acknowledging other oncoming bikers

[Pappy John]

I'm an hour north of the York, PA Harley assembly plant..... lots of Harley riders around here. The vast majority low wave to me. Sometimes so many that I can't always wave back due to road conditions, or just too much attention to the traffic in front of me and don't pick up on the wave until they've passed by. I hate seeming unfriendly like that.

 

[summerdawn]

I'm in Kentucky and pretty much everyone waves. I have noticed with the Spyder that I have an inordinate number of people literally hanging out of car windows waving at me!

 

[jmcbow]

I live about an hour south of Milwaukee, the inner sactum of Harley Davidson. In my area I would say that about 5% of Harley riders will give me a wave. It varies for other bikers. Most trike riders will wave, most Goldwing riders will wave (I think because the front of the RT resembles the front of a Goldwing). I basically don't initiate a wave anymore. If they wave I'll acknowledge them.

 

[Harley]

Non wavers

Here in My area about the only non-wavers are the crotch-rocket riders. Too busy holding on, I guess.

 

[3whlLefty]

But sometimes it's just not a good time to wave. Coming to a stop, up/down shifting, accelerating from a stop, hard cornering, junk on the road ahead, potholes.

Sometimes they're too slow to wave. I catch a lot of them starting to wave as they've passed me. Means I didn't wave soon enough or they were just slow to respond.

:agree:

That rider in the other lane might be very busy as you go by and can't wave. I don't let that bother me. A head nod can be hard to see also unless you are pretty close. Ride on and assume the best.

 

[MRH]

I'm in Los Angeles, and in the city there are just too many people to waive to. In areas where I ride, about 2/3 of them do, and as I move out of the city, I'd say 4/5 is fairly accurate.

I do find it somewhat funny that we concern ourselves with other riders who have such a strikingly low self confidence that they are afraid it will diminish them in some way to return a friendly greeting. Personally, I just feel sorry for somebody like that.

 

[bruisersbaby]

In this area, it's the low wave the majority of the time. We wave, if they wave back, that's fine. If not, I'm not going to lose sleep over it. When Bruiser and I would ride two-up, I would have conversations with the people in the car next to us - always interested in "WHAT" IT was, and all the typical questions that I'm sure we all get. Now ryding on my own, still get the looks, the questions etc., but it's a little more difficult to carry on a conversation!! nojoke