So this morning on the way to work I received a "low peace" from a guy on a scooter.  I was a bit caught off-guard so I just lifted my fingers a little and gave him a nod.  I've been told not to wave to scooters, but I figured I'd ask what everyone here thinks about it.  The only reason I'm a bit reserved about it is because of the high rate of DUIdiots who ride their 49cc scoots because they have no choice.  My feeling now is that I'll wave only if they do first.
What are the "official" rules for the biker wave?

Aside from low peace are there any other waves or signals that a newbie biker should know about (for example, I've heard that a tap on the helmet means there is a cop behind you)?  One thing I wonder is how to treat the good-guy 4-wheeled comrades who look out for us.  I did a wave after passing a van with a "look for motorcycles" bumper sticker last night.

I love the sense of camaraderie you feel when you pass a biker and you each acknowledge the other.  It makes me feel like I'm in some secret society or something  .  It made my day the other day when I passed a group of tough-looking Harley riders and they all dropped a low peace, as though nothing else matters as long as you're on two wheels.  I actually get somewhat sad when I don't pass any other bikes for a while, lol.  The biker wave is certainly in my top-five favorite things about riding so far.

hell wave at scooters lol wont hurt to be nice.    a tap on helment and a flat palm moving downward usually means descrease speed. police ahead.

I remember waving to a Harley guy and he gave me a look like I murdered his dog in cold blood, lol!

Some of them wave back, some of them are elitist.  Its not the HD wave, its the biker wave...  I'll always wave if you are out enjoying life on a cycle.


Scooters?  Personally I don't get scooters.  I don't find them cool, they typically aren't much cheaper than a small motorcycle, they seem more dangerous to me, and 99% of riders are squids.
I'll wave back, and 2 wheels > 4 wheels, but I typically won't initiate the wave unless they're geared up.  That's just me. 
Just like you, seems to me like scooter guys (and gals) just don't care that much or are on scooters because they have to be. 
Noone is on a bike because they have to be, its because they want to be, so I acknowledge that.


I've found that the actual biker wave varies.  Low peace, two fingers, open hand with palm down...
I think as long as you make a gesture to the left at or below waist level you're good, lol.  Just don't signal left which is arm out, open hand, palm forward.


Not sure about other bike specific hand signals, just that when riding with others if you need to fuel up you make a gun with your hand with 2 fingers and point down to your tank.

I wave to cars the typical driver way, open hand wave with all 5 fingers.

Quote from: Watcher on May 30, 2014, 08:36:26 AM
I remember waving to a Harley guy and he gave me a look like I murdered his dog in cold blood, lol!

Some of them wave back, some of them are elitist.  Its not the HD wave, its the biker wave...


Scooters?  Personally I don't get scooters.  I don't find them cool, they typically aren't much cheaper than a small motorcycle, they seem more dangerous to me, and 99% of riders are squids.
I'll wave back, and 2 wheels > 4 wheels, but I typically won't initiate the wave unless they're geared up.  That's just me.


I've found that the actual biker wave varies.  Low peace, two fingers, open hand with palm down...
I think as long as you make a gesture to the left at or below waist level you're good, lol.  Just don't signal left which is arm out, open hand, palm forward.


Not sure about other bike specific hand signals, just that when riding with others if you need to fuel up you make a gun with your hand with 2 fingers and point down to your tank.

That's interesting, all of the Harleys I've passed have waved (some even initiated).  I expected some hard-@$$es to be more elitist, but the more authentic they look the earlier they seem to wave.

I also find scooters to be more dangerous since many cannot go at the posted speed limit in most cases, and if they can they aren't significantly cheaper than an equivalently powered motorcycle.  I don't know for sure, but I can't imagine they can handle as well as a bike either.  I also can't remember ever having seen a scooter rider that wasn't a squid.

I have noticed that some of the guys on the custom choppers near me tend not to waive and/or even acknowledge... it's alright they're to cool anyway

However, I do love the sense of camaraderie that comes with riding a motorcycle. I always do the 2 fingers down or if I am at a light and have my hand on the clutch I'll just give a little nod in their direction... just some way of saying "what's up".

I even had a rider ahead of me stick his leg out yesterday to point out that something was in the road... makes you feel good knowing that others are looking out for you and vice versa.

I don't wave first too often but always return waves to anyone on 2 wheels.  Don't care for scooters for myself, have been sitting on a bike for so many miles that a scooter just doesn't feel right at all to me. 

Many Harley/Cruiser riders wave first and most return waves if I wave first.  They usually point down but I just move my hand out sideways to wave.  If I wave and they don't wave back I don't pout.   

I've ridden with and hung out with a lot of Harley guys/gals in recent years and they're just like any other biker, real people.  Occasionally one will ask when I'm getting a big bike or a real bike but never heard one I've ridden with ever say anything like that.

