Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: zeop on March 26, 2015, 10:42:17 AM
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Random question. Do bikers in the UK or Japan driving on the left side of the road wave with their right hand when they pass other bikers? That seems impractical, since they'd be taking their hand off the throttle.
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More knowledgeable heads will be here shortly, but I heard from a visitor that some kind of a head nod is substituted for our wave.
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When I lived in Washington I often crossed the hood canal bridge which had potato grater sections.
I loved waving with both hands when crossing these sections especially when meeting Harley riders who never waved, they just stayed white knuckled on the bars
as they passed.
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I have been told by a British biker friend that generally they nod.
She didn't say what Harley riders do!
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From my optic, motorcyclists typically don't wave to each other here in Europe...they certainly don't in southern Italy. I don't recall any waving when I lived in the UK a decade ago, either...
At most, you may get a headlight flash, or maybe a head or foot 'nod' ...
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From my recollection bikers on the continent hang a leg rather than raise a hand..
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Some times I wave with my right hand as when I have my throttle lock on. :) Maybe it throws the opposing rider off? Maybe they think I'm queer?.......with my pink helmet on?
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From my recollection bikers on the continent hang a leg rather than raise a hand..
I like that idea. I wonder if we can get it to catch on there in the US.
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UK riders usually nod, French riders stick there right legs out and Italians are too busy riding fast to do anything. 8)
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UK riders usually nod, French riders stick there right legs out and Italians are too busy riding fast to do anything. 8)
I nod if it's too late to wave.
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;) Being 'super-cool' myself, I use the 'two finger wave while retaining control of the bike' wave.
I was taught this greeting when I let go of the left grip, fingers spread, at 230. Changed lanes. :-[
Raising the index and middle finger off the grip indicates a friendly recognition of the oncoming rider.
Raising the index finger is reserved for known friends/acquaintance/regular commuters.
Raising the middle finger is reserved for "I recognize a snot when I cross one"... not brand specific.
Like raising the foot as an idea but I don't want oncoming to think I'm Vali out for a ride. ;D
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UK riders usually nod, French riders stick there right legs out and Italians are too busy riding fast to do anything. 8)
Serious question: Their right legs?
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Their right legs, and be careful trying it! Foot into wind and leg bent.
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Serious question: Their right legs?
Yeah, you know, it's like trying to speak Quebecois in Paris ... They'll find a way to ignore you.
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France is one of the only countries where motorists will, by common consent and custom, leave a lane for motorcycles between cars in traffic to facilitate lane-splitting. When the French authorities attempted to encourage cars to abandon this practice, a national campaign was adopted by French motorcyclists that involved kicking the cars that wouldn't pull out of the way. The hanging out of the right leg is these days usually a gesture of recognition, but it has its roots in the kicking movement when it signified, 'look I'm going to kick in your stupid citroen/peugeot/renault if you don't get out of my way' or even 'because you got out of my way I'm not going to kick you, but see this foot here? I could have used it to dent your paper-thin bodywork' or something.
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I'm just back from riding in the UK.
Most two-wheelers I saw were scooters - especially in the rain, the bike riders are pansies and stay indoors. ~;
Of the few bikes I saw, about 50% made some kind of acknowledgement; usually a slight sideways nod. No waving - too busy with the traffic.
Nick
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From my recollection bikers on the continent hang a leg rather than raise a hand..
I know what a dog means when it does that, don't think it would go over to lovingly here in the US.
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I'll wave with the left hand sometimes to other bikes. Other times I'll nod. It's a sort of sideways tilt of the head. No good flashing the headlight as everyone rides with lights on these days. Harleys are just another make of bike and, so far as I can tell, their riders behave pretty much the same as everybody else.
I'll also wave to considerate car drivers, policemen and kids on the footpath!
I'm not sure about riding in mainland Europe these days. I thought that riders dragged the right leg when they overtook another biker.
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Watch for the right hand wave from riders on vintage Indians with a left hand throttle...
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I'll also wave to considerate car drivers, policemen and kids on the footpath!
Yes, around here it's very common for everyone to wave at everyone else. If you walk past someone in the Walmart parking lot, you say "Hi, how are you?", or the other guy will beat you to it. If someone is in his yard raking leaves and looks up, I'll wave from my Guzzi, and he'll wave back. I guess that kind of thing is common in poor, rural counties. In Bethesda, MD, if I'm walking to the mailbox and pass someone walking the other way, he'll most likely pretend to be interested in something in the other direction, so he doesn't have to interact.
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I'm just back from riding in the UK.
