61 Facts About Indian Larry

Indian Larry first became known as Indian Larry in the 1980s when he was riding the streets of New York City on a chopped Indian motorcycle.

Indian Larry became interested in hot rods and motorcycles at an early age and was a fan of Von Dutch and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, whom he would later meet in California.

Indian Larry died in 2004 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident while performing at a bike show.

In 2001 Indian Larry participated in the Discovery Channel program Motorcycle Mania II, followed by three different Biker Build-Off programs.

Indian Larry was born Lawrence DeSmedt in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York on April 28,1949.

Indian Larry grew up in the Newburgh, New York area including the town of New Windsor.

Indian Larry wanted his son to follow in his footsteps in the carpentry trade.

Indian Larry attended a Catholic elementary school where he suffered abuse.

Indian Larry kept what was occurring to himself, and didn't tell his family what was going on.

Indian Larry's first build was when he took his little sister Tina's tricycle and equipped it with Schwinn bicycle handlebars and a lawn mower engine.

In California Indian Larry took part in the scene and delved into drugs.

Indian Larry saw his sister Diane as a kindred spirit who understood what it was like to feel like an outsider in society.

Indian Larry accompanied her body back to their hometown for her funeral.

The cops had an idea that it was Indian Larry but had not been able to catch him so they set up a sting operation.

In 1972 as Indian Larry was exiting a bank he had just robbed, he was fired upon by two police officers.

Indian Larry narrowly escaped being killed when one of the bullets grazed his eyebrow.

At the age of 23, Indian Larry was sent to Sing Sing prison for three years.

The first magazine article about Indian Larry was in Iron Horse Magazine in 1987.

One of the photographs that he took of Indian Larry ended up on the cover of Artforum magazine.

Indian Larry began working in different motorcycle shops in New York City and New Jersey during the 1980s and early 1990s.

For many years Indian Larry struggled with alcohol abuse and heroin.

In November 1991, during a period when he was living around the Bowery, Indian Larry was going through severe withdrawals one night, wandering the streets cutting himself with a broken beer bottle.

Indian Larry had "1991" and "1994" tattooed on his arm, as he explained that he had to go back after his initial treatment.

Indian Larry is credited with helping to re-popularize the stripped down, tall handlebar, foot clutched, jockey shifted, no front brake or fender, small gas tank, open piped, kick start only, stock rake choppers that prevailed in the 1960s, before long front ends became popular.

When building a chopper, Indian Larry could draw upon what he had mastered over the years in the fields of mechanics, welding, and metal fabrication.

Indian Larry considered himself to be a "gearhead" originally, and was rooted in the hot rod culture of the 1950s and 1960s.

Indian Larry liked being able to see all of the nuts and bolts and mechanics of a bike, rather than concealing those elements in a bike's construction.

The way that Indian Larry approached building a bike was evident early on.

Indian Larry appeared in Easyriders magazine in 1998 in an article entitled, "Hardcore NYC Troubadors".

Later that same year the magazine profiled Indian Larry with his motorcycle, Grease Monkey, which won the 1998 Editor's Choice Award at the Easyriders Invitational Bike Show in Columbus, Ohio, which was an important recognition by the biker world of Indian Larry's talent.

The beginning of Indian Larry becoming known to the general public was his appearance in the Discovery Channel program, Motorcycle Mania II in 2001.

The group visits Denver's Choppers in Las Vegas, Nevada where Indian Larry is shown meeting chopper builder, Mondo Porras for the first time.

Indian Larry wanted to "elevate the art of the motorcycle" in the general perception and the art world.

Indian Larry stated, "As far as I'm concerned, it is one of the highest art forms, because it combines all media: sculpture, painting, as well as the mechanics, and it's just a lot more than any one single medium".

Indian Larry participated in three different Biker Build-Off programs on the Discovery channel:.

Indian Larry was voted the winner in all three Biker Build-Off competitions that he competed in.

Indian Larry said that the original idea for the bike's frame came to him in a flash of inspiration.

Indian Larry explained that his most creative ideas for a new build would flash across his mind in the form of an image, and then it would be his job to relentlessly chase that vision during a build until the image materialized in the finished product.

Since the frame is essentially the spine of the bike, any weaknesses in the welds could prove fatal, especially considering that Indian Larry really pushed his bikes to perform when riding them.

Indian Larry considered himself a "lone wolf", and was not a member of a motorcycle club, nor of what are termed outlaw motorcycle clubs.

Indian Larry loved being on the road on his bike and living the biker lifestyle.

When Indian Larry first met the woman that would become his wife, Andrea "Bambi" Cambridge, in 1996, her first impression of him is that she thought he looked like "a total mass-murderer".

People would go out of their way to avoid him on the subway, but the moment Indian Larry would start talking he'd instantly put them at ease with his sense of humor.

Indian Larry performed as "Bambi the Mermaid", and Larry's act involved lying on a bed of nails while large blocks of ice would be broken over his chest by a girl with a sledgehammer; or she would stand on his stomach.

Indian Larry "had a lot going on in his head", and was by nature analytical, and a deep thinker.

Indian Larry often expressed to those around him that he didn't pretend to know what was going on.

Indian Larry said that it was his way to remind himself not to judge others and that revenge was not his job.

Indian Larry was involved with acting, and performed stunt work for films.

Indian Larry appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, among other appearances in film and television.

In 2004, Indian Larry was living in the East Village with Bambi, working at his shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and was appearing at bike shows and rallies around the United States.

Indian Larry was regularly being recognized and approached by fans.

Indian Larry was scheduled to perform stunts at the event the afternoon of August 28,2004, such as riding through a tunnel-of-flames.

Indian Larry was always careful to build his bikes with aligned geometry so that they did not veer to the side while riding down the road.

One of the benefits derived from this level of bike stability is that it allowed Indian Larry to perform his stunts on his own bikes, such as standing fully upright on the seat while speeding down the road.

Indian Larry rode through the tunnel-of-flames that afternoon in front of a crowd of several thousand people.

Indian Larry had expressed apprehension that day about performing the stunt.

Indian Larry shared with Mondo that he did not have a good feeling about doing it, but he felt pressure to do it.

Rather than being able to jump down in the seat and regain control, Indian Larry fell off the bike, hitting his head.

Indian Larry sustained serious head injuries and he was airlifted to the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

Indian Larry died from his injuries on Monday, August 30,2004, at 3:30am.

The name, Love Zombie, was chosen since this was a name that Indian Larry had previously thought up for a future chopper he had wanted to build.