THE LEGEND OF THE RIDE BELL
unknown author

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, the power is doubled, and you know that somewhere you have a special friend helping to look after you.

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. The bell, plus a good preventive maintenance program by the bikes owner, will help eliminate the Evil Road Spirits.

POLISHING THE BELL

It has been a tradition among some of us, for a long time, to run a brass bell on the left swing arm, to remember our brothers and sisters who have gone down riding.

It's a small thing, but the reason a brass bell is chosen is that, as we ride, it will get dirty and tarnished. Every time we get down and wash and polish it, we are reminded of friends lost, and our thoughts turn to the meaning of being in the wind.

As we ride, and hear the bell ring, we know that our brothers and sisters are riding with us. How easy it would be to join them with a single mistake.

And maybe, just maybe, the next time a situation comes up, they will be there to help us ... as long as we remember them by polishing the bell.