Indian Larry Gone

At least he went out the way he wanted to.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/entertainment/gossip/9533189.htm

Yes, indeed he did. Indian Larry was one of the last true old-school builders. He will indeed be missed.

His bikes had grit. D*mn shame.

Thanks for the link

Thanks for the link (I think). I have no idea how I missed this and after reading it I kind of wished that I had missed it.

It is a true pitty that Indian Larry is gone. -RIP-

met him

I met Indian Larry in Myrtle Beach Bike Week this year. About 4 am at the Dog House, I passed by him in the crowd. He was by himself, I was coming back from the pisser, about 3 sheets to the wind. Politely stopped him, said Hi, and tried to start a conversation without sounding like a dip****, I mean here I am standing before one of the Industry's Icons, and for once I wish I hadn't been pounding beers. He was awesome. He could've just blown me off, just another drunk fan, but He didn't he stood there, and talked to me for about 5 minutes or so, mainly about the crowd and bikes. It was an honor. I think it just goes to show no matter how famous he got, he was still a down to earth blue-collar guy, like us, the fame never went to his head. It's not a shame to die doing what you love.

We enjoy an inherently dangerous past time of riding motorcycles. I would prefer NOT to die while enjoying my Harley. But, I accept the risks since the rewards are worth it. Live to ride. Ride to live. The motto says nothing about dying. I would bet my bike that Indian Larry would rather be riding a bike today... unless Biker Heaven has a bike waiting for him! (Not a Goldwing, I hope. Pun intended.)

Here is a distressing story from today's Chicago Sun-Times:

A motorcyclist was killled last night on the Dan Ryan expressway in Chicago. The point of the story was to indicate that motorcycle accidents and deaths are up in Illinois over last year due in part to faster bikes, inexperienced riders, and poor road conditions. The kicker of the story was that this guy was riding a Kawasaki rocket at 120mph at 1:30am. I would call that 'suicycle'.

I was in the funeral business for 23 years, and I only buried two people in all that time who were killed while riding their bikes. I had one biker funeral, but the guy died of cancer.

Go slow.
Look Cool.


Yo, down the road,
Painter

This will make rethink not wareing a helmet. even tho i allways use one i still support not being a state law tho.

Well, riding through the countryside without a helmet is a far cry from doing stunts without protective equipment. I never wear leathers on the street, though usually have a helmet, not always, when I'm riding my gold wing, thank you. When I get on the track, whether it's a race day and equipment is required or not, I'm in one of my Teknic Chicane one piece race suits, $250 spidi race boots, and kevlar armored gloves with a Knox carbon/kevlar back protector under my leathers. Don't care if it's 110 in the shade, I'm on the track, I wear the gear. I'd approach stunting with the same respect. Hell, Evil Kenevil did, too! Lord knows HE'D be dead now if he didn't! I see nothing wrong with a putt in the country without a helmet, though I'm more comfortable with one on for any distance, especially on my "rice rocket" with the little double bubble screen. I'm up in the wind and would rather have my full face on. And, in city traffic I feel naked without it. On a sport bike ride when I'm out carving the twisties, I like to wear my Brosh armored summer jacket, dragging jeans, a pair of my race gloves, and some decent boots. I dress for whatever the ride is to be. Putting around on the Wing, I may not be wearing a helmet.

But, as I understand it, Indian Larry was stunting, putting on a show. He shoulda been dressed for it. It's high risk. He'd be alive to day if he had. I've crashed road racers at as high as 120 mph. I'd be dead today without my gear. Racing is high risk.

This is me in my green suit on the 157 bike. I do little motards now days.

well said

Well said goose. Indian Larry should have dressed for what he was doing. He knew the risks and deemed them acceptable then paid the price of that decision in full. I don't find that risk acceptable. There are enough goobers out there trying to kill us without us killing ourselves. I have ridden with and without a "bug hat" and depending on what kind of riding I'm doing(and where), I'll continue to do so. Sometimes, it just isn't worth the risk involved.

Food for thought:

In some states it is a law that you have to wear a skid lid. You are riding without one? You get stopped, ticketed etc, etc. Yet, in most states red light running, turning against traffic after green (running the light after it is green to turn left) is on the rise nation wide. Tucson and the state of Arizona ranks highest fatal red light accidents http://www.smartmotorist.com/red/red.htm with Tucson ranking fourth in the nation. Yet no one, is raising a voice of concern about enforcing the traffic laws. If AZ had a helmet law and you rode without one and were in the same intersection as a red light runner at the same time and a cop saw both of you, guess who gets stopped? Why? Visibility, ease of enforcement and easy prey. It is harder to prove someone ran a light than prove I left my skid lid at home.

Like Goose I always wore all protective gear when riding MX or desert racing. You are just pushing the limit too hard to not be protected. Besides, rocks off knobbies are projectiles and hurt like hell on unprotected body parts. However I still had the right to select my gear and level of protection. If I was practicing out in the desert under no rules I had no requirement to wear any gear. Same dangers, but I had the right to decide.

Every year, you read, see and hear about this crash, that crash, no helmet, helmet etc. Every year, some local representative in some state is going to save the world from the evil non helmet wearers (and score brownie points for his career) Yet, there is hardly ever an outcry for a stiffer seat belt law when fatalities from non seat belt use always is greater than motorcyclist deaths that are directly related to the lack of a helmet. Why? Again, it is exposure, easy to see and illustrate, easy to skew facts to a public that are more like sheep then free thinkers.

False statements about the amount of protection a helmet really provides and what it protects have run rampant for years. http://www.smf.org/articles/dot.html
A helmet can provide a lot of protection if it is a quality piece. Otherwise, you are just providing yourself with a false sense of security.

We have discussed the 13 mph and kneck injury barrier before and there is data that bears this out http://www.helmet.8m.net/goldstein.htm http://www.helmet.8m.net/studies.htm
The deaths of Dale Earnhart, Kenny Irwin, Adam Petty and others illustrate the dangers of momentum and a sudden stop. There are valid arguments that most of the recent deaths in NASCAR would have been prevented had the HANS type device and the knowledge we now have would have been mandated sooner. The acceleration and sudden, violent stop of the brain was known but not fully understood.

One study puts it "It is not the velocity, the violence or the crash conditions that cause injuries and death, it is the sudden stop of the body and the acceleration and sudden stop of the brain that is the cause."

So, are helmets worth it? You bet they are. They protect your skull, skin, eyes and up to a point your brain the trade off being neck injuries from the additional mass of the helmet. The rub is does government have the right to create helmet laws requiring the wearing? Or, should a massive safety and education campaign to increase riding skills and education be mandated and funded by law? If helmet usage is mandatory, what then of proper safety gear i.e. jackets, pants, boots and gloves? We walk a fine line between laws that are for safety and laws that make a politicians resume stronger.

Before you go thinking I am just anti helmet usage I assure you I am not. I was talking to Bob and SK this weekend about how hard we were pushing it up the Coronado trail and I was wishing I had not forgot my helmet as the canyon walls got uncomfortably close at times. I even decided to go full face in the near future for those aggressive days.

Indian Larry had the right to choose whether to wear a helmet or not. The most important thing to remember is the right to choose was his and that is what we are all about in the end. Was he wrong in my opinion? He had done the stunts hundreds of times before without a problem but his luck ran out just as it will for all of us someday whether it is natural or self inflicted so I cannot fault him for living his life his way and I seriously doubt he would change a thing that day.

Some of us have lived on the edge in racing, flying and hazardous jobs and in each case willingly assume the risks invlolved. Should you stop racing because it is potentially deadly or stop flying or refuse to go into combat because of the inherent risks? There is something in most of us that drives us to take risks, get the adrenalin flowing and feeling the 'edge' and it adds to the gusto of life. To the others, we look like foolish, insane people taking unnecessary risks. Who enjoys life more I wonder?

A recent thread here discussed the EPA and it's possible affect on our ability to alter motorcycles. The consensus was to keep the governments hands off my bike!" Odd how that would be yet we would allow the very same government the right to dictate personal safety wear? Sort of an oxymoronic deal isn't it?

