Thunder Roads Colorado Magazine Volume 11 - issue 1 | Page 14

RIDING ON SUPERSTITION
BY PEGGY BOGAARD-LAPP

It’s a rare thing for anyone riding a motorcycle to do it
without some sort of lucky charm or talisman. The most
popular is a Gremlin Bell, hanging somewhere on the bike
where it’s ringing can ward off road gremlins.

THE LEGEND

The tale is an old one and, like most legends, has as many
versions as there are bikers to tell it and this is one of them.
There was a lone rider, heading North with his saddlebags full
of toys and trinkets that he was delivering to an orphanage
in his town just across the border. He was an experienced
rider, having done many miles across mountains, desert, and
plains, and while this road was new to him he was confident
in his journey. Darkness began to envelop the world around
him, and the road ahead of him fell into shadow. His
headlight flickered several times, off and on, then suddenly it
lit up something moving across the pavement. Then, another
shape darted across to the roadside. The rider was cautious
but did not slow down. A bit farther along the road he saw
the figures again, and this time they began to dart toward his
bike, swift and aggressive, and suddenly they came right at
him. His eyes went wide as he saw them – road gremlins.
They were small and translucent in the beam of his
headlight, greenish and hairy; evil looking and full of spite,
and known for leaving things in a rider’s path – pieces of tires,
gravel, or that one shoe you always see. The biker hit the
brakes, skidding and swaying until both he and the bike hit
the ground. The gremlins rushed around him, illuminated by
the headlight, stalking closer. They were drawn to the bike,
and began jumping on it and dancing around it. The biker
felt a twinge of fear, but his anger at crashing got the best of
him. He crawled toward the bike, waving his arms to fend the
gremlins off. He reached for his saddlebags for something,
anything, to drive the gremlins away. The first thing he found
was a toy reindeer with a collar of bells. When he grabbed
the bells, they rang in the desert night and suddenly those
gremlins froze at the sound of the bells. Each time the bells
jingled the gremlins scattered back into the dark. The biker
shook the toy, and the more the bells rang the farther away
12 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

the gremlins went, covering their ears from the sound. He
stood up and with a great roar, and shaking the reindeer and
bells, chased them all away back into the night.
Looking around, the biker felt relief when he saw that the
gremlins had vanished. Then he saw lights approaching and
braced himself for another round, but was thankful to see that
these were headlights from two motorcycles. As they drew
closer, the biker relaxed and greeted the riders as they rode
up. They helped him right his bike and gather his belongings.
He told them of his encounter and described how he ran them
off with the ringing of the bells. So amazed at what he had
just experienced, and wanting to be sure no one else would
be attacked, he tore off two bells from the reindeer’s collar
and with pieces of fringe from his saddlebag, gave each of
the riders a bell to hang on their bikes as protection from
those road gremlins. The three bikers sat up all night talking,
and around the campfire they became friends. As they rode
together into the town, they formed a bond. Eventually their
roads parted and they went their separate ways. However,
the Spirit Bells always kept them connected as brothers.

POWER OF THE BELL

Some say that the gremlins become trapped in the bell
when they try to jump on, and the ringing drives them away.
Others say that the simple sound of the bell keeps them at
bay as you travel down the road. If they get caught in the bell
and then fall off, potholes happen!

©E. Lapp

WHATEVER YOU CALL IT

The Gremlin Bell is often referred to as a Spirit Bell, which
is to recognize the Spirit and Brotherhood and Sisterhood of
bikers. It is also called an Angel Bell, to watch over and guide
a rider on their journey.

October 2015

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