Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman

Now in paperback is the Motorbooks release of Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman. For the three people on the planet who don’t know, Indian Larry DeSmedt was a New York City motorcycle builder who gained mega-fame on The Discovery Channel motorcycle programs. His biography is from Easyriders magazine Dave Nichols and Larry’s lovely mermaid widow Andrea “Bambi” Cambridge.

Bringing Indian Larry back to life is of course impossible. What we have left is the story of Indian Larry in his own words and through the words of his family and friends. This is not a kiss and tell book sensationalizing Larry’s life warns the author early in the dedication. This is a loving look at the life of a complex human being. Accompanying the text is Larry’s life and bikes as shown through the lens of famed motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter.

Indian Larry was a heroic figure who rose above his own personal demons and found fame as a motorcycle builder. But he was more than that. Larry grew up in the hippie '60s and fell into the abyss of drugs and alcohol after losing his sister to a violent murderer. He took the route of many other original American outlaws and began taking what he wanted resulting in a prison term for robbing a bank. Of course he got caught.

Larry said “I got what I deserved. You can’t do what I was doing. That’s my advice, don’t do what I did.” Instead of just doing time he used the time as a form of forced self discovery learning meditation and metalworking in the process.

After finding fame on the Discovery Channel and having his face and motorcycle creations attracting the attention of millions of new motorcycle fans Larry lost his life while performing one of his trademark stunts.

The awesome photo’s accompanying the text makes the book more than worthwhile. There are 250 color pix of Larry with family and friends. The best part is the photos of Larry’s one off motorcycle creations. They do justice to the rolling sculpture Larry and his crew created. Daddy-O (the Rat Fink bike), Grease Monkey, Mr. Tiki, Wild Child and the other bikes look just as good on paper as they do in real life. The photographs really do the bikes justice from Michael Litchter’s practiced lens.

Format: Softbound
Pages: 176
Length: 8.25 x 10.625
ISBN-13: 9780760338278
Catalog ID: 149653

Price: $19.99

If you wish to get a copy hit the "Title" of this entry, its a good read.

"Bad News" - by Jeremy Hoyer

‘Bad News’ apparently started life as a beat-up, worn-out race bike that Jeremy Hoyer found in a garage in Kentucky. He’s a mechanic for a dirt bike race team, and he wanted a bobber project to give himself a change of scene. Hoyer says, "Being a race team mechanic is cool, but it gets boring building the same bike over and over again.” Bad News got its name from a conversation Hoyer had with his roommate, while staring at the bike the night Hoyer brought it home.

His roommate had asked what I knew about Triumphs and he replied, ‘Nothing, it’s probably all gonna be bad news!’ So, the name stuck throughout the build process.” You’d never guess, but Hoyer had never built a bike from scratch before: “It was a great lesson in ‘what not to do’ … I tried to keep everything very simple and clean. I tried to reuse every original part I could. I didn't want to lose any character or history associated with the bike. If it was old and I could refurbish it, I did.” A lot of the look and feel of the bike comes from Hoyer’s racing background; he describes the look he wanted as ‘vintage racy’. “I hope people enjoy the bike as much as I do,” Hoyer says. “It was fun to build, it’s a blast to ride, and I’m looking forward to my next project. I believe this bike was first seen in 2009 at the Dave Mann Chopperfest.

A Dedication to Dave Mann - Illustrator/Artist

Easyriders magazine was a part of growing up, as my dad was heavly into the bike scene and mags were lying around in the house and garage. I was mainly fascinated with the illustrations by Dave Mann– and still am oh and the educational ladies.

Dave Mann’s dad was a lifelong illustrator and active member of the Society of Scribes in London. The younger Mann was born in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1957 he first drew pencil sketches of hot rods while feigning attention in high school. His crude sketches opened the door for Dave’s first job, pinstriping cars for Doug Thompson and Ray Hetrick’s custom car shop in Kansas City. The wild allure of the West Coast drew Dave and buddy Al Burnett to Santa Monica, California. While cruising the seaside community he stumbled across Bay Area Muffler, an area custom car house, and there discovered completely insane chopped Harleys. The bikes drove him wild. They projected freedom, power and mobility with every chromed curve. He was immediately hooked.

Dave Mann returned to Kansas City and bought his first new bike, a ’48 Panhead, for $350. At the same time he created his first painting, “Hollywood Run.” It represented the wild, unleashed, Hollywood outlaw lifestyle. Riding his customized Harley with his painting tucked under his arm, Dave entered the ’63 Kansas City Custom Car Show. That car show launched his artistic & biker career. Dave Mann had the only custom-bike entry in the show, so for his creative efforts the judges initiated a new class and trophy specifically for him.

Dave Mann painted several posters for Big Daddy Roth, the California custom car creator and publisher of the first chopper magazine. In ’65, he went to work in the mailroom at Scheffer Studios in Kansas city, where he met an architectural renderer, Dave Poole, who taught him technical drawing. By ’67, Mann developed into an architectural renderer, having studied at the Kansas City Art Institute.

Then in 1971, Dave discovered a new magazine— Easyriders. And the rest as they say, is history– the two are now forever inseparable in any hardcore biker’s heart and mind. Easyriders was the first full-fledged, lifestyle-related bike rag. Since Easyriders third issue, Dave Mann has led the biker magazine industry by capturing the essence of a changing lifestyle in the epic center-spreads.

Due to his failing health, Dave Mann was forced to retire from Easyriders in 2003 — the years of paint fumes had deteriorated his lungs to the point where surgeons had to remove them both and put him on a breathing machine. Sadly, Dave died about a day after his 64th birthday, Sept. 11 2004.

RIP, Dave Mann.

The following pictures from Dave have been gathered from various sources, some are big when clicked on and some are small. Sorry for the small ones but will swap them ot when I can find the larger size.

Salinas Boys - Cole Foster

Who the hell is Cole Foster ?

If you haven't heard of him yet, you have probably been livin under a rock, especially if you're into traditionally styled Hot Rods, Customs and Murdersickles. Cole was approached by a company to build them a custom show bike to show off their wares. Since Cole isn't really part of the whole custom bike scene, he came up with a fresh approach to building a custom Harley. Lending more from old flat track racers than Science Fiction, Cole came up with this masterpiece in elegance and minimalist design as shown below. The thing I think that really catches my eye is the lowered front forks. This mod is not a difficult process, but damn, it makes the bike look Tuff. That my opinion.

Cole runs his own shop and you can check out more of his amazing creations at his website.