Because where I come from scooter= DUI.

I wave to bicyclists

Then I laugh, cause I don't have to push my bike.  Or wear spandex.



I choose to wear spandex!

I gave the wave to a couple of middle aged ladies on scooters once (they didn't wave back). It was at an intersection and they turned behind me. Well they were behind me for like four miles through the city. Even at speeds over 55...

I was supprised those scooters could hang... I might have to get the girlfriend one...

Quote from: seshadri_srinathYea Harley Ride dont wave ... yea But in their defense They're not real bikers, they are trying to look baaaaad asssss .... and part of that is to show you their explicit bad assiness by growling at you ...  :lol:  ...
Cool.
Srinath.

. funny srinath, funny ! ha ha ha   i do own a harley, and i do wave back but hey whatever    :lol:

yesterday on my way home from work i stopped at a light next to a harlry in the lane next to me.  i looked at his bike b/c it was pretty damn nice and thats what i told him.  he was cool, said thanks and he liked mine too, and that he wanted to get a gsxr.  around here its about 50/50.  of course similar styles of bikes are more likely to wave at each other, of course i wave at everybody. :dunno:

If it has less than 4 wheels I wave.  Doesn't matter the displacement or if it even has an engine.  I'm averaging about 80% return on the waves right now.

Quote from: ajgs500Because where I come from scooter= DUI.

Yea, back in NC we used to call them "liquor-cycles" with the last part pronounced like sickle :lol:

I wave at everyone. I know it depends but there are alot of people that don't wave back at me. Either HD people, Super Sport Bikes, or just metric cruisers. It's kinda funny to me, I mean I was told that the reason bikers wave/nod at each other is to say, hey dude I see you on your bike (A.K.A not in a car) even if the J@ck A$$es in their SUV's talking on cellphones don't. I too share your pain of trying not to get killed by these other A-holes in cars.

Anyways, I like it when I see another biker come by that I can tell by his or her posture isn't going to wave. I usually give them a big old cheese ball smile and an obvious wave. That way I know for sure that they saw me (maybe they missed the smile behind the full face helmet, but they saw the wave for sure.) I also stare them down as long as possible waiting for a response.

Sometimes you can guilt someone into a wave, even if it's half hearted. The obvious wave and stare tells the other person there's no way that you didn't see me so now lets see what you will choose. On the one hand, don't wave and be an ass, on the other lift your hand for a split second and save your self from feeling like a jerk.

I also feel like some people don't wave becuase they generally don't like the type of person that they associate with the bike. I mean it comes down to stereotyping the rider based on the bike. Everyone does it because that's just how the human brain works. We categorize things. So I think it's fun to try and mess with people's heads by confusing the stereotype. If you ride HD's and you think that young people on Sport Bikes are punks that's fine, but what happens when you see a Sport Bike rider brake quickly to allow an old lady to cross the street??? Or if you are an SB rider and you see an HD person waving at you before you wave back at them??? Basically you confuse the stereotype and make it harder for the other person to put you into a category.

That's just my two cents, but that's why I wave at everyone. We all have certain views on different types of bike riders. But I like to think that I'm acknowledging another person that shares a similar interest with me. Even if that's where the similarities end, I still like to acknowledge that and not the differences between us!

Wave's and wave-backs are decent here.  Not a real noticeable difference between the types of bikes they're on and whether they wave or not. Majority wave though regardless.

It's funny though to see the difference in waves. Sport bike guys get way into it and point their arm WAY out and up or diagonally down. Harley etc... guys just kinda move their hand off the bars and do this "lazy" looking wave. I've seen peace signs and have also been flipped of  :nana:  by harley rider groups when with a group of sport bikes and we just return it back :nana: .

Quote from: pandyI wave at everyone, no matter what. If they can't hear me over their pipes, no problemo. If they can't wave back due to being busy at the controls, no problemo. If they can't be bothered cuz they lack donkey balls, no problemo. I'll give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and if they DO have a problem, it's just that: their problem.  :mrgreen:

pandy  

Great way to look at it. Me, I instantly think "What an @$$hole!  :guns: "

Quote from: seshadri_srinathYea Harley Ride dont wave ... yea But in their defense They're not real bikers, they are trying to look baaaaad asssss .... and part of that is to show you their explicit bad assiness by growling at you ...  :lol:  ...
Cool.
Srinath.

