Bobbers
The gold metal-flake beauty featured is one of the recent creations by Indian Larry that all started with his first bike at age sixteen, a ’39 Knucklehead that was totally taken apart in four hours after purchasing it. Immediately chopped and painted by him, the finished product led to other people asking him to do over their bikes and forty years later, he’s still at it.
The Rat Fink bike stays true to Indian Larry’s design principles of making a bike that you can get on, open it up, and hold it there without fear of problems or bad handling sometimes associated with more radical chopper designs. The Paugcho hard-tail frame was modified in house to work with Indian Larry’s design and riding demands. The chromed Harley XA springer fits in with the overall chopper theme nicely, giving the bike a timeless look. Using a springer fork might seem to go against the regular use of modern telescopic forks as seen on most customs, but Indian Larry totally disagrees, “ I always hear how springers really don’t work well, but that’s just not true. If you set them up correctly and make sure the springs are working properly, they work just fine.” Having to pilot a chopper in the tight, taxi-infested confines of New York ensures that it must also be agile. With a stretch of 21⁄4 inches and a rake of 30°, the conservative measurements give the bike the ability to cruise at high speeds and corner well. Aided and abetted by the traditional laced wheels, tire size has been chosen by what really works well when Indian Larry gets the time to book it on one of his bikes. Rationally sized Metzler tires are a 180/55 x 18 rear and an 80/90 x 21 front, which handle well and ride decently. They also make it easy for him to do any of the numerous stunts he is known for. Whenever I think of Indian Larry riding one of his bikes, I picture him standing on the tank with his arms splayed out, at high speed. Being able to have ‘Stuntman’ listed in your professional resume allows you to do this at will, and he does, “I have confidence in my bikes and we go fast when we ride.” One thing that could instill that confidence is something seldom seen on custom bikes, a steering damper is cleanly mounted from under the tank. Most custom riders probably don’t know what the purpose of the damper is or they just parade around at speeds where handling in any form doesn’t quite matter. “All my bikes have them, it’s not just cause it’s a springer either, I know what it’s like to not have one… Yeah, who needs a front end shaking back and forth?” relates Indian Larry.
“I build all my own engines now and don’t have any problems other than maybe fine tuning the carbs or something not critical at all. I don’ t have time to put up with engine problems and I know how to build them 100% so they run perfect,” said Indian Larry. The 88-inch Panhead engine by Custom Chrome/Indian Larry looks great in this bike highlighted by the splayed, dual SS B carbs sucking city air through open stacks. A classy pair of staggered fanciful fishtails, built by Indian Larry, sends the expended by-products of combustion back to that great hole in the ozone. Perched on the left side of bike is an Indian Larry hallmark, an easily accessible cartridge oil filter with braided oil lines connecting it to the engine. The Tech Cycle/Indian Larry exposed primary has one of his custom inscribed messages, in this case a reference to Roth, “Way Out Daddy-O” and connects to a tranny that isn’t the expected period four speed, but a practical Baker six-speed with a proper period kicker too. Indian Larry isn’t hung up on convention either, as a practical belt drive turns the rear wheel instead of a chain and stopping all the commotion is a brawny rear PM disc setup, that pretty spool front wheel is just along for the ride.
The perfectly positioned, Paugcho tank is masterfully covered in an absolute knockout of a paint job by Robert Pradke of Custom Auto Design. Gold metal-flake paint with red vertical flames (vertical flames were first actually done by Roth’s friend and compatriot, the legendary Von Dutch, on a 1955 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing of all things!) blends into the similarly hued frame. Rat Fink artwork on the tank with Roth style, Indian Larry graphics on the flat rear fender finish it off nicely. Classic apes, a small chrome headlight, and a Choppers Inc round oil tank are appreciated chopper styling cues. The exquisite saddle by Paul Cox Leather, which I’d love to have hanging on my office wall, is hand tooled with Indian Larry’s famous “Question Mark” logo, which is also on the sissy bar. Pressed for an explanation of it’s meaning, Indian Larry says,” It’s just about life, business, questioning everything but accepting it…staying in the moment. Life, you just show up and see what happens. Hey- who knows, who knows…”
Indian Larry really comes across as a good guy. He sincerely cares about all his workers and is interested in the whole life chain of people who are involved in getting him to where he is now. “ You know it’s all tied together, I couldn’t do what I do without that guy that’s mining the ore we use to build our bikes or the guy in Africa that’s tapping a rubber tree, I appreciate them all..” adds Indian Larry. He’s had a life career that’s involved also being a stuntman, appearances in many movies, TV shows, and music videos, TV commercials, print ads, the subject of many famous photographers, and other endeavors. His website describes him well as a Renaissance Man and to me this seems like no idle boast.
Indian Larry Enterprises can reached by phone at 718-609-9184 or visit his website at