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why do bikers always wave at eachother?like my first time out on the road some guy just stuck his arm down beside of his bike?am i supose to do it?is it like a salut to your fellow bike riders?well please let me know?

well if he's bigger than I am, or its a really hawt chick with a huge rack...I'm going to wave at him/her.

Its the law to wave to another cyclist unless A. They are on a bicycle or scooter. B. You are going in the same direction ( then a head nod is in order) or C. you are on a divided highway.

The wave explained...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=uvXZe9IFJQQ

thanx that guy on the video help me learn 2 ride thanx youtube :)hes awsome

Today I was riding and a guy across the highway was tapping on the top of his helmet like he was trying to signal something to me.  Does anyone know what this means?  Are there other motorcycle hand signals that I should know about?

I may be wrong but I think the 'head tap' is to let you know that there might be cops ahead, or an accident or something.

Damn, the only one I knew was where the other guy puts his middle finger up at you, you get pissed off but by the time you get to do anything he's already passed you.

Thanks CSBrad for the Vid!

We love that video.. Hello kitty wave is rad :)

Mordth is one cool son of a gun, check out his new profile too. All good vids and info there.

And that vid does about sum it up.

Just one finger tapping or whole hand? If it was his whole hand it might have meant come over here?

I think the head nod it the way to go, two fingers on the shoulder to me means officer.

Felix

Yea two down low is the harley wave, or the i'm trying to be as polite as possible while still remaining aerodynamic at 150mph

i hope i dont get the harley to streetbike wave from anyone! LOL bad

There was a car full of girls the other day, and I could have sworn that they were signaling me to go back down the road and go down on them. When I got home I realized that I lost a pack of smokes.  :-[

I'm so practicing the hello kitty wave on Friday..

Check out this link, gives all the signals....

http://www.ridemyown.com/articles/safety/handsignals.shtml

Wow thats a good little piece of info! Nice "Maggie" :)

Does anyone find it annoying when you wave to a fellow rider and the totally see you but refuse to wave back?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T    :D

I like waving to other motorcyclists it builds community. Even though you might not know a person, you feel part of a group!

TICKED OFF
Extend your left arm straight out with your elbow bent 90 degrees. Carefully extend your middle finger to clearly demonstrate your dissatisfaction with the other guy. NOTE: It is not recommended you do this when you are alone.

good vids guys. and to think i was bored at work! ;)

lol, glad you liked it!

I use the "shooter" McGavin wave to fellow riders low and to the side. If Im at a stop and wave I use the "how" indian like wave. If Im haulin ass on the freeway I aint waving shit Im hanging on to the bike......

Always make sure you keep both hands on the handlebars when you'reon curves like this... (points down) haha. I got my first head nod today with my bike in the back of my truck, score one for me!

It's the same thing in australia. most riders wave to each other, except you don't wave at a harley cause they won't wave back at you, and your not allowed to wave at scooters or postie bikes because they are a lower breed lol.
Harley riders only wave to other harley riders. it's a funny world.

Hand tapping on head means 5.0 ahead of you...

In my little corner of the mountains, pretty much everyone waves. Plus there's a good chance of seeing each other around town. I work at Autozone, so most of the Harley guys come through for parts for their trucks.

I tease them about no waving (even though they usually do) and they tease back about me not having a "real" bike. But there's nothing but respect when they come in during a monsoon and see my poor Seca sitting in the rain, and me with wet clothes. :D

Ohhh all this talk about waving, I got a wave from a CBR rider today and I was in my ute! We were having a little play through some traffic, and a couple of traffic light launches... he had nothing on me up to 60 (shit I'm gonna miss my boost), but we had fun none the less, followed me for quite a while and when he turned off he gave me a big friendlly wave.

Felix

Tapping on top of the helmet = Piggly Wigglys, the Fuzz, 5.0, Coppers, po po, police...or whatever you like to call them. Unless you're already doing 130+ (which none of us can do [yet, muhaha!])...slow down.

ohh...and I see ppl on sportsbike doing the harley wave all the time..only its with 2 fingers like a peace sign. Maybe its just the area I live in, but we do have MMI (Motorcycle Mechanics Institute) here though so there are tons of riders. I think the only rule that always and I mean ALWAYS remains the same is NO wave to scooters...I accidently did one time and I felt so ashamed...I wished there was some way to unwave, or like do a negative wave and let em know I was wrong and didn't mean it. Ok..I'm tired. Last post. Going to bed.

