Just curious if others have noticed this but riding from richmond indiana up to fort wayne I noticed the bike wave. I have often waved or been waved at around my area but I thought it was a local thing. I'm out cruising on St. Rd 1 and getting the wave from every biker I see. Harley, 'zuki, yamaha, all of em. Very interesting, has anyone else noticed this?
mike
Up here everybody waves. It's kinda like an "extend your left hand out to the side for a second" heh. :cheers:
Infact, I feel really bad when I've realized a biker just drove by and I didn't see him until it was too late :oops:
It's done all round the world, at least where riding a motorbike is considered something special. I wouldn't know about Indonesia and other far eastern countries, you probably would need a foot clutch to be able to wave at fellow bikers there.
One exception are the lefties, though. I heard the English greet with a friendly nod.
Some riders are discriminatave about who they greet. ("No Hogs", "no scooters") I have taken to not greet scooters, as they seem not to expect it and never greet back.
Lefties??
:x :lol:
Yes indeed we generally nod, saves taking your hand off the handlebars :D
Everyone waves up here in my neck of the woods. No matter what type of bike your on.
Hi Guys,
Here in Australia we Nod & Wave . I usely Nod at any bike that I pass , I really like how we all stick togather :cheers:
all the best matt:) your friend
I noticed only people on bikes similar to mine wave. It seem like everyone in the 250-500CC class waves to me since I'm on a similar bike. Occasionally I get a nod from people on the 1000CC sportbikes because their too cool to wave. But big barley bikers on their harleys never do. They're just too cool with their leather vests and beards and what not.
Plenty of riders wave and then some flip me off. Bunches of HD & custom cruisers riders around here. Not all are bad but enough are dicks. Personally, I do not have a problem with what you ride. Squids don't wave either.
Forget waving if I am in the twisties, might be lucky to get a pinky wave.
Actually, I have noticed that Harley riders are waving back more than last year. Last year, not at all!
Quote from: dgyverPlenty of riders wave and then some flip me off. Bunches of HD & custom cruisers riders around here. Not all are bad but enough are dicks. Personally, I do not have a problem with what you ride. Squids don't wave either.
Forget waving if I am in the twisties, might be lucky to get a pinky wave.
Some flip you off? That would be asking for it! There are few custom bikes and harleys here, and those that do exist are ridden by friendly old men having mid life crises usually :lol:
I've noticed that I seem to get more waves when my bike is decked out with saddlebags and a tank bag. There seems to be some respect associated with the "long haul". Plus, it disguises the bike a little :)
My brother stopped waving when he met a guy who responded to all waves with a power wheelie. :o
Trev
There's an awfully funny page on the respect thing and the biker's greeting. Unfortunately it's in German. It has statements like
"The winter driver stops waving at other bikers in April. Tough guys dont greet sissies."
my girlfriend's dad is a hardcore harley rider, and he wouldn't wave at me even if he knew it was me. "it's a harley thing, only harleys should be waving at each other"
i only wave at sport bikes. I live 20 minutes from harley's headquarters tho, so there's more harleys than cars on the nice days.
i give a two fingered wave - for 2 wheels :) i extend my hand down to the left about even with my seat, i'd say
first bike i ever passed on my bike waved at me. it felt awesome. he's one of like 10 tho, in all my riding, that's waved. and i'm almost always waving first.
Quote from: scratchActually, I have noticed that Harley riders are waving back more than last year. Last year, not at all!
Same here - My guess is that the more mainstream Harley becomes, the more i'll see hogs wave. My favorite wavers are the guys in the Chrome German helmets on sportbikes. I just makes me chuckles to see a guy on a litrebike with matching leathers and one of those helmets throwing devil horns or two fingers down when they ride by .
Quote from: noodleSome flip you off? That would be asking for it! There are few custom bikes and harleys here, and those that do exist are ridden by friendly old men having mid life crises usually :lol:
Flipping me off does not bother me. I just wave and keep on riding. I do not have time to hate.
I actually get more waves from HD & cruiser than from squids on sportbikes. Recently the HD riders have been initiating the wave, I make sure I wave back then.
Quotehe's one of like 10 tho, in all my riding, that's waved. and i'm almost always waving first.
Me too! Hardly anybody waves to me, and I'm almost always waving first. Maybe it's a Wisconsin thing.
pretty much everybody waves back around here, which is strange, since the Metro DC area isn't exactly renowned for it's friendly atmosphere.
Some of the "real" HD riders don't waive, but they're probably just too busy trying to get their 1000 lb bikes to turn into the corners.
Quote from: LauraQuotehe's one of like 10 tho, in all my riding, that's waved. and i'm almost always waving first.
Me too! Hardly anybody waves to me, and I'm almost always waving first. Maybe it's a Wisconsin thing.
