American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 238 May 2019 | Page 4

Thank You Arlen! It has been a sad month. The loss of Arlen Ness has seen our skies darken! couple of weeks later news came of the death of Jesse Rooke too. In his case a salutary reminder of the calculated risks that everyone takes every time they 'throw the leg'. Jesse was one of the emerging new talents who started to embrace what we now know as the crossover 'Moto Culture' that was born out of the 'Retro Revival' of 15 years ago. That in turn was a response to the economic downturn that started to affect custom bike builders before anyone else in the motorcycle industry. The scramble for Bobber price-points ultimately led to the Scrambler and Tracker 'vibe' that we see new generations of builders and riders embracing today - action which many of the OEMs have been falling over themselves to claim a part of. Jesse was one of a handful of 'early adopter' customizers who saw it first, and for who it was an extension of their own cultural milieu - from surf and skate board to easy build, easy ride and easy to race motorbikes was a short hop and one that is now informing the emergence of the burgeoning middleweight market. Jesse and his band of brothers had one huge characteristic in common with the market's senior builders, such as Arlen Ness, and that was the eternal flame of dedication, passion and enthusiasm. Jesse was one of the first people I met who showed me that the values of the market that were well established by the time I came into it in the late 1980s were in safe hands and were going to be generationally transferable - even to the newer cohort who now see the world through the lens of their screens. Many tens of thousands of words and acres of imagery have been and are being written and published about Arlen's life and work - and by people way better qualified to talk about custom design and tech than me. Most of my contact with Arlen was at classic trade show environments, and at custom bike shows, on both sides of the Atlantic. Arlen and his son Cory, and now his grandson Zach, are no strangers to supporting their business and fan base internationally, and 'back in the day' I'd often see Arlen (and Cory) in Europe (and further afield). Of course, as a custom bike artist and engineer, Arlen Ness was a genius, genuinely showing the way to generations as the leader of a very small group of giants who took our world in whole new directions. But for me, with all that in his locker, it was Arlen the man who impressed me most - his modesty, his manners and his professionalism. He was a true gentleman for whom it was never about him, but about whoever it was he encountered. Many years ago, Holger Mohr, who was then still running Custom Chrome in Europe, not long after the acquisition of Tom's International had been made public, asked me to be one of a panel of show visitors to speak about Arlen at an A 4 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - MAY 2019 appreciation evening that was being staged. Everyone spoke eloquently about his design oeuvre, the contribution that he'd made to the direction that custom bike building had taken at his hands, and his prowess as a craftsman and engineer - a puddle in which I still consider myself out of my depth. Instead, I recalled a cameo moment I had witnessed a couple of years prior, and it is one that has stayed with me ever since. I can't remember where we were exactly, but it was a custom show in Europe (Germany, France or Italy, I think) and Arlen was with Cory, who had been invited over as guests of honor. I can remember that it was a freezing cold, less than 'contemporary' hall, and that it had been really filthy weather all weekend. Since they left home some days before, and since they got off the 'red-eye' and until the moment they eventually got home, I dare say they'd not had a moment of peace and quiet, had to endure the pitfalls of multiple trips, the crappy food and variable standards of hotels that is the road warrior's lot, and must have been exhausted. It was a weekend show and throughout, Arlen and Cory had been representing themselves par excellence, and even as the show was closing, there they were, perched at a rickety trestle table, signing posters, show catalogs and autograph books (remember them?) for all those who wanted their 'meet and greet' moment, and still a line of patient enthusiasts snaked away from them. Arlen (and Cory) made sure they had time for everybody, made sure they made everyone feel special, made sure they 'spoke bike' with all those who wished to do so and treated all their fans with unstinting and unfailing courtesy and friendship. With Arlen, it was never about ego. That professionalism and modesty was an example that I have taken with me everywhere I have gone ever since. Thank you for having been a shining example, thank you for everything you did for all of us. Robin Bradley Co-owner/Editor-in-Chief [email protected] www.AMDchampionship.com