Should have chased them down and pushed them over Red, would have made you feel better.

Felix

Some way to "unwave"...HAHAHAHHAHAHAH...that really made me laugh. :)

I believe one finger would cancel the two original ones used to wave, haha

HAHA...just like going to wave at someone then pretending you where just adjusting your visor or something... kids can be so cruel. aah coffee overload this morning, i don't think i'm making sense.

Speaking of kids and waving, It's really fun all the younger blokes and I suppose just everyone that gets that extra kick watching you go buy and waves and when you wave back.

I always get the "wheelie" sign when I drive by the kids on the street. haha. Punk kids. haha

that's how i wave
it's either a low wave or peace sign
i've seen a lot of people around here do that

Funny thing, when I was on my 2hr road test for my Licence, a sports bike passed and gave a wave. To scared to take my hands off, I did the head nod :P

Felix

I also give the peace sign wave, that how most sportbike riders here in the Carolinas do it, and dont you just hate when someone is going the other direction on a f**kng scooter and try their best to get your attention? I think that is so funny dont ever wave at a scooter rider they might be smart by riding a scooter and saving gas but there not cool at all. REMEMBER DO THE PEACE SIGN WAVE!!!!

I think the scooter dudes should get the "Hello Kitty" wave, to let them know they look like retards

i think its pretty cool that other bikers wave to eachother its like a culture i know from driving my subaru if i see another subaru owner we always wave at eachother its cool not many people or categorys of things do that...culture

yeah when i drive my firebird i always wave at the other firebirds its different on bikes though.I like to wave when i see a bike it makes me feel like im part of a big family

BIG FAMILY!

Its more like an unspoken club.

culture? maybe?

you can all wave with our riding on the right in your contry!!

i have to settle with the head nod as taking your hand off the throttle to wave isnt smart!!

ohh, thats true! I hadn't though about that. I guess you have to cross your arm over to wave, so no low down waves huh? For once our back-ass-wards system has an advantage....now I'm still trying to figure out the advantage of our measurement system...

Hahah, no chance red! No chance.

Felix

haah what is your measurment system?

inch worms and centipedes.

we here in the US do not use the Metric system as a standard.  see below from the web...

The USA measurement system (e.g. inch, foot, yard,  gallon, ton).

I think it is just a way for hardware stores to make more on Stainsteel hex head metric bolts :) off us foreign bike and car owners. 

ahah yeah that is quite f'ed up, i think inches ar useful but yards arnt.

do you use mph?

mpg you mean right? hahahaha jk

I wish we were metric...everything would just make more sence! everything is 10's! but being brought up on the American Way! I can't go back, I'm too old, a meter and a yard are about as close as I can get....
BTT
Waving is an intersting thing to do and observe. but it only works when your on your bike. I find myslef trying to affiliate myself with a rider when I'm in my car but can't. You know, like "I got a bike too, but it's too cold for my wuss ass" kind of wave

omg had my first real ride today, being a sunday a few bikers where doing the same and coz we drive on the left hand side down under, we cant really wave so instead a distinctive nod is given and i got so many nods :D i felt spesh :P:P:P

You are spesh mate. Where did you ride?

Felix

hmmm gold coast highway, down around currumbin, around the beach burleigh and some motorway riding to

Some really good roads down around the Hinterland, used to take the ute for straps around there. Nice twisties, used to love the induction roar and flutter going through some of those canyons.

If all goes well and I'm rolling by the weekend, me and a mate are going to take another guy who is learning to ride out for some fun. Might head out Esk way, do some of the dam roads, not sure if I'll be ready to tackle Mt Nebo yet.

Felix

i think the wave harley guys give to sports bike riders is more than adequate for use with scooter riders :P haha jk.  i still like seeing scooter riders just wish they rode motorcycles instead

I did the hello kitty wave to every car i passed on the way home from work tonight.. sleep deprivation and the boredom of riding my Yamaha are starting to do strange things to my riding.

