| Author | Message | ||
     Maximum |
I've been riding since I was 8 years old, since 17 years old on the street (I'm 43 now), and it seems to me that a lot less bikers are waving now-a-days. I ride all year round (except when there is snow/ice) and in the winter most everyone (few and far in between) wave, but in the nicer weather hardly anyone waves. Now I can see that when the weather is nicer there are so many people riding that it might be too much to wave at everyone, but it still appears to be a friendly gesture that is fading away. So the questions are: 1. Do you wave at other bikers (if so, when)? 2. What type of bikers to find waving back? It seems to me that "sport touring" bikers wave back more that "pure sport" and "cruiser" type. 3. And out of curiosity, how do you guys that drive on the wrong side of the road wave? You know...if you drive on the left side of the road and wave by holding your inside hand out to the side, don't you lose your throttle control (i.e. slow down)?  | ||
| Ratbuell |
I've honestly pretty much given up. I'm like you and ride all year long, and have found marghinally more friendly riders (Camaderie of the Stupid, I suppose) in the cold winter months, but not a lot. I'll return any wave, but the lack of response when I initiate has pretty much made me drop the habit. I always wave at another Bueller, though  You're right, though..most waves these days come from the sport-tourer crowd. Repli-racer folks and pure cruiser folk are just too cool for school anymore, I guess. <shrug> And for the wrong side question..if I'm passing someone on the interstate, me left lane them right lane, and they wave, they get a right foot wave from me as I pass. | ||
| Fubar |
Always wave if safe. Hurts my feelings a bit it I don't get a return. Butt-hay...I'm the sensitive type. | ||
| Treadmarks |
I used to wave all the time. But in this land of rude 3rd world posers, I have given up on waving first. | ||
| Skrobe |
To my surprise it has been the cruiser HD rider that has been consistently returning my initiated waves. Most times they start the wave before I get a chance. I always return the wave. It is my understanding that the wave started out as more of a two-finger gesture of "hello fellow two-wheeler". I have observed that when in a 4-wheeler and you stop at a rest area, nobody talks or says "hi" to anyone else. But, when you stop on a motorcycle and another cycle stops by you actually start a conversation. We should not let a "tradition" die out. We need to remember we are all out there to have fun - it doesn't matter what we ride - just as long as we ride. We shouldn't "classify" ourselves into groups like sport, touring, cruiser, etc. We all belong to one group - motorcyclists. | ||
| Bienhoabob |
I try to wave all the time. But sometimes during a no return wave, my full hand wave turns into one finger wave. | ||
| Wesman |
In NJ everybody waves to everybody.....we're nice that way  | ||
| Growl |
My Uly has a neat high beam flicker switch, so I flick the beam and usually bikers wave back... but I am not offended if they don't. | ||
| Maximum |
If someone flicks their high beam at me...I think that there is a cop up a head. and Wesman, I grew up in NJ...so I'm not buying that story.  | ||
| Maximum |
Oh...and Ratbuell, when I mentioned people riding on the "wrong side of the road" I mean't the guys from the UK, down under or any other left hand driving country. But that was a good point about how to wave when passing another biker on the interstate. I normally just engage my throttle lock and wave with my right hand. | ||
| Ejc |
Waver here. Most,but not all, people do in So. Wisconsin. | ||
| Oddsc |
I only wave if I'm sure it's not a Harley. Around here (NY) they're waaaaay too cool to wave at someone riding a rice rocket (my Buell). | ||
| Atoms |
I do most of my riding in northern illinois and southern wisconsin*. I wave, except on the slabs which I try to avoid anyway. The majority here wave back. I do concur that that sport bike types (I lump them all together as "squids") are the least likely to wave back. | ||
| Keyser_soze |
Wave. Just do it. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Maximum - I knew you were talking about the Brits and Kiwis...just thought it would relate was all. And I buy the NJ-nice thing. You do have all that spare time sitting in jughandles, so waving is a natural way to pass the time  | ||
| Prowler |
Interesting, I used to wave to just about everyone once I got out of town, but found that only guys on import bikes (?) waved back, (the Harley guys won't even glance my way once they notice the dual headlights and me wearing a full face helmet). So now I just totally ignore the "harley/biker" crowd unless they wave first. I like how a guy that just got his first bike last week/month or whatever, on some kind of Harley, feels he's just too awesome to acknowledge a fellow motorcyclist, because I or whomever is not on a H-D and wearing a doo-rag......funny stuff. | ||
| California |
