Biker Hand Gestures

My uncle told me that when you see a biker passing by as you pass him on your bike hold up your left hand in a fist, i guess this means power to the biker or somehting, so i do it, and in response i either get it back, or some people put their left hand down by their left shin, hold out a finger, and make a circle with it,
just wondering what gestures you use to fellow bikers, what they mean, and stuff

 

Depends. For the idiot that cuts me off it's one thing, for a fellow bike pal a friendly high or low open hand works for me.

 

Just the usual two fingers is the norm for where I am... or a head nod which just means I see you.

 

I think a head nod should be the standard, quite often it is not feasible for me to wave to another biker, especially at an intersection or when I am making a turn or panic stop, then I feel bad for not waving back.

 

Here its customary to drop an open left hand down. You either get that or nothing here in Jersey. Getting nothing back really irritates me, but again...I live in Jersey.

 

I usually get/receive the two fingers down. Head nod if you can't free a hand. Sometimes nothing, but sometimes I don't get the chance to throw out a greeting, so it's cool.

Funny, because I rarely get a response out of the Harley guys and the crotch rocket guys. Understandable, but amusing to observe all the same.

 

"hold out a finger"

Guess it depends on which one.

 

A head nod usually in town. Much too busy staying alive to wave! I've given up waving on 4 lane or bigger highways. I always give a wave when I meet a bike on a two lane highway. If it's a Harley rider and he won't wave back, I change the wave to a one finger salute. By then he's gone past and doesn't see it but it makes me feel better! Twenty years ago very, very few riders wouldn't wave. Now it's about 50%.

 

Double post

 

In chicago, I found that it depends on what side of town... some parts they just look at you like you're the idiot... other parts they embrace you for the camaraderie.

 

i find that just about everybody in se michigan does the wave

i have noticed a lot of the harley guys wont do it unless you are on a harley as well which seems kind of pretentious to me

 

Here it's usually the arm held out. Except for the Harley crowd. They seem to hate non-harley riders and won't respond. Or sometimes I have been flipped off by them. No big deal.

 

if they don't have a helmet on i'll never wave or nod first, if they gesture first
i point to my helmet, sometimes this gets me flipped of but so what
then there's the group wild wave, leader starts it, left arm over your head waving like a mad man, by the time he passes 5 or 6 guys doing this he has something to talk about at the next gas stop
and what about the first guy in line pointing at something on the road with his foot to alert the next rider, good practice

 

"Rider Etiquette" was actually part of the course I took to get my license.Most riders here wave back or nod,with the exception of the Harley guys.

 

This is pretty much true for this area; a quick drop of the left hand or a quick wave; if it's a British bike or another classic and I spot it quick enough then it's the classic "thumbs up." And yes, I too get ignored by the Harley "elite" (posers) but they seem to respect the Norton.

 

Just a discrete nod of the head, here, but not on a sunny Sunday, there's more bikes than you can shake a sh...y stick at.

 

Wave Etiquette, or what is the cool way Dude. I seem to get the idea that you should do a slow wave underhanded, like an '80s low five thing.
Funny thing about the Harley rider observations is I wave at one and he ignores me, so next guy I ignore but he waves to me. I decided that if it's a new fancy bike-no wave, but an old bike-he'll wave.
Is part of the Harley thing, being an as ho is cool?

 

sorry proto nobody, not even the seasoned rider can unlock the twisted inner-workings of the harley riders shallow and self ubsorbed mind! here in calgary almost everyone waves or nods depending on the situation except of coarse those who are to cool ie: (i paid thirty thousand dollars for a fifteen thousand dollars bike and a bad ass image harley pushers... oh i mean riders) and I'm finding now some of the younger crotch rocket crowd is to cool as well, but you can find salvation for harley issues by simply carrying a small assortment of chrome bolts in your bag and dropping a couple under a single or between two parked harleys when you see them! then just sit back and watch them squirm when they go to leave!
S.S

 

2 scoops of old engine oil under the sump is way better.

 

your evil... i like it!

 

slight hijack....we hate our boss. he gets an occasional quart of atf or gallon of coolant under his car at lunch time. keeps him out of our hair for a bit.

when i see random bikers i throw devil horns. when its a sunny sunday afternoon i ignore all. when there are more bikes than cars i am no longer enthused to wave to everyone.

