BIKER BELLS?

ZEROPILOT

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My new to me Harley Dyna Switchback has a very odd feature.
Actually it does a lot of odd things to me. Since I've been a lifelong Kawasaki guy and Ninja speed freak for a lot of that time. This is my first Harley. It's something I swore I would never buy. But old age and a bad back...Look at me.

It has a "Biker bell" dangling from it. It's supposed to bring safety on the road.
I'd heard about these. Sport bike culture does NOT have them. And I find it just strange.
As I was about to snip it off, my wife hurriedly came into the garage telling me to leave it alone. Something she read online.
A call to the guy I bought the bike from said the same thing.
I looked online and found that for this to "work" it must be hanging from the lowest part if the bike. So I moved it down as low as it could go. It had been hanging on the handlebar. Next to the front brake. Wrong.
(It's amazing that the old owner didnt crash and explode into a ball of fire)
Now I don't know what to do with it.
Leave it. Remove it. All of my REAL biker friends have died....... Did I kill its juju when I moved it? Does a made in China trinket provide safety?;)
I'm only slightly superstitious. But I also haven't had a single accident since 1980.
Thoughts?

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Momof4

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Here’s what he said. He was a Harley guy and is a hot rod guy.

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Momof4

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He just called and said that you cannot buy them for yourself. They need to be given to you.
He also did say to keep it on the bottom of the frame.
His friend has had one on his Harley and driving to Sturgis from Ca for 18yrs with no problems.
They’re also called gremlin bells.
 

ZEROPILOT

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It's a skull that says Harley Davidson on the back.
For some reason, Harley riders seem to like flames and skulls and leather fringe. And chrome. Good lord. There's SOO much chrome!
 

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KarenSoCal

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Did you know that years ago Harley Davidson tried to register the sound they make as proprietary? The vroom-vroom? Never happened.

I was born in York, PA, where the bikes were built for many years. Previously the building was occupied by a Naval Ordnance Plant,then American Machine & Foundry, where bombs were built. When I entered the job market I almost applied for a job there. However, I valued my fingers, so when a better offer came along, I ran to it.

Quite a few years later, I took a safety riding course on HD's grounds, in preparation for buying my "personalized" KZ 400. I was glad I took that class later on. Taught some good principles.

Sometime long ago I heard of biker bells, but couldn't have explained them to you.
 

Maro2Bear

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Did you know that years ago Harley Davidson tried to register the sound they make as proprietary? The vroom-vroom? Never happened.

I was born in York, PA, where the bikes were built for many years. Previously the building was occupied by a Naval Ordnance Plant,then American Machine & Foundry, where bombs were built. When I entered the job market I almost applied for a job there. However, I valued my fingers, so when a better offer came along, I ran to it.

Quite a few years later, I took a safety riding course on HD's grounds, in preparation for buying my "personalized" KZ 400. I was glad I took that class later on. Taught some good principles.

Sometime long ago I heard of biker bells, but couldn't have explained them to you.


Harley Davidson and York Barbells! Ive made so many trips up and down I-83. Icons on the route.
 

Yvonne G

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My husband had Harleys for years. . . first a Sporster, then a new Harley every year after than until we ended up with a full dresser which included a side car. We never heard of biker bells. I guess we lived in a cave.
 

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The sound they wanted to trademark was the POTATO POTATO sound generated by a four stroke 45 degree V twin running on a 1 journal crankshaft. (Single pin)With air cooling.
Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki opted to use 60 degrees mostly and smoother two journal crankshafts and liquid cooling. Some engines even used counter balances to quell vibration
That's why the "fakes" sound like garbage for the most part. In my opinion. And are void of any character. Reliable? Yes.
Only Yamaha opted for both the air cooling and the 45 degree twin design. Years later.
I don't think it's a big deal any longer.
A good portion if what Harley sells now is made in India. And even the bikes still made here are full of Japanese, Chinese, Mexican and Canadian parts.
Kawasakis are mostly made here in the states....Toyota is racing at NASCAR....
The world is a different place.
 

Maro2Bear

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What do you all think about Indian Motorcycles..

https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/history/


1900s: The First Motorized BikeBecoming America’s First Motorcycle Company

In 1901, bicycle manufacturer, racing promoter, and former bicycle racing champion George Hendee hired Oscar Hedstrom to build gasoline engine-powered bikes to pace bicycle races. The machine he created proved to be powerful and reliable, establishing the company’s reputation for outstanding performance. Later that year the company’s first factory was established in downtown Springfield.

The first Indian Motorcycle was sold to a retail customer in 1902, and later that year an Indian Motorcycle won an endurance race from Boston to New York City in its public racing debut. Racers went on to win events and establish records riding Indian motorcycles:
  • 1903 — Company co-founder and chief engineer Oscar Hedstrom rode one of his motorcycles to a new world speed record of 56 mph and won an endurance race from New York City to Springfield and back.
  • 1906 — George Holden and Louis J. Mueller rode an Indian Motorcycle from San Francisco to New York City in a then-record 31 1/2 days without any mechanical problems.
  • 1907 — American T.K. Hastings rode an Indian Motorcycle to victory in a 1,000-mile reliability trial in England
In 1906, the first V-twin factory race bike was built. A version of the racing engine was introduced in consumer models for the 1907 model year, making the 39-ci (633 cc), 42-degree V-twin the first American V-twin production motorcycle engine.
 

ZEROPILOT

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I personally like the old Indians.
My grand father owned a '51 Chief.
They were a very competitive manufacturer when there where a dozen U.S manufacturers of motorcycles.
Harley got the most funding for vehicles during world war two and after the war, Indian was the only other American brand. And they only lasted into the early 50s.
The name bounced around in the 60s and 70s and some cheesy Indian badged (from India no less) mini bikes and dirt bikes were sold.
Then in the 90s, some rich guy bought the rights to the name and re invented the brand. But the new engines didn't hold up and the company went broke.
Fast forward to a few years ago. Indian was again reborn. This time with clean running and well made engines. But sales are flat. And it's thought that it may fail again. Maybe taking parent company. POLARIS along with it.
To me, the new Indians are not Indians.
They're like Elvis impersonators.
Not Elvis. Even if their mother named them Elvis.
Indian is gone.
 

KarenSoCal

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Not long ago one of the casinos near here was giving away a motorcycle as a gambling come-on. I really don't keep up with motorcycles, so I was surprised to see a bright blue Indian. It had that low slung look of an Indian, but that was the extent of the similarity.
 

JonN

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@ZEROPILOT that's a good looking bike. The bell is supposed to keep the gremlins off the bike. But on my first Harley even after receiving a bell inconvenient things still happened. The down side of hanging so low is if it's too low you end up dragging it in the curvys. I drug mine too many times and it broke off the clapper, so then I had no more ding, just a tink. Lol. I didn't put a bell on any of my other bikes and never had any problems.
 
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