"the wave"

Curious if anyone knows the origination of motrcycle to motorcycle waving...

What's more, doesn anyone know why Harley guys seem to point at the ground, and not much else? Most don't wave at a jap bike, but I feel two wheels is two wheels, minus scooters though...

Just curious.

 

They are pointing to where their part just fell off to see if you can get it for them:biggrin:

 

That's what I was thinking... Reminds me of a joke I once heard.

90% of harleys made are still on the road... the other 10% made it home!


Not sure if that's fit for telling at a bar full of HD folks, guess the truth really can hurt sometimes.

 

Back in the day (I started riding around '75), it was a raised fist that was the universal salute, no matter what machine you or the other person was riding.

How it morphed into today's varieties of finger pointing is beyond me.

Here is a picture of me and my first new Honda, a '78 CB550K:

 

Bubba Zanetti likes your old helmet rodon!

By the way...I am in Greenwood, Delaware!

 

Nice 550!!

 

Helmet or hair

Rodon,
with hair like that did you even need a helmet???? Just kidding!!!!!! :biggrin:

 

amazing

it just amazes me to look back at the older bikes and see the huge difference in technology. Seeing your 550 reminds me of my old Yamaha Spcial II 400. Those were the days!!

 

Its just a comraderie thing. Jeep folks wave too, as do some sportscar enthusiasts. I think it comes from a place of "we are more alike than these other idiots".

I would have to say I have a near 100% wave ratio this season since picking up the VFR in DEC. I think the custom/Harley guys are realizing we can leave them just as easily as they can do without us. More folks wave the more safety gear you wear as well, its a "real rider vs ego/clown" thing.

 

Does anyone else notice that BMW guys are even worse than the Harley guys? There is an annual BMW rally up here in the summer, and the BMW's are everywhere...

...Just on a whim, I counted the BMW wave/no wave on a 45 minute ride (since there were so many on the road) - I got something like 4 for 17 with the Bimmer guys and 5/5 for all other bikes.

...Maybe they're too busy changing a radio station, putting on some more reflective gear, or worrying about their next service interval...:biggrin:

Harley guys usually don't wave anyways - I've just about given up on them.

 

Yeah, it is weird. In some ways it is like there are 3 groups of motorcyclists -- Hardley riders, BMW riders, and the rest.:smile: ahh, maybe a group for the European Brands:tongue:

Last month went on a 3 day ride with a buddy, he was on his brand new Hardley. We actually paid attention, and there were more than a couple of groups of riders with one on a HD, and one on a real bike :tongue:

But man, that is a gauranteed way to get better mileage on your bike, ride with a Harely rider. Man we went so slow, I swear my mileage must have doubled!:biggrin: And this is a guy, who on any of his other bikes, usually just spanks me in the twisty stuff. Harley doesn't have quite the power or lean angle. Actually we were joking, it looks like he will need to buy new floor boards about every six months the way he is going, just grinding them away in every corner. But he loves it, and we had a lot of fun, so...

Although, I missed no opportunity to bust his chops about it:biggrin:

 

In my week of riding again, 95% at least wave unless in a turn.

 

I would agree that my "wave ratio" has gone up a good bit now that I'm on the VFR, especially when I have the hard bags mounted (which I do for my commute). I *always* have full gear on.

Anyway, my take on the "two fingers south" salute I see frequently nowadays is that it's an encouragement to keep a wheels-down attitude - as if we all needed a reminder??? I respond with a thumbs-up.

Rod

 

You forgot Goldwing Riders should be classed in with "Break My Wallet " riders, & for the reason they don't wave is that most of the Goldwing & BMW riders don't opt for the "auto wave button" when they purchase there bikes :crazy:

As to the wave origin, I believe it was started back right after WWII as a acknowlogement of each other in the brotherhood of M/C riders on the road when passing as they did to each other passing to & from the front lines in the war previously.


& for the pointing @ the ground, thats not just a Harley thing, it's for all riders riding in a group. yes it could be a Harley part on the ground but it's actually to let riders behind know of debri on the road so others don't hit it a.k.a. safety warning.

 

Someone actually waved to me today in my Honda (car). He was passing me and it took me a second to realize why he was waving (he had the same car). Ha....

 

I don't notice one group or another waving more or less than the previous group.... bikes coming to a stop, intersection, passing, or in a turn I figure probably won't wave anyway (too busy with both controls).

Heck - I've even had other HONDAS not wave - possibly didn't see me wave, whatever. Could be new people to motorcycles - too afraid to take a hand off of a control.

I always figured that the downward point, as you mention, is to keep someone behind you from interpreting the signal as an intention to turn left (if the arm were more level), or turn right (like a "hi, howya doin?" type wave with the arm bent). NOTE: I'm assuming we are talking about bikes passing in a country where we drive on the right hand side, and you are taking the hand that is not the throttle off the grip....

I see lots of bikes doing the downward point - just as many sport bikes too.

I kind of like the fist idea - "solid".... hahaaaa!!

BTW - great pic of the 550, and LOVE the helmet!

 

Of course you can't always assume the person behind you will be bright enough to figure out whats going on. Just today on my ride home I dropped my hand to the side to wave at a passing bike and the woman behind me thought I was waving her to pass me, or at least that was my assumption when I caught the approaching fender out of the corner of my eye. Guess I was a bit far to the right for her taste. Fortunately I had left enough room to car ahead of me to get out of there...

 

I tend to use the 2-finger gesture pointing our or slightly down also. I think of it more like the old "peace" sign, and an acknowledgement of another rider out there who understands being on the road and the enjoyment / risk we all share.

 

the sport bike people generally wave. which hand they use depends on whether they leaned left or right.
the harley people wave to me, mostly. there are some schmucks, though.
the goldwing-ers are too focused on the optional espresso machine/dvd to notice anyone. even cars.

In my experience, harley's generally come standard with a woman in a tank top. I'll leave her looks to your imagination.
you're absolutely right, they are remarkably slow. I find them on rte 82 in delaware tucked in behind the bicyclists.:bump:

 

All kinds of people out there. 'Spose its possible this turkey was actually 'saluting' someone else, but on the mass pike, someone gave me the finger while passing on the right (while I was driving in my wife's MDX). Sure, I wasn't going the speed limit, in the middle lane, but neither was the car directly in front of me, and I had not changed lanes in miles, so its not like I was cutting this guy off. No idea what this jerk offs problem was.

Meanwhile, the other day I was VFR'ing in very heavy traffic, and had both hands full, just starting off and inching through a busy intersection, and there was just no waving. Heck, I couldn't even nod, since I was concentrating on the sluggard's bumper in front of me. So, especially in traffic, we shouldn't get hung up on a rider not waving, I know I do.