I never was a proponent of helmet laws, I prefer the freedom to choose. I'm libertarian in attitude. I don't want the government saving me from myself, so long as I'm not endangering others, and no matter what BS insurance arguments they come up with, I'm not endangering anyone but myself by not wearing a helmet. I am critical of anyone riding in a highly risky manor, whether stunting or on the race track, without safety gear. Sure, it's their right to choose, their choice, but it's my right to be critical an urge others that might ride aggressively, or in heavy freeway traffic in some insane public commuter race track like the friggin' southwest freeway in Houston (God, don't get me started on the insane bastards in Houston traffic ), or on the back roads pushing the bike, or practicing wheelies on their Z50 on the sidewalk, whatever, to take the proper precautions and wear their gear. Of course, all the racing organizations won't let you get on the track without proper gear. Well, that's sorta not right cause the local flat track is kinda loose on that. I watched a couple of quad guys out there last time with nothing other than helmets, in tees and jeans. That groove there is like asphalt and I sure would rather have some MX armor on my chest and back if one of those figgin four wheelers decides it's going to flip over on me.

Yeah, I accept the risks of racing, as one who has had one friend killed in the sport. But, I gear up for it. I owe my wife and kid that much, I think. Even when I'm at the track in Katy and no one but friends are around (I belong to the club, there) just for practice, I gear up. Even if I'm just going out for a plug chop I gear up. You just never know what will happen on a race bike on the track. Do I gear up to go buy a bottle of milk at the store? Nine times out of ten, not even a helmet. The risks, while they are still there, are a heck of a lot lower and I accept that level of risk. But, I sure won't criticize the guy who puts on his jacket and helmet or whatever. His choice. I just think you have to have more than a few screws loose to stunt without at LEAST a helmet. Skin can grow back, not nerve cells. Were it me, hating pain and hospital bills the way I do, I'd be in leathers doing that.

Dern sure is

You are dead on CD. It is far easier for the local barnies (Barney Fifes) to grab one of those "biker people" with no bug hat on than a fine upstanding citizen who just "crowded a yellow light a little". It aggravates the fire out of me to be sitting in traffic by a patrol car watching 2,3 and even 4 vehicles continue on through a red light and the local finest doesn't even twitch....Grrrrr

Hey, I got a crash course on what a Liberterian is..heard that on the way to Springerville. The radio station in Flagstaff had an interview with some candidate so the question was asked as to what it was about. I thought it was Goose talking cause it sure sounded a lot like what he's say..minus that "twang thang" of course. Goose, you're safer on the track than you are heading down to the store for the milk..it's that simple stuff that'll get you.

You can still buy bottled milk in Texas?

Only if you don't want Jack Daniels on your cheerios.

"Goose, you're safer on the track than you are heading down to the store for the milk..it's that simple stuff that'll get you."

Yeah, Bob, if you are riding on the edge on the street you're at more risk, of course. And, probably statistically you are at more risk in traffic, but part of that is because when you DO get in a crash on the street, you usually aren't geared up. Part of it is just the number of people on the street, many of whom aren't that skilled.

Only thing I can tell you for sure is I've crashed three times on the street in my early years and only once at over 15 mph. I was geared up for that once. None of 'em, knock on wood, involved another vehicle, just a lay down. I cannot count the number of crashes on the track, stopped a long, long time ago and I know if I wanna win I have to ride to the limit and beyond, so I don't even think of getting on the track without gearing up. This year has actually been pretty decent, though I shouldn't brag till after my last race in two weeks, LOL! I've only crashed once all season and that was an easy lay down in a slow corner. I'm running against the odds this season, though.

Safety

Great post CD. I really like your views.
As a MSF Instructor (Oh yeah, we're called Rider Coaches now) I'm a firm believer in safety equipment for the unfortunate event of a crash. However, I really like it not to get that far with proper education, skills, and riding attitude.
Most all single vehicle (motorcycle) crashes can be avoided by riding Proficiently. By the way there are two of my favorite books out there by David Hough called Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling. Everyone can learn something from these books.
The motorcyclist is going to get the short end of the stick every time in a crash.
Within the last 8 years two of my friends died, one is paralized from the neck down, and one is permanently brain damaged. Three of the four were not wearing a helmet, and the other was wearing a "novelty helmet". And only one was involving another vehicle besides the motorcycle.
I am happily married with two children. I think about how it would affect my family if anything would happen to me due to my own stupidity or lack of good judgement.
I'm not here to sway anyone's opinions, just voicing mine.
shovel66

ROFLMAO! So, THAT'S what did it! I knew better'n to make that statement! Yeah, I fell at Katy, in practice, in a driving rain on cut slicks trying to turn a fast enough lap to run with my competition who was on rains. But, didn't hurt anything on me or the bike and the track dried by race time and I kicked the competition's butt who was still on rains. LOL!