Most two-wheelers I saw were scooters - especially in the rain, the bike riders are pansies and stay indoors. ~;
Of the few bikes I saw, about 50% made some kind of acknowledgement; usually a slight sideways nod. No waving - too busy with the traffic.
Nick
They're not pansies, they have Lucas electrics. :D
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Shaka sign for me. Right or left. I have a throttle lock on the SP.
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V7john.
Correct, right leg on overtaking and nod coming from opposite direction, or wave.
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Yes, around here it's very common for everyone to wave at everyone else. If you walk past someone in the Walmart parking lot, you say "Hi, how are you?", or the other guy will beat you to it. If someone is in his yard raking leaves and looks up, I'll wave from my Guzzi, and he'll wave back. I guess that kind of thing is common in poor, rural counties. In Bethesda, MD, if I'm walking to the mailbox and pass someone walking the other way, he'll most likely pretend to be interested in something in the other direction, so he doesn't have to interact.
Lol
People down here wave a lot.
The cruiser crowd trolling about the roadways also have a marked tendency to wave. Sometimes I do it but sometimes I don't. I feel kinda bad when I don't. I guess I need to realign my cultural manners and make a greater effort to consistently wave to my two-wheeled comrades.
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The "two finger point at the ground" by the "faifhful" can't be seen in the UK.
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Not much waving going on anymore in CT. Too many bikes, too small a state. Over the past 45 years there has been a steady decline of the wave as the number of riders increased. There are a select number of really nice routes here and on a weekend the roads are packed with bikes. I was finding that my left arm was developing tendinitis from lifting it off the bars so much to acknowledge riders who were not interested in waving. Now, I leave my palm on the bars and raise my fingers if I'm feeling like a wave. Now in Vermont, my other home, it's a totally different story. Most riders wave. The same with N.H. and Maine. So the moral of this story is that not everyone in New England is an ass!
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Most folks nod here in the UK - forward or sideways nod.
Too much traffic and congestion to take hands of controls for a wave.....except for the 'too cool for skool' types who don't want to seem to keen, so just raise a finger or two off the handlebars!
Not noticed anyone do the kick out.
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I think it is ridiculous to wave no matter what hand or wherever you are.
I have asked people who do this a simple question.Why?
"Because we are enjoying the riding on our motorcycles and acknowledging it to one another" is often the reply."
Then I ask,"do you stick your flippin arm out the window and wave at every person that drives the same model car that you have?"
Usually this is when they don't have any better of a comeback then something like.."you're an a$$hole."
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They are correct :o
Dusty
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They may be,but at least I am not looking like a dufus,constantly waving at people who are total strangers and could give a rats ass if they ever meet me or not.I truly will never understand it.
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Not much waving going on anymore in CT. Too many bikes, too small a state.
That's understandable. In the Deals Gap area (Tail of the Dragon) riders often give up and quit waving. Sometimes there are so many motorcycles around you'd be constantly riding one-handed if you waved at all the riders. Where I live, there isn't much traffic of any kind, and motorcycles are pretty scarce.
People down here wave a lot.
Just curious, where are you?
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Waving , or nodding , or whatever method one chooses to acknowledge other riders , is an act of joy . Like saying "Hi , isn't this fun" . Just seems the polite thing to do .
Dusty
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I'm not a waver...I drive older Jeeps and some feel Jeep drivers need to wave. I never wave on my bike but will return the wave if I see it in time. I will wave on the rare occasion I see another vintage Triumph or a Guzzi... I am friendly with people when not driving...I grew up near NYC where if you looked at someone they came back with " What the F you looking at ?"
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https://youtu.be/ftRE-SLGM-E
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They may be,but at least I am not looking like a dufus,constantly waving at people who are total strangers and could give a rats ass if they ever meet me or not.I truly will never understand it.
Let me help, although if you've already decided that you'll never understand it, then that's that anyhow.
Here in our little rural area, everyone meeting someone on a back road in a car or truck waves at the guy coming the other way. (A) It's very likely that you know them and (B) Even if you don't, it's a friendly gesture, whether or not the other guy understands it our not. No harm at all in doing it. VERY few people will think you're a "doofus" for nodding and acknowledging their presence.
Out on the highway, I don't see many motorcycles. I might be up in the mountains having a good time on the curves, or bimbling along a back road on my way to a rally, or whatever. But LOOK - there comes a motorcycle coming the other way! Wonder what kind it is? Is it someone I know? (probably not, if I'm two states away from home). We're both out enjoying the lovely weather today (or putting up with the rain and cold), I think I'll wave to him!
