What makes a squid?

[zail]

I think I get what you all mean by Squid - someone who rides without protective gear? But what I want to know is - why SQUID??? Answers on a postcard or in this thread... Thanks

[M-Oorb]

Well if I remember correctly from Rocketpower(great show ) A squid is someone who is new to a group...so maybe we call those who do not wear gear squids for the same reason. Either they someone who has just entered the "group" and doesnt know exactly what they should be doing(or wearing)(THis is not a reason not to wear gear though) or they are ACTING like a newbie when they really know better.


This is my interpretation that I just made up right now and I like it


So who has the real answer haha

[JCCJMM_]

The 2 things that I read about were:

1. Squirrely kid. Drop a few letters, put them together...squid.
2. What a mangled body resembles after a fatal accident due to no protective gear.

Whatever way the name is derived, I suppose "squid" is much more p.c. than some of the names I am tempted to call some riders.

[kazam58]

Suicidal Quack Undermining Intelligent Driving

[backinthesaddleagain]

i remember in the 80s a squid was a slow racer. didnt know why it was used for that either.

[Snake]

Heres the definition according to The Motorcycle Bikers Dictionary: http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/dictionary/S.htm

Squid (Squiddy) - Acronym, SQUirrely kID. 1. In reference to younger MC riders with little respect to posted speed limit laws, self safety or safety of others. 2. Inexperienced newcomer, someone trying to ride beyond his skill level with arms flailing (like a squid) to try not to fall. This may be just a Southern term. 3. Stupidly Quick, Underdressed, Imminently Dead. 4 Any Sportbike Rider - seems this term got twisted along the way and has many meanings. 5 Sportbike riders who wear tennis shoes or flip flops, shorts, T-shirts, etc. on their nice shiny new sport bikes. 6 Anyone that rides without all proper gear , rides recklessly, or rides beyond their limits. 7. Someone who rides a sportbike on the street as if he or she were on a racetrack.

[CC Cowboy]

Squid isn't only no gear (does that mean I'm a squid). Riding like an idiot also qualifies ( I guess I really am a squid or just squidley, squiderrific, or squidacious).

Anyway, they use the word squid because "F..king A..hole" refers to many more people than just motorcyclists.

[shortstuff]

I was told its because they look like a squid when they crash...guts and limbs everywhere on the road

[komohana]

i first heard the term in the '80's reading a motorcyclist magazine article titled 'growing up squidley'. was about the guys duct-taping their knees and taking on the turns of mullholland (sp?) drive Ca. they'd thrash-it, trash-it, and think it was cooler than sushi.

[capt_bugaloo]

I have always understood a squid to be a foolish idiot who attempts to ride beyond his/her means.

It doesn't necessarily mean that squids have poor riding gear, or that those who ride with poor gear are squids - but there's a lot of overlap.

[Momaru]

My understanding of SQUID was as an acronym for: Stupid Quick Underdressed and Imminently Dead

[Snake]

Read post #6 for the various definitions.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Nickds7]

For some reason I think people who ride smartly like to define a squid as someone who rides recklessly. People who wear a ton of gear but ride recklessly like to define a squid as a person who doesn't wear proper gear.

Could be wrong, just a general observation.. Guys who ride like idiots still like to call others squids. Same reason that everyone seems to think that they are great drivers, who make little to no error.

[Verus Cidere]

From what I understood, (also from Rocketpower Nice one Matt.) it's a Hawai'ian thing. It generally has to do with someone who decides to do something but neglects to learn how to do it correctly, safely, and in the proper fashion in groups so as not to put someone else in danger, much less themselves. As to the list of definitions, I generally use #6 the most. "6 Anyone that rides without all proper gear , rides recklessly, or rides beyond their limits."

[zail]

Thanks for clearing that up everyone So I guess by the definitions you could have semisquids too then.... ie someone who wears all the gear but rides like an idiot or someone who rides well but in a tshirt and shorts? If so I have seen full and semisquids out on my local roads today as the heat and sun have obviously made the roads (and peoples brains!) softer....

[bogdanb]

Thank you for the thread Zail. It is a very use full and interesting forum, but hardly one can imagine how difficult is for non-American users, especially for the one with foreign language.
This particular word I even check it in the dictionary.

SQUID
[skwid]
I. n вид сепия, използувана за стръв

II. v ловя риба със сепия или подобна на нея стръв

It says - a fish

[zail]

a fish - lol.. well, I guess that is what it is really...

Slang is always difficult in foriegn languages - and even though the USA and Britain share a language it's not always easy - "2 countries divided by a common language" as someone once said

[Anthony_marr]

A good friend of mine, now a new Ninjette.org member, asked me what a "squid" is. I think the following videos will answer the question more than amply. The last one is what all Ninjette riders want to do, but crossing double yellows on tight curves and rocketing into blind-corners are strict no-nos IMO.

Dead "squids" look very much like dead squids, no illustration is needed here.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[ARF07]

If I was a betting man, I'd bet that 3 or 4 of those guys are dead by now. You can only keep that up for so long without someone hitting you.

Also, a squid can be someone that doesn't ride that insanely, but does so without proper gear.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

The last one is what all Ninjette riders want to do,

What, ride like an asshat while wearing a polo shirt and jeans, flouting not only traffic laws but all forms of common sense while taking random lines all over the road?

With all due respect, speak for yourself, pal. I have NO desire to do any of that.

I really like how the lead rider would lean his head and upper body over the yellow line INTO the oncoming traffic!

If these guys became hood ornaments it'd serve 'em right.