 

i talk to a lot of crotch rocket guys and the ones that dont wave generally dont know that it is the proper gesture generally its newer riders that dont know how tight of a comunity motorcyclists are

and harley guys well they are just harley guys

 

Nahh, wouldn't faze them, there used to that.
:wink:
Here in upstate pretty much evryone gives the low open palm wave, even the harley guys.
Maybe they see that giant head light coming and think I'm one of them.
:lol:

 

Yeah, the oil would only work on the yuppie weekend HD riders.

The bar I work at used to have a couple motorcycle enthusiasts who rode Harley's with skulls on them. (really really great group of guys though)

I was out having a smoke one night when I noticed a small oil spot underneath B's '67 Sportster, so I went in and told him and he just looked at me and went "good, that means I still have oil in the thing"

 

When I go to the States in my little Peugeot Vivacity scooter, I have been waved by almost all the motorcycle riders on the road, including guys in big Harleys. However, most of the time I'm too busy trying to stay alive, (that's why I bought the Yamaha Seca, more cc power on the road) so I just nod. I hope that they see me nodding.
Saludos desde Mexico!
macnifico

 

lol, ive seen 2 mopeds while riding my bike, i just point at then, then take the same hand, put it on my stomach, look down and shake my head like im laughing, one of them flipped me off

 

Now, that's funny!!! I get a chuckle when I see the scoots, but I try to give them the same courtesy that I'd like! No matter how many cc's we're pushing, we're still on all on 2 wheels. 8)

 

True, but mopeds are dangerous; too slow to be driving with cars and too fast for bike trails.

 

Well, my Peugeot Vivacity does 55 mph with no strain, and 60+ mph feeling strained, but the road that I travel it's a 4 lane one and has a 55 mph limit, so its no big deal.
However, I don't like going at 55 mph, I think it is too fast for a scooter with small wheels, 40~45 mph is its "sweet spot". To me.
That's why I got the Yamaha 750 Seca. It has big wheels. It easily keeps up with the traffic, with power to spare. Too much power, maybe. :wink:
Saludos desde Mexico!
macnifico

 

I try to make a point to give a low wave to ALL bikes going the other way. The few exceptions are the crotchrockets going by waaaaaay to fast. I won't give them any acknowledgement. As for the harley's and mopeds..........I wave anyway. Like someone else said, we're all on 2 wheels. AS someone else said awhile back......it takes a lot of guts to stick a gasoline engine between your knees and go down the road at 65 mph. Yeah, sometimes my wave changes finger configuration as the non-responsive harley goes by, but hey.......... I waved.

 

Here in SoDak this is HD country but most of them have a "It's not what you ride, it's why you ride" attutude. Sure they'll give you crap but I sling it back in good fun. Here most every rider wave some how. Doesn't matter how: high, low, open, closed, nod. It's all about the brotherhood (I can't believe I just wrote that) Its those darn BMW riders. Seriously. I ride one and when I'm on it they wave back, but, if I'm on my Yammy or the Honda......very rarely, unless it's an old BMW. There was a great cartoon out awhile ago in one of the BMW owners rags that was 2 allied soldiers under a bridge with 2 German motorcycle soldiers up top with rifles at the ready. One allied soldier says to the other, "I told you those BMW riders were Ba***rds." How true how true.

You wanna see some strange looks? Pull into a BMW owners rally on an XJ. I did just that out in Gillete Wy this past summer. I felt like a homeless man at black tie affair looking for the soup kitchen. What they didn't realize though was my BMW was back at the camp site. Much different reception when I rode in on that the next day.

As for my salutation, it depends on the wind. Have you stuck your hand out from behind the fairing at 75 in a 20 mph headwind??? Your lucky to get it back. Thats when they get a one or two finger handlebar wave or a nod of the head.

The Buff

 

Schooter said folks hold ther hand down low with there index and thumb forming a circle.
We used to play a game, you hold your fingers like that and if someone else put there finger in the whole, they get to hit you.
If they miss you get hit them.
What kids will do when there bored.

 

if you ride in downtown detroit many guys throw up the peace sign although its generally as they pass you at 100 miles an hour with the front wheel 2 feet off the ground

 

Around here, I get the low peace sign from HD riders and the finger from crotch rockets. Go figure.

I think it's like Buff said, it ain't what, it's why.

