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Yea, I wave at all the bikes, a bike's a bike. And I don't wave to get one back, I wave 'cause, HEY! There's another motorcycle! Nice to see ya! I don't care if they wave back or not, if they do it's a bonus, if not, they may get the message that they belong to something bigger than themselves, their choice of motorcycle, or whatever, they're a BIKER FIRST....PERIOD!
dc1450- I couldn't have said it better. We are a huge "brotherhood" (or sisterhood, no offense to lady riders) and that single fact transcends any brand, type of bike, or anything else.
I saw a guy and his wife on a Goldwing broken down in Ohio while I was doing a cross-country trip. Of course I stopped, and when I walked back to them you could tell the guy was apprehensive. He cautiously asked "can I help you?", and I told him that's the reason I stopped, to offer help to him. I told him that I didn't know how long he'd been riding, but there's an unwritten rule out there that you stop to help a fellow biker who may be having trouble- that's just the way it is. He'd already called for Honda service and thanked me up and down, especially for being initially unfriendly.
I told him the best way he could thank me would be to do the same for another biker some day.
Well, I have to admit I am a return waver. I don't believe I have ever snubbed a wave from any biker that waved at me. So I guess if you don't wave and I don't were both ***holes.
Whenever I see another bike coming towards me or passing me from the rear, I wave at them. If they don't want to wave back, that's their problem not mine. It makes no diff to me one way or the other. I don't wave according to what they ride, I just wave.
This is a funny one, but I look at it this way. Even when I was riding Jap or German, I would wave at anyone on 2 wheels, and some folks in cages, just cuz they were polite, or they were driving a car that I thought was cool, or they were female... the list goes on and on. By the time I get out of my driveway on a motorcycle, I am happy. I have ridden some cool bikes, and I can do some cool stuff with them. I don't really care if somebody thinks I am cool. And I don't ride to do the whole banty rooster game with folks. I ride because there is nothing else that feels like it. So I wave. Even to the guys on the crotch rockets (used to ride a VFR, and have ridden many Ninjas back in the day) I wave to the guys on the BMW's cuz I learned alot about high speed from some local BMW guys. I wave to everybody. I was off a bike for ten years, and it was miserable. I have been back for a while and I am happy about it. If somebody does not wave, I don't really care enough to get upset about it. That is what karma is for. Wave if ya want to, but don't trip if somebody does not wave. Most of all, have a good safe time out there! and RIDE!
My sweetie and I went to Cave Creek on Saturday. I'd say a little more than half of the riders that I waved at waved back. In some cases it was obvious that it would have been a bad time for them to do so (just coming off the line on a light or moving from lane to lane going around a cage.), some of them just didn't return the wave.
Doesn't bother me any. Some of it could be due to the amount of new riders we have around here and may not know or care about the wave. (Some looked back as if they were trying to figure out if they knew me. ) Some could just be snobs. In either case, makes no difference to me. Your are on two wheels (or three if a trike) I'm waving.
A couple of Harley riders introduced the wave to me when I was riding 10 years ago. They waved at me even though I was on a Suzuki. Lesson learned, I always wave.
Today I was so happy to be out riding after seemingly endless days of typically crappy northwest weather that I waved at a rider on a motor scooter. The guy just looked at me like I was some kind of idiot! I'm so crushed.......!
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We are so damn happy when we are out on a ride, that we wave to everyone on two wheels! Yep, we even wave to people on bicycles!!!
Funny story. Last year we went to the Fossil Campout (motorcycle rally) in Eastern Oregon. My wife rode with me half way (my sister and her two girls were following us in her car) and then she switched with my niece because she wanted to ride for awhile. My sister said that she noticed that even though my wife was now in the car with her, every bike they passed, my wife waved! LOL! Then a couple bikers waved back at my wife, and so everyone in the car started waving to passing bikers!
I hate to admit it but I only wave first to other harley riders, if I notice a non-harley and he initiates the wave I return. I do agree alot of new riders don't know or care about the wave or other bikers for that matter.
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