Famed chopper builder and sometime stuntman Indian Larry, owner of chopper shop Gasoline Alley NYC, passed away yesterday at the age of 55. According to an Associated Press report, Larry fell while performing a stunt on one of his choppers at a rally near Charlotte, North Carolina, and died as a result of head injuries from the crash.
Anyone who has watched the Discovery Channel’s “Great Biker Build-Off” series should be familiar with Indian Larry. An old-school fabricator, mechanic and metal sculptor, Larry proudly matched his classic style against the newer style of “showpiece” choppers built by young guns like Jesse James of West Coast Choppers, Billy Lane of Choppers Inc. and Paul Yaffe of Paul Yaffe Originals.
Who can forget the episode of Great Biker Build Off which pitted Indian Larry and the Gasoline Alley crew against dreadlocked 20-something Billy Lane. Lane’s bike was trailered to Gasoline Alley from the Choppers Inc. shop in Florida, with plans for the two builders to ride their creations to a rally where bikers would vote to determine the winning bike. Lane arrived at Gasoline Alley to be welcomed by Larry, who was surprised to find that the young builder was unable to start the bike he had brought! Lane turned to the veteran to help him diagnose the problem, and only Larry’s jetting skills allowed the Choppers Inc bike to start up and avoid being disqualified.
In this same episode, Larry explained his philosophy of building bikes to be ridden. His machines were never as long, as low, or as raked out as those of his competition on the show. Why? Larry wanted his bikes to be able to “go around corners”. We hope Indian Larry’s ideals of producing bikes to be enjoyed by their riders will influence the custom bike community long after his unfortunate death.
Indian Larry’s web site may include more information soon. Tributes to Larry can be seen on the opening pages of the Choppers Inc. site and the Paul Yaffe Originals site.