Lately i've been doing my part to wave to oncoming bikes and when they dont respond with a wave back, while my hand is still fully extended i turn it into a middle finger so if they look in the rearview they can see my anger at them not waving... haha  :D

that's why i don't mind waving to sport bikers, coz i know 90% of the time they wave back...
but for standard/touring/dual purpose, i don't wave unless they wave...they just aren't as friendly/chilling as sport bikers

I feel like a nerd when Harley guys don't wave back... Then I jsut twist the wrist into triple digits and feel better knowing if I wanted to I could do a U-Turn, come up on the f**ks and kick them off their high iron horse

haha that's the spirit!

i stopped waving/nodding to harley type bikes then one nodded to me on friday, i just had time to nod back or the world would of ended or sommat

lol, I try to wave to all bikers, (but remember, mopeds are NOT considered bikes...)...although I won't wave if I feel like I need to focus, lol, b/c I did that once, when I was doing something, and had that oh crap stomach moment.  I usually learn everything the hard way, so thankfully that was enough to teach me that time...

i wave at all riders and if i cant waive my nod my head so they know, i dont have to them harley guys unless they wave then i wave back, what i dont like is i wave to riders and they dont wave back atleast nod and acknowledge me that i know you seen me wave you know its like saying hey whats up and they say nothing back...how rude!

hahahhaa so f**ken funnny man love that video hes was like yea yea yeay eyae eaye yeay yea! HAHAH

yeah ill wave at other sport bikes and motorcycle cops(they do deserve respect:), other than that i only wave to cruiser if they do it first but never ever ever to a scooter.

i wanna become a bike cop :D

Eww.

If I was going to be a cop it'd be either a bike cop or an aviation cop.

i want to take the bike cop's riding course
can pretty much tell it's so tiring...but it looks fun
they teach you all different kinds of road conditions, grass, dirt, snow, ice...can really master super slow cornerings

look at the vids on youtube they look insane

whats up with bike cops?!

maybe coz they ride cruisers... ???
i personally don't really care, as long as i get to ride

only in america :P
over here they either ride sports tourers or sports bikes ;)

for sport touring, i know japan bike cops use that too...
but for sport, that's amazing!  so they just add saddle bags to their bikes?  how about a backpack??  lol

nope nothing like that :P

our sport bike cops are like plain clothes officers. so they just ride stock, black GSX-R 1000's XD

If you going to be a bike cop, most properly is bicycle cop or only happen in your dream. Friend, get permission from your parent first! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :D

lol holy crap that's crazy!  typically the only sport cops i have seen (not in my city of course, the internet) is only a just-because-we-can thing thing cause they got a hayabusa

We have heaps on dirt bikes here, MANY a weekend I spent being chased through the bush by cops on dirt bikes, one day they used a Landcruiser, I could hear this roaring engine and then all of a sudden this cruiser came busting through the trees, knocking them down left and right! I've never run and crapped myself like I did that day since!

Good old days!

Felix

ooo bitchy!

back to my corner :(

nah mn stand your ground!! dont let people get down your aspirations! :O

all bikers are there own community and we just wave at others who have motorcycles.

Ok, I've been repping up the wave and nod BIG time, and getting NO love!!! I just dont know what to do, maybe its my gear, or my bike, but just no biker love!

I still draw the line at mopeds, scooters and posties.

Felix

hmm thats a bit strange =/ do all the bikers is aus' know to wave at eachother?

i mean ok im a learner on a 50cc bike but i still get waved at like 75% of the time and i wave at like most bikes. - scooters XD

OK got a question. If your in a country where you drive on the left side of the road, what hand do you wave with? Or is your guys throddle on the left side? Which would be weird as F*CK!!

Hehe its on the right, i rarely wave, unless its a HOT bike/another Ninja, or I know them... everyone gets the head nod, tilt to the side and nod.

Felix

lol ok was just making sure. ya around here there is no waving all the sports bike do is pull the clutch and hit the redline. I was sittin in front of this strip mall talkin ot my friend and a huge group passed and I swear every one redlined their bikes. It was sweet, and I cant wait to do it once I get my 600. haha

yeh by waving we mean more of a nod of the head haha :P

oh and dont ledline it and dump the clutch! that wouldnt be very healthy!

ya I might get to know to the pavement then I actually planned on. lol And it will be like one giant human skid mark on the road.