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by adouglas

What, ride like an asshat while wearing a polo shirt and jeans, flouting not only traffic laws but all forms of common sense while taking random lines all over the road?

With all due respect, speak for yourself, pal. I have NO desire to do any of that.

I really like how the lead rider would lean his head and upper body over the yellow line INTO the oncoming traffic!

If these guys became hood ornaments it'd serve 'em right.

Hey, I'm the ATGATT kind of guy, and have never ridden faster than 130 mph, honest. All I meant was that canyon carving is what the Ninjette is made for. I'm sure that SOME of us have a secret desire to test her limits.

Back to that lead rider, on top of everything else, his form leaves something to be desired. I was concerned he might scrap his butt on the tarmac quite a few times.

[nate-bama]

Yeah the guy out front was reckless in his line selection, well of course passing in double yellows is risky anyway but umm i thought it looked fun not that i would attempt it

That looks Scary to say the Least. Squidward is a Safer Rider on his Bicycle

[SF-Dug]

It all looks fun until you go sliding head on toward a oncoming car in the other lane. Or a rather large big rig clips you and takes off your head as you lean across the double yellow. I have to agree with ARF07 and ADouglas in that you won't have a long riding career if you test your limits on the streets rather then a race track.

Race tracks are there for a reason so use them to truly test your limits. Of course get ready to be humbled by the long time track veterans. Those dudes are insanely fast riders who have turned riding blindly fast on a race track into a combo of art, science and sixth sense.

[rockNroll]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

The last one is what all Ninjette riders want to do, but crossing double yellows on tight curves and rocketing into blind-corners are strict no-nos IMO[/youtube]

Not true... not all ninjette riders wanna ride kaddywompus, have terrible form and ride those roads with that lack of gear. That rider was bad and his camera-bike rider was just as swift.

I have no problem with the passing over yellow lines and he could see through most of the corners, they weren't blind. He just isn't very good at this.

[Strider]

Anthony, if I rode like these guys, my wife would kill me! LOL

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by Strider

Anthony, if I rode like these guys, my wife would kill me! LOL

Hi Alan, I hope you're all mended and enjoying the rest of the riding season (or is there any such thing in NC?). I doubt that after your last "practicum" lesson you would be riding anything like them, so both you and your missus can relax.

[JaeL]

LOL, I'm guess you guys don't know who the guy in the first video is...

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by JaeL

LOL, I'm guess you guys don't know who the guy in the first video is...

Whoever he is, he lives in Athens, Greece, if he's still alive that is.

[kkim]

Originally Posted by JaeL

LOL, I'm guess you guys don't know who the guy in the first video is...

so, who is he?

[JaeL]

This was filmed in Athens, Greece. It was originally a video disc included with the magazine Moto, the driver (Sakis Sinioris) is an editor for the magazine itself, and apparently is a pretty famous motorcycle racer out of Greece. I think its funny about how the "smart guys" race on a track, and pros would never do this on the street.... ohh wait.... A Racer who is a Squid?

[kkim]

I don't care who is is, I still think he rides like an ass.

[JaeL]

Originally Posted by kkim

so, who is he?

[ScraitT]

I think Kkims response was more aimed toward you since you make it seem like its ok to ride like that on the street since he is a racer. (However this IS the internet and it's hard to tell the true meaning of what you said).
Kkim seems to be saying regardless of who he is it doesn't give him the right to endanger others with his idiotic riding.

It just sucks that idots who ride like those videos are what give anyone who rides a sport bike a bad image and high insurance rates.

[Sailariel]

I get this,"you are one of THOSE guys" all to frequently--which leads me to believe that a lot of sport bikers actively contribute to the negative image and higher insurance rates for motorcyclists in general. Super loud pipes and reckless driving do nothing to change this stereotype. It is indeed unfortunate that those of us who enjoy sport bikes and ride sensibly have to pay for the indulgence of a group of riders who are for all practical purposes brain dead.

[headshrink]

Those videos made my blood boil.... especially the first one. What pi$$3d me off the most was what he was doing to other bikes and pedestrians (i.e. vulnerable bystanders).

[emt250]

It'd be nice to get through traffic that quickly... but I would never ride like that. Ever. I'd rather be late/slow/sweaty sitting in traffic than a stain on the pavement.

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by emt250

It'd be nice to get through traffic that quickly... but I would never ride like that. Ever. I'd rather be late/slow/sweaty sitting in traffic than a stain on the pavement.

And every other biker in that video, including one on a red bike which could be a pre-gen. Just this one with the cam, who may become zero soon if he keeps it up.

[emt250]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

And every other biker in that video, including one on a red bike which could be a pre-gen. Just this one with the cam, who may become zero soon if he keeps it up.

Pretty much. Riding is dangerous, we all know it. Most of us here try to minimize the risk (and some of us still inevitably go down), but then there are people like those in those videos who maximize the risk as much as they can.


Thank you for sharing by the way.

[JaeL]

Originally Posted by ScraitT

I think Kkims response was more aimed toward you since you make it seem like its ok to ride like that on the street since he is a racer. (However this IS the internet and it's hard to tell the true meaning of what you said).
Kkim seems to be saying regardless of who he is it doesn't give him the right to endanger others with his idiotic riding.

It just sucks that idots who ride like those videos are what give anyone who rides a sport bike a bad image and high insurance rates.

Nah, my point was it doesn't matter what walk of life you come from people of all types use bad judgement.

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

And every other biker in that video, including one on a red bike which could be a pre-gen. Just this one with the cam, who may become zero soon if he keeps it up.

If I remember correctly this clip is from a DVD around 10 years old. And I believe Sakis is still alive.