A) who waves across the concrete median on a highway? I only do if someone does first and it's not unsafe. Some guys even put their hands up above when i all can see is the top of a helmet.

B) how close do you ride with a strange bike in front of you in traffic (highway or 2 lane in-town situations). Obviously I never pass someone, but if im in front i'll move over and get in staggered formation. If i'm behind i'll naturally hang back a bit but stay staggered. At stops i'll roll up just about my front wheel with their back.

It doesn't annoy me when others do it, but I was wondering if it's bad taste.

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Be Here Now.

A) Over a median of any kind, I try to give a head turn or nod. Usually when there's a median involved, you're both moving at too fast a closing speed, and at too far a distance, to make a wave decision.

B) I do the same. If it's heavy stop & go traffic, I might even talk to other riders at red lights. It's all good.

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Kevin
Luceo Non Uro
NJ USA

A) I agree with Silverado57.

B) I treat bikes in front the same way I treat cars. I keep the same distance from an unkown bike as I would with a car whether I'm moving or stopped.

- David

Good information, I'd like to hear more. For example, I was in the Twin Cities last weekend and no one in town waved except for some youngster with dorag riding a chopper; my question is are there too many m/c's in town and too many traffic considerations to regard the practice as safe? In the country totally different.

:gpst:

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when i'm doing my 20 mi commute i tend to wave or nod to pretty much everyone.

this isn't to start an anti-harley discussion, but honestly, a lot of the big harley guys tend to not wave or even return a wave (at least hear in central PA).

i also talk to other riders in traffic or at lights when i or they pull up alongside

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Be Here Now.

A I wave to everyone on bikes if its safe to do so
B I ride behind a strange bike long enough to see if its a good looking lady or if its a HD then if its a HD or some other bike i can out run i look for a 4 lane so i can mess with them lol,

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Why do I feel young on my bike

I wave if it's safe for me and for the other rider. In traffic, the likelihood is that either I or the other rider will be negotiating something that requires complete attention. Out on the open road, especially two-lane, same rule, but it's more likely that it's safe to wave. With a medianed highway, it really varies. I think I'm more likely to wave if it's a lone rider, regardless of the make of bike (at a distance frankly I often can't tell the difference between the HD riders and the metric cruisers. Groups on the highway seem the least likely to return a wave, but you never know.

At a stoplight, I give the bike ahead same distance as a car, partly to communicate to the cager behind me that I am expecting them to do the same with me, and partly because the rider ahead may be surprised if I come up close or next to them.

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2005 T100

Quote:

On 2007-05-30 15:00, badrufus wrote: ........Groups on the highway seem the least likely to return a wave, but you never know.

I passed a group of a 30 bike pack headed the opposite way today, everyone of them waved.

I always give a wave, usually the low cool looking one.

I do the same thing on the bike as I do in the car. Leave enough room to manuever if needed.

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2006 Thruxton - Zoe Yellowbike
125 main jets, 42 pilots, 1 shims, 2 turns, HARK (homemade airbox removal kit) EMGO Reverse Cones.
5400 Feet Above Sea Level

badda-bing--
I can't do the cool low wave anymore. I installed Napoleons, and while they are cool, my wave is not. To do the low wave, you usually slide your hand off the end of the grip, but that's pretty difficult with Napoleons, so I just wave kinda stupid like. My left arm is also much stronger, from trying to wave while not losing my hand in the wind.

That group wave must have been a hoot. I don't think it's a snooty thing with groups often not waving--it makes perfect sense to keep hand movements limited to signaling to each other.

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2005 T100

As a caveat, it seems that the weather influences how other riders react.

When it's 40 and raining out, everyone waves. (Kind of a "you're as big an idiot as me to be riding in this" thing)

Once it hits 70 and the sun comes out, it's about 50/50.

Ran into the 'riding near strange bikes' scenario today. Two guys on Metric cruisers who wouldn't even acknolwedge my existance even though we trades 'leads' about 5 times.

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If it's too fast or too loud...You're too old!
'05 Suzuki SV1000s
'06 Triumph Bonneville (Back from the dead)