LOL! OMG .. That cracked me up

I think its more common here to do 'the nod' .. sometimes you'll get a nod from Harley riders/MC members but not too common for the sports bikers

Yeah, Aussie's nod more than wave I reckon to. To date still no waves from cruiser style riders for me :(

Felix

same we also nod more than wave!
ive had a wave from like 1 cruiser rider :O

i was really surprised

I saw a Harley rider flick a sportbike rider off for no reason, I had to laugh at the ignorance and it made me a little mad. No wonder sport riders dont wave at 'em, why take the hand off your handlebars??

yeh its just a waste on them isnt it!

i wonder why...i mean, we're all riders, just chill!
i've seen 1 very nice harley guy (only!)...i was parked outside a friend's house having a smoke, some harley guy stopped next to my bike and started smoking with us and talked about bikes.
but he's kinda young(er)...around 30ish maybe

yeh there are some nice ones!

tbh i dont hate harley riders. they just think that we hate them so they hate us back haha.

There a bit special like that!

that video is brilliant! I love it, thanks for finding it!

I wave to all riders, if I see them in time and I'm able to take my hand of the handlebar.... With the cruisers, if they see me, and I'm absolutely sure they see me, and don't wave back, my wave to them drops all but one finger... That usually makes them smile :)

During my lessons, we took a time out just to go over the whole biker nod/wave thing. We're a family. Bikers have to look after their own, cos no other tos*er will.

Basically:
See a biker - Wave or nod.
See a biker on the side of the road - Stop and see if they need assistance.

I'm a nodder rather than a waver, waved once, almost came of my bike! Haha. I get nods all the time, from cruisers to off-roaders. Haven't seen any biker cops yet, but if I did, I'd give 'em the nod too, and expect one back! I don't think I've ever not been given the nod, probably because of the completely different mindset of Brits y'know. 'Oooh, you're riding a sports bike, and oooh you're riding a harley.. tiffin sir? Oh yes kindly gentle sir, next service station? Oh why not!'

I take my left hand of the handle bar and keept it low. Probably looks like I'm trying to low-5 the other guy :)

Everyone waves here, unless you're just shifting or coming out of a bend. If so, just nod.
I haven't seen any customs here so I can't tell you if they wave or not. Either way, any person on motorbike that looks cool and can reacht a speed of 120km/h gets a wave.

ill wave at all bikers.... except mopeds! haha there are all too many of them around now... sometimes there will be a moped that looks like a bike, until i already waved, then i feel real dumb. :-) hes too busy sipping his latte and looking up indie rock on his iphone

To say Hi!

haha I crack myself up

you must be drinking too much dew tonight...:

haha yeah he seems to be!

(http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/img/a8c/a8c95f9110924e9d69641b6545821bf8_m.jpg)

 :D heh, just one! I've been snacking on apples actually, I'm friggin addicted!

I got my first wave from another rider on my way home from the dealership, about 5 minutes into my riding career, and I waved right back.  I thought "Hey, that was really cool."  Maybe because it was my first time experiencing that kinship, felt like an initiation.  By the way he was and older guy decked out in his full blown biker gear on a full dresser cruiser style bike, and I was puttin' along on my new Honda Ruckus.  So yeah, I'll wave at anyone on 2 motorized wheels.

lol XD tis a good feeling hte first time you get waved to

Got to give the first wave last week. It was 60 and now its freakin SNOWING. I HATE OHIO!!!!!

Most people on Harley's don't ever wave to me. I guess they disrespect the sportbike riders because they think we're irresponsible. I wave to everyone (except scoot scoots haha) but sometimes I wish I could take them back when I don't get respect in turn from the Harley rider with no helmet! And I'm the irresponsible trouble maker on a sport bike (that will only do a buck ten! (but it's a blast).