Where in WI do you live?
I always wave! Vancouver is really friendly, and most every bike will wave at you, even mean looking cruisers.
Yesterday I was riding and I waved at a squid on a yellow CBR.. he had a yellow helmet and yellow shorts and no shirt, and when he waved back at me he was going too slow and he almost dumped his bike, he saved it at the last minute, I thought for sure I was going to have to pull a u-turn and practice my corner marshal first aid.
Sometimes when I'm driving the car I forget that I'm in a cage and go to wave at a rider. When I'm driving with the trailer with the race bike on the back, I still get the wave, or the nod from some riders.
I get all excited about seeing bikes because I GET TO WAVE! :mrgreen:
I do the two fingers to the side of my handlebar, as in "two wheels" or "peace man." It doesn't require me to pull my hand far off the bar - just a quick flick of the wrist.
I 'wave' at all bikers but I don't usually get returns from hyphenated bike riders or squids. Dorky Gold Wing guys will throw out a shoulder trying to wave! It's rather comical. :mrgreen: My friends and I call it the "Gold Wing Wave" because it is fairly distinctive :lol:
Quote from: Meighan
Sometimes when I'm driving the car I forget that I'm in a cage and go to wave at a rider.
+1
Quote from: ghettoriggedI get all excited about seeing bikes because I GET TO WAVE! :mrgreen:
I do the two fingers to the side of my handlebar, as in "two wheels" or "peace man." It doesn't require me to pull my hand far off the bar - just a quick flick of the wrist.
I 'wave' at all bikers but I don't usually get returns from hyphenated bike riders or squids. Dorky Gold Wing guys will throw out a shoulder trying to wave! It's rather comical. :mrgreen: My friends and I call it the "Gold Wing Wave" because it is fairly distinctive :lol:
Oh yeah, I forgot about goldwings........ I don't wave to them because I think they are cars :o
.... any vehicle with reverse gear is car in my mind ;)
Quote from: Meighan
Oh yeah, I forgot about goldwings........ I don't wave to them because I think they are cars :o
.... any vehicle with reverse gear is car in my mind ;)
don't hate! :mrgreen:
when I am 60 and still want to ride all over I will probably get one of those plush slugs!
BTW, I think there is a minimum age requirement for those...or at least there SHOULD be. ;)
If you aren't old enough to join AARP, you have no business on a Gold Wing. :lol:
Quote from: perfdrugQuote from: Meighan
Sometimes when I'm driving the car I forget that I'm in a cage and go to wave at a rider.
+1
+1 here too ;)
Quote from: ghettoriggedQuote from: Meighan
Oh yeah, I forgot about goldwings........ I don't wave to them because I think they are cars :o
.... any vehicle with reverse gear is car in my mind ;)
don't hate! :mrgreen:
when I am 60 and still want to ride all over I will probably get one of those plush slugs!
BTW, I think there is a minimum age requirement for those...or at least there SHOULD be. ;)
If you aren't old enough to join AARP, you have no business on a Gold Wing. :lol:
Two-wheeled Winnebago
QuoteWhere in WI do you live?
Madison
Quote
Two-wheeled Winnebago
Have you seen the Goldwing Trikes? What's the point? Unless it was handbuilt, in which case it might be cool, but they look to me like a kit or a standard shop-job.
Hmm, GS trike... :roll:
It seems to me that a wave is a wave is a nod is a smile...people are people and whether walkin' or ridin' or sittin', whatever, some people will smile back and some won't, some wave back and some don't. Makin' a big deal out of whether or not somebody waves doesn't get you anywhere with anything. If you want to wave then wave. If you don't feel like waving don't wave. Just keep on ridin' mile after mile, keep a big smile, keep a big grin...and if it's not returned it's no big sin. Hey guys I love the little GS500 and the twin forum dedicated to it.
C.......
a lot of people don't wave at me, but when i'm with my parents (they have an '04 harley road king), everyone like waves at them so i just sneek in a wave.
i usually only wave if someone else does it first, but i'm one of them people i won't talk to you unless you talk to me first. i'm shy.
almost everyone around here waves
its rather nice to be going through some twisties and seeing 3 people all draggin knee waving to each other
I wave when I can. I usually get more response from cruiser folk with a forward/down nod than anything. I'll try and wave or give an 'up' nod if my hands are busy.
I wave at everybody. I'm so excited to be back on a bike that I have to remind myself that it's a cool, subdued wave, and not a front-row-at-Springsteen wave. If I'm busy with the clutch or something I'll nod instead, but I always acknowledge other bikes, and even though they can't see it under my helmet it's always with a big grin.
