Goodbye Indian Larry 

I've been meaning to write about this ever since I heard about a week ago. Indian Larry died August 30th at the age of 55. For those of you who don't know, Indian Larry made choppers (custom motorcycles). If you saw this guy walking down a dark alley, you'd probably turn and walk the other way. If you sat and listened to this guy for five minutes, you'd sit in awe. He had a passion about everything he did, especially making choppers. I never met him, but admired him ever since I first saw some of his bikes.

I have to admit, even though I don't ride motorcycles, I think that they are awesome... especially custom bikes. There is a certain beauty that you find in a well made chopper. They have a line, a shine, a painted artistry that is hard to compare to anything else. Best of all, it doesn't hang on a wall somewhere, it sits under your crotch as you go down the road. They're useful, and they're beautiful. What can I say, as an engineer, I appreciate that.

Indian Larry made em old school, and he had a passion for making them. He found a certain zen in the creation and a certain peace that he didn't find anywhere else when riding them. One of his trademark stunts was standing on his bike while it went screaming down the road. As it turns out, this was his undoing. During a show he was performing this trick without a helmet, when he lost control and crashed. Had he been wearing a helmet, who knows what would have happened, but that wasn't his style. He died with his boots on, doing what he loved to do most.

He added something beautiful and unique to this world, and his departure from this world leaves only his bikes and memories behind. I wish the best to his family, we will all miss him.