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Who built this digger??

23K views 64 replies 35 participants last post by  sugarlou 
#1 ·
I just got this thing today. I saw it at a guys place a couple of years ago, he found it sitting in a shed for over 20 yrs. Wasn't for sale. I all but forgot about it, and a friend got a call from said dude and it was for sale. He bought it, called me, and here it is!! He thinks its a Ness bike.
Can anyone identify this? Holy shit this thing is wacky and fucking cool!!





 
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#2 ·
Cool bike. Lotta Ness parts there, tank, guard, springer, probably Ness hardhead frame section, looks like SB &F sprung struts..

Back in the day it was easy to build a cool digger from a stock sporty with catalogue parts.
 
#3 ·
I really have an really intense dislike of you!! I've always loved that style and never could figure out why it went out. Wacky it ain't. Oh so cool it is!
 
#9 ·
It's a single downtube hard-head section.. so to me it's a GMA (Gardener) instead of a Ness front section..also the gusset shape gives it away..
You could order them back then in any stretch and rake you wanted..

Here's a pic from a GMA hardheaded Sporty frame, (this one here has less amount of forward stretch) Gusset shape is the same..

(Barry Cooney also made single downtube hard-head kits, but gusset was different)

 
#12 ·
Danny and Digger Guys, I have an Original Early Arlen Ness and Barry Cooney Catolog as well as many Pictures, I will need to scan them and Post, problem is my scan at work comes out in a PDF and I cannot jpeg the pictures, I will ask the Comp Guru kid at work for help...
 
#20 ·
I've got a double tube Gardener frame and I would say that is definitely his hardhead section. Alot of rocket tanks Munroe built for Ness were aluminum, haven't seen too many steel ones, especially with the large gas cap. SB&F struts is all I can add to what's already been said. Nice score, now get her on the road asap!
 
#23 ·
I have good luck cleaning rusted but painted tanks with either of two methods - A product called CLR at most hardware stores. throw about a quart in and fill the rest with water and let sit overnight. Drain in the morning and strain the mix through a strainer (old panty hose work great and are fun to take off the right wearer!) and repeat if nessesary.

The other is about the same thing with Vinegar... Takes a little longer than the CLR, and it doesn't do much to old gas as the former does but seems a bit gentler on old paint if spilled. In either case, when your done flush well with lots of water and then throw a bit of water and baking soda into the tank to nutralize the acid. I have used both of these on several Model "A" Fords that were left to sit with fuel in the tanks (the tanks on those cars is painted and part of the cowl) and had great results.
 
#24 ·
If it hasn't been repainted, it was most likely owner built or by a small shop. BACC (Simms) used Ness hardheads and later their own. He used Horst exclusively for paint. Ness of course, used his own hardheads and usually a collaboration of himself and McCann for paint.
 
#57 · (Edited)
A little cleaner.
Your bike is amazingly similar to this one from Street Choppers July 77.
It was built by Dave Perewitz using Ness frame, tank, forks and fender, according to the mag article.
Apart from the twin-downtube frame in the magazine bike, it is amazingly similar in both overall design and the small details, eg oil tank, passenger pegs, bars, chrome swingarm and brake backing plate etc etc to your bike. Even has that not-so-common smooth Sporty tin primary cover.
Could they have been built as two-of-a-kind?
Or did one inspire the other?
Might be worth tracking down Perewitz and asking him.
One way or another you have a real piece of chopper history there











FWIW, i like your bike better out of the two. Steering head seems to sit lower and more raked out, so tank is level and bike has a longer lower stance. That's a real lowrider. It seems more like the way Ness built his bikes at that time.

Going through my old magazines confirmed my recollection that in the early to mid 70s we usually called this particular style of bike a "lowrider" or "Bay Area style lowrider". Diggers were drag bike styled customs that were different, did not have such a stretched frame, prism tank or the long skinny springer with mucho rake.
Then Harley hijacked the Lowrider name for its factory custom SuperGlide that owed nothing in its styling to these bikes and the name seemed to fall from favor in custom circles and these bikes got wrapped in with diggers after they went out of fashion in the 80s.
 
#27 ·
I think I'm in love!! Monstrous!!!
 
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