The Story of the Motorcycle Bell | CRATEX Abrasives

There are a few stories about the Motorcycle Bell. We've decided to cover two most interesting ones. One bell story starts with the Royal Air Force pilots who were abused by small plane gremlins, and the second one is a sentimental story about the Old crusty biker.

The Pilots and the Gremlins

Royal Air Force pilots began talking about small humanoid creatures clinging to their aircrafts, causing damage. The word "gremlin" comes from an Old English word "gremian" or "gremman", which means "to make someone feel annoyed and/or worried". It is believed that the pilots actually came up with the story to point to the RAF technology's error-prone construction in a humorous way.

However, pretty soon more and more US pilots claimed that they have seen the little creatures just before a crash or malfunction, which was enough to convince many never to go up in the air without the guarding bell. The small creature that wrecks American planes through diabolical sabotage was featured in the Warner Bros cartoon called the "Falling Hare" (or initially "Bugs Bunny and the Gremlin"). Bugs started laughing after reading about these creatures and what they do, and a small creature with a hammer appeared. Remember that?

The epilog of the story is as follows: the pilots returned home after the WWII, started riding motorcycles, formed clubs and made the bond with their wartime buddies even stronger. They took the gremlin myth and the bells home with them and hung them on their beloved motorcycles for protection.

 The Old Biker's Tale

As mentioned, there is more than one story. The most sentimental one is certainly The Old Biker's Tale and most of you true bikers probably know it well. For all those who don't, it goes something like this. An old crusty biker was returning home from Mexico on a cold December night, many many years ago. The ride was smooth up until he reached the high desert where these small notorious little road gremlins were lurking, waiting to cause trouble.

The biker rounded a curve and the gremlins ambushed him. He ended up on the ground, unable to move which made him a sweet and easy target for the gremlins who started to approach him. Luckily, his saddlebag has lying next to him, and again, luckily, it was filled with toys he had been carrying to some orphanage. He started throwing toys at them, trying to keep them away, but nothing worked until he grabbed a bell. He started ringing it, hopping that the sound will scare them.

Meanwhile, another two bikers were camping out in the desert when they heard a bell ring. They thought a bell ringing in the middle of nowhere was strange, so they started to follow the sound and found the old biker on the ground trying to fight off the evil road demons. They rushed to his help and chased the gremlins away into the night.

The old biker was so grateful that he offered them money for saving his life. Being true bikers, of course, money was out of the question, because that's what bikers do – help each other out. And being a true biker himself, the old fellow couldn't let them leave without being somehow rewarded for the good deed that they did.

He cut two straps out of his saddlebag, tied a bell to each, and tied them beneath each motorcycle, as closer to the ground as possible. He told his two bike brothers that the bells will keep them safe from road gremlins, and if ever in trouble, just ring the bell and the fellow bikers will run to their help.

So, when you see a motorcycle with a bell on it, know that it is protected by the powerful magic of the bell. More importantly, know that the bell is a sign of true friendship and is a caring gift from one fellow biker to another. It is also a thoughtful and important gift for new bikers welcomed into the community, as it gives them a positive outlook on the ideals of brotherhood and special bond within the community. It is encouraging to know that someone cares for you and always got your back.