Recidivist, the World's First Tattooed Motorcycle
Tattoos and motorcycles go together like peanut butter and jelly. But this is the first time we've seen a tattooed motorcycle.
1. Recidivist - The Cheyenne Bike
If you want to capture the attention of the hundreds of thousands of bikers who descend on the big bike rallies each and every year, you've got to produce something truly special. To do just that, Polish custom shop Game Over Cycles teamed up with German based Cheyenne Professional Tattoo Equipment to construct what is the world's first tattooed bike, dubbed Recidivist.
2. Choosing a Proper Canvas
Now, tattoos and Harley-Davidson have long enjoyed a harmonious relationship, but usually you see the hand crafted artwork on the skin of a bike's rider, not the bike itself. Occasionally you do get airbrushed stuff on tanks and fenders inspired by tattoo flash artwork, but this is something different. The uniqueness of the Cheyenne bike is due to it being covered in light colored leather, chosen for its color similar to actual human skin, which makes it a great canvas for actual tattoo art.
3. Rolling Work of Art
Two Polish tattoo artists from Individuum and Steel Will Tattoo-Factory teamed up to ink the cow hide, using equipment from Cheyenne. The overall design is intended to reflect traditional tattoo styles, and we'd say they nailed it. The amazing artwork covers the bike's seat, tanks, rear fender, headlight, and many other small areas. The team even tacked leather to the oversized, balloon tires, and tattooed them. The bike debuted at a London Tattoo convention, and work continued on the art during the entire event.
4. Beyond the Leather
Recidivist is much more than just a bunch of tattoos, of course. It started life as a Softail, but only part of the frame and the original engine were retained. From there, everything you see was custom fabricated by Game Over. The amazing bike features tons of cool steam punk details, and other street thug inspired touches. The shifter is a crow bar for breaking and entering, huge brass knuckles grace the rear fender and hold the taillight, the front wheel brake calipers resemble handcuffs, and front clutch and brake handles formed to look like butterfly knives.
5. Paying Tribute to the Past
The artwork isn't the only nod this bike makes to the past, either. Game Over Cycles incorporated plenty of old school elements into the tattoo bike. They include reversed front clutch and brake handles, as well as a suicide shifter, and plenty of brass, bronze, and rust. The builder also pays tribute to the tattoo industry with a front suspension that closely resembles a traditional coil tattoo machine. The idea behind the design was to create something paying tribute to post-war bikers while also building a bike unlike anything anyone has ever built before. And we'd say they nailed it.
6. The Sturgis Debut
How do you top such a one of a kind bike and keep it fresh for a big show like Sturgis? How about by building a custom sidecar in the same style. The sidecar is also covered in flesh colored cow hide, and its ample flanks give plenty of opportunity for the ink slingers to practice their craft.
For help with service of your bike, check out the how to section of HDForums.com
