Indian Larry

Indian Larry
Indian Larry at bike rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, 2003
Born	Lawrence DeSmedt (1949-04-28)April 28, 1949 Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, U.S.
Died	August 30, 2004(2004-08-30) (aged 55) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation	Motorcycle builder and artist, stunt rider, biker
Notable work	Grease Monkey, Daddy-O (Rat Fink), Mr. Tiki, Wild Child, Chain of Mystery
Style	Old school (1950's–1960's hot rod - motorcycle culture) Kustom Kulture
Spouse(s)	Andrea "Bambi" Cambridge

Indian Larry (born Lawrence DeSmedt; April 28, 1949 – August 30, 2004) was a noted motorcycle builder and artist, stunt rider, and biker. He first became known as Indian Larry in the 1980s when he was riding the streets of New York City on a chopped Indian motorcycle. Respected as an old school chopper builder, Larry sought greater acceptance of choppers being looked upon as an art form. He became interested in hot rods and motorcycles at an early age and was a fan of Von Dutch and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, whom he would later meet in California.

Wide acknowledgment of Indian Larry's talent only came to fruition in the last few years of his life. He died in 2004 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident while performing at a bike show. His bike, Grease Monkey, was featured in Easyriders magazine in September 1998. In 2001 Indian Larry participated in the Discovery Channel program Motorcycle Mania II, followed by three different Biker Build-Off programs. During this period he built the motorcycles, Daddy-O (known to most people as the Rat Fink bike), Wild Child, and Chain of Mystery.

Indian Larry was born Lawrence DeSmedt in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York on April 28, 1949. He grew up in the Newburgh, New York area including the town of New Windsor. The oldest of three children, with two younger sisters, Diane and Tina, Larry was described by his mother, Dorothy, as "a good boy, but mischievous." Larry's strict father, Augustine, was a carpenter at West Point Military Academy and had built the family's home. He wanted his son to follow in his footsteps in the carpentry trade. As a boy Larry liked Lincoln logs and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth Revell plastic model kits.Roth, a legendary California artist and hot rod builder, was a big influence on Larry and his style would later bubble up to influence Indian Larry's motorcycle designs.