why bikers don't wave back...

[sci fly]

i hijacked these from a couple other forums, long read, but well worth it

Top 10 reasons sportbikers don't wave:

10. They have not been riding long enough to know they're supposed to.
9. They're going too fast to have time enough to register the movement and respond.
8. You weren't wearing bright enough gear.
7. If they stick their arm out going that fast they'll rip it out of the socket.
6. They're too occupied with trying to get rid of their chicken strips.
5. They look way too cool with both hands on the bars or they don't want to unbalance themselves while standing on the tank.
4. Their skin tight-kevlar-ballistic-nylon-kangaroo-leather suits
prevent any position other than fetal.
3. Raising an arm allows bugs into the armholes of their tank
tops.
2. It's too hard to do one-handed stoppies.
1. They were too busy slipping their flip-flop back on.



Top Ten Reasons Why Dual Sport Riders Don't Wave Back

10. Vibration of knobby tires prevented the rider from taking his hand off the bars.
9. MX style safety gear was too bright to see you wave.
8. His front fender prevents you seeing him wave back.
7. Was too busy configuring his GPS/Enduro Roll/FishFinder.
6. His rain/wind/thorn/bug/bird proof thousand-dollar jacket won't allow it.
5. Faceshield was too covered in mud to see.
4. Doesn't recognize a wave in any language other than German.
3. Too busy splitting lanes/filtering through traffic.
2. One handed wheelies are not easy.
1. On single-track trails you stop, not wave.



Top Ten Reasons Why Harley Riders Don't Wave Back

10. Afraid it will invalidate warranty.
9. Leather and studs make it too heavy to raise arm.
8. Refuses to wave to anyone whose bike is already paid for.
7. Afraid to let go of handlebars because they might vibrate off.
6. Rushing wind would blow scabs off the new tattoos.
5. Angry because just took out second mortgage to pay luxury tax on new Harley.
4. Just discovered the fine print in owner's manual and realized H-D is partially owned by Honda.
3. Can't tell if other riders are waving or just reaching to cover their ears like everyone else.
2. Remembers the last time a Harley rider waved back, he impaled his hand on spiked helmet.
1. They're too tired from spending hours polishing all that chrome to lift their arms.


Top Ten Reasons Why Gold Wing Riders Don't Wave Back

10. Wasn't sure whether other rider was waving or making an obscene gesture.
9. Afraid might get frostbite if hand is removed from heated grip.
8. Has arthritis and the past 400 miles have made it difficult to raise arm.
7. Reflection from etched windshield momentarily blinded him.
6. The espresso machine just finished.
5. Was actually asleep when other rider waved.
4. Was in a three-way conference call with stockbroker and accessories dealer.
3. Was distracted by odd shaped blip on radar screen.
2. Was simultaneously adjusting the air suspension, seat height,programmable CD player, seat temperature and satellite navigation system.
1. Couldn't find the "auto wave back" button on dashboard.


Top Ten Reasons Why BMW Riders Don't Wave Back

10. New Aerostich suit too stiff to raise arm.
9. Removing a hand from the bars is considered "bad form."
8. Your bike isn't weird enough looking to justify acknowledgement.
7. Too sore from an 800-mile day on a stock "comfort" seat.
6. Too busy programming the GPS, monitoring radar, listening to ipod, XM, or talking on the cell phone.
5. He's an Iron Butt rider and you're not!.
4. Wires from Gerbings is too short.
3. You're not riding the "right kind" of BMW.
2. You haven't been properly introduced.
1. Afraid it will be misinterpreted as a friendly gesture.

Top Ten Reasons Why UJM Riders Don't Wave Back

10. Something's buzzing around the tank.
9. Do you hear than noise the valves are making?
8. Trying to push start.
7. Just felt something shimmy.
6. Trying to isolate source of resonant shudder.
5. Hypnotized by digital gear indicator
4. Needs that hand to affect on-the-fly repairs
3. Previous owner replaced #3 with a 2.5
2.5. Mentally reviewing which parts use SAE and which use metric.
2. Wait, there's a number 2? This bike never had a #2, did it? ****!
1. Can't see your tank badge to determine what brand of bike you're on.


Why scooter riders don't wave back:

10. If you knew what a 10" wheel was like at 50mph, you wouldn't let go of the bars either.
9. And risk droping the PBR 12-pack?
8. Didn't see you - catching a few winks on the way home from an all night clambake.
7. It's a mod vs. rocker thing.
6. They just let the cloud of blue smoke trailing behind the scooter act as their "wave".
5. Hey, if you want 140 mpg, you gotta keep your elbows and knees in and your hands down on the bars.
4. The forty year old original hand grip on their vintage Vespa would fly apart if they let go of it.
3. Yes, I saw you. No Gucci - no gesture.
2. They're being filmed during a commercial shoot for a trendy lifestyle product nobody really needs.
1. Why do motorcyclists keep pointing toward the ground with two fingers when they ride by? What is that? What does it mean?