Been part of the hd crowd for a few years. I waved at anything on 2 wheels got a wtf look when I waved at a bicycle lol. Well it WAS motorized lol

Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on May 30, 2014, 10:00:18 AM
Been part of the hd crowd for a few years. I waved at anything on 2 wheels got a wtf look when I waved at a bicycle lol. Well it WAS motorized lol

LOL wish I saw that exchange... I've waived at a couple scooters but not one has returned it 

Quote from: gsJack on May 30, 2014, 09:54:24 AM
I've ridden with and hung out with a lot of Harley guys/gals in recent years and they're just like any other biker, real people.  Occasionally one will ask when I'm getting a big bike or a real bike but never heard one I've ridden with ever say anything like that.

That's funny, because the Harley guy image is not always how the people actually are.  It just goes to show you that you really can't judge a book by its cover.

One of the biggest, hardest-looking HD machinists I used to work with (who also had a huge collection of guns and ammunition ) was also one of the nicest and most thoughtful guys I knew.  He looked like he could kill you with his bare hands but he would make sure that the snack guy stocked your favorite snacks (which he kept track of).  He had a huge V8 Boss Hoss which you could hear five miles out, but he also had a 250cc scooter.  I would not want to be the guy who didn't reciprocate a wave just because he was on a scooter...

He was an all-around real guy, but we unfortunately lost him to lung cancer about a year ago.

Quote from: DoktoroKiu on May 30, 2014, 10:53:56 AM

Quote from: gsJack on May 30, 2014, 09:54:24 AM
I've ridden with and hung out with a lot of Harley guys/gals in recent years and they're just like any other biker, real people.  Occasionally one will ask when I'm getting a big bike or a real bike but never heard one I've ridden with ever say anything like that.

That's funny, because the Harley guy image is not always how the people actually are.  It just goes to show you that you really can't judge a book by its cover.

One of the biggest, hardest-looking HD machinists I used to work with (who also had a huge collection of guns and ammunition ) was also one of the nicest and most thoughtful guys I knew.  He looked like he could kill you with his bare hands but he would make sure that the snack guy stocked your favorite snacks (which he kept track of).  He had a huge V8 Boss Hoss which you could hear five miles out, but he also had a 250cc scooter.  I would not want to be the guy who didn't reciprocate a wave just because he was on a scooter...

He was an all-around real guy, but we unfortunately lost him to lung cancer about a year ago.

like the pic I posted of my last gs at the dragon . this was same day I traded trips with a guy on a 41 pan,  with a jockey shift for a round trip. LOVED that bike. and he also loved the gs lol go figure. bias flows freely here, as well as on the flipside.  bias is what we, and them   have to work to eliminate.;  my HD could tow a car, yet my gs could out handle it. I will always have a gs , whenever I get back into riding, assuming I can get feeling back in legs lol. or if not, with use of braces. BUT in patricks honour, will build a gs, ( and a goped too in some sort of theme, and spend days getting waves :)and giving waves. seew I don't think scooter rides as a whole wave much, cause theyre not quite used to biker etiquette.  the 49cc dui specials, ( or in my case medical specials lol)  are allowed on all roads here except state highways. and interstate. theyre fun , albeit slow and dangerous. because of said speed capabilities. maybe they don't wave because theyre not used to it, or maybe they don't wave because theyre like "oh sh*t, someone saw me. ( interesting at traffic lights. I pulled up beside one, ( I was on my goped gtr the day I blew its engine, hes looking at me like wtf so were the cars.

Just a friendly tip Yammi - and, John, ya really don't have to delete this cos I'm not trolling here - ya don't have to contribute to every thread. Save yer powder and ya'll get more respect. Have a wee think about this sage advice.

I'll wave to anybody on 2 wheels (or 3), and not care if they wave back.

Something to think about: some people on scooters are JUST learning to ride, so I try and make them feel welcome to the community. And I know 2 gentleman that ride scooters exclusively. The one used to ride a Goldwing and would ride the circumference of the USA every other year until he became....."weathered" and his knees couldn't support the bike anymore at stops. The other was a professional bike mechanic and ex-racer until his body told him it was time to slow down. A couple years ago he rode a 650 Burgman from Pittsburgh, PA to Mobile, AL only stopping for gas.

I encounter a LOT of scooters around here.

I wave to them. This is the logic that I use:

Those that ride scooters that DO NOT wave back and look at you like "huh??" don't own a motorcycle also.

Those that respond in kind with the "motorcycle wave" DO own a motorcycle in addition to their scooter.

Just my two cents.

Edit: And I know if I had a scooter, not that I would ever consider one, I'd totally wave at motorcycles with the motorcycle wave.

don't forget the bicycle signals too. ( they help on the moto if you lose signal or power to the light set/s. left hand out and up ( straight up) = turning left, left hand out= turning left, left hand out and down = stopping. now acknowledgement, if you cant wave at a biker, or car giving you hand signal/s, look at them and give a perceptible nod

It is very interesting reading the way things happen in the US.