Here is a helpful photo guide of biker waves. Somebody posted it here before, but it's been awhile, so I thought I'd repost it for the newer members.
http://www.drizzle.com/~spittlev/reen/rig.html
I've noticed that the less gear I wear, the less waves I get. For instance - if i'm out riding in my jeans, boots, gloves, mesh jacket and helmet a lot of bikers wave at me. Harleys, sv650's, ducks, etc all wave at me. Metric cruisers and GSXRs just roll on by.
Now if i'm wearing shorts, half of those people don't wave, but occasionally a GSXR or R1 rider will wave
And if i'm feeling totally squiddy and wearing shorts and a tshirt nobody waves.
Guess that's another reason to keep myself safe and wear some version of protective clothing!
<bump> Reminding everyone to remember that when it is safe and practical to do so, it doesn't hurt to give a fellow motorcyclist a courtesy wave :)
BTW, I wave to anything. Harley's, sport bikes, scooters, Goldwings, I don't care. If it has 2 wheels, it's cool in my book. :thumb:
omg i just read every stinkin post and then realized the last one was the only one this year lol. ya i wave to everyone too.
well, atleast i know what to do if i am ever on your side of the water, its a friendly nod back here in the UK
nothing like bringing up a flash from the past :thumb:
whoa...wayyy old post...
over here EVERYBODY waves...only maybe 1 out of every 5 harley guys dont...
- alex
never look at the dates, just post away, best way to be sometimes, unless someone is looking for an answer to something, then it would be of no use whatsover, unless the person asking the question is in a timewarp, and thinks 12 months from now was yestarday ;)
Quote from: weaselnozeomg i just read every stinkin post and then realized the last one was the only one this year lol. ya i wave to everyone too.
hahaha...i was wondering where this big thread all of suden apeared from. i didn't realized it was from last year till you said it. :oops:
I read all posts, new and old. :lol:
I also wave to all bikers and even some peds and cagers when
I have the opportunity. :o
:cheers:
Haha well I was going to START a thread based on THE WAVE..but I used the SEARCH function and found one was already made, so I just added to it.
I didn't want to get yelled at and told to use the SEARCH function :lol: :lol: :thumb:
This may be an old thread...but I learned something new.
UK nodding instead of waving.
A GS friend kidded me about my European looking aftermarkets...wait till I pass him on the road...no more waves, just a dip of the helmet.
Ive lived in D.C., PA., VA., AZ., and now Washington state. Most every biker I have ever seen waves. I did notice tho in Southern Virgina that alot of harley riders would use the middle finger to wave back tho. Gotta love the south. or so they say.
Quote from: MeighanSometimes when I'm driving the car I forget that I'm in a cage and go to wave at a rider.
Yeah, it's kind of embarassing to come home from a 450 km ride, jump into the car to go for a milk run, then smash your knuckles into your window in an attempt to wave at an oncoming rider. :)
C
LOL
Exactly. I always want to wave when I sit back in the car after the bike. I have to watch myself not to wave. If I can't wave, at least I try to help bikers on the road by letting them go by me. I get to the side of the road to help them pass. Some of them wave to me as they pass me if I behave helpful, even if I sit in a car. (My car is a Suzuki as well.) 8)
If on a bike, I wave at every biker if I can. I only nod if I'm busy with the clutch and the brakes. In the city here in Budapest, bikers nod or wave only when passing each other or standing next to each other at the light. City life is dangerous and busy. No time to wave most of the time. Just concentrate on the traffic.
PS.:
I have chrome mirrors. That tricks some harleys and they wave at me. :lol:
Ya in London we wave, or nod, or something. I was taught it in the bike school. I try to wave at all the bikes i see, and most wave back, except the Harley's (lol). But ya, its like an elite club. Only 2% of licenced drivers in Ontario ride bikes, so we have to stick together! :cheers:
Excellent read, GSRider!
Now back to my original reason for posting in this thread... Has anyone ever accidently waved at a cage? Sometimes if they have a headlight out they look just like a bike until you pass em. At night of course, but I found myself almost waving at cages missing a headlight the other night and was wondering if anyone has actually done it? :P
I waved to a HD yesterday, and he turned out to be a bike cop with "FUNERAL" across his windshield. He waved back. He wasn't actually in a funeral at the time.
I pretty much wave at everyone, when safely possible. The vast majority wave back, no matter what they ride. HD riders do tend to wave the least, I think. Maybe something to do with most of them being doctors and lawyers and worrying about liability issues. :dunno: :lol:
Gold Wing riders sometimes forget to put down the TV remote, so it gets incorporated into their wave. :thumb:
In NC everyone waves. I'll admit to going out of my way to say Hi to riceburners and hogs alike.
Some HD dont but I do just the same. I think well next time we meet you might be broke down and I help you.or worst I could pick them up in my Helicopter /
Yeah, I wave at everything as well.... even bicyclists'. :thumb:
I live in Western Massachusetts, and I find that all of the HD/cruiser riders wave. Most of the sport bike riders wave.
