Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge To waive or not to waive?

Okay, I was surfing another site when I saw this post. It was so funny I had to drop it off at this forum!

Motorcyclists... To Wave or not to Wave?
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 tassle handlebars and the studded luggage and the half-helmets—God, they drive me crazy.

You know who else I hate? BMW guys. Oh, I do 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 boys 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've got all day. Appreciate the scenery somewhere else, Grampa, and while you're at it, I'm not waving to you.

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 you want, as long as it's 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. They always have those stupid helmets sitting on top of their stupid heads, and God forbid they should 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 on going. Please, don't get me started on Kawasaki guys. Ninjas? What are you, twelve years old? Team Green whatever. I never wave at Kawasaki guys.

I ride a Triumph, and I'll only wave at Triumph 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 the loud paintjobs. Four pounds of paint on a two pound helmet–like I'm going to wave back to 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 a like a family, a close-knit brotherhood of people who ride Triumph’s, 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 riding so special?

I ride with Triumph the Insult Comic dog and he senses all alien non Trump bikes and ya guessed it he.......

POOPS on them. He rides with me on TRIUMPH and he is there to POOP.

They dont call him Triumph for nothin ya know.

I waive the right to representation in this case.

Wow this guy's a snob and dont know it.

FOr me to POOP on.

stop your killin me oh and don't forget the guys with "waivy hair"

Interesting observation, since I started wearing a High-Viz vest, I get fewer waves.

I half expected that to end with:

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"heck, I don't even wave at myself since I'm such a poser..."

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Shoot, I wave at everybody from squids to 1%ers...life's too short not to be friendly.

I got the "Big grin, high open hand in the air back and forth" wave from a Goldwinger last week. Made me smile for a mile!

later, Tom.

Gonna try the Mexican Wave when next on a ride out - should be good might be messy!

I thought this was gonna be about surfing...

The whole waive or not wave thing is over rated aint it? We waves if we can and if its safe and practical. If its not or your preoccupied you dont.

I love to wave at bummer and leadwing riders, sometimes they spill their lattes.

I wave if I know the person.I don't get the whole waving at strangers thing. Thats like walking down the sidewalk shaking the hand of every passer by.

I wave whenever the voices tell me to.

After reading Cynthia's find above, "It was said tongue-in-cheek" came to my mind for this rider's alleged reasons to not wave at anybody other than Triumph riders.

In other words...it had to be a put-on.

(for the guy's sake, I'm hopein' anyway)

I agree with that but it was kinda funny and at times not unlike some of the Harley bashing that goes on here.

Those Vanson jackets do look sorta goofy (to some of us anyway)

funny how riders tend as a general rule to adhere to a specific dress code based on the type of bike they ride despite the fact that they are all basically the same (two wheels and a motor) Any biker whether he rides a 250CC Honda or a Hyabusa or a Road King with all the bells and whistles still face the same level of destruction if they crash.

Sportbike riders tend to wear the Vanson moto GP type armored jackets and the fancy footwear and colorful moto-GP looking helmets.

Cruiser riders ..regardless of what brand loyalties they ascribe to tend to look (in the US anyways) more like the proto-typical Biker that people have the fear stereotypes going on about... (chaps, classic black leather jackets, doo rags, more likely to be sans helmet in states that allow that, heavy biker boots et al. And for whatever reason cruiser riders tend to be older and more laid back about the entire riding experience. They love to ride but seem somehow more locked into the old school mentality.

After all how many RUBS do you see with those 45K chrome encrusted Harley's riding on the weekends doing their best to look like Marlon Brando in the flesh?

We do have to sit back and laff at ourselves in our entirety at times.

The cliches and stereotypes that surround motorcycling as depicted in popular culture and in myth are what make us in the eyes of those who dont ride and never will.

I am accused of waving (meaning the two fingers out greeting not the wacky Triumph wave) to everyone...
I have waved at a group of kids standing on a sidewalk that gave me the thumbs up.
I have waved at little kids in the back of cars waving wildly at me.
I have waved at scooters...LOL...I still laugh about that!
I have waved at the parked bikes watching me ride by.
I wave at speed bikes, harleys, scooters, and even trikes.
I dont give a rats tush if they are on two wheels they are taking the same risks I am and even though they may be pretensious, stuck up, or whatever...I wave...Im a dork that way.

BUT...I will never wave to Ian , hes a jerk
just kidding man!

OK little kids excluded, have to wave at the kids and even give them a beep beep, after all they are kids and it makes them smile.

the ones im my neighborhood like the crack of the throttle and the roar of the spares...good kids

Last time I went by they were close to the corner so I pushed a bit harder than normal to scrape the pipes...watched em jump in my rear mirror...

I dont wave at Aprilia riders......

Probably cause the likelyhood of me passing one is minimal?

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tends to happen when the game is rubish

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Happens a lot at Baseball games then

Sorry,

I heard the Mexican wave was or has been banned in some stadiums due to the level of UNCIVILZED behavior in some major Soccer venues. (fans throwing stuff during the wave resulting in injuries)

I am soooooooo over waving (or "waiving" as the subject says).

I just tend to nod, waving's just a little over the top... Must be a British thing

Sorry Cynthia, but ya know me!

I either had to make fun of the "waive" thing..OR the fact that for some inexplicable reason you've recently decided to move FROM an area(SoCal) where you can wave to all your fellow riders in great weather all year long, TO an area(Kentucky) where you can't without freezin' your ***s off a lot of the year!

(and so I took the "high road", you might say)

Dwight, no problem. I was an editor so I deserve the jabs!
As for the latter, I wonder about my choice to move myself. I get nomadic every few yerars and this seemed like a good idea at the time.

Well, I've heard George Clooney's from Kentucky and that he does occassionally visit his old stompin' grounds, and so the only reason I could conjure up for this move o' yours was that you might be stalkin' him in TWO LOCATIONS now!


(but that was just a wild guess, of course)

You know, If I was the celebrity, that wouldn't have been public record . . .

Well, I wave a good deal to anyone on two wheels and a motor and was feeling pretty good about the post that started this whole thing until I got to "hiking boots".

Dang.

I'll wave to anyone on 2-wheels: scooters, sportsbikes, Hogs, etc.

The way I see it, if they're on 2 wheels, they aint on 4.