Cool Guy That Built Cool Bikes

Too bad he was too cool to wear a helmet.

'Indian Larry' Said Killed at Bike Show

Tuesday August 31, 2004 2:46 AM

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) - A custom motorcycle builder known for his appearances on cable's Discovery Channel died Monday at a hospital of head injuries suffered during a stunt, officials said.

``Indian Larry'' fell off a motorcycle Saturday while performing before 8,000 people at an arena outside Charlotte. He was not wearing a helmet, the officials said.

Indian Larry was standing on the moving bike when it began to wobble and went out of control, said Mike Downs, Cabarrus County deputy manager. His full name was not immediately known.

``Indian Larry was a man with great skill and talent as a mechanic and metal sculptor,'' said Robert Freeman, chairman of the county board of commissioners. ``He will be truly missed by his fans here in Cabarrus County and throughout the nation.''

Indian Larry, who appeared in movies and television shows, was featured on a Discovery Channel series in which motorcycle builders design and build bikes from scratch, then have them judged by motorcycle aficionados.

You know, I'm really getting tired of people griping about all bikers should wear helmets. You sound like a bunch of clowns that have never ridden. Try wearing a helmet on a bike with no windshield. It sucks. The wind pushes your head around, and you have much less control than you would without it. Even when you do have a windshield, the weight of the helmet is burdensome enough to affect your control. I've ridden with and without, and I'll only wear a helmet now when the law requires it. I've told my wife and friends many times, "If I wear a helmet, I'd need a helmet." I simply don't have anywhere near the control of the bike while wearing a helmet. A fellow rider that lived very close to me went down on his bike about a year ago. He wasn't wearing a lid and hit a sign with his head at probably 50mph. He died instantly. The helmet would not have helped. At most, he would have been in a wheelchair drinking the rest of his meals. To me, that's worse than dying.

So for all you self-righteous non-bikers out there who that think we should all wear helmets, don't worry about us. We know what we're doing. Indian Larry died while performing a dangerous stunt. He's a grown man. He knew what he was doing and that it was potentially deadly.


We lost a great old-school biker. Don't F'up his memory with your helmet crap. Be respectful, not critical.

RIP Indian Larry.

Not to take from this thread..

I do not wear a helmet unless I have too.. not to be cool it is my choice...

If I was riding/racing on the dirt fields in the courtyside.. sure I would always have my helmet on...

But out on the Highway or intown traffic.. my Choice is No Helmet...

Indian Larry knew the risks and he also knew his choices...

As the slogin goes "Let Those Who Ride Decide"

ABATE Member....
Hog

Well said Lofty... I agree...


Hog

Thank you, Hog.

I hated wearing a helmet also. I don't ride anymore but the helmet really took away my peripheral vision.

I agree with Hog I wore one while dirt biking.

I haven't ridden in many years, though every summer I tell my wife that this may be the year I buy another bike. I absolutely hated wearing a helmet when I rode, but a helmet very likely saved my life.

In the late 1970s, I was living in a state that had a mandatory helmet law. My helmet was one of the ultra featherlights; quite expensive, safe, but only good for one impact. It probably weighed less than 1.5 lbs. The outershell was designed to crush on impact. It had several layers of varying density foam similar to that in the Therapedic mattresses.

I was riding on a gravel country road and took a curve too fast. I didn't feel like I went down that hard, but in the slide, my head hit a pretty good sized boulder along the roadside. The helmet took the full impact and I came away uninjured but for the normal road rash you might expect. My wife insisted I see an MD to pluck all the chunks of gravel out of my hide and to be sure that I didn't have a concussion. When the doc saw my helmet, he said I was very lucky to be alive and not paralyzed.

If I ride again, I'll probably wear a helmet.

I totally agree that it should be a rider's choice to wear a helmet or not. But if you've ever laid it down, you are thanking the good lord that you had it on. And if you've ever seen an incident wear a rider was not wearing one, you think, he should have worn a helmet. Not to mention a padded riding suit.

I've laid mine down.. runnin about 55-60 mph.. I thank God I was headed for the grassy median... Hindsite is easy to determin when looking back on the situation...

But to this Day it is still the Riders Choice.. Unless Mandated by that State...

one could argue this point forever... but the main thing here is... Larry Made a choice and may he Rest in Peace!!!

Hog

We was a great Artist.

That is one beautiful machine.

When I was in college, I dated a girl whose father loved motorcycles. He was riding one of his to work one day, some lady pulled out in front of him, and he hit the car head on.

I had to go to the girlfriends place of employment and pick her up. I swear that if I live to be 1000 years old, I'll never forget that day. The look on her face still sends chills up my spine. She was so happy to see me "surprise" her at work ... until I told her the news.

I'm not one to ever push my beliefs on someone else. Do what you want with your body and your life. However, even though wearing a helmet is "your" decision, unfortunately other people have to live with the consequences of that decision.

I used to never really care about helmet laws. That single day changed my mind. Heck, even now when I go mountain biking (bicycle) I wear a helmet.

Again, thats just my point of view. Do what you want. Just try to be a little sympathetic to other members of your family -- especially if you have kids.

What is really amazing to me is that all us Harley riders like to wear heavy boots leather chaps and leather jackets with no helmets, and the crotch rocket jockeys ride around with full face troy lee design helmets in tank tops, shorts and sandals.

Everyone can talk all that macho crap, but I'd love to be able to ask Indian Larry if it was worth it. If he was finished with his life, his family, his dreams. If losing all that was worth riding without a helmet. Although in a reverse manner, he probably taught a valuable lesson to a bunch of kids who saw it happen.

When I was in my 20s I rode dirt bike, street bike and drag raced snowmobiles. Yes, the wind pushed on my head at 80 mph on my Thunderjet drag sled, but I didn't even consider trying it without a helmet.

Look at the cratsmanship, care, and detail that went into that bike. Just beautiful

wow, 1st i heard of this. i own custom paint works, a paint and fabrication shop specializing in motorcycles. alot of the kind of stuff you see on those build off shows, as well as american chopper takes place in my shop. i used larry and some others as inspiration through early years, and tried to follow his builds as best i could. the man had some really cool ideas. this is a sad day in the world of motorcycle enthusiasts.

as far as helmets go, i personally dont't wear 1 unless in helmet law states. just my choice, and don't believe that any fat @ss politician should be able to tell me to do so. its good to make people aware of the cosiquences, but dont push people in corners. just MHO.


later daze, lance

R.I.P INDIAN LARRY

The "BEST" bike builder bar none, he was a great artist and a very cool guy, something that the motorcycle industry lacks, some of these bike builders think they are the $hi3t!! Indian Larry rest in peace!!

Now for the helmet stuff, I agree "he who rides, decides"

On the helmet issue, I don't think the Government has the right to protect me from myself. That being said I've been riding for over 30 years and would never get on a bike without one. I look at it this way though. It's just natural selection at work.

I think his big mistake was 'showing off' to the crowd.

I've seem him pull the same stunt riding down the street on one those Discovery channel shows (where they are headed to a bike building competition), him riding along with Jesse James and the rest of those great bike builders.

I think he just got a little too comforable with standing up while riding ...

Just the other day, I told my wife that I really liked that guys personality and his artistry with metal. It was fun to watch him build those bikes ... hand forming the tanks and such by eye.

The last time I seen him on TV, he was building the 'Worlds Largest Motorcycle' on one of those 'Monster' shows.