[sci fly]

hijacked from the same forum www.ninjaguide.com/forum exclusively for ninja riders. just as funny

"The Brotherhood of the Road"

I love motorcycles, and I love riding. Like many of you, what first drew me to bikes was not just the experience of riding, but the feeling that I'd become part of a special community - a brotherhood, really. Nothing calms me more than a long ride down the interstate, waving to the members of my beloved clan...

...Except when I pass Harley guys. I hate Harley guys. Hate, hate, hate. When they pass me on the highway, you know what I do? I don't wave. With their little tassel handlebars and the studded luggage and the half helmets - God, they drive me crazy.

You know who else I hate? BMW guys. Oh, do I hate those guys. I don't wave at them either. They think they're so great, sitting all upright, with their 180 degree German engines. God, I hate them.

They're almost as bad as those old guys on their touring motorcycles. You know what I call those bikes? "Two wheeled couches!" Get it? Because they're so big. They drive around like they have got all day. Appreciate the scenery somewhere else, Grandpa.

Oh, and Ducati guys - I don't wave at them either. Why don't they spend a little more money on their bikes? "You can have it in any color as long as it is red." Aren't you cool! Like they even know what a Desmo-whatever engine is, anyway. Try finding the battery, you Italian-wannabe racers! I never, ever wave at those guys.

Suzuki guys aren't much better, which is why I never wave at them, either. God forbid they should ever wear any safety gear. They make me so mad. Sometimes they'll speed by and look over at me and you know what I do? I don't wave. I just keep going.

Please, don't get me started on Kawasaki guys. Ninjas? What are you, twelve years old? I never wave at Kawasaki guys.

I ride a Honda. I'll wave at Honda guys, but, even then, I'll never wave at a guy in full leathers. Never, never, never. Yeah, like you're going to get your knee down on the New York Thruway. Nice crotch, by the way. Guys in full leathers will never get a wave from me, and, by the way, neither will the guys in two piece leathers. And I'll tell you who else I'm not waving at - those guys with the helmets with loud paint jobs. Four pounds of paint on a two pound helmet - like I'm going to wave back at that! I'll also never wave at someone with a mirrored visor. Or helmet stickers. Or racing gloves. Or hiking boots.

To me, motorcycling is like a family, a close knit brotherhood of people who ride Hondas, wear jeans and a leather jacket (not Vanson) with regular gloves and a solid color helmet with a clear visor, no stickers, no racing gloves and regular boots (not Timberlands). And isn't that what really makes The Brotherhood of the Road so special?

[Tobydawg]

Just curious if anyone knows if the part about Honda partially owning HD is true or not?

[ZX6RRNewbie]

I like this one the most:

"1. They were too busy slipping their flip-flop back on."

ROFLMAO!!!

[orangemug]

some pretty good reasons in there. nice lists , i really like the gold wings one. i can never get a wave out of them. the flip part one sounds like all the frat boys that get bikes to get chics cuz they cant do it alone.

so sci fly, do u wave at anyone but your self? thats the way it seems to me. kinda seems like your at the wrong forum if u dont like kawasaki guys

[N3GATIVEZER0]

hehe, so I'm supposed to wave? good times, the only waves I get down here in florida are people waving their middle finger

[sci fly]

Originally Posted by black500r

some pretty good reasons in there. nice lists , i really like the gold wings one. i can never get a wave out of them. the flip part one sounds like all the frat boys that get bikes to get chics cuz they cant do it alone.

so sci fly, do u wave at anyone but your self? thats the way it seems to me. kinda seems like your at the wrong forum if u dont like kawasaki guys

i wave at just about everyone that rides a bike. how can i not like kawi guys if i own one, that would be like hating my self. Paradoxical.

the whole thing was just something someone dragged off the net. a joke

[2WheelFun]

Believe it or not....but this past summer when I was on a 10 day vacation.....and passed ALOT of people on bikes....I may had had only one person who did not wave back to me. Some guys were on Harleys and they all waved back as well as everyone else on all kinds/brands of bikes. I even had people wave at me while they were doing a rest stop. Maybe I just look like a friendly biker.

[ispeed77]

most people wave back, but there are the ones that fit into that joke. a lot of harley riders won't, some BMW riders (including the older guy that i ride with !) won't, some guys on dual sport bikes won't but i think a lot of that is because they aren't expecting a wave from me. one thing i did notice is that different parts of the country give you different reactions. i rode down to TN two years ago and we had goldwing riders waving from across the interstate. up here, there is no waving on any highway, at least for the most part. just an observation.

