Ok i've been wanting to start a discussion on this topic for a while.  I have my waving tactics down and was just wondering how everyone else feels about the subject.  

A few thoughts:

• Newbies love to wave to everyone.  I've been riding for years, and I'm kind of sick of it.
   
• Bikers (on harleys and cruisers) don't usually wave to sportbikes.  When they wave to me, I wave back to show respect.
  • If I wave to a biker and they don't wave back, it dis-respects me and is saying to me that they hate sportbikes - and I wish I hadn't waved.
  • For this reason I do not wave first to guys on cruisers.
     
• In fact I rarely wave first to anyone.  But if they wave to me, I'll nod or wave back to show respect.  If I don't I probably didn't see it or just went by to fast to let you see my wave.
   
• If i don't know you, why should I wave just because you're on a motorcycle? 
  It was fun as a new rider because people waved at me and I was cool on my new motorcycle, but now it kinda feels like an obligation.
   

What are all your thoughts on waving to other bikes on the road?

I was riding the other night and there were 2 motorcycle cops at a speed trap on the 101 by bell road.... 

I thought to myself....  do cops wave if you wave at them?   or would they just think i'm an ass kisser trying not to get pulled over???????     I wasn't speeding, but still.... always scared of the popo on bikes.  They can catch you lots easier than a cop car can.

I flip everybody off. Its straight to the point lol. Jk I wave to everybody when I'm cruising. Highway or canyons I usually don't unless waved to first

i wave to everyone if they dont wave back then i give them bird. i learned that from dist6 prez and he on a cruiser

might as well right?  thats why I don't wave unless waved to first.....  cuz it just pisses me off when i wave to somebody and they don't wave back....  not knowing if they even say mine in the fist place.

if somebody waves and you don't wave back it dis-respects them, and thats not cool no matter what type of bike you are on.

heres my thing, I wave when I get a chance or I think of it.

SOOO many people get heated over this topic! Its rediculious!

I am still a new rider, my first wave I actually remember LOL. But being a newer rider I am focusing more on my skills then I am to pleasing anyone else. So if I dont wave, cry me a river or I'll meet ya at the diner someday and we can chat about bikes. I read an article a few months ago about waving and it made alot of sense. Pretty much it boiled down a ride in germany or europe somewhere & a guy at a place complaining that no one waved back. Someone stepped into the convo overhearing it & explained that it was because there are so many riders out there that they concentrate on the ride & make friends at the next stop.

IF I NOTICE that someone waved, I will try to wave back. If I cant meh oh well. Now the only time I would give a finger or want to get the middle one, is if its from A friend or if my friend doesnt wave at me. If I am on a part of a ride where I am relatively safe (IE: highway, no cars very close around me) then yeah I'll wave if I see a bike standing out.

Here's another one ;) I get ripped a new one for this all the time but I dont care. I dont wave to scooters. Its not the same thing. Its no disrespect, its just that it is a different culture. The biker wave use to mean "Hey man! Nice to see another! If something happens I got your back" now its more like "HAAAAAAY HAAAAAY!! Look at me!!! I got a bike too!!!"
So the scooter thing? Different culture - same risks just in town (most of the time). I dont hate scooters or scooter riders, some wear gear, some race scooters, some do long distance trips, I dont mind scooters. Its just not in my head to wave to them.

 

im in 100% agreeance with Pete on this one

i dont typically wave to people on the road unless they wave to me first or i was zoning out and noticed i missed some people waving so ill wave to make up for it

a few times early in the morning rididng into the sun i have waved at cops even as i let my pipes pop n growl each one has waved back

hahaha so i didnt read al lthe way thru your post SxyVxnSF

i work up in Boulder its a pretty diverse town here. there is deffinatly a seperation between scooters and other bikes

most any type of bike on the road will wave to each other but i know other riders who get pissed when the scooters wave at them

there is segregated parking at my work scooters in one place and the rest of the bikes in another

this didnt happen because we where told too. A few of the guys would notice a scooter sitting next to their bikes. Then they would go move their bikes to another spot away from the scooters. In time it was just a given.

most of the time i dont wave to scooters i agree its a different culture... you dont see too many rainbow stickers on street bikes

ok my turn on the scooter.... while it's true you can wheelie a scooter... thats about all they are good for and you'll get bored in a couple hours.

no respect.  no wave.  i accidentally waved at a scooter once and I felt like a dumbass... like i was somehow telling him he's as cool as us.   lol.

"i accidentally waved at a scooter once and I felt like a dumbass... like i was somehow telling him he's as cool as us." Pete

Haha that's funny, But ohh so true.

I try to wave at all sportriders and only wave to "bikers"  if they wave first. Never to cops though, They never wave back so F*** them, and F*** them anyway, lol, they harrass the hell outta me.

It's funny though, when I first started riding bout 4-5yrs ago, seemed everyone would wave and I would chat to alot of other riders at stoplights, Harleys too. Now it seems attitudes have changed or maybe mine has. plus I'm always rock'n out with my Ipod.

I always wave to every two wheeler out there.  Although, my wave is typically just pulling the left hand off the grip and toss out a peace sign to them.  I would say 80-90% always wave back.  I see it as a friendly remark to anyone else that has a love for two wheels. 

On gal from work a few years back wanted a ride, so we took the bike to lunch.  When we got there she was like... 'Wow you know a lot of people.. everyone on a cycle waved to you.'  I got a kick out of that, although explained to her it is just something that people on cycles do. 

