible to a greater number of people across the country. The strategy called for moving the existing Ness store in Daytona Beach, FL, from its present location on Beach Street to a much larger state-of-the-art facility at Destination Daytona, which is located in Ormond Beach, just a couple of miles up Interstate 95 from the old location. The second part of the plan was to team up with longtime friends Arnie Araujo and Dee Barns and open a new store in one of the country's hottest destinations-Las Vegas.
As with all good plans, the devil is in the details, and putting together a venture like this takes time and a lot of hard work-not to mention finding just the right location. Well, if you know anything about Arlen, you know that everything he does, he does first class, or it just doesn't happen.
After many months of hard work, the Vegas store was ready for its February 2006 grand opening. The weekend of the 24th-26th played host to showing off the Ness's new digs, beginning with a reception held at the store on Friday night. About 450 invited guests had the opportunity to rub shoulders with Arlen, Corey, Arnie, Dee, and many more of the good folks crucial to running the operation. In order to accommodate everyone, the showroom's floor was cleared of motorcycles to allow for the partying that went well into the night. Things didn't stop there-on Saturday morning the celebration began once again in earnest. Three local Las Vegas radio stations were set up in the parking lot to keep the thousands of guests entertained. In addition to the music and sounds of V-Twins, there was plenty more to hold the crowd's interest. By now the showroom had been rearranged and was overflowing with supple sheetmetal, luxurious paint, and brilliant chrome. The new store will be an authorized seller of multiple motorcycle brands, including Ness, American IronHorse, APC, Proper Chopper, and Rucker Performance. In addition, there will be plenty of used bikes to choose from.
The 17,000-square-foot dealership boasts a 12,000-square-foot showroom and a 4,000-square-foot-service center that's overseen by "Dusty," the service manager, who has more than 20 years of Harley experience under his belt. There are also huge selections of parts, accessories, and clothing to fit the needs of just about everyone who stops in. Throughout the weekend both Arlen and Corey spent lots of time with visitors as they swapped stories and signed autographs for long lines of devotees.
By the time the weekend was over, the crew had gotten into the swing of things, dealing with customers and familiarizing themselves with the many new bikes and products the store had to offer. So the next time you're in Vegas and hit it big, stop by and pick up your dream bike. Then again, if you lose your shirt you can probably at least find a T-shirt that fits.