Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Helplessness and rising up

By now i'm sure everyone that reads my blog knows about the ordeal Jason and Kelly went through, when I first found out I called my mom it was 1am and didn't know who else to talk about the whole thing. The feeling of not being able to help was awful. Through this I've learned, it's easy to help people who are weak but when two of the people you most admire go through a tradgedy it's difficult because you don't know what to do. I'd like to take a moment to personally thank rob, fred and tony for everything they have done, I have tried to help as much as I can by sending out emails to various company's to no avail. Now that time has passed and things are calming down a bit I realize Hellcat Customs relocating to Phoenix will be a fitting end to this tradgedy, I strongly believe that Hellcat Customs will be exactly that, a phoenix. They will rise up from the ashes and beautiful pieces of rolling art will rise with it. I am currently trying to buy a mustang to which we will model it after the eleanor car in the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds" the car will have many Hellcat touches and Hellcat logos on it, Jason has already coined the term "Helleanor" the possibilities with this car and any other thing that my dear friend can get his hands on are endless. Never has Hellcat Customs ever told me they cannot do something, theyve advised me against doing alot of things, but never said they can't do it. I will leave you with this thought in which I would like to make a plaque and hang it in the new shop "Close-mindendness is the greatest threat to innovation" Hellcat Customs is innovation and with the grit, determination, and fire that fuels them soon everyone will know that.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Intro, Friendship and Accolates

Welcome all to my little blog. If you haven't take the time yet read my intro at the top of the page. My name is Alex if I haven't met you come to Az and say hello most likely you'll see me working or doing my favorite past time which is training in the sport of mma. I am an avid sports fan, with the exception of hockey I can sit down and talk to you about any major sport, nothing against hockey or the NHL it just has never captured my attention, I've been to one hockey game in my life and I have to admit it was pretty exciting I honestly believe it defines the phrase "non stop action". Another favorite past time of mine is hanging out with friends many of which I have met through a dear friend and person who I have the utmost respect and admiration for, if you haven't met this man you are truly missing out, Jason Sarratt owner of HellCat Customs and the only person whose opinions I trust when it comes to motorcycles. I had the pleasure of meeting Jason almost two years ago when I answered his ad for a valley mechanic. I had just purchased a 2008 ninja 250r and couldn't wait to get HIDS and LEDS on it. The ninja was my 2nd bike, my first one was a yamaha r6 which i crashed in a cul-de-sac while learning how to ride. So I decided since I had never driven stick and was not familiar with learning how gears changed I would take an MSF course buy a 250 and learn how to ride right. The decision to ride motorcycles was greatly influenced by my father, while he has never pushed me to do anything I have never wanted to do I wanted a chance to get closer to him, knowing he rode motorcycles when he was younger I figured this would be the perfect hobby for us and the rest of the family to recapture a bit of their youth as well as building a stronger bond. While I called other craigslist ads most worked out of their garages Jason was the first legitimate shop while their is nothing wrong with working out of your garage he also was the first no bullshit attitude I came across knowing he was not the cheapest to do the job I knew it would get done right. As the months passed I grew accustomed to the 250 but as everyone that rides I knew the time had come to upgrade and move onto a new bike. I found an ad for a triumph 600 with only 3600 miles I offered the guy $3500 and he accepted. First thing was first I had to get LEDS on it lol IDK what it is about them but I just like the way they look on bikes. After looking at the Hellcat website I found out Jason did airbrushing too, growing up I had spent alot of time around graffitti infested neighborhoods and had always loved the artwork behind the vandalism. While I do not advocate vandalism and believe the destruction of someone else's property is wrong I knew that bringing a graffitti inspired theme to a bike would set me apart from the crowd. Little did I know the triumph had so many problems a PC that would make the bike stall everytime you put it into first was a problem I didn't think would happen and neither would the phone call from Jason telling me there were rags stuffed up in the gas tank from a leak. Once again he took a bike that was a headache to ride and not only made it functional but blew away any windcreen I have ever seen. Through Jason I met another incredible person in which I have become blessed to call a friend. Kelly follows the same no bullshit attitude as her significant other she is a person who is a "blast" to be around with her spunky attitude and ingenious hair color Kelly takes Jason's opinions, reinforces them, and adds her own two cents which help bring any bikes that they are working on and take them into the upper eschelon of the motorcycle world. Of course what group would be complete without the token black friend, Tony "LNGRO" is a character. Always one to defend his friends and lend a hand Tony is the epitome of what friendship defines. He is like a "brother" to all willing to give you the shirt off of his back and still work on his mistress. Lastly the newest addition to our family Smoothbiker Fred. While we have only known Fred for a short time he has quickly fit in. On our trip to Vegas Fred was the only reason I did not stop every ten minutes. He embraces the biker family mentality through his comments you can tell he is a mirror image of myself, passionate about both his friends and family. Vegas was a rough trip for me locking up my back tire and almost dropping my bike was the tip of the iceberg the wind was hell on the way back but through the guidance and patience of my group, including Chad and Kerry I was able to get through the adventure and became a better rider because of it. I guess this first blog is more of a thank you to everyone. I met 2 new people on the Vegas trip, Vixyn and Rob both great people. I hope this blog has not disappointed, while I know I still have a way to go before I become a michaels feed I think you will all enjoy this little page.