Deagazio's Tribute To Arlen

most of the features I write for this fine publication are of bikes that have a distinct style, so I was a little nervous when Heather asked me to write the feature on this beautiful Digger styled time capsule. I’ve been fortunate to know Jack and his lovely wife Lynn for several years now. I must say they are both very well known in the custom world. I’ve seen several of their bikes over the years, and I’ve always been impressed with the fit and finish of each one, especially the attention to detail of the hardware and brake lines and how the paint always seems to compliment the overall impact of the bike. That didn’t surprise me after Jack told me he had been a Judge for 22 years at the world-famous Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show.

Jack has been around motorcycles since he was 16 years old. Now, along with Lynn and a few friends, he’s built some amazing bikes. I’m sure judging some of the world’s best custom motorcycles has certainly made a lasting impact as well. This particular style of build is called a Digger which Arlen Ness on the West Coast and Dave Perewitz on the East Coast really put on the map back in the 70s. It must be said that the rest of the country was covered by Arlin Fatland in Denver and Donnie Smith in Minnesota so the Digger style was

firmly planted in the custom scene of the 70s. They were heavy on the gold leaf paint jobs, engraving on the engine and transmission parts, and even the forks at times. This engraving usually followed the lines of the paint, which was a mindblowing effect. Jack had grown up in the 70s and always admired the Digger style that he had seen those guys build and featured in classic mags like Easyriders and Hot Bike. It took 45 years for this build to happen, but it all started when Jack got an invite from the legendary Michael Lichter to build a bike for his Sturgis exhibition. The theme that year was “What’s the Skinny.” This build was already a classic as the frame was an original Arlen Ness frame that he had actually built in the 70s. Jack somehow convinced Arlin Fatland from 2 Wheeler’s MC in Denver..yep, THAT Arlin Fatland who was so instrumental in their popularity from the beginning.

With the help of a few close friends, Jack was able to source most of the parts needed to get started. The motor came out of New Jersey. Jack was working on the road in Philly when he heard about it and knew it would be perfect for his build. The bottom end was totally gone through by Ben (Benny) Ergen, while the top end was buttoned up by the Hartz Bros. With the motor wrapped up, Jack and Lynn decided to use Darryl Sargent from Kandy Man Customs to paint the bike. They got together and came up with a theme from that era that used a gold leaf design along with the color Midnight Blue from Tropical Glitz. Some builders from that era used gold-plated items on their bikes, and the Deagazio’s held true to

tradition. The gold rocker boxes, pushrod tubes, velocity stack, and the headlight ring highlight the gold leaf in the paint.

Another touch I like is the painted battery box and headlight bucket. These are usually chrome plated but definitely show attention to detail, no doubt experience from Jack’s judging days. For the engraving, they reached out to a gentleman named Pedro Galfano, who did a fantastic job. A challenging part of any build is the polishing and chroming. For this go-around, Jack used Gary Dubois. For you diehard chopper freaks who noticed that beautiful Harman girder front end immediately, well, guess what, it’s

Owner: jack deagazio City/State: Syracuse New York Builder: Jack Deagazio Year: 1982 Model: Digger Value: 25,000 Time: 6 months ENGINE Year: 1982 Model: ironhead Builder: Benny Urgan Ignition: coil Displacement: 61ci Pistons: HD Heads: HD Carb: S&S Cam: HD Air Cleaner: Paughco Exhaust: Paughco Primary: HD TRANSMISSION Year: 1982 Make: HD Shifting: Foot FRAME Year: unknown Model: Ness, Digger Rake: 41 degrees Stretch: 4 over FORKS Builder: Bill Holland Type: Harman Girder Triple Trees: Bill Holland Extension: Unknown WHEELS Front Wheel: Paughco Size:21 inch Tire: Avon Speedmaster Front Brake: Performance machine Rear Wheel: VT Manufacturing Size: 16 inch Tire: Firestone Rear Brake: Performance machine PAINT Painter: Darryl Sargent Color: Midnight Blue, metal flake Type: Tropical Glitz Graphics: Gold Leaf Chroming: Gary Dubois ACCESSORIES Bars: Bill Holland Risers: Bill Holland Hand Controls: Custom-Tec Foot Controls: HD Gas Tank(s): Ness Rocket Oil Tank: Hartz Brothers Front fender: Unknown Rear Fender: Ness Seat: Drag Specialties Headlight: Unknown Taillight: Cat eye Speedo: Unknown Photographer: michael lichter an original built by none other than Bill Holland of Executive Choppers, who, along with Mark Harman, built the original Harman girders back in the 70s..talk about history! The Hartz Bros. stepped up to help in the final assembly before the Sturgis debut, and Al’s Cycle was extremely helpful in finding many of the hard to find parts.

According to Jack and Lynn, a lot of thought went into this build and it turned out to be a true piece of art in memory of an amazing icon in the motorcycle industry. That’s when they decided to name the bike Tymeless. It’s a true homage to Arlen Ness as well as the other builder’s from the 70s who stepped up above and beyond to build this particular style. Outstanding job, Jack and Lynn, thank you both for sharing this fantastic piece of history with us!!