If it turns out that the guy has a skull mask on and spiked boot toes and a "get-back" whip dangling from his bars, I might regret a bit that I waved, but that passes soon.
On a 250-mile day-trip bimble on a warm Virginia weekday, I might see 6 other motorcycles on the road. It's really not all that much effort to wave, and there's no "doofustry" involved ....
Lannis
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So,if I enjoy being out in my Dodge Ram and see someone else driving a Dodge Ram,I guess I am supposed to roll down my window and wave? Or point at the ground like I see so many people on motorcycles do.Really?
Anyway,I won't wave and don't care if someone thinks I am an Ahole because of it.
I actually am a very nice guy who just doesn't wave at other motorcycle riders.
It is that simple.
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One can enjoydriving a Dodge Ram ??? ;D Wave , don't wave , has nothing to do with being nice , or being a doofus . Personally , being a doofus can be fun , life is too damn serious . Doofuses of the world unite :D
Dusty
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Actually I do wave at folks driving the same car here in sparsely populated New Mexico where there are probably 20 Porsche 356's besides mine. I've waved 3 times in 15 years. I also wave at Moto Guzzis with my left hand, we drive on the right here.
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I've been riding for 50 years and I've never waved. I never really understood the concept. I don't wave from my truck or car. so why on the motorcycle?
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Watching riders wave at eachother was actually one of the things that got me interested in riding, I liked seeing the sense of camaraderie between strangers that enjoy the same things.
To answer the original question, I know that aussie riders nod at eachother. When I told an aussie about how we wave instead of nod, the answer was that that was "wanky". But hey you can't wave when you drive on the wrong side of the road.
Here's a funny one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7tBHoq49RU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7tBHoq49RU)
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I know what a dog means when it does that, don't think it would go over to lovingly here in the US.
It's not uncommon at the track and for sportsbikers.
Though, mostly used to indicate an obstruction to those following when used on the street...
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I've been riding for 50 years and I've never waved. I never really understood the concept. I don't wave from my truck or car. so why on the motorcycle?
Never been to Texas, have you?
(https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTiOonLBsIOO8HhWikqHnEWeFzzlTUpymSdTFesK15AalX7zQRD)
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Never been to Texas, have you?
(https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTiOonLBsIOO8HhWikqHnEWeFzzlTUpymSdTFesK15AalX7zQRD)
Or Oklahoma , or Louisiana , or Missouri , or Arkansas, or ... :D Hell , the car drivers here wave at bikes :o
Dusty
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So,if I enjoy being out in my Dodge Ram and see someone else driving a Dodge Ram,I guess I am supposed to roll down my window and wave?
No, of course not. Nobody said anything even CLOSE to that.
We're only trying to help you understand why WE do it. That's what you said you didn't understand; why do people do it?
Nobody's trying to tell YOU what to do, just trying to communicate.
Lannis
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I think it is ridiculous to wave no matter what hand or wherever you are.
"do you stick your flippin arm out the window and wave at every person that drives the same model car that you have?"
No, of course not. Nobody said anything even CLOSE to that.
We're only trying to help you understand why WE do it. That's what you said you didn't understand; why do people do it?
Nobody's trying to tell YOU what to do, just trying to communicate.
Lannis
(http://leithchryslerjeepraleighblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/two-jeepers-doing-the-jeep-wave.jpg)
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So what it all comes down to is this.
You do not have a logical explanation as to why you wave on a motorcycle, but don't hang your arm out of your car window when you see another car like yours.
Just what I said in the first place. hahahaha
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Logical ??? Riding motorcycles is an illogical act , so how does logic play into this ???
Dusty
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So what it all comes down to is this.
You do not have a logical explanation as to why you wave on a motorcycle, but don't hang your arm out of your car window when you see another car like yours.
Just what I said in the first place. hahahaha
I'm glad I live in a part of the country where I'm more likely to get "the steering wheel wave", than not.
Most of the time on the motorcycle, I do a version of the steering wheel wave, and just lift two fingers from my left handgrip.
It's just an acknowledgement. Like saying "hello" to someone you pass on the sidewalk, or in an office hallway.
Maybe in the bigger metro areas this old common courtesy doesn't exist. I don't know. I make it a habit of keeping clear of those.
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Back in the old days, driving a VW Beetle it was very common to get a wave from another Beetle driver.
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Dusty,
You got me on that one.
I guess there is no denying that riding a motorcycle is an illogical act.
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So what it all comes down to is this.
You do not have a logical explanation as to why you wave on a motorcycle, but don't hang your arm out of your car window when you see another car like yours.
