Biker's Wave

[XSive Okie]

What type of bikes do you give a wave to?

[ManitoulinLad]

all

All of them - even a scooter - some guys can only afford what they can, or they are older & have gone down to a scooter (I know a couple) cause of weight & balance issues. If its got a motor & two wheels ( well even the spiders I wave at) If your out there you get the wave from me, I know & will never forget the 1st wave I got - Dan

[tinman905]

It's a funny thing here the "Harley " crowd make the attempt to wave but when they see I am not up to their standards they quickly stop the wave before their hand gets "above the point of no return" and pretend they weren't really trying to wave. It's so ridiculous to see! I give them a wave anyway and follow up with the occasional "Trudeau salute"

I will wave to all bikes even the Toronto and OPP cops

[XSive Okie]

If it's safe, I wave to everyone. Usually always get a wave back even from Hardley riders. Just the one pointed finger though, not four indicating a 4-cylinder.

[tcoop]

I wave whenever I see a bike...sometimes even when I'm in the cage

[DAVINCI]

Even bicycles get a wave from me My first scoot was a Raleigh 3-speed with a Briggs & Stratton 1-cyl bolted to it. My summer of '70 project.

[ManitoulinLad]

The half harley wave

Hey Tinman: That's funny - I've seen that too! jsut forgot about it. The worst was in the city of Sudbury at light, the dude across the from me on the other side seen my bike (he was on a harley) & totally looked the other way when I went by with the wave, he was an old dude with a gray beard I just laughed - Dan

[Bonz]

Yep, anyone on two wheels, motorized or otherwise, even from my cage I'll wave, but don't get a wave back in that case usually.

Definitely wave to mopeds/bigger scooters, mopeds/smaller scooters usually have younger or female riders, and it's my way of saying they are welcome on two wheels, and hopefully adds to their esteem or a good feeling is some sort of fashion.

With that said, the smaller moped/scooter riders appear to be very focused and I don't get too many waves back. Probably (seriously) they have the throttle pinned and are zinging along with all they've got, and are either going with traffic or a bit slower due to displacement disadvantagia.

I grew up in high school, riding mopeds all around Manhattan, KS, and with my size (even back then, at 6'6" and 180lb as a skinny kid, making my way to my current and final 6'11" height/265 wt) I was always pinned to keep up with just city traffic.

My dad bought a Honda C70 Passport, which to a moped kid was a huge treat to ride with a tucked in top end of about 45 mph and actual acceleration to get up and moving. He had it less than 600 miles, had a pickup with large trailer mirrors (blocked their view of the intersection I believe to some extent) make a left turn from side street in front of him and he layed it down. There are many things he could have done different, like looking further ahead, anticipating, trust the brakes more, USE the brakes harder, but his lack of familiarity and relative experience was most to blame IMO.

He parked the C70, convinced of the inherent risks that could never be overcome with a "bigger bike" (such as "speed"), and finally traded it in for a Honda Spree moped two years later.

If he had been more sure of himself when he started riding the C70 and hadn't heard his own momma's voice from when he was a kid ringing in his head that he should never ride one, I think he'd have done much better and kept riding longer. Can't ride scared, but there is a world of difference between scared and riding with a respect and understanding of what riding ultimately entails.

I didn't ride in college and beyond, and got back into riding in the fall of 2006, and I won't forget the first time someone waved at me as I was meeting them on the road, it was a pretty cool feeling and I hope my gesture gives someone a good feeling as well.

[natemoen]

I am from north Dakota, you just wave at everyone, always.

[patk12345]

I do most of my riding on the streets of Chicago where doom literally lurks around every corner, so I make a point of never taking my hands off the bars. I do however pop the the fingers up from the grip and give a head nod. I don't often give the wave to the mopeds, because usually they just give me that confused puppy look, and of course because they're all dirty "Mods" (kidding)

In the city, I tend to get the wave from most of the Harley guys. I think the fact that riding anything on two wheels in Chicago is kind of a death sport creates a certain amount of respect for anyone willing to roll the dice. Any ribbing from the HD crowd here seems to be good natured, heck, most of them started out on a metric bike, whether or not they admit it.

[b.walker5]

Even bicycles get a wave from me My first scoot was a Raleigh 3-speed with a Briggs & Stratton 1-cyl bolted to it. My summer of '70 project.

Snap. I built one of those too back in the day. Scariest damn thing i've ever ridden

I wave to all bikes. Dont care what they are, or who's riding them. 'course the hardly crowd dont often wave back, especially when they're in a gaggle, but I dont care, I wave anyway. Keep it friendly on the road, 'cause ya never know the day you might need help from one of them. And we all share a common interest no matter what the bike is.

[DGXSER]

As to waving, I wave at them all. I even wave to the Hardly guys who never wave back, but almost always the lady on the back will wave to me.

The part that confuses the living daylights out of me is this, the thing about Harley Davidson being the end all of bikes was always the WWII thing here in the USA. HD is American made, and all the others, well most of them are/were rice burners (Japanese). And anyone who was alive and over 12 on the day Pearl got hammered will never see anything Japanese without hate in their eyes, at least most Americans I know anyway. So, if the American made thing is the big deal, why would the HD thing be so big overseas??

[xsroadrunner]

I'll wave to anything except scooters because around here a scooter is really a liquor sickle. Only drunks...winos and those who cant legally operate a normal vehicle are allowed on the roads with their 50cc or less scooters...They dont need to be registered,insured or licensed and you dont need a driver's license either...What a slap in the face to all of those who have to pay for the privilage. And they are a hazard on the road with their top speed of 30 mph...It amazes me to no end that this state doesnt regulate them at all. In the Northeast these would be illegal

[GaleB]

I wave at anything on two or three wheels. I don't often get a wave back though. I wave because I have an appreciation for any sort of bike and the folks that enjoy riding them. I also wave at people on horseback (while on my XS or horse) and I almost always get a wave back from them. Must be the high one gets from the heavenly scent of horse, leather, and horse poop.

[natemoen]

I'll wave to anything except scooters because around here a scooter is really a liquor sickle. Only drunks...winos and those who cant legally operate a normal vehicle are allowed on the roads with their 50cc or less scooters...They dont need to be registered,insured or licensed and you dont need a driver's license either...What a slap in the face to all of those who have to pay for the privilage. And they are a hazard on the road with their top speed of 30 mph...It amazes me to no end that this state doesnt regulate them at all. In the Northeast these would be illegal

That's odd cause you can still get a DUI on anything motorized! A liquor sicle around here is a peddle bike, cause that is all that is left at that point, and then you just get public I.intoxication.