You can only imagine my surprise when I saw this murdered-out Indian Larry Motorcycles Shovelhead from the company known for their extremely colorful (and beautiful) retro-style paintjobs. At first I thought that Bobby Seeger and the rest of the crew at Indian Larry Motorcycles in now-trendy Brooklyn, New York, had given in to a trend themselves. But I got over that in about a millisecond or so as I really didn’t care anymore. I love black bikes so who the hell am I to judge? Especially on a bike like this that must cause people on the streets of NYC to stop and stare as it roars by in a bank of black sound echoing off the cement canyons walls of the city.

   You might not be able to notice the famous Indian Larry twisted downtube frame as it went by, but you’d see it in a heartbeat at rest. To this day, I still remember my excitement and natural trepidation when Indian Larry first showed this unusual technique on television and it actually worked. It’s still a killer frame today and the best part is that it’s actually offered by Indian Larry Motorcycles for sale to people like us. How cool is that? Getting your own piece of history is just a click away.

  Everything built or added to that frame keeps the legacy of the late, great Indian Larry alive today and his legacy couldn’t be in better hands than Bobby Seeger who worked alongside Larry up until that fateful day. Bobby and his wife Elisa have not only kept that flickering candle going, but have turned it into a strong flame that still has complete relevance today even though it’s been a long dozen years since his passing. I’ve really got to give credit to them for stepping into someone’s shoes that couldn’t be harder to fill if you tried and doing a bang-up job of keeping the Indian Larry tradition alive.

   All of the style-points (and engineering features) of what made an Indian Larry bike an Indian Larry bike are present and accounted for. The rideable friendliness of the originals stays true with no outlandish frame mods to dull the real world fun of hopping on a Larry bike and beating feet to wherever you fell like going. Handling is still extremely responsive courtesy of that beefy hydraulic fork with the IL-required steering damper attached. Most of the time the damper is just along for the ride, but when things get hot and heavy which is exactly how Larry rolled, it can keep you out of needlessly unnecessary trouble with its built-in damping. I always appreciated that IL touch even though most show bikes of the time would never hang such an “ugly” accessory on their bike. 

   One thing I do appreciate is the seriously heavy duty Brembo brakes front and rear. With a total of 12 pistons pushing pads, this black beauty is going to stop like the corner-carving bastard it is and leave plenty of room doing it. Laced wheels with black rims wearing appropriately-sized Metzeler tires provide ample footprint and agility when what I assume is a completely blacked-out S&S generator/alternator-style Shovelhead starts passing fresh horses back to the BAKER Drivetrain tranny. The 93-inch engine provides way more than ample power for a relatively lightweight bike like this and continues Larry’s belief that engines over 100-inches were unnecessary for true road performance and enjoyment on his style of bikes.

  You really have to check out that Shovelhead close up in the photo gallery to really experience all the delicious detailing. True, it might be all black, but the finishes chosen for this magneto-fired modern antique of an engine are exquisitely done. From the simple, but perfectly designed and made twin headers exiting over and under the knurled kicker, it’s a lovely object to look at. The black finish is so deep it feels like you could fall into it. Just a gorgeous mill supplemented by a fairly narrow belt drive that looks more retro than four-inch-wide crazy, I wouldn’t change a single piece.

   Style-wise, there’s really nothing new to report on this build and that’s a good thing. I love the dished tank, the dished-end cylindrical oil tank and the simply lovely simple round rear fender that also provides a lot of coverage from road grime and crud. Those style points were worked out years ago and they still stand the test of time today looking as fresh as ever. Sometimes perfection is something that shouldn’t be mucked with and that’s exactly the case here. There’s always something new to do that adds to what’s already there and in this case, it’s those twisted fender stays that mimic the downtube. Just a small touch that means a lot to pulling it harmoniously together. 

  But the killer here is the black on black look that brings its own special dark look to a legendary style of bike that’s so iconic it’s hard to think of it as bowing to tradition with the increasing-popular murdered-out style that’s sure to get quiet stares of envy anywhere it goes. This isn’t some case of if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. No way, it’s a case of doing it in the Indian Larry Motorcycles way and taking it to the next level. Bobby Seeger and the rest of the über-talented Indian Larry crew have met the enemy of trendiness and made it their own with another bike for the ages.

 For more info on Indian Larry Motorcycles, visit http://indianlarry.com/ or any of the social media.