Is A Bell Necessary On A Motorcycle?
I never cross anyone on the stairs. Any stairs, anytime, anywhere. It’s my thing and it infuriates the hell out my wife, especially in busy departmental stores when I wait for the stairwell to be clear before making my move. Sometimes the people I have waited for say “thank you” and I smile and say “never cross on the stairs” or some such like. Sometimes people just look bemused and probably think I am a little strange. It is my one nod to superstition and, as we tiptoe into 2021, I might be coming around to another – am considering a bell for my motorcycle. A Gremlin or Guardian Bell to be precise.
Since I have known Guy he has banged on about his “Guardian Bell” – he has owned one for years – and despite my continuing reticence he has promised to buy one for me. You see, these Guardian or Gremlin bells should be bought for a motorcyclist by someone who cares for them (isn’t that lovely) and should not be purchased for oneself. Guy’s wife Jules bought his. Further research has revealed that the tradition of Guardian / Gremlin bells on motorcycles goes back a long way.
According to Bike Bandit the Guardian Bell (also known as Gremlin Bell or Spirit Bell) is a lucky charm for motorcyclists and is there to protect the rider on their travels. Legend has it that evil spirits and gremlins loiter on the highways and look for passing motorcyclists to latch onto and cause mischief. A Guardian Bell should be attached to the lowest point possible on a motorcycle and wards off the gremlins by capturing them in the body of the bell. The continual ringing annoys the gremlins so much they detach themselves, fall off and thus the motorcyclist will come to no harm.
In the article Gremlin Bells: Digging Through Fact Fiction and In-Between, Get Lowered Cycles offer perhaps a more believable history of the gremlin/guardian bell that originates from aircraft bomber crews in the Second World War. Sleep deprived and cold, airmen would often see “gremlins” in the corner of their eye, outside the plane windows over the wings. Amphetamines were regularly used by bomber crews to keep them awake and it is thought that these pharmaceutical stimulants contributed to the appearance of imagined gremlins. The gremlins were of course not little green creatures, it was a term given to broken pieces from other damaged planes flying through the air. Very dangerous if these lumps of metal were to strike a wing or smash into an engine. Pilots had to keep their wits about them to avoid any damage and thus amphetamines became commonplace to keep airmen alert. Overtime some aircrewmen did not like the effects of the stimulants and started to attach small bells to parts of the aircraft cockpit. These “gremlin bells” would ring continually and keep the crew awake to ensure they kept a look out for flying debris. The bells became guardians for aircrewmen safety and after the war, the veterans who were motorcyclists attached the gremlin/guardian bells to their bikes.
The WWII story is supported by numerous articles on the “Gremlin phenomenon” experienced by fighter pilots. The author Roald Dahl, an ace RAF pilot, wrote a book called Gremlins about little creatures who flew on Spitfire missions that Walt Disney wanted to make into a movie after the war had ended. The film was never made.
Whether you prefer the superstitious or historic version of the legend of Gremlin Bells matters not. What is interesting is how big a deal these little babies are amongst bikers all over the World. Time will tell whether Guy follows through on his promise to buy a bell for me – his pockets are deep and his arms notoriously short, so will not hold breath. Should one be forthcoming, maybe, just maybe it will be seen hanging from the undercarriage on my 5Four motorcycle in the future. Furthermore, having discovered so much about these little bells, Chris and I are coming around to Guy’s desire to create a beautiful billeted 5Four version and make a limited number available for the 5Four family. Watch this space. Stay safe!
References
The Legend Of The Gremlin Bell: A Bikers Tradition. BikeBandit May 4th 2018. www.bikebandit.com
Gremlin Bells: Digging Through Fact Fiction and In-Between. Get Lowered Cycles www.getlowered.com
Gremlins! Robert O. Harder. September 2019. www.history.net.
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