Saw a squid yesterday...

[Botch]

... coming up to a stop sign on my right. Yakking on her cell phone. She had it pinched between her head and shoulder then, I assumed, grabbed it with her clutch hand when possible. No helmet, jacket, gloves, and wearing shorts.

She was very attractive, but probably won't be for long. :banghead:

 

[gomd3]

wait she was actually driving and talking?! lol, that must have been a hell of a conversation she was having. No helmet law in Utah?

 

[jamesfz6]

Nothing baffles the mind more than the majestic SQUID. In their natural habitat they can be seen with no helmet, wearing sandals, and will often have a "no respect for the bike" attitude.

 

[jamesfz6]

wait she was actually driving and talking?! lol, that must have been a hell of a conversation she was having. No helmet law in Utah?

A light breeze will distort my conversations, i would hate to hear what it sounded like while riding.

 

[Hellgate]

I saw a pair of them yesterday. They were on a Harley, cruiser looking thing. Both had shorts, he has running shoes, she had flip-flops, he had a tee shirts, she had a ladies style tank top, ie: skinny strips.

She was very pretty, he, well not so much...

However, both did have sunglasses.

No lids, no gloves, NOTHING. Hell they should have just gone nude.

 

[Botch]

No helmet law in Utah?

Nope. And I saw a LOT of bare heads riding around yesterday...

 

[Whirlygirl]

Saw a guy in Kamloops last summer on a cruiser... shorts and NO SHIRT... that should be illegal... eewwww.... man boobs....

He was wearing a salad-bowl helmet though! Safety first!

 

[Hellgate]

Saw a guy in Kamloops last summer on a cruiser... shorts and NO SHIRT... that should be illegal... eewwww.... man boobs....

He was wearing a salad-bowl helmet though! Safety first!

EEEEKKKK!!!! Man boobs!

And these will be the same people who swear off motorcycle because they take a fall and get all scrapped up. Where as IF they were wearing gear they would simply say, "ouch" dust them selves off and hop back on.

However these are also the people who have fire sales on motorcycles with only 500 miles on them and a "few small scrapes".

Darwin....

 

[jsteinb95]

Saw a guy in Kamloops last summer on a cruiser... shorts and NO SHIRT... that should be illegal... eewwww.... man boobs....

He was wearing a salad-bowl helmet though! Safety first!

LOL....some people

man boobs? here we call 'em b*tch t*ts (well, atleast I do)

 

[Doorag]

LOL....some people

man boobs? here we call 'em b*tch t*ts (well, atleast I do)

b*tch t*ts are different. They are the 'boobs' guys get from doing too many steroids. 'Man boobs' are usually just fat.

 

[jsteinb95]

b*tch t*ts are different. They are the 'boobs' guys get from doing too many steroids. 'Man boobs' are usually just fat.

they're all the same to me

 

[AlanB]

OK, I hate to ask a noob question, but I gotta know: Is SQUID an acronym for something? I mean, I get the gist of it - a careless or overconfident rider, not paying appropiate attention to safety. But how did the term arise?

 

[jsteinb95]

OK, I hate to ask a noob question, but I gotta know: Is SQUID an acronym for something? I mean, I get the gist of it - a careless or overconfident rider, not paying appropiate attention to safety. But how did the term arise?

A squid is an irresponsible motorcyclist. The term is derogatory and common among motorcyclists in North America.It is generally associated with a new or reckless motorcyclist seen riding erratically and/or beyond his or her capabilities, often without appropriate riding gear.

The origin of the word is varyingly attributed:

A contraction of:
"Squirrely" and "kid" (possibly taken from California surfing culture), or
"Squished" and "kid", or
"Squished" and "idiot"
Also of note: "squidly girl" or "Squirrel"
An acronym for:
"Stupidly Quick, Underdressed, Ignorant and Dangerous", or
"Stupidly Quick, Underdressed and Imminently Dead", or
"Super Quick Until I Die"
Note: all of these are likely to be backronyms
Derivative of U.S. military culture:
Newly-inducted sailors based in San Diego in the '60s would sometimes buy an inexpensive two-stroke motorcycle for transportation while on shore, even if they had never ridden before. So, there were large numbers of unprotected, inexperienced "marine life" squirting through traffic in a hurry and leaving a trail of black "ink" (smoke) behind them.
"Squid" was also a common derogatory term for sailors:
Recent inductees were called "squids" by more senior sailors, and
All sailors were called "squids" by Marines
Based on similarity between the way a "squid" rides and an actual squid swims.
Squids can appear unable to change direction while swimming without first coming to a near complete stop. However, once the squid does stop and change directions, it can very quickly accelerate back to its regular swimming speed. Beginning motorcyclists commonly have trouble negotiating turns, and must slow down to unnecessarily slow speed, while at the same time have a tendency to ride very fast on the straight sections of the road.
Referring to the fact that the rider has a large, bulbous head (his helmet) with soft, fleshy bits dangling beneath it.
Often young, squids are identified by their reckless abandon (speeding, wheelies, stoppies etc.) and by their inappropriate attire (shorts, backwards ball caps, flip flops, wifebeater T-shirt, etc). The wearing of tank tops by "squids" was satarised by Ian Johnston who wrote a widely distributed article claiming the Corona tank top was safer than racing leathers.[1] A "squidly" rider eschews all or most of the protective gear worn by many riders (helmet, gloves, leather jacket, riding pants, and boots) and the social and legal norms of riding behaviour, and as such is looked upon with derision by experienced motorcyclists, who also refer to them as "organ donors", "Zip-Splats", "a Stillie", "Skin Crayons", CycleWorld, March 1995.</ref> and "soon-to-be-ex-motorcyclists".

