This was my second tattoo, the Triumph logo, old school, straight to the chest, hurt like a motherfucker.
I discovered this neat thing, if you stop for too long (like 10 minutes) then it begins to heal, then when the artist starts back up the pain is even worse.
But the end product was something that I truly love, and it really shows how much I love Triumph bikes, you can think that's stupid, but I don't. They make me happy, and in my life that is Very important.
These are actually Cam giving me my first Tattoo which is the Norton logo, it really should be on my chest, and the Triumph on my shoulder blade, but Norton is my greatest love, and this being my first tattoo that is what I went with. Because I'm so thin, Cam said it was like hitting bone the whole time =p
Thats Zach on the table getting his soon to be wife's name tattooed to his chest. That necklace he's wearing his father gave him when he was 14. He gave it to me when I collapsed in his apartment from pain, one of many attacks which was one of the reasons I had to abandon Phoenix.
This is a Sleeve Zach wanted and Cam did for him.
Without a doubt these were my two best friends in Phoenix, and even that I'm gone I consider them to be still. Zach in the shirt, Cam without. Zach is pointing at the first tattoo he's ever done, the webbing on Cam's knee.
Cam is actually now in jail, and looking at 15 years. It makes me very sad because this is one of the nicest guys I've ever know. He cleaned up, found Jesus, quit smoking, quit drinking, was getting the best grades at MMI, was doing incredibly well, he's a brilliant tattoo artist, and as loyal and true a friend as anyone could ever wish for - and he was arrested for small time shit he did a few years ago, and they trumped up the charges.
On the left we have Mike, he was a really cool guy, I was in classes with him for 12 weeks. He was always really nice, talked to you, sarcastic as fuck, my kind of guy, and one of Cam's best friends out here. One night he put a .50 caliber pistol in his mouth and blew his brains out. It was quite sad, still is. But we've all seen death, all of us there.
Ahhh The GROUP
L->R: Cam, Steve, Barrat, Ian.... The Outsiders?
New Years Eve? I'm actually Not sure when this was taken.
L->R: ?, Zero, Cam, Ian, Steve, and Zach on his knees.
This is Everybody
Standing L->R: Cam, Jazmine, Ian
Sitting L->R: Chris, Steve, Myself, Will & his Girl.
Cam, in his riding clothes, and his school shirt.
Here we have Ian and Cam. Ian was one of the most mellow, happy, nice, cool guys I knew there. Loved loud angry music, dirtbiking, all sorts of shit, lived in a wild part of Colorado. A month or two after I left I heard the news. He was drunk or high and carrying his pistol around, Steve said I don't like guns in my house. Ian said "Its Not loaded, See Watch" and put the gun to his head and shot himself. Last I heard (sometime ago) he was in critical condition. I continue to pray for him, but don't have the heart to ask if he's still alive.
New Years Eve. Minus the hat and blanket that was pretty much my winter rig for clothes. I ended up forcing Zach to accept that pipe as a gift before I left to come back here. Its a Brebbia made in Italy. Great pipe. I was probably smoking Bombay Extra by McClelland. Which was Dad's favorite blend.
Cam and Chris, we called Chris "Sir Revs Alot" I'm not sure who thought that up, they were probably VERY drunk, but it stuck. He had a new Harley and just ran the piss out of it. Great guy, one of many to force me to accept food. He worked at a mexican resteurant and gave me one of the best meals I've ever had when Cam told him I had next to no food.
This is a 1995 Kawasaki KZ1000P - the P stands for Police, I bought it in Feb of 2008, it came with a radio rack, rear cases, rear crashbars, front crashbars, and a giant fairing which I took off the day I got to Phoenix. It broke down 5 times on the way across, blew out an average of 1 qt of oil per day on my left boot, and was just pretty damned miserable.
2 days after arriving in Phoenix it died again 1 block from the apts, I abandoned it for the day and pushed it home that night at like 2am. The next day I went out and bought another bike.
I met Cam at a party in the apartment next door to mine, where Barratt and this kid Corey were living. Cam and Will banged on my door and ordered that I join them. We all became good friends, pretty quick. Later down by the pool Cam asked if I was going to sell the KZ, and I said ya, how much you got, we decided more or less on a $1000, and Will was asking very specific questions which I was answering dead honest.
I bailled on them for the night, and in my apartment I thought, "You know what? Fuck it" so I went back out, walked into Barrat's apt where Cam, Will, Zach, and everyone was hanging out, and said to Cam "You know what, you can have it" This seemed to blow everyone away, I guess they just weren't expecting it, I was misty, but thats because I get such a high out of doing cool things for people. I made a few friends for life that night, wasn't my plan, I just figured he could use a bike, I had a spare bike, he liked it, he'd love it, he could have it.
This was it the day he got it, he took this picture.
Cam likes Rat bikes, I do too. So he decided to make the KZ a Ratbike, by the way, the problem was 2 wires. He lowered it, made it a hard tail, used a seat I gave him, a different headlight I gave him, and a tail light I gave him. He really loved that bike. I think he paid me for some parts, and he gave me free food, and Zero, Zach, and I all got free tattoos - as well as others.
In the background you can see my second 73 Triumph, God I loved that bike, I got too sick to start it (kick only) and had to sell it.
KZ, Triumph Tiger, and Royal Enfield Bullet.
I had more in mind for writing but it's 5AM. So I'm going to just go to bed.