I love the wave! Some cruiser bike guys will wave, but I have noticed the majority don't. And as with many people on here I don't wave to the scooters either ha ha

Why dont you guys wave to scooters?  I am coming from the scooting world, and we are all in the same boat.  We all get run off the road by cagers that are talking on their cell phones... we all have to avoid oil slicks and sand in corners... we all worry about our bikes getting stolen/bumped/touched/moved... we all get wet when it rains... we all look forward to that first day of sun and warmth in the spring....

I have several friends that have scooters that can go faster than these ninja 250's...

Just like you guys think the harley or cruiser guys are cocks for not waving... same thing...

That being said...

I am really glad to move up to a real bike  :)

I wave at everyone, scooters or otherwise. Even those wankers on cruisers who you already know aren't going to wave back.

Some tap on top of their helmets when u pass them... letting u know that there is a cop up ahead. That's pretty cool.

i only wave to the ones that wave to me first, except for sport bikers.  and for scooters, i don't think they wave at all, not even to another scooter...so why bother?

I try to wave to everyone -even cruisers that don't bother to recognize me. They need to understand that all sport bikers aren't complete jackasses. But when they don't wave back, it's kinda like going for that big jumping high five with no return. like, oh snap I just got put in my place in front of rush hour traffic. As for scooters, a head nod will do. After all, they have to deal with the same traffic as I do.

That's exactly it - because scooters aren't real bikes. The difference between a scooter and a motorcycle is that you sit ON a scooter - like you would an office chair, and you STRADDLE a motorcycle, like you would a horse, or.... :D

Anyways, I only wave at real bikes, in part, I guess because I think scooters are just plain dangerous. On a real bike, you still have the ability to get up and move out of the way (you're only real weapon against the cagers - manueverability), and most scooters don't have that kind of power... for the ones that do, why? Why sit down like that? So you can have room for your coffee cup holder? I guess that's what some like, so nevermind me...

Having said that, I once tailed a 150 scooter up a canyon, and I must say, I was impressed. Unfortunately, his footboards were lower than my peg feelers, and I eventually blasted past..

So, I realize that scooters have to deal with the same things motorcyclists have to, but on the other hand, to me it just doesn't make any sense putting yourself at the mercy of a cage. Not to mention, that the same scooters I'm speaking of (49cc and below), are usually driven by people who don't drive real vehicles, like the ones you need a license for, and are usually quite dangerous with them. I can't tell you how many scooters almost had a Spooph silhouette carved through them in Boulder, Co - where I do a lot of my commuting. Freakin college kids!

ya 49cc scooters are jokes... except the heavily modified ones they race in asia... 60+ mph, and the 49cc drag bikes, up to 70mph, FAST...

US 49cc scooters suck...

but my 125... I could pass cars on the 520 bridge :-)

man I was bored so i checked this section to see who has the most replies in this section and of course this topic has the most!posted by me!!!haha im the ruller of the free world!!

When i'm out riding i would have Harley guys wave at me.  They know what i'm riding.  I don't see it as a Harley thing but a motorcycle thing that says, "Be safe out there"... But that's me.

When guys on sport bikes wave at me without a helmet i'm always a jerk and knock on my helmet to remind them.

Word^

I passed a dude on a harley in my truck and tapped my head to tell him to throw a helmet on

The Harley wave you are talking about is used to tell other riders to be safe and keep both wheels pointed down.(this info was given from a freind that is in the hells Angels) Most people in my area will wave at you no matter what you ride.

Yup I seen that most of the time now...  I have had riders ride next to me on the highway.. I think that is pretty cool.

Its because we ride blue 250s  lol

hehe.. this guy had a 750 and was duck down belly on the gas tank. we were going like 90 mph rode together for like 20 miles and then each went along to their destination. wave again as we seperated.

Really? I'm from Sydney Australia and i have not seen anyone wave! so far all we do is just give the nod to each other.  I thought i may be just the aussie way of shortcutting things eg. Afternoon = Arvo haha

you know how you nod at riders (i do it all the time)
if theres a group of like 5 of them do you nod at all of them? haha

HAHAHA that happened to me once when riding up at putty road headed up to colo river.  I nodded at the first two and saw more behind them. then i just decided, stuff that, then i just waved! hahaha but i was laughing in my head coz i was about to nod to all of them! i would have looked like i was off my nut! HAHA

yeh thats what ive beenthinking :P

just have your arm sticking out .. drivers behind u will think you are going left.. lol

I hate it when other bikes wave at me when I don't see them do it till the last second then it is to late to wave back, it makes me feel bad that I didn't wave back.

