Not long ago, when the Discovery Channel was more concerned with grasshoppers than American Chopper, the notion of a Blue Chip corporation, such as Xerox, taking a ride with a couple of bikers from Oakland, Calif. to market their high-end office equipment might have been charitably viewed as an uneasy alliance. Now, with bike builders emerging as the cross-generational rock stars of the 21st century and boardrooms becoming eager to tap into the upscale muscle and chrome image, the idea of renowned innovators Arlen and Cory Ness building a custom cruiser to promote Xerox’s Nuvera Digital Production System seems less an act of corporate counter-steering than a smart play that has also produced an incredibly cool bike.
The nine-foot-long Nu-Ness cruiser is built on a custom Ness frame and matches the immensity of the Nuvera system. The paint scheme is a study in black-and-white line work and gradient contrasts that echo the Nuvera’s monochrome document production. An abundance of Ness chrome adds sparkle and the custom wheels feature bolted spokes, each engraved with the Xerox name. The diamond cut 124 cu in powerplant generates a powerfully smooth ride, while the print engine of each Xerox Nuvera system produces a test poster featuring Arlen, Cory and the bike.
