| Author | Message | ||
     New12r |
Street Squids, Explained Apr 25, 2007 Copyright 2007 Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. (This original, copyrighted material may not be copied, cut and pasted, published or otherwise reproduced in any way in any medium, which means, don’t post this on another website or BBS. If you want somebody else to see this, send them a link or post a link to this page.) FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: The squid (motorcyclown squidus) is found for the most part in the northern hemisphere and tends to be most active during the warmer months in temperate climates. Although he comes in all shapes and colors, he can generally be identified by certain specific behaviors that we have been able to map out after studying him for about 15 years. The squid has a very high opinion of himself. "Modesty" is generally not part of his vocabulary and he often believes that his skills, knowledge and experience level make him something to be admired or at the very least, respected. The squid generally has a fascination with horsepower. In many instances, the obsession is inversely proportional to his actual skill level. However, in the depths of the ocean, skill seems to be measured by the ability to twist the throttle in sixth gear on the interstate. So obviously, the squid can feel his skills grow as he buys increasingly faster motorcycles. The squid is often the best friend of the sales manager, and the worst nightmare of the service department. The parts guy generally has mixed feelings. Indeed, the squid often needs the most expensive accessories to match his awesome skill level. However, the squid also says things like "I need a piston for a blue Yamaha" which signal to the parts guy that the next 15 minutes are not going to be fun. The squid has rituals, generally weekly, which are repeated throughout the riding season and become a major part of his life. They often involve cruising and hanging out on two or three crowded streets on weekends. Like South Street, in Philadelphia. Very little happens during those gatherings which for the most part have an excitement level that ranks somewhere between that of watching paint dry and watching golf on TV. The squid generally stands next to his motorcycle and answers questions from curious passersby. Generally, "how fast can it go?" The squid loves the Internet. It is generally the best place for him to spread his knowledge and tell people how ignorant they are. He can often be identified early by specific items in his signature line. Buzzwords such as "fender eliminator kit" or "flush mounted turn signals." Indeed, those are considered essential modifications to any self-respecting squid and must be mentioned as part of his signature line. The only people a squid shows any kind of respect for are racers of the Isle of Man TT. On occasion, the squid allows himself to be impressed with some Superbike or Grand Prix racers, even though going through the same corners over and over is not very manly and must be, to the squid's thinking, rather boring even though he has actually never been on a racetrack himself. But not those pussies on the little 125cc and 250cc bikes with the foreign-sounding names. The squid often seems to have information coming directly from the major factories involved in racing. His statements are to be considered factual and anything else will be met with a healthy dose of aggressiveness (and e-gangsta threats on motorcycle forums). It should be noted, for the sake of accuracy, that not all street riders are squids. Far from it, actually. But the vast majority of squids are street riders, although some squids have been known to purchase a racing license for the sole purpose of increasing their credibility on the street. Papa A. Thiam, Director Monaco Oceanographic Institute Paris, France Papa Thiam is a former motorcycle racer with first-hand experience why Airfence and other soft barriers are a good thing to have in front of an embankment outside a fast corner. He is also a former resident of, and street rider in, Philadelphia, and his writing has been previously published in Roadracing World as well as in Sport Rider magazine..Editor. | ||
| 12r |
Sounds curiously familiar lol | ||
| Spiderman |
You bigot! I'm callin JJ and Al  | ||
| New12r |
You bigot! I'm callin JJ and Al Sweet, I am gonna be on TV and Famous! | ||
| Teeps |
See above explanation. Not to be confused with "yaks" the cruiser equivalent of "squids." | ||
| Jandj_davis |
Huh, the first thing I read was "may not be copied, cut and pasted, published or otherwise reproduced in any way in any medium, which means, don’t post this on another website or BBS." Do you have a link for the article? | ||
| Swordsman |
Yeah 12r, can't you follow simple directions?!  ~SM | ||
| New12r |
NO I cant read and yes I will get the Link in just a min. | ||
| New12r |
http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=2 8824 Yall happy now!  | ||
| No_rice |
The squid is often the best friend of the sales manager, and the worst nightmare of the service department. The parts guy generally has mixed feelings. Indeed, the squid often needs the most expensive accessories to match his awesome skill level. However, the squid also says things like "I need a piston for a blue Yamaha" which signal to the parts guy that the next 15 minutes are not going to be fun. that is my favorite part. i was standing at the parts counter laughing my ass off. its just like what i hear some days. Me "what bike do you have" them "a harley" me "well which model" them " i told you a harley" me " yes, but which model of a harley" them "well they are all the same" if they were all the same i wouldnt be asking! UGH... | ||
| Spiderman |
When I used to work the parts counter an they would do that to me I would say, "OK a 883 sporty then." They remembered their bike pretty quickley after that... | ||
| Toe_cutter |
HA-- I live in Philly and the South St. thing is soooo true! Any given weekend summer night there is at least 20 "squids" dressed in their race leathers standing by their sponsor stickered up bike. Pretty funny! | ||
| No_rice |
lmao, i am going to have to use that spidey | ||
| 4cammer |
"The only people a squid shows any kind of respect for are racers of the Isle of Man TT" I'd much rather see the TT than any MotoGP race.Crap, I must be a squid. | ||
| Jhanz |
Ah, but what does the term "squid" stand for? | ||
| Swordsman |
Wondered this myself. Check it out! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid%28motorcycle%29 I like "skin crayon"! ~SM | ||
| Greenlantern |
This is even better... http://www.bytebrothers.org/SquidTest.htm | ||
| Xbullet |
I took the squid test. i got a 71 out of 100 and, well, i'll let them describe it.... A higher grade indicates a stronger sense of common decency, and a lower grade is an indication of conspicuous squidliness and general disregard for civilized society. Your score indicates that you are a halfway decent rider and wise-ass who is way too narcissistic his or her own good. sounds like me....  | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
Your score indicates that you are a fairly responsible motorcyclist but a bit of a wise-ass Sounds a little like my last employee evaluation.  | ||
| Crusty |
Your score indicates that you are a halfway decent rider and wise-ass who is way too narcissistic his or her own good. I guess that I'm just a little bit of a squid. | ||
| Buellerandy |
79 out of 100, woohoo, I'm only half squishy (Message edited by buellerandy on April 28, 2007) | ||
| Diablobrian |
Tx05 and I got similar results | ||
| 12r |
Your score indicates that you are a halfway decent rider and wise-ass who is way too narcissistic for his or her own good Yup  |