I wave at everyone! Oh, once in a while I miss someone, but it's not cuz I;m rude or something, I just didn't see them until they were too close to initiate the wave. I wave because I'm having fun, I'm enjoying myself, and I want to share that with like minded people. But, hey, wtf do I know! Motorcycling is the only hobby I know of that a man can participate/do while commuting to and from work! I think, and this is just my opinion, that the reasons wavers are down is; 1. Lots of noob riders that don't know the tradition and or aren't clear on the custom. 2. There is too much ignorant snobbery amongst some groups who feel that thier choice of bike type is the only intelligent choice, and the rest of the riders are just too stupid to wave at. 3. There's too damn many bikes on the roads this time of year, and you end up waving every few seconds! | ||
| Dr_greg |
I also wave at everyone, and I'm always amazed that about 90% of the folks that wave back AREN'T WEARING GLOVES! If you ever go down at speed you'll know why some of us wear gloves... | ||
| Atoms |
(the Harley guys won't even glance my way once they notice the dual headlights and me wearing a full face helmet There is a dual headlight Harley now, the Street Bob I think it is called, so that behavior may change.  | ||
| Maximum |
Last year on my trip to Buell Homecoming, I had my then 14 year old son with me on the back. It was his job to wave at all the other bikers. Having been his first experience with the whole waving thing, he started off waving to people like he saw a long lost friend, a full arm wave with great enthusiasm! It was so funny to watch the reactions of the other riders...they looked like they were thinking "what's wrong with them". But in the end, most everybody waved back...some with the cool hand out to the side, but others waved back with a similarly styled exaggerated wave. You guys should try it sometime!  | ||
| Froggy |
2. There is too much ignorant snobbery amongst some groups who feel that thier choice of bike type is the only intelligent choice, and the rest of the riders are just too stupid to wave at. What! You mean that there is an intelligent choice other than Buell? I wave every just about every time. If i don't wave back, its cause you were tailgating that SUV and i didn't see you till i looked behind me cause i thought that Hummer sounded odd. | ||
| Uly1080 |
I usually wave at everyone, and my wife knows this. Recently she was following me in the home from work (in her truck), observing said "wave" as I passed other bikes on the road. When we got home she said, "you thought that last bike you passed was another Uly, didn't you?" I played it cool and said, "yeah, why?" She "you're wave was just a bit too excited, and looked kinda ridiculous." There aren't many other Ulys around here.  | ||
| Seanp |
Uly1080 -  I wave at everyone, even scooters. Hell, sometimes I wave at bicyclists. I find that I get return waves from just about any type of bike. My wife knows to wave when we're two-up, and sometimes I just let her wave. On the interstate, I don't wave at the opposing lanes, but I usually wave as I pass another rider going my way. | ||
| Ulyranger |
I usually wave at any two wheelers I meet, maybe a bit more enthusiastically to Adv/DS/Antique or otherwise unique rides. We should start a Buell specific on-road greeting, what do ya think? There are a couple crowds in NY that do not seem to reciprocate........whatever, I still do. The bike wave thing is similar to the vessel wave thing I think. Because usually the operators are enjoying themselves regardless of where they are going and feel the need to express it. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Personally, I have distilled my snobbery to the point where I will only wave at tall middle-aged white guys on Ulys. BTW, why do they call us middle-aged ... none of us are going to live to be a hundred. However, I do give most Harley guys the official ADVrider salute, but they don't seem to appreciate it most of the time, for some reason. Go figure! . | ||
| California |
"Hell, sometimes I wave at bicyclists." Interesting that you should say that, I do too, if they're looking at me. I notice a lot of bicyclists seem to stare down at their front wheel or something and don't seem to see anything around them. I also wave, as a form of saying "thank you for not killing me" to cagers that start to pull out of a drive or a side street, and then look up and see me flashing my lights at them, and then stop and wait for me to pass. I want them to know that bikers appreciate NOT being killed! | ||
| Johnboy777 |
I also wave, as a form of saying "thank you for not killing me" Damn, that's funny! It'd make a great sticker for our bikes. 'Thank You For Not Killing Me With Your Car' . | ||
| Danger_dave |
No wave. Maybe a nod if you look cool. | ||
| 12x9sl |
Another Wisconsin waver here. I agree with Ejc, most wave back, just not everyone. | ||
| Neurorider |
I wave, unless I need both hands, then I nod. The Harley folks are much better at waving. I think a lot of the noob folks don't want to let go of the bars 'cause they are nervous still. More motorcycle commuters ever day here, so I pass some of the same ones each day. That makes the wave work better-I'll wave every day, even if they don't. They eventually bend to my will, and comply with the wave! |
