Motorcycle Superstition
I’ve no doubt that we all have our own little good luck routines for things that we hope go well. This tends
to be more in sport than anything else but of course in everyday life you have the walking under ladders is
bad luck. That I can understand, not really the bad luck but the common sense factor; if there is a ladder
then it stands to reason someone is working at the top of it! They also tend to be holding something to do
that job and if they drop it then it lands on the person walking under the ladder, simple!
I was looking at the more ‘odd’ superstitions that are about and they tend to based on the Harley Davidson
motorcycle group – I’m not sure if that’s a marketing ploy or if they tend to break down more than other
brands!
The Gremlin Bell.
Legend (or marketing department) has it that the road is littered
with these nasty spirits called Gremlins (most riders of my age
will recall the movie) and they love to ride on motorbikes. As
you ride by they jump on your bike and start messing with bits
until it breaks the bike or you have a crash. They hide in small
gaps so they can’t be washed off and so this small bell that is
attached to the lower part of the lower part of the bike attracts
them. Gremlins also have very sensitive hearing, it’s said and the
ringing of the bell makes them cover their ears, the lose their
grip and fall off the bike.
There is an add on to this; if you buy a bell it has half the power
or none at all (depends who you ask) but if the bell is given to
you by another rider then it doubles the power or gives it power
depending on what tale you listen to.
Another take on the bell is from group riding be that MC, MCC or
just a bunch of mates. That the last rider to have an off has the
bell and passes the bell on to the next rider to have an off as a
tongue in cheek mark of shame. A variation on this is that the
you keep the bell and get another after every off you have
giving a warning to other riders that you’re shit at riding and
they should keep clear as you clang and tinkle down the road. If
this is based on the Harley and you have Screaming Eagle pipes
then I’m thinking you’d need a hell of lot of bells before they
could be noticed by another rider.