Just what I said in the first place. hahahaha
Yep, hahaha, we're all pretty stupid, eh? That's a good one.
Lannis
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Dusty,
You got me on that one.
I guess there is no denying that riding a motorcycle is an illogical act.
:D :D :D :D
So , is it then logical that we wave at one another while doing something illogical ? A form of recognition between like minded, mostly logical rational folks choosing to participate in this illogical activity .
Dusty
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Actually I do wave at folks driving the same car here in sparsely populated New Mexico where there are probably 20 Porsche 356's besides mine. I've waved 3 times in 15 years. I also wave at Moto Guzzis with my left hand, we drive on the right here.
Back in `61 I had a roommate who had a 356 1600 Normal and noticed that he and his brotherin' Porsche drivers flashed their headlights @ each other in California. :)
If I wave @ another biker it pisses me off if they don't wave back, so I don't wave @ them 'till they start the wave. 9 times out of 10 a HD rider won't wave. :D
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Dusty your making my head hurt.
Now I feel guilty for not waving. LOL
And now Harley riders get thrown in.
Not only won't I wave at them,I don't even look in there direction.
That topic is for a whole nother thread. hahahahaha
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As I said, I don't wave to anyone
, unless she's hot. But everyone once in a while an approaching H-D rider will wave to me on my CalVin and once the realize that I'm not on a Harley, their hand immediately retracts immediately as if they are rescinding the gesture ::)
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Dusty your making my head hurt.
Now I feel guilty for not waving. LOL
And now Harley riders get thrown in.
Not only won't I wave at them,I don't even look in there direction.
That topic is for a whole nother thread. hahahahaha
:D :D
Sorry Doug ;D Yes , the Harley rider thing is a different topic , although most around here wave . (The sober ones anyway} ~;
Dusty
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Yep, downunder we usually nod or tilt the head, occasionally a left hand wave - just not the low side salute the US brothers can do. Camaraderie.
Kurt
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(http://leithchryslerjeepraleighblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/two-jeepers-doing-the-jeep-wave.jpg)
That what I meant,the Jeep wave...True Jeeps have a straight front axle not that independent junk on the later MB influenced Jeep badged vehicles.
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:D :D :D :D
So , is it then logical that we wave at one another while doing something illogical ? A form of recognition between like minded, mostly logical rational folks choosing to participate in this illogical activity .
Dusty
Catch 22, Dusty! :bow
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Dusty should be a politician.
I ask a simple question..why do you wave at other motorcycle riders?
He answers it in such a way that now I feel guilty for not waving,feel like I should hunt down every rider I did not wave at to apologize and question why I don't wave at other Ram truck drivers.
This guy is good! hahahahaha
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Dusty should be a politician.
I ask a simple question..why do you wave at other motorcycle riders?
He answers it in such a way that now I feel guilty for not waving,feel like I should hunt down every rider I did not wave at to apologize and question why I don't wave at other Ram truck drivers.
This guy is good! hahahahaha
Can't be a politician , WAY too many , er , indiscretions, in my past :D And my future :o No need to feel guilty Doug , all just food for thought .
Dusty
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The day I turned 16, back in the sixties, I took my motorcycle test and got my mc license. I wanted to buy a Triumph Bonneville, but at $1200.00 it was out of my price range so I ended up buying a Honda 305 scrambler, the large displacement Japanese bike, from my brother who was off to college. Riding around town I noticed that other riders were waving at me! Not just Japanese bike riders, but guys on BSA's, Nortons, Triumphs, Royal Enfields, even Harley CH's. I was initiated into the wave by these riders. There were a lot less of us back then, and it was a time when Connecticut was trying to initiate helmet laws, and being 16 and cool, I of course was against this. There was a lot of unity among bikers and personal freedom issues which I believe was acknowledged through the wave. Today, I realize how important it is for me personally to wear a helmet even though CT. still has no helmet law. I still believe that older riders who have been riding for decades are more likely to acknowledge another rider with a wave and that the riders who don't, have a different history than us. It's not the same comparison in a car at all. Cars weren't banned from parks because they were deemed disruptive. Car drivers weren't considered a nuisance and banned from certain roads. We waved because we recognized the importance and power that unity conveys!
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58? That explains it! You're still kinda young! ;)
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I...
I...
I...
I...
I...
I...
I...
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Just how I feel.
Gotta love the "Me" generation! :BEER:
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Gotta love the "Me" generation! :BEER:
Guess my efforts didn't work :D It's OK Doug , the next time you are broken down on the road , just tell the first rider that stops how you feel and let them get on with their day instead of wasting time rescuing you :o
Dusty
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I carry what I need to get me home from wherever I am.
