As with many other areas of their business, the plan for selling these bikes is well thought out and will probably lead to success. Many builders try to jump up to big numbers quickly and end up requiring tens of millions of other people’s money to tool up. Cory and Arlen plan to build the bikes in California, at first at a rate of 11 to 15 month and eventually settling in around 20 per month. This they can handle at their present building. They will sell the bikes at their three retail locations, the main one in California, one in Daytona and at their newest location in Las Vegas. Customers will be assured of good service and factory/dealer communication should be superb, giving the builders in their new role as manufacturers the feedback they need to improve the product over time and learn quickly from experience. They plan to offer a six month warranty.
What strikes this writer about the Ness production Low Liner is the fact that the ride is probably pretty good. The seating position isn’t extreme, the ground clearance is adequate and the geometry of the frame reasonable. With S&S’s proven 124 powering the line up and a very well developed rubber mount system, this bike should be able to provide the rider with outstanding acceleration without shaking fillings loose. For those wanting more of a chopper look, two other models are being built initially as well: the Speed Liner with four inches of upward stretch and the High Liner with eight up and four out. While we look forward to a test ride one day, the bike looked good enough to become our first production bike presented in a full feature bike format.
Up Close: Ness-Tech Billet Primary System
Part of the Low Liner’s $44,995 price is due to this custom inner and outer primary kit. Similar to the $1,999 Dyna kit for left side drive applications, it is machined from 150 pounds of billet aluminum and chromed afterwards. These primaries give a bike a million dollar look. The softail version is a relative bargain at $1,399. Both come in stepped or grooved variations. You can check them out at www.arlenness.com or stop in at any of their three stores. These are the kind of parts that go on the Ness duo’s no compromise, all out Biker Build Off winning customs. Getting into the game early helped, but overall, their company’s high quality, excellent design and personal involvement of the owners has made them successful. You can see this primary and their full line of parts at their booths at all the major rallies.
Builder: Arlen and Cory Ness, Ness Motorcycles
Starting out of his garage in 1967, Arlen Ness used the money he won as a semi-pro bowler to buy his first Harley. After applying his own paint job and modifying the Knucklehead, he won the first show he entered. And the rest, as they say, is history. Arlen’s unique designs and dedication to innovation and not imitation has kept him at the front of the pack for almost forty years. Son Cory entered the business more or less at birth and helped to develop the current parts business. Running the day-to-day operations as well as designing many of the new parts, Cory added both artistic and organizational talent to the family business. With their new world headquarters just opened in Dublin, CA, design, building and distribution can take place under their one 68,000 square foot roof. Now the father and son duo have taken to building their own line of custom bikes, probably after reaching that critical point where their parts shelves began to look like an assembly plant, with pretty much everything needed to build a bike in stock.
SPECIFICATIONS | |
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Make/Model: | 2005 Covington’s Cycle City |
Engine: |
38 degrees / 5.5in. |
Pipes: | Ness |
Charging System: | Compufire 32A |
Transmission: | 6-speed right side drive |
Primary: | Ness, enclosed chain |
Clutch: | Rivera ISO Force |
Frame: | Ness Dyna Swingarm |
Rake/Trail: |
38 degrees / 5.5in. |
Front Suspension: | Ness |
Rear Suspension: | Progressive |
Front Wheels: | Ness 21 x 3.5 |
Rear Wheels: | Ness 18 x 10.5 |
Brakes: | Ness/ PM, 11.5 in. rotor |
Front Tire: | Avon 120/70-21 Venom X |
Rear Tire: | Avon 300/35-18 Venom R |
Induction: | S&S |
Dry Weight: | 665lbs |
Final Drive: | Belt, 135 tooth |
Seat Height: | 25 in. |