Out of countless Harley's that refused to wave back, only 1 has actually waved and it was a chick riding it and she made the first wave! I was like  

I wave to everyone, usually. Doesn't matter wether it's a scooter, standard, sportbike, metric cruiser, or standard cruiser, they all get waves. Wether they wave back or not is up to them. The exception to that rule is that if I notice someone not wearing a helmet or wearing shorts and can see in time and react, I don't wave. My experience has been that standards and sportbikes are the most consistant, sport tourers and tourers slighly less so (the sport tourers more than the tourers), and cruisers the least, if ever. Usualy metric cruiser guys are pretty cool and not obnoxious with their bikes, and they, for the most part, wave the majority of the time. Standard cruisers (HD, etc) very rarely do. The guys with helmets and jackets on Harleys always wave though.

Gear makes you a nicer person.

From my BRC instructor:

QuoteSo, now that you're bikers, you know toy gotta wave, right?  Here's how you do it.

If you're on a harley, you wave like this (hand ways down low).  'Course, you're not really waving, just trying to catch parts as they fall off.

If you're on a crotch rocket, you gotta wave like this (two fingers on left hand flash up).  That's 'cause you don't want to break your aerodynamics.  (Assistant ridercoach: or you're scared of you're bike, and don't wanna fall off.)

If you're on a Goldwing (he rode a 'Wing), first you gotta stand up, so they know you're on a bike.  Then you make a big wave with your right hand, 'cause you've got the cruise control on.  (Assistant: After putting your coffee in the cup holder, right?)

I wave to everyone on two wheels unless I am too scared to take my hand off the handlebar in a turn or if there's a lot of traffic and I am too busy making sure I am safe (had my first day on a highway this Sat) Never got a wave from Harley/cruiser though.... When riding I-10 and PCH  on Sat here in los angeles, at some point had to forget about the left handlebar and just have my arm sticking out on the left well, ocasionally I did put my arm back on the handlebar just to check if it's still there

Dumb question:

What is the protocol for waving at a long group of bikes?

Happened to me this weekend when I came upon an oncoming group of about 20+ bikes, mostly cruisers...I figured I'd wave at the lead.  He waved back...then two or three guys behind him waved.  I started feeling kind of silly passing by with my hand out (going through slow 'main street' town traffic), but as soon as I'd put it back on the bars, more folks would wave.  I didn't want to be antisocial, but my arm started feeling like a turn signal.

If there's a group of bikers, I simply put my hand out in a wave from the start to the finish of the line of riders...hand back on handlebar after passing last rider.

Quote from: pandyIf there's a group of bikers, I simply put my hand out in a wave from the start to the finish of the line of riders...hand back on handlebar after passing last rider.

That's what I figured....but in this particular case, traffic warranted two shifts during the procession.    It was a loooooong group, moving slowly.

Quote from: BadgerThat's what I figured....but in this particular case, traffic warranted two shifts during the procession.    It was a loooooong group, moving slowly.

In this case, you can do one of two things:

1. Get a jacket with a third arm.... this way, you never have to wave at all... you always have an arm out there waving at everyone and everything, or
2. Get one of those bobble hands and stick it to your helmet... once again, continuous wave forever.

:lol:

BEST
Standard riders ALWAYS seem to wave back, the majority of them might just be using a motorcycle for economical reasons but they seem to be the best bunch for it.

MEH
HD and GW riders around here are usually all retired men or couples that live in middle-upper class suberbia so they ALL wave. Sportbikes wave most of the time, but I've noticed a lot of them when they're on roads around town (60km/h-ish) they just pull the clutch and rev at me, with a nod. Is that a sportbike thing I dunno yet??? haha.

WORST
People on scooters never wave back at me. I dunno if they're just doubting their right to wave to a motorcycle, or, is it because they're so removed from motorcycle culture than they're all thinking "wtf, do I know him...?". Got a wave from a very excited looking lady on a Vespa in the city once, she kinda had the Queen Mum wave goin' on.

Quote from: NarcissusPeople on scooters never wave back at me. I dunno if they're just doubting their right to wave to a motorcycle, or, is it because they're so removed from motorcycle culture than they're all thinking "wtf, do I know him...?"

Yeah... What's with that?  It makes me want to chase them down and kick 'em over when they don't wave back...  Plus, I know there's no way in hell they'll ever catch me...

I'd just jump on the freeway.   :lol: