Have you ever noticed a small bell attached to a Harley’s lower frame? These bells are more important than they look. As a good omen, they ward off troublesome spirits that lurk on the open road. Sometimes called a Guardian Bell or Gremlin Bell, bikers have trusted these good luck charms for time out of mind. No one really knows its true origin.
Bikers attach it to the lowest part of their bike’s frame because it’s the best location to ward off road-dwelling spirits. Legend has it that the spirits cannot live in the bell’s presence, their super-sensitive hearing can’t stand it, they get trapped in the bell’s hollow recess, tortured, and spit out onto the road. Since the sprites are the cause of all the bike’s problems, it’s best to have a bell. However, the charm works best if it’s obtained by gift.
The Green Omen
Green may be lucky for the Irish, but for the Hog, it’s a bad sign. No one knows exactly where the superstition came from, but bikers know that an olive-green painted motorcycle is bad luck. There are several theories. Most of them are associated with motorcycles used in WWI and WWII. Painted Army green and used for messaging and general transport along enemy lines, many men were killed delivering messages. Snipers routinely took out soldiers on motorcycles. Their ghosts apparently haunted the green painted machines. Perhaps it was PTSD-related?
Another issue with green-colored motorcycles is that since many of them that were used in WWII and then sold after the war, they were not in the best condition. Those Army-green motorcycles were unreliable, breaking down easily and becoming a symbol of bad luck. During the early racing days, Harleys lost too many Englishmen riding olive-green bikes. Engendering animosity, it gave those bikes a bad name. And, finally, perhaps green is just an unlucky color, with cultural significations of greed and jealousy. The superstitions were real, but they’ve been fading in recent years.
Harley-Davidsons Hit the Big Screen Sooner Than You Think
Motorcycle gangs like Hells Angels began popping up after WWII. Hunter S. Thompson, an eccentric journalist of the peculiar, documented motorcycle gangs’ outlaw lifestyle in his 1966 book. When Easy Rider hit the big screen in 1969, the movie about life on the road, freedom and the rebellious counterculture became a blockbuster. Harley-Davidson and Easy Rider were, like, synonymous.
But Harley-Davidsons starred in the movies much earlier. The outlaw biker genre debuted with The Wild One. Based on gangs like Hells Angels, and starring Marlon Brando as rebellious gang leader “Johnny Strabler,” the movie portrayed (and popularized) reckless biker subculture. Brando’s character donned a Triumph Thunderbird, but co-star Lee Marvin rode a Harley-Davidson Hydra Glide.
The Original Biker’s Club
In 1928, the oldest Harley-Davidson biker club was serendipitously formed. It’s a cute story. The Praha Harley Club, based in Prague, came together because of Bohumil Turek, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle racer. It was on his wedding day celebration. He and his bride, who also raced Harleys, were joined by 90 friends, all riding Harley-Davidsons.
Ceremoniously, they lined up their bikes to accompany guests into the reception. The striking motorcycle reception line inspired the motorcycle club idea, and, by the close of the days’ festivities, the Harley Club Praha was founded.
Harley-Davidson’s Great Depression
During the ‘50s and ‘60s, Harley-Davidson hit some hard times. The company, on the brink of bankruptcy, was temporarily purchased by American Machine and Foundry (AMF), a company that could care less about H-D’s fate. Due to the buyout, the workforce was severely cut. As a result, labor strikes and lower quality machines were produced at expensive prices. The dip into subpar quality generated a negative-reputation backlash.
The Harley-Davidson name was derisively mocked. Epithets like Hardly Driveable or Hardly Ableson tarnished the brand. “Hog” began to be used derogatorily. The company was sliding into oblivion. In 1981 a group of investors rescued the company from certain demise.