I also hate when I wave at someone and they don't wave back.

Yah so...
aaahhhhh
it drives me crazy, damn paradox.

ha

Crispy, I feel ya.

car drivers see u do this to other motorcycles and when u get a respond back .. u can tell on their face expressions.. like saying.... am i missing something here??  thats so freaking cool

+1 it is great :D:D

I did a 'new' wave today... left hand pointing frantically across my body to the other side of the road as a bike came towards me, indicating a rather large cow standing on the road ahead.

Felix

Hope he made it!! Hate to think you went to all that trouble, he thinks you're a tool for not knowing the right signs, and then he ploughs into the cow!!!! lmao!!

I backed off big time as soon as I saw it. Very large cow! It was half on the other side of the road, and facing in, as I rode past it just stared at me, kinda freaked me out.

Felix

Glad you MOOved out of the way.  No time to be BULL headed . ha!
Probably wondering who's brother you were wearing...

ok I will stop now..
good thing to not hit for sure.

Haha, "Hey you on the bike, mooove over, I'm trying to stand in the road over here", the cow said with a New Yorker's accent.

What is a new yorker cow doing in AU mate!   haha!

Just the reverse of Felix's american road trip!!!! No wonder it couldn't decide what side of the road to be on!!!!!

tourista bovine!!

 :D good one little big brother

Nah its cause I was on a cowasaki :D

Felix

Oh, thats just to much!!!! :D

haha

nice XD good times

i wanted to let you know im sitting on my futon in tears cause of how hard i was laughing

also im from wisconsin home of the harley and lately i have had more non harley riders not wave i.e. old fogies on goldwings and i travel 40miles a day through harley country. around here sometimes the mentality is "if your not riding a harley your not riding"

now my question is what about when the 110th harley anniversary comes how long do you wave for a line of harleys till you just say f*** it. cause this past year during some sort of biker rally i had my hand down for a good 20 seconds or more

 i love that hello kitty wave "ya ya ya ya ya"

Just grab a costume hand out of a halloween store or something and tape it onto the front fairing of the bike.... That way you don't have to worry about it.... In a large group, I usually wave at the beginning and the end... Especially if there are some awesome twisties involved - then again, I'll wave at them mid corner just to freak them out (usually Harleys... They get so weirded out by us "sport riders" only using one hand most of the time.... :P)

i waved at some bikers sat outside a pub yesterday...while i was overtaking.. i had to raise my arm above the car i was overtaking for them to see me...at least i got a wave back :D

Just a thought, has anyone flipped the bird at a biker to see a reaction??..Just a thought!!! :D

I wish people would stop waving at me, I just dont care to wave at every person I see riding, which can be up to 30 bikers per day or more. Sometimes I just look straight and act like I didnt see them.

i think you deserved a wave back after that i personally would have just left it but props for going out of your way to wave

zandit, "the bird" is the official "Salute" of the advrider riding community... There's a bunch of them here in CO, so we "flip" and "get flipped", or saluted quite regularly... It usually starts with a full on waving of the hand, and then snap it to the salute... Some guys get really crazy and do the whole arm over the other one.... Both hands off the handlebars... But we always check for the ADV sticker, cause we don't want to piss off ignorant riders... And then again, there is usually at least one post a week on our regional rockies forum asking if such and such is an adv'er, and/or if they just pissed somebody off with "the salute"... :P

haha yeh same :P

muyo you should always wave at bikers! its a kind thing to do..it annoys me when i go out of my way to wave at every biker (even ones in car parks) and for them not to wave back!

Lol at the hello kitty wave

YEYEYEYEYEYEYE
Back the beep off lol

lmao

You tube taught me how to ride my bike. I had a relative ride it from the dealership to my house, then from there went inside watched 2 videos on youtube went out and took off, except for stalling out the first time "damn 1st gear" lol.

hahah yeh that clutch is an amazing thing ;)

youtube is very useful!