A gun,a cell phone,a debit card,a credit card,appropriate clothing and snacks.
I'm good.
A bag of metric tools?
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A bag of metric tools?
So his plan is to call for help , if there is cell phone coverage , or shoot the first passing motorist and take their car :o ;D Seriously , each to his own , but everyone , and I DO MEAN EVERYONE , will need a bit of help at some point . Money doesn't fix every problem .
Dusty
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I don't need metric tools.
I have roadside assistance to come and pick me up and take my motorcycle to the dealer.
I am not interested in working on motorcycles.
You trollin' ??
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I will remove all the above posts.
Totally got off track without trying to.
Sorry if I offended anyone.
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I will remove all the above posts.
Totally got off track without trying to.
Sorry if I offended anyone.
THAT return was shorter than Napoleon's comeback from Elba .....
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The day I turned 16, back in the sixties, I took my motorcycle test and got my mc license. I wanted to buy a Triumph Bonneville, but at $1200.00 it was out of my price range so I ended up buying a Honda 305 scrambler, the large displacement Japanese bike, from my brother who was off to college. Riding around town I noticed that other riders were waving at me! Not just Japanese bike riders, but guys on BSA's, Nortons, Triumphs, Royal Enfields, even Harley CH's. I was initiated into the wave by these riders. There were a lot less of us back then, and it was a time when Connecticut was trying to initiate helmet laws, and being 16 and cool, I of course was against this. There was a lot of unity among bikers and personal freedom issues which I believe was acknowledged through the wave. Today, I realize how important it is for me personally to wear a helmet even though CT. still has no helmet law. I still believe that older riders who have been riding for decades are more likely to acknowledge another rider with a wave and that the riders who don't, have a different history than us. It's not the same comparison in a car at all. Cars weren't banned from parks because they were deemed disruptive. Car drivers weren't considered a nuisance and banned from certain roads. We waved because we recognized the importance and power that unity conveys!
Good point. Having started riding a few years before you I forgot those early days. Back then it didn't matter what brand you rode, you waved as you say 'cause there were few of us riding then. 8) Decades later the attitude(HD) of only waving to other same brand bikers started and is still observed by many. Now many relatively newby or day tripper bikers don't even seem to know there ever was a wave phenomenon. :'( When you are out in the middle of nowhere like on Hwy 50 across Nevada, the few other bikers you see wave! Then the comaradere once again surfaces. ;-T
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To paraphrase Will Rogers , I've never MET a motorcycle rider I didn't like :)
Dusty
I'VE met some you wouldn't like .... ;D ;)
Lannis
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I wave if I see a Guzzi, I nod if I see a cool bike coming my way. When a car lets me through when I'm filtering I either stick my leg out (the left or right depending on which side that car was that let me through) or wave a thank you with my left hand (a very quick one!)
I'm in London so there are a LOT of bikes and scooters, you'd be a numpty to wave at any but the most essential. If I decided to wave at Ducatisor modern Bonnevilles, I'd be a numpty as there are so many. Guzzis are rare and deserve a wave; classic, cool or old cars in general get a thumbs up. I like seeing old motors being used.
I France I've seen left leg a left leg thank you from a biker I let through. I've tried this and it takes some effort to do it as well as the guy I saw: a full on take the leg off the peg and then kick out, as if kicking at something. I do do it but I'm concerned that the car driver I'm thanking will misinterpret the gesture as a threatening one, but with both hands engaged in filtering the bike through heavy traffic, I can more easily spare a leg to thank the driver.
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The waving increases if you ride a hack. Small population density here. A lot of people know each other or they know of you. I wave.
On the Mainland, I wave mostly in the American Outback and will get a response. Funny thing....I can tell when I get back into ID. Not too friendly. That's from noveau poser HD riders.
In European Alps, everyone would wave but it was more important for the hand signals to match the road hazards.
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I'm in London so there are a LOT of bikes and scooters, you'd be a numpty to wave at any but the most essential.
I learned a new word today, thanks. :D Internet message boards are making the world a smaller, more homogenous place, to be sure. I see Americans post things like "I got the carb problems sorted." regularly now. I imagine overseas posters must occasionally use US slang as well.
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Gotta love the "Me" generation! :BEER:
;-T ;-T ;-T :+1
I'd be interested in the grappa he's found ... "HaHaHaHaHahahahaha. .... snore"
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Will was misunderstood on this . There were men he didn't like , just not when meeting them .
Dusty
I've DEFINITELY met some you wouldn't like when you met them!
Lannis