No worries, we can’t all be on the up and up with these confangled new terms. Squid is used when talking about an inexperienced rider. Generally the term came from the fact that squids go fast in a straight line but are slow around corners. They generally think themselves invincible, and don’t wear proper protection.
The definition according to the oh-so-reputable Urban Dictionary:
A young motorcyclist who overestimates his abilities, boasts of his riding skills when in reality he has none. Squid bikes are usually decorated with chrome and various anodized bits. Rear tyres are too wide for their own good, swingarm extended. Really slow in the corners, and sudden bursts of acceleration when a straight appears. Squids wear no protection, deeming themselves invincible. This fact compounds intself with the fact that they engage in ‘extreem riding’—performing wheelies and stoppies in public areas.
Interesting how motorcyclists are automatically is referred to as a “he” or “him” there…. haha!
And PS, thank you for the compliment!
I’m so excited to announce the project that I’ve been working on for two years… a book all about badass motorcycling women! In the MotoLady’s Book of Women Who Ride you’ll meet 74 of the most influencial motorcyclists of the last century. Motorcycle heroes, trailblazers, and record-breakers like Jessi Combs, Shayna Texter, Laia Sanz, Gloria Tramontin-Struck, the Van Buren sisters, and more can be found inside the 184 pages of this hard cover book celebrating motorcycling women!
Posted on September 9, 2011 in Motorcycles by Alicia Mariah Elfving