The motorcycle rider wave.

A question for the masses.
You know when your riding down the street
and you pass another rider, and you give the little side wave.
Well here in Arizona there are a ton of motorcycle cops.
Would it be good etiquette to do the biker wave to them?
Just something to ponder.
Dave

 

Might be interesting to try it. See how many return the gesture. Could possibly tell you if they're riders first or cops first.

Any bets?

 

Not sure, other than parades and such, we don't really have any in Minnesota

another interstesting stat: a motorcycle cop on a Harley or a sport bike waving at you (on your old antique XJ non-sport/harley)

 

I wonder if the type of bike would matter to a cop since the bike they are riding isn't theirs nor was it their choice to ride that bike? I'm not a harley guy but if my work said "hey we'll pay you to ride this harley around while you work"... guess who would be riding a harley around all day!!!
Shaun

 

Sure why not?

 

I wave at the motorcycle police here when ever I see them and they always wave back, but I wave at every one on two powered wheels.

 

i'm in northern arizona and give the same wave to motor cops as i do any other rider.
some wave back, some do not.
i also wave at the guys riding those "mopeds on steroids" and trikes.
but the shear # of bikes on the road has become an irritant.
like harleys that are now as common as dust, there are so many more bikes then 20yrs ago that my arm gets tired of waving.

 

I even get the odd policeman in the cruiser to wave when we are at a stand still. Waiting for a light to change. Or just in traffic.

 

Most of the motorcycle cops I've met have been pretty cool, they always wave back. The other day one was doing a speed trap, I waved as I passed, he waved back, then I looked down and noticed I was doing a little more than a little over the speed limit. Oops.

 

Hmmmmm Can I get back to you on that?

 

Dont wave at cops here in VA Beach... They'll pull you over for letting your hands off the bars. "Wreckless Driving"
Our cops quota was doubled to 200 tickets a month. Catch ya for anything. Ridiculous. I jsut nod at em.
-Chris

 

does that actually hold up in court????

what happens in the rain when you wipe off your eyes glasses or face shied. ( in those miserable states that require a helmet).

 

Yeah, I wave that the cycle cops here in Aggieland, and they all wave back.

I even had one pull up next to me at a stoplight, while I was riding my '80 XS11 Special, and without even looking over at me said, "Nice bike," and then took off.

Wasn't sure if that was sarcastic or not, but my ego said it was a compliment, so that's how I took it!

 

They wave back here in Colorado, sometimes they seem surprised and happy that somebody somebody is waving to them.

 

What's real cute is when you get some kid in the backseat of a car hanging his arm out the window giving the low wave. Gotta give them a wave back! Heck, I'll even give a wave to someone on a scooter if they wave. And I may even wave first.. Wonder how the die hard harley folks would feel about the!!??

Being a noob on my own bike, I still get a kick out of the fact that I can now wave from my own bike, not from the back of the old mans. :lol:

 

let's see.... taking a hand off the bar is unsafe. Ok, like someone else said--what about to clear the visor.

OR:

signal a turn via hand signals
turn the petcock to "reserve"
re-adjust a mirror
give the finger to the idiot who just cut you off (well, maybe THAT's unsafe)

I guess I can see how it's safer to NOT signal, run out of gas in the intersection as you are making turn, and not be able to see the idiot coming up fast behind you before he unexpectedly cuts you off.

TIC

dave

 

I wave to whoever is on 2 wheels. The only difference is when I pass obvious weekend warrior yuppies who maybe ride once a week for style and the yuppy riding the expensive shiny harley is too good to wave to a guy on a non-harley... but his old lady on the back, dressed like a harley dealer's "harley apparel" mannequin waves... I give a huge, over the head, over enthusiastic, obnixious, "oh my gawd" wave while bouning up and down in my saddle like a total goof ball.

 

just found out, if you give the finger here,you can be cited,even arrested for road rage.

crazy!

ride while you can, free is a fleeting gift.

 

i'll low wave to anyone on two wheels, from kids on mopeds to the most bad-ass looking creep... question i have is how many riders out there have been in the saddle long enuf to remember the '70s version of the wave??? back then when you passed a fellow biker it was a raised fist (power to the people style) anyone remember?

 

I remember the 70's wave. It went into the 80's too. But like was said above, the weekend rider had no idea.

 

My dad still does the 70s wave. he is an old school biker and still repeats the same stories of his prospect days and his first bike and so on. He was 18 once. Wow. But when we pass bikers he gives the fist or sometimes the devil head which i do at times

 

maybe we need to go back in time then.
i was there and somehow just before the people got the "power"
it went away again.( the power and the wave )

i think i'll go back to the fist for awhile just to see the reaction.

 

I'll do it with ya... maybe we'll bring it back....

 

CUFF ME NOW!!! :wink: Here in Florida I'm thinking of making one of the HUGE foam fingers you see at sporting events. I figure the old farts might actually see that since most of them just wave back!! Come to think of it if they wave back in AZ does that make them an accessory after the fact?

I guess if I'm stopped by the law I plan on saying i was giving them directions to their next destination... up, to heaven 8O Yeh, that's it... up to heaven. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it!! :lol:

 

Cops only ride bikes in parades here.
The up keep to pull them out twice a year must be disproportionate at best.
They got cash to buy Segways to, close the fire house though.
In this economy they can spend that kind of cash.
Walk damn it!
Lose a couple pounds.