Have you noticed that small bell on some people’s motorcycle and wondered why it was there? You can find them in America on most of the Harley Davidson’s ridden by seasoned riders. It can be found low on the bike close to the road, which has some importance in itself. It’s more than just decoration-it has a specific function.

As we all know, life has many mysteries that have no apparent solutions. One of these is Evil Road Spirits. The legend is said to come from the orient where Evil Road Spirits plagued travelers with their mischief. Today, these little gremlins can attach themselves to your bike. They love to ride. They’re also responsible for most of your bike’s problems. Sometimes your turn signals refuse to work, or the battery goes dead, the clutch needs adjustment, or any of several hundred other things go wrong. Lose bolts and parts falling off the bike while on the road are just a few of the signs that you have an Evil Road Spirit.

It is said that Road Spirits can’t live in the presence of a bell. The legend has it that they get trapped in the hollow of the bell. Or that their hearing is supersensitive and the constant ringing of the bell and/or the confined space drives them insane. They lose their grip and eventually fall to the roadway. The legend has it that they have so much evil energy that when they fall to the roadway they cause potholes when they hit. This is evidence that the bell has served its purpose. In the orient these bells were placed on the lowest part of the cart so that when the Evil Spirit falls from the vehicle, it falls directly on the roadway, and cannot bounce and reattach itself to another part of the vehicle or someone else’s vehicle.

If you have picked up a bell of your own, the magic will work but only to a fraction of its ability. It is then essential that a friend or acquaintance give you a bell. The power of the bell is even more enhanced if a well-seasoned traveler gives it to you. In this way the power of the bell is doubled. Part of the power enhancement comes from the experience of the traveler that gives it to you. Some of the givers travel experience is transferred with the bell and provides additional security to your travels. It is said to have the effect of preventing rain or providing excellent road conditions. That is why a more experienced traveler giving you a bell, has more power than a less experience friend or traveling companion. But whether from an experienced traveler, or just a buddy, friend, or acquaintance, it is agreed, that having a bell is a must for any traveler.

So, if you have a friend that doesn’t have a bell, why not be the person to give them one? It’s a nice feeling for the recipient to know you personally cared. And when you do, pass along the Legend Of The Bell. In this way they will understand it’s importance, and will pass the good fortune and safe travels to others.

(Note: The bell, plus a good preventive maintenance program by the bike’s owner, will go a long way in keeping the Evil Road Spirits away for all of your travels.)

Legend of the Gremlin Bell

As the story goes, an old gray-beard was riding home from Mexico, with saddlebags loaded full of toys and trinkets for some kids in an orphanage near where he lived. It was a cold night in the high deserts just north of the border. As he rode he thought of rides past, epic journeys with long lost friends and the many nights just like this spent in the saddle.

Ahead in the small beam of his old headlamp he thought he saw something. As he rode on it appeared again, this time there were more of them. Tiny little creatures that seemed to dart in and out of the beam as fast as the wind. They were dark little dodgy spirits, quick, and all but translucent in the moonlight—they were road gremlins. Before he could react they were on the bike. As he mashed on the brakes the front tire blew, and the old rear drum brake that had served him well for years locked up.

When he came to he was nearly ten yards from his bike. One saddle bag had been torn loose and was lying next to him in the cold, hard packed dirt. In the light of the moon he could see his bike, the little spirit like road gremlins dancing on top. He raised himself up to his elbows, where he could see them more clearly, and they caught a glimpse of him too. That’s when they began to approach. Slowly, almost curiously, they stalked towards him. As they advanced he picked up the only thing that was within reach, the saddle bag, and began to wave it at them trying to keep them at bay. From inside the bag came a ringing noise.

He noticed that if he shook the bag the little gremlins would fall back, plugging their ears in retreat. He quickly unstrapped the bag and dug out two sleigh bells from a set of toy reindeer buried in the bag. As he knelt there shaking the bells the gremlins retreated off into the darkness.

As if attracted like a moth to a flame, two staggered lights approached from the distance, and came upon the lone rider in the darkness. To the lone rider they seemed like angels coming upon him with wings, guided by the sound of the bells. The two riders helped the old gray-beard brush himself off and gather his belongings. They set up camp and talked long into the night, about the old man’s brush with the road gremlins, and of many rides past. The old man offered to pay, but as-is biker tradition, the two men would not accept any form of repayment.

In the morning the men helped the gray-beard patch his tire and limp to a little service station in the next town. Again, as they prepared to go their separate ways, the men refused payment. The old man had suspected this, so in the early morning hours just before dawn, he had awakened and attached two bells, one to each of his angel rider’s bikes. As the old man watched his new friends roll out of the dusty service station driveway, he thought he could hear the ringing of bells over the low rumble of the bikes.