Bobby Hambel at Indian Larry Motorcycles
We’re in Brooklyn, New York, at the famous Indian Larry motorcycle shop. Bobby Seeger and John the painter invited me down because I’m going to be building a dream bike of mine – an Indian Larry style bike. Before Larry died, I spoke to him about getting one of his bikes one day. At the time he was really taking off on TV, so I knew he was busy, but he was like, “You get the money together, we’ll make it happen, you know, somehow.” Bu then he passed away. I’ve always been a huge fan of his work and what he’s done for the whole motorcycle artistic side of the subculture – chopping bikes, working with your hands, and putting things together and creating something out of nothing. The guys at Indian Larry Motorcycles make epic original masterpieces in my book. So, it’s an honor for me to be here.
What makes a motorcycle a chopper?
A chopper is when you take a stock bike and rip off everything that doesn’t make it stop or go – basically excess weight, and anything that isn’t really necessary on the bike. You start there, and then customize it by cutting the frame, stretching the frame, either raising it or lowering it. You can really twist it out into something like a work of art. That’s what the whole subculture of choppers is about; it’s an art form.
One thing that’s beautiful to me is when you can see all the welds on the frame. There’s a style of weld called a stack of dimes because, well, it looks like a stack of dimes. To me, that’s beautiful. A lot of builders will grind that down so it looks smooth. But, I like the way the stack of dimes looks because my father was a welder, so welding is kind of in my blood. Others like a smooth finished look. I like the raw look.
Indian Larry’s Signature Style
Indian Larry Motorcycles is known for a few coined designs that are signature to Larry and universally recognized as Larry’s style. One of them is something I love, it’s called the twisted down tube, and it is totally unique to Indian Larry builds.
Indian Larry is also known for a dish gas tank. They either beat it in with a hammer or they cut the dish out, flip it backwards and weld it. I’ve seen different techniques on how they build them. But if you see dish tanks on the internet for sale, it’s always an Indian Larry style tank.
The Twisted Down Tube Process
The process to make one of these twisted down tubes starts with a solid piece of square stock steel. They tig weld it to the table, and then heat it with a torch at certain intervals, and then twist it when it’s piping hot. As it is twisted, it starts to take its shape. By heating it and twisting it repeatedly, you get this crazy kind of spiral looking design out of steel. Then, that goes onto a frame and no two are alike. And it’s a really nice artistic part of the motorcycle build.
It’s going to be an honor for me to have my own twisted down tube going onto my bike. After we do the twist, I’ll end up with a rigid frame as the foundation. From there, we’ll pick a motor, a transmission, a front end, etc. and the guys at Indian Larry Motorcycles will make all this into my motorcycle. And the rest will be history.
Aiden’s Ride
Indian Larry Motorcycles hosts an annual ride and BBQ in memory of Bobby Seeger’s son, Aiden, who lost his battle to ALD (Adrenoleukodystrophy) in 2012. The ride benefits the ALD Alliance (founded by Aiden’s mother, Elisa Seeger) and their efforts to help ensure every baby born in this country has the same chance at a normal, healthy life. ALD Alliance’s mission is to fight for newborn screening in every state, and they are proud to say there are currently 37 states testing for ALD thanks to their continued efforts. The ALD Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization – a charity run by volunteers with every donation directly benefiting the mission.
Learn more about the annual Aiden’s Ride at Indian Larry Motorcycles and the ALD Alliance here: https://indianlarry.com/blogs/news/aidans-ride-brooklyn-june-16-2024
https://www.aldalliance.org/aidan.html
About Indian Larry and Indian Larry Motorcycles
“Indian Larry was a born and raised New Yorker who discovered his passion for mechanics at a very early age. He drew inspiration from motorcycle clubs of the ‘50s and ‘60s, artist Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, and clothing designer Von Dutch. Larry was a skilled machinist, metal sculptor, and master motorcycle mechanic who developed his own signature style– a blend between classic choppers and hotrod race bikes built to rip through the streets of NYC.
Indian Larry’s rise in popularity began during the late ‘90s/early 2000s. He was featured in Motorcycle Mania with Jesse James and most notably starred in four episodes of Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off series, in which his personality and uniqueness translated to people across the world. His resume also includes winning a number of custom bike shows, television and movie features, and countless magazine spreads.
Indian Larry’s passing in August, 2004 was a tremendous loss for the motorcycle industry and everyone he touched. His vision and craftsmanship lives on in his incredible motorcycles, such as Wild Child and Daddy O. The goal from day one was to see Indian Larry’s name in lights, and after his passing, we wanted to push even further to keep Larry’s legacy alive. His impact on the motorcycle world is undeniable, and he has remained an icon to this day.
Nowadays, we strive to continue Larry’s dream of a custom motorcycle shop that creates rideable works of art with an expanding parts and clothing line. For us, this means making as much as we possibly can out of our Brooklyn shop. This includes CNC machining custom parts, fabricating frames and other parts from scratch, painting in-house, and more. If we need to outsource anything, we stick with fellow motorcycle friends throughout the country because we believe in the quality and integrity of handcrafted parts made in the U.S.A. There aren’t many shops left that do what we do, so we aim to do it best.” – IndianLarry.com
