*This was assembled from various places around the web, some of the following has be re-written or slighly changed, but the story remains the same. After readin various threads of people asking about them, or wondering how to get one I thought posting this may help.*

THE LEGEND OF THE RIDE BELL
Many years ago, on a cold December night a crusty old biker was returning from a trip to Mexico with his saddlebags filled with toys and other assorted trinkets for the kids at a group home, near where he worked.

As he rode along that night thinking how lucky he had been in life, having a loving riding partner that understood his need to roam the highways and to his trusty old pan that hadn't let him down once in the many years they shared the road together.

Well about 40 miles north of the border, in the high desert lurked a small group of those notorious little critters known as road gremlins, you know the ones that always leave little obstacles like, one shoe, boards, pieces of old tires, and dig the dreaded pot holes for bikers to run over and crash thus giving the road gremlins a chance to rejoice over their acts of evil.

Well as the lone wolf of a biker rounded a curve that moonlit night the gremlins ambushed him, causing him to crash to the asphalt and skid for always before coming to a stop, next to one of his saddlebags that had broken free. As he lay there, unable to move, the road gremlins made their move towards him. Well this biker not being one to give up started throwing things at the gremlins as they approached him. Finally with nothing else to throw but a bell he started ringing it, in hopes to scare off the dirty little gremlins.

About a half a mile away camped in the desert, were two bikers sitting around the camp fire talking about their days ride, and the freedom of the wind blowing in their faces as they rode across this vast country. In the stillness of the night air, they heard what sounded to them like church bells ringing and upon investigating, found the old biker lying along the roadside with the gremlins about to get him. Needless to say, being part of the biker brotherhood they preceded to ward off the gremlins until the last of gremlins ran off into the night.

Being grateful to the two bikers the old road dog offered to pay them for their help, but as all true bikers do, they refused to accept any type of payment from him. Not being one to let a good deed go unnoticed, the old biker cut two pieces of leather from his saddle bags tassels and tied a bell to each one, then slowly placed them on each of the bikers motorcycles, as near to the ground as possible. The tired, old road warrior, then told the two travelers that with those bells placed on their bikes they would be protected from the road gremlins and that if ever in trouble, just ring the bell and a fellow biker will come to their aid.

So when ever you see a biker with a bell you'll know that he has been blessed with the most important thing in life -- friendship from a fellow biker.


THE PURPOSE OF THE BELL
Many of us have heard the story about Evil Road Spirits. They are little gremlins that live on 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 things go wrong. These problems are caused by Evil Road Spirits.

Road spirits can't live in the presence of the bell. They get trapped in the hollow of the bell. Among other things, their hearing is supersensitive. The constant ringing of the bell and the confined space drives them insane. They lose their grip and eventually fall to the roadway. (have you ever wondered how potholes are formed?)

The bell has served its purpose.

If you pick up a bell of your own, the magic will work. But if your bell was given to you,

 

Thats cool inch! I learend more about that here than anywhere! (guess you gotta buy me a bell!)

 

Cool- Glad I could be of some help Wildman!

Tommorow I will post a couple places to order them online, and add them to the top link.

If you'd like, I can start this by gifting you a bell, if you promise to pass it along to the next that would like one, etc.

 

This is from another site.


Years ago, the ride bell originally had an actual meaning.
A long time ago, when the Sturgis Rally was known as the "Jack Pine Races", when you paid your entry fee you were given a little brass bell on a ribbon to pin onto your shirt similar to the plastic or paper wrist band they give you now-a-days to show that you paid your way in. Most folks threw it away on their way home but some folks kept them and when they had a break-down or was stranded they would give a bell to the rider that stopped and helped them out and that rider would hang the bell on their bike to show that they were a good Samaritan and had helped other bikers.
Somewhere along the line all of that has been lost. I have heard bullshit stories about them wording off pot hole demons or assuring your way into heaven if you die in a crash... there are dozens of legends that people have attached to the bell and now every wannabe out there has one on there bike.
Now the only true meaning to hanging a ride bell on your bike is to **** off your mechanic. We have spent hours looking for loose heat shields, loose bolts with the washer jingling, loose horn covers and so on, only to find that the noise that we was hearing on that test ride was a stupid f***ing ride bell hidden somewhere on the bike.

 

Haha, I've seen that too. Funny as hell, but hey, I am a traditionalist. I don't believe in the spirits, but I do believe in the brotherhood it helps create and/or strengthen. And nowadays, I think we ALL need some of that kinda mojo as often as we can get it.

 

Oh, bells are coming in different shapes and sizes, too! Anything from plain, to simple little designs, to hand-painted, I've seen laser-etched, and most commonly of late- cast with different themes. Anything to skulls,, to LEO related, religious, funny, sexy.. these can really get personalized.

 

I learned about that here from soos' thread of "who rides with a guardian bell." Soos was kind enough to gift me an LEO bell. That's funny about pissing off the mechanics on a test ride, never thought about that. Although I do my own servicing, I'll have to remember that if I ever bring the bike in for service.

 

Yeah...it took me a while to get used to hearing my bell jingle every so often.

Now...it's funny really, how it adds to the whole riding experience...since it's just a tiny bell and all.

 

 

good site for bells. various sizes and eith chrome or brass. I'm a traditionalist and prefer the brass. These are good people and I buy about a dozen at a time from them. Carry them in my saddle bag. If I run across someone I like and they don't have a bell or lost theirs. I give them one.

Whole lot cheeper than the dealership.

www.gremlinbells.com