However, many squids are fully suited-up with helmet, jacket, gloves, etc. Being "squidly" has more to do with how a rider acts than by what he or she wears or rides.

 

[Denver_FZ6]

Weather actually busted 85° in Denver this weekend. You'd figure there was a law against wearing helmets here by the looks of it. Not even salad bowls in use, (dig that one Whirlygirl) just sunglasses. Chores kept me from getting any riding until Sunday evening, and I felt like an outcast wearing jacket and helmet. <sigh>

 

[jsteinb95]

Weather actually busted 85° in Denver this weekend. You'd figure there was a law against wearing helmets here by the looks of it. Not even salad bowls in use, (dig that one Whirlygirl) just sunglasses. Chores kept me from getting any riding until Sunday evening, and I felt like an outcast wearing jacket and helmet. <sigh>

I have family in Co. and went up there last summer....I had completey forgot that alot of states don't have helmet laws. I saw some dude riding a GSXR with his helmet in the helmet lock, smoking a cigarette....I was like, WTF???? I can honestly say, that was the first time had ever seen someone ride without a helmet (in person). It was pretty weird.

 

[Live4Snow]

OK, I hate to ask a noob question, but I gotta know: Is SQUID an acronym for something? I mean, I get the gist of it - a careless or overconfident rider, not paying appropiate attention to safety. But how did the term arise?

I always thought that a squid was someone who could go through the gears in a straight line but have to slow way down for a corner, much like the water creature. The animal can travel in straight lines pretty quickly but must slow to almost a stop to change direction.

 

[jamesfz6]

I always thought that a squid was someone who could go through the gears in a straight line but have to slow way down for a corner, much like the water creature. The animal can travel in straight lines pretty quickly but must slow to almost a stop to change direction.

I like this answer^

I usually use the acronym form but this sounds more better.......errr.....smarter...:thumbup:

 

[CHEMIKER]

I saw a squid yesterday on my way to the race. On my way, about 5 sportbikes entered the freeway that I was already on and got behind me in formation. I thought "cool, I'm not that experienced but I can surely lead a group on a straight freeway ride". I figured they were headed to the races same as me.

A couple of miles later, they all pass me, but in no particular formation. I have never ridden in formation but I thought there was some sort of protocol for changing positions, like hand signals and some predictable one at a time passing. Whatever, they probably just didn't want someone leading them that was not one of their group. As they pass me I notice that they all have some combination of gear but no one it fully suited up like me. Some had tee shirts and some had shorts. Anyway, the last guy in the line is now in front of me. They don't go any faster than I was going so now I'm in the rear. Fine.

The guy directly in front of me is wearing a brain bucket and he's on like a Ducati or something. As soon as he gets in front of me, his hands come off the handle bars like his poor tired hands need a rest. He starts stretching and shaking the kinks out of his hands, all the while taking turns with no hands on the bars. Then, still no hands, he starts checking his boots, his pegs, reaching down to grab at stuff, etc. Meanwhile I'm slowing down more and more so that I have room to dodge him and his bike when he goes down. How could you be that bored with riding a motorcycle that you have to get distracted with this stuff? This went on for several miles until I couldn't take it anymore and pulled off and then back onto the higway to get rid of these clowns. Way too distracting and unsafe.

They ended up being right in front of me in the ticket line at the races. Glad to see that they made it okay but I hate it when d**ches like this make us responsible riders look bad.

 

[AlanB]

Awesome answer! Thanks much. I feel less noobish already!

 

[keira]

I have family in Co. and went up there last summer....I had completey forgot that alot of states don't have helmet laws. I saw some dude riding a GSXR with his helmet in the helmet lock, smoking a cigarette....I was like, WTF???? I can honestly say, that was the first time had ever seen someone ride without a helmet (in person). It was pretty weird.

We also have no helmet law, so it is odd for me to see the underdressed guys wearing jackets and no helmets when I go to Massachusetts.

On another note, a former roommate and fellow rider once went for an evening jaunt with myself and reiobard, and as we pulled up to an ATM, I noticed he was smoking a cigarette.....INSIDE his helmet!!! gross!