Indian Larry has passed on

[YB in IN]

I just read this on the Monster Garage board that Indian Larry passed away this morning. I know that many folks on this board could care less about the current chopper craze, but this was a guy who had some major wrenching skills.
Here (http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/9533189.htm) is a link to an article as to what happened.

http://www.charlotte.com/images/charlotte/charlotte/9535/90921801975.jpg

http://www.indianlarry.com/extra/imgs/indianxl_8e.jpg

http://www.indianlarry.com/extra/imgs/indianxl_8f.jpg

[BradfordBenn]

Indian Larry was my favorite of the biker builders on Discovery. He was more interested in riding than running smack or posturing.

I respected his design and style quite a bit. His designs were actually thought out and then done by hand. When he had the chance to win by forfiet since the other person's ride stopped working, but instead he helped to fix his "competitor's" bike.

Probably the closest to the idea of "It doesn't matter what you ride, it is if you ride" of all the "famous TV" builders.

I know I will miss him.

[ian408]

I liked his designs and more importantly, his outlook on life.

God speed Larry.

Ian

[JetDoc]

We all gotta go sometime...A stupid accident, but beats the hell out of dying in bed.

Personally, I plan to live to be 95, then be shot by a jealous husband!

[Gizmo]

Have not been all that fond of the "Chopper Craze" and the glorifying crap on Discovery but hate to see another human being and fellow rider loose his life. Of all the chopper builders, Indian Larry and Jesse James actually have serious wrenching and design skills and made bikes that really work. I liked that Indian Larry stuck to the old school style of choppers. RIP Indian Larry.

[username]

it's interesting that no one is making any comments regarding the fact that the dude was doing stunts without a helmet...

ATGATT folks, even if youre cool enough to be on TV.

there is no good reason for this dude to be dead. lousy lousy lousy.

[Gizmo]

Originally posted by username
it's interesting that no one is making any comments regarding the fact that the dude was doing stunts without a helmet...

ATGATT folks, even if youre cool enough to be on TV.

there is no good reason for this dude to be dead. lousy lousy lousy.

Well, as much as I am a believer in wearing helmets, we do not know if wearing a helmet would have made a difference in the outcome or not. Certainly it would have improved his chances but bringing that up here within the context of this post, just does not seem like the right thing to do.

[username]

Originally posted by Gizmo
Well, as much as I am a believer in wearing helmets, we do not know if wearing a helmet would have made a difference in the outcome or not. Certainly it would have improved his chances but bringing that up here within the context of this post, just does not seem like the right thing to do.

IMHO, safety is always the right thing to talk about. analyzing crashes and what could have been done differently, and trying to learn from it, is a good thing to talk about. it's even better when the person who crashed is able to contribute. i say this because i like the idea of fewer "[insert name] is gone" posts. i dont like it when people die.

[JetDoc]

Originally posted by username
IMHO, safety is always the right thing to talk about. analyzing crashes and what could have been done differently, and trying to learn from it, is a good thing to talk about. it's even better when the person who crashed is able to contribute. i say this because i like the idea of fewer "[insert name] is gone" posts. i dont like it when people die.

I think the only thing that could be learned from this crash is that if you do stupid things on a motorcycle, you're going to get yourself killed. Indian Larry has been filmed standing up on the seat of his motorcycle while running down a public highway at 70 MPH. He was doing the same trick when he crashed, only inside a stadium. At least he didn't take anyone else with him.

[BradfordBenn]

To me the lack of helmet and gear were not the root cause of Larry's death. It was the idea of standing on a moving motorcycle.

Also in terms of he should have been wearing the gear. Larry had probably buried more friends/clients than we ever will and he was well aware of the risks. He was an adult doing something he wanted to do in a situation where he was only a threat to himself.

I am an ATGATT guy, but I also think that Helmet Laws suck. To me the squids I see wearing a helmet, a pair of shorts, flip flops riding a 1000CC crotch rocket are a bigger hazard than a well experienced rider who is not wearing a helmet.

However everyone is entitled to their opinion. Should he have been wearing the gear? Yes. Was it his choice, and probably an educated one not to? Yes.