The Phantom Motorcycle of Oxford.

How to get ahead in the world-a nasty barbed wire fence

Via: Passing Lane Paranormal investigations

"According to an article written in the October 31, 1992 edition of the Hamilton Journal, "As the story goes, a young Oxford man was going to propose marriage to his girlfriend who lived just around the corner of Oxford-Milford on Earhart Road. He was riding to her house to propose marriage, missed the narrow sharp turn just before her house and was decapitated by a barbed wire fence, according to the tale.

The newspaper article continues, "Students conjure the ghost by finishing his journey. Then after flashing headlights three times while facing south on Oxford-Milford Road, students say, they see the headlight and the taillight of the motorcycle appear."

"The problem with the legend is that longtime residents have never heard of such an accident. William Falk, 70, was born and has always lived in the house where the girl in the legend supposedly lived. He knows nothing of the story of the girl and doesn't believe the lights are from a ghost... Falk has had problems with students coming to see the ghost - his house has been robbed three or four times, he said. Other Oxford-Milford residents like Joey Mackey say students are there every weekend."

There are many variations of this legend. Some say the motorcycle rider was decapitated by a barbed wire fence. Others say he hit an oncoming car or a tractor. One ridiculous version of the story claims that he hit a bicycle, probably confusing the phantom motorcycle with the legend of the bicycle rider of Buckley Road (see below).

Another variation of the legend claims that there was a serial rapist on the loose and late one night he approached a home on Earhart Road and knocked on a girl's door. Fearing for her safety, the girl called for her "beau" who was going to come to her rescue. According to the story, the would-be hero's speeding motorcycle crashed when he tried to make the sharp bend in the road.

The Phantom Bicyclist of Buckley Road:

There is another urban legend sometimes confused with the phantom motorcycle story. Supposedly, Buckley Road, located just outside of Oxford, Ohio, is said to be haunted by a boy killed while riding his bicycle. Just like the phantom motorcyclist, the legend says this ghost can be summoned by parking on the road and flashing your car's headlights three times.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Buckley Road

More than likely, this is one more variation of the motorcycle legend. Details become fuzzy over the years and we end up with two separate but similar stories. That's what happens with urban legends. They eventually become distorted and take on new details until they become totally different urban legends."