"Indian" Larry Desmedt (April 28, 1949 - August 30, 2004) was a noted bike builder, stuntman, and innovator in the world of custom motorcycles.
Indian Larry was born Larry Desmedt in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York in 1949. He became interested in motorcycles at an early age, and a fan of artist Von Dutch. He later moved to California to apprentice under legendary hot rod builder and pop artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.
Larry was convicted of bank robbery and struggled with alcohol and drug abuse in his youth. Larry decided to leave his tumultuous early life behind and focus on his bike building talents. Larry founded the Gasoline Alley custom motorcycle shop in New York City in 1991. His "old school" choppers quickly won renown in the motorcycling world. His motorcycle "Grease Monkey" was named Easy Rider magazine's Chopper of the Year and he was a winner of the Discovery Channel's Biker Build-Off trophy. After his death another Discovery Channel's Biker Build-Off episode a tribute bike was made, with his symbol on it - the question mark. Indian Larry is credited with re-popularizing the old school of "Bobber" custom motorcycle popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
Indian Larry was also an accomplished stuntman and actor. Larry played himself in the film Rocket's Red Glare. He performed stunts for the films Quiz Show, Muscle Machine, My Mother's Dream, and 200 Cigarettes. He also appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman.
One of his famous trademarks was a tattoo on his neck, just below his chin. It read "In God We Trust - Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord - No Fear" The middle two lines were in reverse so that he could read them when looking in a mirror.
Indian Larry was performing a motorcycle stunt at the Liquid Steel Classic and Custom Bike Series in Concord, North Carolina on August 28, 2004. In the stunt, Larry was standing on the moving motorcycle. As the stunt progressed the bike began to wobble out of control and he was thrown from the motorcycle sustaining serious head injuries. He was then taken to the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina where he died on August 30, 2004 from the head injuries sustained in the mishap. Larry was not wearing a motorcycle helmet at the time of the accident.
Two books were published on Indian Larry in 2006 including "Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman," by Dave Nichols with Andrea "Bambi" Cambridge and photography by Michael Lichter as well as "Indian Larry" by Timothy White. His autobiography, Grease Monkey, The Life and Times of Motorcycle Artist Indian Larry, written shortly before his death, is scheduled for publication