No Love

[ULEWZ]

Harley riders here on the Left coast will wave about 60% of the time. I wave at them as I am passing. I once waved at a scooter and quickly retracted my hand. I won't make that mistake again. Damn, some of those small wheelers are big enough to be a real motorcycle, almost.

[vango]

I stopped waving at Harley's. 90% don't acknowledge me. Stick it!

[britelitebob]

Don't blame the bike for the owners ignorance, most of them are probably on their first bike and just ride to the pub or local bike night and they don't even know what sport touring means. That's why you can find so many low mile cruiser bikes for sale, these folks never really experence any real adventure so they get bored and the bikes just sit in the garage untill their wives make them sell it.
 
There are also plenty of real bikers riding cruisers that have covered alot of ground and will wave back , their easy to tell because they aren't all polished up like they just came out of the showroom.
 
Note: I say cruiser because most of these bikes are just Harley clones anyway.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[outdoorvtguy]

I wave at anything that is 2 wheels and motorized.  I do get confused when I am in my other toy ( Miata ) as they also wave at each other.  I have waved at motorcycles in the Miata and vice versa.  Get some strange looks there.  
 
If my left hand is busy, a head nod works too.  If I am in a challenging curve, curve takes precedence and no wave.  I think most figure it out, it's not that complicated.
 

[DavidS]

If my left hand is busy, a head nod works too.  If I am in a challenging curve, curve takes precedence and no wave.  I think most figure it out, it's not that complicated.

I've just started lifting the fingers on my left hand, it's easier than waving every other minute, and people do seem to see it, as I get responses when I initiate.

[hlmiskelly]

Harley riders here on the Left coast will wave about 60% of the time. I wave at them as I am passing. I once waved at a scooter and quickly retracted my hand. I won't make that mistake again. Damn, some of those small wheelers are big enough to be a real motorcycle, almost.

Each of us will one day arrive at the age where we can no longer throw a leg over a proper motorcycle or hold one up when stopped.  On that day we will have to decide whether we give up two wheel riding or hop on a scooter.  When that day arrives for me I will have no qualms about slipping an arthritic leg across the pass-through of a 600cc scooter and squirting down the road with the wind whipping around my coke-bottle prescription glasses and through my non-existent hair. 
As always, two wheel good.  Four wheels bad.
 

[hlmiskelly]

If my left hand is busy, a head nod works too.  If I am in a challenging curve, curve takes precedence and no wave.  I think most figure it out, it's not that complicated.

I've just started lifting the fingers on my left hand, it's easier than waving every other minute, and people do seem to see it, as I get responses when I initiate.

I've noticed that the wave you get is somewhat dependent on the bike being ridden.  Riders on cruisers always wave with a downward, near straight arm.  Sport bike riders mostly just lift their fingers off the clutch lever.  Adventure bike riders usually give a standard, arm out, forearm up hand wave. 
Trike riders, however, typically place their hand on their head, fingers flapping ala' Curly from The Three Stooges.
 

[root]

Harley riders here on the Left coast will wave about 60% of the time. I wave at them as I am passing. I once waved at a scooter and quickly retracted my hand. I won't make that mistake again. Damn, some of those small wheelers are big enough to be a real motorcycle, almost.

Each of us will one day arrive at the age where we can no longer throw a leg over a proper motorcycle or hold one up when stopped.  On that day we will have to decide whether we give up two wheel riding or hop on a scooter.  When that day arrives for me I will have no qualms about slipping an arthritic leg across the pass-through of a 600cc scooter and squirting down the road with the wind whipping around my coke-bottle prescription glasses and through my non-existent hair. 
As always, two wheel good.  Four wheels bad.

It is for this reason I usually will wave at trikes.  Scooters, I'm good with waving as long as they are over 49cc.  In Indiana, you don't need any sort of drivers license for a sub 50cc scooter.  Only requirement is you must be 15 or older with a BMV issued ID card.  If you are under 18, you must wear a helmet and eye protection.  This means all the drunks that lost their license are the only ones that ride them around here.  I've had several people tell scooters look like fun but they'd never drive one because they don't want to look like a drunk.  I really wish they'd change the law on that.  There was talk of it a year or so ago but the legislators worried too much about how the drunks would get to work, so they just made people start plating the mopeds so they could get tax money.

[icpete]

I've gotta chime in here. After almost 90,000 miles on two BMWs, I still don't consider myself a highly experienced rider, however somewhere along the way I was told (or I read it somewhere) that the "wave" is not really a "wave" but more of a "salute", and it is indeed an inverted "peace sign", that is, two fingers pointed downward. The meaning is specifically intended to say, "keep the two wheels down, on the ground". Same as when we take leave of a friend and say, "keep the rubber side down".
 
And it is indeed pretty easy to throw your hand out to the side and downward with first and second fingers extended, kind of like throwing the dice (hey, maybe that's another subliminal meaning, "we're all throwing the dice here as we ride"!).
 
That's my two cents, FWIW.
 
And BTW, I agree that it seems cruiser (Harley) riders salute much less often than other riders, though I don't understand why that would be the case.
 
Pete

[root]

I've gotta chime in here. After almost 90,000 miles on two BMWs, I still don't consider myself a highly experienced rider, however somewhere along the way I was told (or I read it somewhere) that the "wave" is not really a "wave" but more of a "salute", and it is indeed an inverted "peace sign", that is, two fingers pointed downward. The meaning is specifically intended to say, "keep the two wheels down, on the ground". Same as when we take leave of a friend and say, "keep the rubber side down". 
And it is indeed pretty easy to throw your hand out to the side and downward with first and second fingers extended, kind of like throwing the dice (hey, maybe that's another subliminal meaning, "we're all throwing the dice here as we ride"!).
 
That's my two cents, FWIW.
 
And BTW, I agree that it seems cruiser (Harley) riders salute much less often than other riders, though I don't understand why that would be the case.
 
Pete

Harley riders salute much more often if you are riding a Harley. I don't know how many times I've heard people say, "If it's not a Harley, it's not a motorcycle." I say let them live in ignorance. I don't judge my self worth based on how many strangers, riding crappy bikes, wave at me.

[martyl]

I think I'd rather ride naked and have everyone wave at me. Or maybe they'll throw rocks at me... ;-)

[timg]

I think I'd rather ride naked and have everyone wave at me. Or maybe they'll throw rocks at me... ;-)

In Florida, some do, practically.  With no helmet required and the hot humid weather, I've seen several riders wearing only short pants ("bermuda shorts).  I shuddered every time I saw someone like that - I've seen how someone with little or no protection looks after sliding on asphalt, not pretty at all. 

[martyl]

I think this whole," Some riders wave, some do not" and certain brand owners are a certain way, is just silly to me. Personally I'm glad to see more bikes on the road the better. I'm generally friendly and act accordingly. It's all good. If someone looks down on me because of a certain brand bike I ride to me that's just a sign of a lack of character. What's this stuff anyway? "Mods vs. Rockers"? Just seems like a waste of energy. I've ride allot of different bikes and ridden with others with all kinds of different brands. It's about riding and the joy of riding. Nothing else in my book...

[timg]

I think this whole," Some riders wave, some do not" and certain brand owners are a certain way, is just silly to me. Personally I'm glad to see more bikes on the road the better. I'm generally friendly and act accordingly. It's all good. If someone looks down on me because of a certain brand bike I ride to me that's just a sign of a lack of character. What's this stuff anyway? "Mods vs. Rockers"? Just seems like a waste of energy. I've ride allot of different bikes and ridden with others with all kinds of different brands. It's about riding and the joy of riding. Nothing else in my book...

This guy hits a few of them -