 

Just thought I'd chime in that here in Canada the left hand down two fingers seems to be the most common acknowledgement. The Harley guy's are hit and miss with the Japanese bikes here also.

Nice to see a "Snortin Norton" is still alive and well with BigFitz. I have some fond and not so fond memories of a 1969 750 Commando in a past life.

Cheers,

David

 

I found this site with hand gestures

http://www.viewfromthecloud.com/2006/08 ... tings.html

or were you talking about these hand gestures?

http://www.ridemyown.com/articles/safet ... nals.shtml

 

Most of the time here the gesture is a nod. As we ride on the other side of the road, you would have to cross the left hand over the right. Most HD riders don't nod to Jap bikes, although there are alot more HDs these days being ridden by the non-outlaw type.

A bit off topic, I also regularly get a truck 'thank you' signal. Usually when a semi or B-double, is overtaking. You flash your high beams once, to tell him that the lane in front of you is clear, and when he pulls into the lane, he flashes his turn signals, once right, left and right again.

 

Gestures over here usually consist of nodding at one another for the same reason as my Aussie friend from Down Under. As a Whinging Pom I also ride on the left hand side of the road.

 

I usually give the open hand or the two fingers pointing down to the two wheels on the ground. Out here in the desert all the Harleys are on vacation so they are usually polite. I do get some wierd looks when I'm on my dirt bike. The roadies don't really mix with the trail riders. Although my favorite is when I'm on my dirtbike, my buddy is on his fully dressed Venture Royale, and my roomie is on her scooter and we pull up to the bar and all give the head nod to the Harley guys

 

just read my signature for my guesture.
heck if someone dont wave it could be:
A) They did not see ya
B) Being anti-social
C) Hands are NOT gonna let go of this jack-hammer like bike
D) New rider and not secure enough to go one handed
E) Dont know rider etiq
F) ...YOU!!! lol They could just be a-holes(dont matter if its domestic or foreign)

Arm extended, hand down low, thats how ASS_FAULT says hello

 

You know it dont matter what you ride its that you ride. I ride a harley and a yammy and I wave at ery body, even mopeds. we all take the same risks.

I dont understand the animosity of bike riders for each other. Personally I wave the peace sighn down lo to my side and its like a gift I give cuz I want to and if I dont get one back no big deal cuz it is my saying hello.

So just enjoy your ride and wave expecting nothing back and you wont be disapointed.

~RIDZ~ safe

 

I never thought of this.
English cars have the pedals reversed.
You shift with your left hand.
Why aren't the controls on the bikes switched also?

 

I think that the controls on a bike are basically set up for a right handed rider as opposed to which side of the road we ride on.

 

wait, so the gas os on the left, and the brake is on the right? trippy, i knew of the shifter, but i just figured everything was just moved to the other side, in the same assembly, weird, though your toilets flush the wrong way

 

No Schooter, our pedals are still clutch, brake and gas (from left to right) and our toilets also flush in the downward direction. :lol:

 

Schoot' you've got to get out more.

 

mmk, ill come over you your place so we can throw some shrimp on the barbie, and try to stop the dingoe's from eetaying all the baybees. naw, im just stupid when it comes to worldliness. btw wizard, get off ur butt and show us some mroe incredable restoring to that bike you bought... im tired of looking at all the old pictures for several hours...

 

I'm doing boring bits, Schoot', you don't want to see that.

 

here in Bakersfield CA, AKA BIKERSfield i get all reply's from all walks of life on the bikes from old Harley riders to the new crouch rocket riders and Ive only noticed that the newer riders just don't understand what it means to be a rider to throw up a hand or nod your head or the two finger but what makes me mad about the new riders they think that they can be dick because they belong to a group of knuckle heads i was on my SECA 550 and some guy flew right buy me and clipped me and the hit the back of my helmet

 

true steve, i've noticed that about the valley too. i'm over in the central coast and i cruise over there time to time. generally people are always willing to throw a "hello" gesture my way in some form, but on occasion i get a douche that thinks he's too cool to be a reasonable person.

over here in atascadero people always wave. harley guys, yamaha guys, crotch rocket, crotch stuffers, vintage, newbies (although much more eager!)

we all wave, especially on the morning commute! gotta give props to the daily riders! weekenders during the summer months can take a bit of a back seat to the reg's that i see on the road every day