Arlen Ness - The King of Choppers

By: Arlen Ness, Michael Lichter .

In the beginning, there was Arlen Ness. Before Jesse James, Billy Lane, and the battling Teutuls, Arlen Ness started the business of building celebrity choppers. He is a long-time custom motorcycle builder whose bikes combine the artistic and the extreme. These rolling sculptures have been covered in motorcycle and even hot rod magazines for decades as Arlen Ness built a worldwide reputation as an innovator and sought-out builder of themed custom bikes.

This book traces the growth of the Arlen Ness reputation, business empire, and custom bike resumé and features stunning new photography of all the bikes in Arlen’s personal collection, over 50 in total.

From humble blue-collar origins, Arlen Ness has risen to the highest ranks of the motorcycle industry. In a world where chopper builders rule television airwaves, Arlen Ness reigns supreme. Arlen didn't rise to this level by merely being one of the first major builders on the scene; he earned his place in the pantheon of customizers by being the most innovative builder to ever set a torch to metal. When other builders were settling for extended forks and mile-high sissy bars, Arlen was using center-hub steering and mounting two engines on his choppers. When other builders were bolting together choppers with off-the-rack parts, Arlen was crafting turbocharged machines with custom-built overhead-cam engines.

Arlen remains one of the most innovative builders in a chopper scene populated by many talented young innovators. In Arlen Ness: The King of Choppers, Arlen and author Michael Lichter recount the challenges and triumphs Arlen has experienced in his rise to the highest ranks of the chopper world,

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