[yagiska]

I always wave at everybody on two-wheels, from cruisers to sportbikes to mopeds to bicycles. I can usually tell who the people are that aren't going to wave back at me though.

They usually ride a cruiser, brand independent. The closest thing to safety gear they wear is a bandana or one of those beanie helmets, but usually nothing at all. They usually wear plain black sunglasses, even if the sun isn't out. They wear jeans and a t-shirt, and if they wear a jacket it's leather. And black. And has no armour. As we approach, they make sure not to make eye contact, or turn their head. But they'll give my bike the same sideways glance a married man will give a beautiful woman at the beach. They want to look, but they don't want anyone to know they looked. They always have the same look on their face. The look of trying to look tough. They end up looking indifferent, as if riding isn't fun anymore. They remind me of middle-aged men who sold their Cameros for station-wagons. But I wave to them anyways, even though I know they won't wave back.

[heffjay9000]

Has anyone noticed that in the past few years a decreasing rate of riders that wave back? Maybe it's just me, or the area I'm in... but especially as of late it seems more and more riders don't wave back. That was the first thing that I noticed when I started was EVERY rider waved back... I think maybe 1 out of 100 didn't, and usually because they were in a turn or something. So I always wave just on the off chance I might make an impression on a new rider like I received.

I luv the one about harley riders, because their arms are too tired from so much polishing...

[orangemug]

i also wave at anyone on 2 wheels, even scooters lol. there r beaches all around me so people come here vacation and rent scooters. occasionaly the gold wings guys dont wave, well most of the time but i still wave. maybe one day they will take there hands off the heated grips and decide to wave back.

[ZX6RRNewbie]

Originally Posted by yagiska

I always wave at everybody on two-wheels, from cruisers to sportbikes to mopeds to bicycles. I can usually tell who the people are that aren't going to wave back at me though.

They usually ride a cruiser, brand independent. The closest thing to safety gear they wear is a bandana or one of those beanie helmets, but usually nothing at all. They usually wear plain black sunglasses, even if the sun isn't out. They wear jeans and a t-shirt, and if they wear a jacket it's leather. And black. And has no armour. As we approach, they make sure not to make eye contact, or turn their head. But they'll give my bike the same sideways glance a married man will give a beautiful woman at the beach. They want to look, but they don't want anyone to know they looked. They always have the same look on their face. The look of trying to look tough. They end up looking indifferent, as if riding isn't fun anymore. They remind me of middle-aged men who sold their Cameros for station-wagons. But I wave to them anyways, even though I know they won't wave back.

Man you nailed it!!!!!!

[Spok]

Originally Posted by ispeed77

i rode down to TN two years ago and we had goldwing riders waving from across the interstate. up here, there is no waving on any highway, at least for the most part. just an observation.

On I-5 here, 3 lanes north and 3 lanes south, I"ve been in the outside lane and 5 lanes over heading the other direction in that outside lane, I've been waved at and was completely shocked. I waved back but with that many lanes in between plus a wide median, the distance was so far, I almost need a telescope to see the wave

[Tobydawg]

Originally Posted by Tobydawg

Just curious if anyone knows if the part about Honda partially owning HD is true or not?

[ispeed77]

Originally Posted by spok

On I-5 here, 3 lanes north and 3 lanes south, I"ve been in the outside lane and 5 lanes over heading the other direction in that outside lane, I've been waved at and was completely shocked. I waved back but with that many lanes in between plus a wide median, the distance was so far, I almost need a telescope to see the wave

that's the same reaction that i had, i couldn't believe it !

[woodchucks800]

Spok , Biker's that live west of the mississippi (more room to roam) are friendlier than those uppity new englanders back east! Just razzin you Ispeed . Went sledding up in west on new year's day so I got my ride in .

[Spok]

Originally Posted by woodchucks800

Spok , Biker's that live west of the mississippi (more room to roam) are friendlier than those uppity new englanders back east! Just razzin you Ispeed . Went sledding up in west on new year's day so I got my ride in .

we gotta get chucks some good riding weather, hes gettin real crotchity in these long days of winter...lol..

[ispeed77]

[quote=woodchucks800]Spok , Biker's that live west of the mississippi (more room to roam) are friendlier than those uppity new englanders back east! Just razzin you Ispeed .QUOTE]

maybe not uppity, more like crotchity (no way that is spelled right !) !!!

[Neo]

Pretty funny there, sci fly.

I always return a wave unless I'm in a situation that I feel (for my skill level or out of necessity) requires both hands on the bars. I will often initiate a wave, too. Before I got my first bike less than a year ago, I never noticed "the wave." I think it's the coolest thing in the world.