Do motorcyclists still wave at you?

[roadwarrior]

I always acknowledge a wave.

When I initiate a wave, I get about a 85% response rate.

Kids on the side of the road get a honk.

[Fabrice]

Down here in Louisiana, we are a rare breed. Especially when you ride year-long. I have been snubbed so many times that now I only return the favor of a wave or a snub. Harley riders are the worst offenders. B'mers are "real adventurers" and they don't see the scenery, just the next stop on their maps!

[Wintersdark]

I always wave, if I'm physically able, at anyone on a scooter, harley, supersport, can-am, trike, spyder, janky home made gas powered bicycle, anything on two or three wheels.  

Tribal?  Eh.  Just celebrating having fun and doing something we love.  

I'm indifferent to people who don't wave back.  Maybe they're snubbing me, but I never assume that.  After all, so often you've got stuff going on, you don't notice someone, you're in mid shift, or watching that suspicious driver in their minivan who keeps looking at their phone - I accidentally don't wave at people literally every day.  But I always do if I can.  So, I just assume everyone else is doing the same.

I feel there's a real problem with people (and this isn't just a motorcycle thing, it's just all over) assuming malice from everyone else's actions as the default.  It's way better to assume there's no malice or tribalism until proven otherwise, particularly in cases where it really doesn't matter or even make much sense.  

I still wave if people aren't wearing appropriate gear, or if they're grossly overgeared.  I wave if they're splitting lanes at you're-gonna-die speeds or if they're fearfully hugging the right side of the road at 10 below the limit.  We're all adults, and we're already making a choice to do something objectively more dangerous than driving a car just for the lols.  Where each person draws their safety line is up to them to do. Just because I think they're making silly choices doesn't mean I'm not gonna wave.

I just wave as an acknowledgement that we're all doing something awesome and there's a friendly level of "brotherhood" there, whether they're my sorts of people or not.  I'm not going out for beers with them, just riding past them on the street.  I'll never know their names, and I'm completely indifferent to what they think of me.  

With that said, as a year round riding Canadian, whenever I meet someone riding in the winter, we tend to share overly exuberantly raised clenched fists instead of basic waves, because HEY LOOK SOMEONE ELSE WHO'S CRAZY and also because our fingers are probably frozen together.

[phpaul]

I went for a nice long ride yesterday.  Perfect weather, lots of motorcycles out.

Normally, ANYBODY on two or three wheels waves or waves back, regardless of respective brands/styles.

I noticed yesterday that about 80% of the Harley riders were ignoring me. 

When I stopped to gas up, there was a line behind me so I pushed the bike out of the way as soon as I was full and did my bookkeeping and gear replacement out in the parking area.  There were 3 Harleys and riders right there, never looked at me or acknowledged me in any way.

Years ago, that used to be the norm - Harley riders only acknowledged other Harley riders.  Hadn't seen that in the last 4-5 years tho.

[PhotoAl]

I wave to everyone even 3 wheels and scooters.  Yup I've noticed sometimes HD (Indian?) riders don't respond and BMW riders can be aloof but I always wave.  I've noticed a lot of HD riders that are 2 up will give the waving duties to the pillion.  When the weather is really nice is when I encounter the most folks who don't respond - I just assume they are too afraid to take a hand off the bar to respond.  However when riding in the rain everyone responds - but there are not many of us out there.  Have met some great folks and I've notice when on the road in bad weather like an all day rain, doesn't matter what you are riding everyone waves and talks to each other.  

I have to chuckle in my helmet when folks don't respond when I'm on my scooter - yea my big bike is at the house and I wear a full face carbon fiber helmet, Held gloves and an airbag vest to ride a scooter.  

Still trying to figure out what a pushbike is.

As for Harley riders, back when I had my ZX6R 636 I rode to a local motorcycle dealer.  As I pulled up there were 2 or 3 HDs with riders and pillions standing there.  They were all in the 40s and I was in my 60s but they didn't know.  They gave the "the look", I turned the bike off dismounted and pulled my helmet off and looked back and told them with a smile, when you get old like me you can get a bike like this.  They just looked at me with disbelief - "what's the old guy doing on the crotch rocket?"  

Edited August 16, 2021 by PhotoAl

[texscottyd]

58 minutes ago, Wintersdark said:

I always wave, if I'm physically able, at anyone on a scooter, harley, supersport, can-am, trike, spyder, janky home made gas powered bicycle, anything on two or three wheels.  

Tribal?  Eh.  Just celebrating having fun and doing something we love.  

