The family business
Those of you involved in one know how much of a headache it can be. The Discovery Channel has entertained us with the loud-mouthed antics of a certain bike-building father-and-son duo (and trio). However, there's another family business that's pretty much a household name in the motorcycle industry. If you haven't already guessed who we're talking about, it is the Ness team. Arlen and Cory Ness make a formidable team when it comes to building bikes. We've featured many customs from the Ness clan over the years, with several making the cover. The Arlen Ness catalog is now more than 250 pages and showcases thousands of products. The Nesses have opened up shops in Miami, Las Vegas, and Daytona, and have created a partnership with Victory Motorcycles. Arlen's business sure has come a long way from painting custom bikes part-time in his garage with the earnings he won as a professional bowler.
And Cory-well, considering that he was born into the business, it's no surprise that he's following in his father's footsteps, not to mention being the chief designer behind everything from Arlen Ness Enterprises today. In fact, Cory's first bike feature was in our sister publication, STREET CHOPPER, when he was just 15 years old. He told us that most of his time these days is dedicated to product design, but his biggest passion is still designing customs. It's not easy when what you love most has to take a back seat to the busi-NESS-but hey, Cory's got things to do.
Just because you reach the top of your game in the industry doesn't mean you aren't constantly challenging yourself to be better. After all, that's how Team Ness has continued to expand all these years-constant innovation. We all know there will always be a steady stream of challengers for the title of "The Best." It's a never-ending battle of shows, build-offs, and various competitions. A prime example is the Artistry in Iron show held in Las Vegas, NV. For bike builders, it's basically the Super Bowl of shows. It's where the top builders in the industry pull out all the stops by building the best show custom they can. It's a great place to get the recognition of their peers, since the judging is based on one vote per builder.