In the Southern parts of Australia, in my own experience, Harley riders consider themselves above everyone else and will almost NEVER acknowledge any other brand of bike. I have been a member of three different clubs that included a few Harleys and can state that there is the occassional exception to what I said above but they are VERY, VERY rare. Even within a multi brand club they consider themselves a breed apart. The riders of most other bikes will nod or wave back.

On the subject of hand signals, we rarely use hands here, usually a nod of the head. I think that the reason is because we drive on the LH side of the road so it is our throttle hand that is near the centreline. If we use our right hand to signal of course we lose speed. Occassionally I will use my left hand just raised about 30cm (1 foot) above the grip with open palm facing toward the centre line (to avoid catching the wind, of course). Usually is is returned.   

Scooters are not common here ouside the inner city and trendy cafe scenes. Most scooter riders have one because they think that it is COOL and I have never had a nod or wave returned. They also almost never wear protective riding gear except a helmet because riding gear is NOT cool. In Melbourne (Australia, not Florida) is is legal to park motorcycles/scooters on the footpath (sidewalk) provided you do not block pedestrians. If you go to any of the trendy cafe/restaurant streets you can find lots of scooters (mostly Vespas) as well as Ducatis and BMWs parked outside the cafes. Other makes can be seen too, but much less often than the three makes above.   

On a slightly different note, some month ago just near my home I was on my other bike which is a Honda NT700 Deauville and I pulled up at a traffic light next to a guy on a black GS. We were sharing the lane and I tried to get his attention to say that I had a GS too but he refused to acknowledge that I even existed and just stared straight ahead. When the light turned green he took off like a scallded cat.  There are not many GSs around here and I was keen to make contact, but NO. 

Macka

Quote from: prmas on June 02, 2014, 10:44:25 PM
It is very interesting reading the way things happen in the US.

In the Southern parts of Australia, in my own experience, Harley riders consider themselves above everyone else and will almost NEVER acknowledge any other brand of bike. I have been a member of three different clubs that included a few Harleys and can state that there is the occassional exception to what I said above but they are VERY, VERY rare. Even within a multi brand club they consider themselves a breed apart. The riders of most other bikes will nod or wave back.

On the subject of hand signals, we rarely use hands here, usually a nod of the head. I think that the reason is because we drive on the LH side of the road so it is our throttle hand that is near the centreline.
Macka

For me (Illinois, South-Side of Chicago), it's about a 50/50 chance a Harley rider waves back.  It seems they are more polite solo or in herds than in small groups of 2-3.
Actually, I see Harley riders as being among the most dangerous riders on the road.  I frequently see them tailgating, lane-sharing (2 bikes side-by-side while moving), riding with no gear at all, riding in blind-spots, revving on the go (creating distractions), making abnormally slow turns, and more.
People who ride sport bikes do the traffic weave thing more, but generally are more geared up and more aware of their surroundings.
And people on standards and import cruisers generally just seem more cautious and ride to enjoy the ride and get there safely.



Not waving due to left-side lane use makes sense to me.  I would never have thought of that, but yeah the right hand can't come off the bars because that controls both the throttle and front brake.  Someone relinquishing that control, especially in traffic, is pretty foolish.

Quote from: Watcher on June 02, 2014, 11:16:19 PMriding with no gear at all

.. least this guy wears helmet, boots and gloves! ... 

Quote from: Janx101 on June 03, 2014, 12:47:02 AM

Quote from: Watcher on June 02, 2014, 11:16:19 PMriding with no gear at all

.. least this guy wears helmet, boots and gloves! ... 

Don't forget the tattoo. That will give him EXTRA protection too. 

Macka

 

We saw it, we can't unsee it!  lol



That actually does raise an interesting question.  Would a nudist be breaking his beliefs gearing up to ride?  Cause technically it is clothing but its designed for protection rather than just wearing around...


But the worst I've personally seen is sunglasses, white button up shirt, black dress pants, wingtip shoes, and riding a V-Rod at excessive speeds through a construction zone...  No helmet, no gloves even...
I've seen sportbike riders in tank tops and gym shorts but at least they have a helmet and gloves on...  Or I've seen T-shirt and shorts and sandals only but on a scooter and scooter riders (generally) are in a class of their own.

Quote from: prmas on June 02, 2014, 10:44:25 PM
On a slightly different note, some month ago just near my home I was on my other bike which is a Honda NT700 Deauville and I pulled up at a traffic light next to a guy on a black GS. We were sharing the lane and I tried to get his attention to say that I had a GS too but he refused to acknowledge that I even existed and just stared straight ahead. When the light turned green he took off like a scallded cat.  There are not many GSs around here and I was keen to make contact, but NO. 

Macka

That sucks.  No chance he was distracted?  The other day I was at a light and didn't even realize there was a guy on a harley behind me and to my right until the light had changed and I checked my mirrors.

I did have a GS in the wild moment myself last Thursday.  I met up with some friends for dinner after working out and saw an identical GS to the one I have parked behind another restaurant.  If only I had a polaroid I would have pulled up next to his/her bike and taken a picture with the caption "nice bike".