Lethal Threat \ 15th Annual Indian Larry Block Party Brooklyn, New York 9/15/18

If you are from the New York tristate area and into motorcycles, the Indian Larry Annual Block Party is not an event to miss.  This first one was held 15 years ago by the legendary motorcycle builder, Indian Larry, on the Brooklyn Street were his motorcycle shop was located.  The event was a party to meet old and new friends, who had at least one thing in common, a love for motorcycles.  A one day event that starts at noon and ends when the cops shut it down.  Live music all day long, food, vendors, a Harley motorcycle stunt team tearing down the street and motorcycles everywhere you look.

Sadly to say this Block Party, started by Indian Larry, is now observed as a remembrance of the man who is a legend in the motorcycle industry.

Indian Larry, born Lawrence De Smedt, April 28^th 1949, was a motorcycle builder, artist, stunt rider and biker.  Tearing down the streets on New York City on a chopped Indian motorcycle, during the 1980’s, he got the nick name as Indian Larry and it stuck.  Larry saw the motorcycle as a moving piece of art.  He is respected as old school chopper builder.  His interest for motorcycles, hot rods and Kustom Kulture art started at an early age.  He was a big fan of Von Dutch and Big Daddy Roth, two trail blazers in the art of pin striping and lowbrow art.

Indian Larry, a well-known personality in the New York Motorcycle scene for years, started to receive worldwide acknowledgment in 2001 when he participated in the Discovery Channel program, Biker’s Build Off.  Though the power of television, Indian Larry was now being recognized for his incredible bike builds and the hundreds of hours of work per motorcycle. We witnessed his vision to transform a stock motorcycle into a work of art.

His new found fame was short lived. On August 30, 2004, while performing a stunt, were he stood on the seat of his motorcycle while riding, he fell and struck his head on the ground.  A fatal blow that ended the life of a man who knew how to live life to the fullest.