3/2/2019 Bought him a ring-a-ding...

First thing in order was to buy a new bell for the New Harley Davidson that will be in the stable soon.

I was ecstatic that I could find a unique bell for that beautiful machine and rider.

Some of you might ask why do you put bells on bikes?

It seems that like many old legends, there is no certain answer as to where the bell tradition (or superstition) comes from. Some explanations range from those “there once was an old biker riding along at night” stories, to having been started by WW2 veteran pilots who had bells for good luck on their aircraft, and carried the tradition over to their bikes after the war. One of the most logical explanations, however, is that the bell was used in the early days of bikers in the 1950s and 1960s as a kind of “low-budget alarm system,” to alert the rider if their bike was being moved in the middle of the night. Maybe a cheap solution that became a tradition over time.

Regardless of whether you genuinely believe in the superstition of the “road gremlins” or not, the Gremlin Bell is a fun way to welcome a new rider into the community, christen a new motorcycle, or just to give a rider you care about something to remember you by. As they say, the rider who possesses a bell has the most powerful blessing of all – the love and good will of a fellow rider who cares about them. 

Also, on the other side of the coin... if the superstition is in fact real, and there really are road gremlins being thrown from other bikes into your path – then it is a little cheap insurance, right?

So I guess there are rules for these bells...

1. According to the legend, a bell is “activated” by the gesture of good will when someone, especially another rider, gives it to a rider they care about as a gift.

2. Because gremlins lurk on the roadways and “grab” onto bikes as they pass by, the low-hanging bell should be the first thing they contact, so that they are immediately captured by it. It should be attached securely – safety wire is sometimes used, but that can create rust and scratches, so a zip-tie is generally the preferred method.

3. The Gremlin Bell is a gesture of kindness to a rider from someone who cares about them, so it should be kept by the intended recipient, and can be transferred to another bike. If someone sells a bike with a bell and they want the new rider to have it, they should still remove it, and give it to them face to face. A bell that is not given with intentional good will loses its spirit-fighting mojo.

4. The key to the bell’s power is good will. If it is stolen, it loses its effect…and karma will take care of the rest!

Keep us in your good wishes and prayers that the Gremlins bells do their job!

Nana