Last month, I wave at a cruiser. As he passed me waving, I noticed it was a cop. But then again, I wave at all cops when I go by... whether they're in their cars, bikes, or just on the road for construction.
NONE of the scooters have waved at all. I've basically given up on scooters. Besides, most of the scooters I've seen on the road here don't even follow the traffic laws. :x
We tend to nod rather than wave, us "lefties", cos you other guys drive on the wrong side of the road!
Some of the HD & cruiser types don't and one or two of the big sportsbikes, most do. Since I have had my project Yamaha out this autumn with the high bars I now get a universal wave from the cruisers too. I nod to everybody although some of the younger scooter types seem surprised.
I'm having to learn my "wave" again. The SVS has clipons that are quite a bit lower than the bars on the GS, so I did a lot of nodding the first day. I'm getting more comfortable, so I've started waving again....now that I'm not too terrified to take my hands of the handlebars again... I feel like a newb again! w00t! :cheers: :lol:
I wave to bikers in my car, too. I feel kinda silly, and I'm sure they've got no idea WTF is going on, but I do it anyways. I also give them plenty of space and make sure no one else impedes their space. I'm protective of motorcyclists when I cage.
Quote from: AlphaFire X5I wave to bikers in my car, too. I feel kinda silly, and I'm sure they've got no idea WTF is going on, but I do it anyways.
Tried that yesterday, it did feel kinda silly and rider was all like WTF, but it was so much fun :lol:
That was the first thing I noticed when i came to OH and got my bike... how everybody waves... I was delighted by it. Sure, some HDs never wave but that does not bother me.
In Colombia, where I come from, the motorcycle culture has only recently began to evolve from just work related riding (90% of the motorcycles are 125 cc's used by messaging companies and pizza deliveries) into a small group of "for-fun" riders. I had a '95 GS there as well and nobody would wave back... however, if you found a motorcyclist that had been in an accident (even if it was minor) you would see that the camaraderie was evident and dozens of motorcyclists would stop immediately. Some would offer their cell phones, some would go and stop the (ussually) guilty cage driver from fleeing (they would do that a lot)... a different kind of wave I guess, but equally meaningfull :cheers:
As mentioned before, only like 2% of motorist drives motorcycles in Ontario so I wave to all of them, except scooters.
I find most wave back, some crusiers just nod. But the people who don't respond most of the time are the guys on the bigger sport bikes I find, I figure it's be because I have a small GS. Oh well.
A buddy of mine has an SV and won't wave to anything but other SVs, which means he never waves, sucks for him.
I wave at anything with one head light. :thumb:
Recently, I haven't been waving much though... Less people been waving at me as well... Hmm... Maybe it's the weather. :dunno:
This weekend I was standing next to my parked bike in the lot in front of a Dunkin Donuts, having a cup of coffee when I hear insistent meep-meeping coming from the road. When I looked up, there was a guy riding by on a motorcycle, honking his horn and waving frenetically. It took me a minute to realize he was waving at me, and by that time he had gone past. After I finished my coffee (several minutes later), I was putting my helmet back on and I hear it again--same guy coming the other way (on the other side of the divided roadway this time)--waving like his arm was on fire.
I'd guess that he just picked up the bike and/or was just insanely happy to be out riding...and of course he wanted to share it with everyone who might appreciate it. It was a beautiful day on Saturday, so I can't blame him, but it was just a bit over the top.
Has anyone ever accidentally waved at a car with one headlight? I did that once. I laughed at myself. I probably confused the hell out of the person, if they saw me.
Quote from: AlphaFire X5Has anyone ever accidentally waved at a car with one headlight? I did that once. I laughed at myself. I probably confused the hell out of the person, if they saw me.
Hrm...I don't typically wave when it's dark out. I suppose it's because I'm more attentive to the road when there's limited sight distance, but I hadn't really thought about it. :dunno:
I wave when it's dark... Even though they can't see you waving until you're already past them. :dunno:
I wave in the dark because it's reflex for me now. It isn't like I'm throwing myself off the bike to greet these people. I'm still attentive to the road, but waving doesn't take that much more mental effort.
I stopped waving to guys on cruisers after the first few times they stopped waving back. I'm also going to stop waving to guys on those BMW things, if I don't start getting some wavebacks. Fock them. If one waves, I will wave back, but that is it.
Quote from: leoI stopped waving to guys on cruisers after the first few times they stopped waving back. I'm also going to stop waving to guys on those BMW things, if I don't start getting some wavebacks. Fock them. If one waves, I will wave back, but that is it.
Just pointing out that this phenomenon has been
discussed before.
:dunno: I was just relaying a personal thing, I hope you don't think I stole your experience or whatever.