Sometimes you just find things out as a kid in the darndest way like the time I couldn’t help but hear my neighbor, Johnny LePaige, scraping something on his new car as he was backing out of his driveway onto the street. It was like something had fallen off his car and he was just scraping it along until he pulled away and the noise was gone. No, it wasn’t the hanging low, dual exhaust burbling V8 noises through long chrome extensions on his mildly customized ’55 Pontiac Star Chief two-tone, two-door hardtop, but a cast aluminum license plate hanging under his rear bumper with “Lone Wolf ─ No Club” and a picture of a smilin’ wolf emblazoned on it. I saw that plate fade into the distance and wanted to know what that was all about.

   My father, who could never be counted on to tell you the truth, actually explained what it was all about to me ─ at least his version of what “Lone Wolf-No Club” meant, “He’s his own guy and needs nobody.” As a six-year-old kid, I liked the idea of it a lot, a real lot, and it probably shaped me in ways that are still affecting me today. I love “Lone Wolf- No Club” on so many levels I could bore you to death for hours, but you’re there and I’m here so I’ll let it go.

 

 

   Just like it says on the seat of this Sportster bobber, this bike was built out of the shop of one of the real “Lone Wolf – No Club” persons of all time, the late, great Indian Larry. Bob and Elisa Seeger were friends as well as business partners with Indian Larry and have faithfully continued his legacy at Indian Larry Motorcycles in Brooklyn, New York, in a way that would make Larry proud. Bobby continues to build bikes in the spirit of Larry while Lisa manages clothing and just about anything else that has to be done. They’ve continued to build bikes that have Indian Larry metaphorically stamped all over it while still exuding the same high quality, style, and great taste Larry put into his builds. The keepers of the legacy should be proud of what they’ve accomplished and I look forward to each and every Indian Larry Motorcycles build.

   But, I gotta admit that when I saw this Sportster bobber called Moving On for the first time, I was a little bit shocked. Or maybe just a little perplexed. Where was the hardtail? Is that really rear suspension? Where was the big block? Why are the frame tubes just frame tubes? It was different from what I expected, yet it shouldn’t have surprised me. Larry was never afraid to try something new and Bobby, who worked hand-in-hand with him in those days of glory, was cut from the same cloth. Building an extensively done-over Sportster which has now become hip again made sense for the times and allowed them to showcase their line of custom Sporty parts too. A win-win for XL freaks the world over.

 

 

   Now don’t get me wrong as this is not just some bolt-on special with a half-life of about fifteen minutes of fame. There was extensive work and modifications done to this 2008 Harley-Davidson Nightster that belies your first quick look. The neck was raked out a bit for possibly practical reasons such as the fitment of a 21-inch wheel wrapped in Pirelli rubber where a 19-incher originally resided, but I’d guess it’s just about style and attitude and that’s okay. Nothing too crazy, just a nice touch. Out back, things took a bigger turn with the back half pretty radically changed. The swingarm was widened considerably to accommodate a much larger 180×18 Pirelli Night Dragon tire and laced wheel combo where a 150×15 previously lived and the rest of the rear section was cleaned up considerably. Speaking of cleaning up, check out the smoothed out neck area and all the factory welds looking better than they ever did. If you’re going to keep it kinda stock, nobody says you can’t do it better and that’s exactly what Bobby did. 

   Up front, a fork from a Sportster Forty Eight was used to enable Bobby to have a Brembo four-piston caliper replace the Nightster’s two-pot caliper while out back, another four-piston Brembo replaces the single-pot stocker. Needles to say, it wouldn’t be an Indian Larry bike if those Brembos weren’t grabbing a famous question mark disc both front and rear. Some things don’t have to be mandatory if there isn’t any other way and in this case, it’s a mandatory option for all the right reasons. Same goes for the Indian Larry mini-apes sitting on lovely IL brass risers or the steering damper on the left side. All trademarks of The Man that Bobby continues with every build today and tomorrow.

    The 1200cc engine is still more of a product of Harley-Davidson than the aftermarket even though Bobby went trough this engine from top to bottom making sure it was up to snuff for serious street duty. Other than freshening inside, it’s still factory, but the outside is just a wee bit different. The Sporty’s cases have been thoroughly polished for a bit of pizzazz and match all the engine covers nicely. Not too blingy, just a bit of spit and polish.

   Converting this bike from EFI to an S&S carb simplified the look and wiring (eventually) although it’s a bit more work than just unbolting the throttle body and replacing it with a carb. I’ve got to assume it howls nicely as the air is sucked in through the S&S high flow air filter, but out back is where it really sings. Bobby fabbed up the dual straight-back exhausts that look like they’re being held on at the heads and floating in air. The turned-out side outlets let this baby bark its (in)famous XL tune unabated through the straight pipes with happily not a lick of overdone header wrap in sight.

    Other than a conversion to chain final drive, that’s about it and it should do nicely as is. If you’re wondering why a chain drive and not the reputable belt drive that came standard, I can give you two good reasons. Reason one ─ Bobby needed the clearance of a narrower chain for the wider rear tire. Reason two ─ Belt final drives are just plain ugly and have no place on a custom motorcycle. For me, reason two is the most important. The day I see a belt final drive on an Indian Larry custom motorcycle will be the day I give up. So, chain it is then.

  When it came time for tinwork, there are no surprises and that’s a good thing. A typical, yet always beautiful dished-side Mustang-style tank sits like its just sitting on the sloped top tube. Indian Larry Motorcycles’ cylindrical oil tank and battery box keeps things traditionally simple while the rounded rear fender held up by delicately curved struts looks like its capable of fending off anything thrown at or by it. No surprise that it’s a Robert Pradke original paintjob covering everything from the frame to the tinwork. Robert’s painted many an Indian Larry bike over the years and obviously is continuing the tradition. I gotta admit the cream color frame was a bit of a shocker at first, but the more I looked at it, the more I sorta liked it. The rich green basecoat with cream panels and a racing stripe edged in gold pinstriping along with the famous Indian Larry logo on the side of the tank looks marvelous as does the similarly painted rear fender. It’s like Robert knows how to do funk without making it funky in any way.

   After chucking on a waft of Indian Larry Motorcycles goods like the “Brooklyn, New York” brass footpegs, shifter and brake pegs, and an always cool Indian Larry logo timing cover, Bobby needed a seat. He turned to Christian Marsh of Xian Leather in Pilot, Virginia, for the hand-tooled leather seat that started this whole article. Lone Wolf –No Club with Larry’s famous question mark dead center replacing the wolf. That’s a touch of genius right there that says it all in four little words and describes the personality of  basically anybody involved with this bike. Somehow you know this Indian Larry Motorcycles Sporty is a perfect bike for flitting around the streets of Brooklyn or wherever it finds a home. It’s Moving On time.

  Yes, it’s for sale at the moment. Check out http://indianlarry.com/ for more info on this bike and all the Indian Larry Motorcycles products and services.