100% this.   Honestly, the politics or deeper social meaning of it never even crossed my mind...  I am happy when I'm riding my motorcycle (whichever one it happens to be that day), and I just assume other people out riding are equally happy.   If they don't wave back, it's their loss; I figure that just means I'm happier than they are.

 

[maximNikenGT]

15 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

I always wave, if I'm physically able, at anyone on a scooter, harley, supersport, can-am, trike, spyder, janky home made gas powered bicycle, anything on two or three wheels.  

Tribal?  Eh.  Just celebrating having fun and doing something we love.  

I'm indifferent to people who don't wave back.  Maybe they're snubbing me, but I never assume that.  After all, so often you've got stuff going on, you don't notice someone, you're in mid shift, or watching that suspicious driver in their minivan who keeps looking at their phone - I accidentally don't wave at people literally every day.  But I always do if I can.  So, I just assume everyone else is doing the same.

I feel there's a real problem with people (and this isn't just a motorcycle thing, it's just all over) assuming malice from everyone else's actions as the default.  It's way better to assume there's no malice or tribalism until proven otherwise, particularly in cases where it really doesn't matter or even make much sense.  

I still wave if people aren't wearing appropriate gear, or if they're grossly overgeared.  I wave if they're splitting lanes at you're-gonna-die speeds or if they're fearfully hugging the right side of the road at 10 below the limit.  We're all adults, and we're already making a choice to do something objectively more dangerous than driving a car just for the lols.  Where each person draws their safety line is up to them to do. Just because I think they're making silly choices doesn't mean I'm not gonna wave.

I just wave as an acknowledgement that we're all doing something awesome and there's a friendly level of "brotherhood" there, whether they're my sorts of people or not.  I'm not going out for beers with them, just riding past them on the street.  I'll never know their names, and I'm completely indifferent to what they think of me.  

With that said, as a year round riding Canadian, whenever I meet someone riding in the winter, we tend to share overly exuberantly raised clenched fists instead of basic waves, because HEY LOOK SOMEONE ELSE WHO'S CRAZY and also because our fingers are probably frozen together.

Until I met my lady (who's Canadian BTW), I didn't really know what true cold was.  Then I went to visit her parents in Toronto in the middle of winter and got a reset to my body's temperature thresholds for what real  cold is. Canada is one of the few places in the world where even my toenails feel the cold. 

Anyone that rides in those kinds of conditions absolutely own the right to raise clenched fists because you are certifiably and wonderfully crazy to be riding in weather like that. 

That plus you have to be wearing mittens or else your fingers will suffer frostbite. 🥶

Incidentally, how does one wear a Canada Goose jacket while on a motorcycle?!?

[pelayo]

Yes,  i noticed that in Spain. But with the Niken, it.s good to be ignored and not to be the center of atention at least once or twice a day.

[Wintersdark]

On 8/17/2021 at 6:49 AM, maximNikenGT said:

Until I met my lady (who's Canadian BTW), I didn't really know what true cold was.  Then I went to visit her parents in Toronto in the middle of winter and got a reset to my body's temperature thresholds for what real  cold is. Canada is one of the few places in the world where even my toenails feel the cold. 

Anyone that rides in those kinds of conditions absolutely own the right to raise clenched fists because you are certifiably and wonderfully crazy to be riding in weather like that. 

That plus you have to be wearing mittens or else your fingers will suffer frostbite. 🥶

Incidentally, how does one wear a Canada Goose jacket while on a motorcycle?!?

So, before I got heated gear (god, I love heated gear, it's the best even in just cool temps; so nice to be warm and toasty and not bulky!) I used to wear a fairly snug fitting armoured motorcycle jacket, and an upsized winter coat over top of it.  That actually worked really well, but you're kinda marshmallow like while doing it.  Being an already big guy made it pretty comical, but that's never really been a concern for me

Interestingly, you'd be surprised at how good that works for personal protection in an accident as well.  A good winter coat tends to be pretty rugged, and while they're not designed for slides they do provide significant padding and wear resistance.

But now, I just wear a regular motorcycle jacket with the thin heated liner and I'm toasty as can be. 

We have a local guy who is crazier than me.  He rides his scooter (no idea what make; just it's an old scooter) every day, even in literal white-out blizzard circumstances.  Someone took video of him riding in a blizzard down Deerfoot Trail (highway 2, runs through Calgary, between Calgary and Edmonton) and a local car dealership gave him a Dodge Charger.  Mind you, I don't see a Charger as being a particularly better winter vehicle than the scooter, but there you have it.  Ironically, he just sold the Charger, as he wasn't interested in a car at all.  Me, I'm fine with a bit of snow, slush or ice, but come blizzards, I'm taking the 4wd Jeep, thanks.