As for scooters...  Scooters can be a blast to ride and the popo really dont mess with you.  Downtown Minneapolis we would wheelie and stoppie them right next to the popo... they just give you the 'oh that's cute' look.  On a street bike they jump all over you and read you the riot act and/or a ticket.

 

When I started riding some 20 years ago I notice how many people waved to each other when on bikes, But I also seen how many people wave when their driving RV's as will. I thoughts is wave to everyone I don't care what they are riding  cruisers or HD's if they what to think they are better then me that's fine we can race any time they like.  So all I can say to everyone ride and wave and let just have fun and stay safe out there.

Ride free, live free or die trying!

There was a very brutally honest article out there a few months ago in one of the bike mags...talking about waving.

How it use to be about saying "Hey I got your back" and now its more of a "HEYYYY! COOL! I GOT A BIKE TOO MAN!"

Personally I got any riders back, regardless of their wheels. I have pulled over several times on my bike and in my car to make sure any riders on the side of the road are ok or if they need any help. for example, I gave a rider a ride to go get his keys that he forgot at a resturaunt - poor guy was walking in full gear in the heat of the afternoon. He had rode to a friends place, friend drove them to go eat & took him back to his bike but then left to go somewhere & thats when the rider noticed he forgot his keys. It wasnt any more than 2 miles from his bike but still, 2 miles in the heat walking in riding boots and leather pants sucks.

Gotta love those blonde moments we have

Me? I usually try to wave to any one on two wheels unless I'm going so fast that I can't and already by them before I can even think about it. It don't matter if it's a crotch rocket or a crusier HD we are all part of the 2 wheel family and I will even wave to the popo as I'm doing a 100+ going by them, just cuz I can. I'm the luckyest MF'r when it comes to being pulled over and riding away without a ticket and several times at 100+ and no ticket and once was riding blind and I would have pulled it off, I was doing about 120 and he wrote me up for 73 in a 55 so I could go to traffic school until he asked me to sign the ticket and I had to say sign it where and he said you gotta be kidding me you can't see that, so dumbass me he then wrote me another ticket for riding blind, I only had 40% vision in one eye at the time. The Judge loved that "Not" So I lost my license for 6 years. As for waving if they don't wave back I will flip 'em the bird. Bikes are bikes and I don't think it should matter what you ride as long as you ride and have respect for each other as a 2 wheeled friend.

You said it Hex..... It's all about RESPECT.

Thats why it pisses me off when cruisers don't wave back to rockets.  If i wave to a guy on a cruiser it is showing RESPECT, and they should wave back for the same reason.

 

I'm with SxyVxn.  If i notice you, ima wave to you. if you dont wave back, who gives a sht.  I love to ride and when i'm riding, i'm not in a mood to be pissed off because somebody didn't wave back.  im pretty happy about having the tiem and means to ride.  if you ride, you get a wave....unless its a scooter.  cmon man, you gotta draw the line somewhere...just fkn w/u scooter guys.  you get wave too!   good ridin yall!

I see were Pete is coming from and he is right to some extent. When it comes to waving at cruizers i feel the same way. If I wave an dthey don't wave back I too feel like I'm beig disrespected. I grew up around bikers and even though; like us, they get spacy sometimes and just don't notice, but there is a big disrespect for sportbikes still among cruizers.

I still do the throw some sort of a gesture out there, whether its a peace sign, just the point thing or even a open hand. I figure better to be friendly.

I 've had about 50/50 with Chips. Some do and some don't, But I will still show that respect to them. Hav't really met too many I absolutly hated yet, most have been cool to me.

Scotters....well I feel like a dumbass too when I wave to them. Fn scooter'ers " is that even a word ?"

 

Here is a another perspective. I ride a Harley, I ride a DR650, (dual sport) I always wave. There are riders on Harleys that are just way to cool to wave at anyone. I can wave at the too cool riders and nothing. I guess I am not cool. I always wave at sport bikes and non cruisers no matter what I am riding.. Most of the time they wave back. When I am on my DR650. No one waves back except others on DS bike. So just my 2 cents.

 

 I wave to all kinds of bikes (yes even scooters cuz they normally have hot chicks riding them in Boulder) on the road when I do see them. Sometimes if I don't wave is because i didn't see them or i'm apporaching a stop. I even wave to cops on bike. I live in colorado and so far the troopers that ride have always waved back to me. Regradless of what they are riding, i'll still wave as a show of respect to that rider and all riders on the road. It does make me feel like a dumbass when they don't wave back, but hey i'm out there enjoying my ride so i don't let it get to me. The only time I don't wave is normally when i am on the interstate or riding in the mountains with alot of cruves. 

I get a little ticked when I think someone didn't wave back because I am on an old, dirty Japanese bike. I'm like, well, if I could afford American machinery, I'd be riding American. I wear some gear, so sportbikers will usually wave, and lots of Harley and Victory riders do wave, but it's the odd person who just looks at you like you are so uncool, they get my goat. I'll continue to try to be the bigger person, and celebrate my ridership by waving at folks. Spread Love!

To wave or not to wave. Some people do wave all the time,Some never wave,Some get tired of waving.Some are afraid to take their hands off the handlebars ! Some dont wave to cruisers some dont wave to sportbikes.  Just please watch were you are going because...well you should know why if your on this forum. Be careful and respectful to others,keep the racing on the tracks. Stop being so sensitive yo bitches !!!!