To Wave or Not to Wave

SmallCityDave_imp

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***Moderators note...please read to the end to get the real gist of this post.


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 bastards 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 my "O Ring". I
never
wave at Kawasaki guys.

I ride a Honda, and I'll only 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 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 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 riding so special?

To Wave or Not to Wave
By Shalom Auslander

(Hopefully you guys get a chuckle out of this, as I do every time I read it.)
 
I am finding myself this year waving at more three-wheelers than I recall in the past.

Yesterday, opposite direction, 100 or more mostly Harleys passed by. Some HDs riders did wave - probably they were day-escaping "Ned Flanders" folk. Of course, the few non-HDs all waved.

Everyone can be happy.
 
I tend to wave at everything including canam trikes, regular scooters and people on Groms. Some people don't wave back, and that's fine by me. The only thing I about refuse to wave at is someone in a slingshot. That is a convertible car with three wheels NOT a motorcycle. I also think it's ridiculous that they are required by law (in this state) to wear a helmet. They literally have steering wheels.
 
Riding the Honda, I generally don't wave, unless they wave first. Texas is Harley-by-God country, with a smattering of sportbikes. On my Yamaha V-Star, I get a lot of waves, what with the wide forks and full windshield, it looks like a Harley from a distance.
 
The A-man_imp said:
How do you feel about scooters? Miniature motorcycle or motorized skateboard??
I liken them to motorized skateboards with their tiny little wheels. A bud of mine has a Vespa250, loves it, he says, but still likes to ride my bikes. I used to have a mid-90's Honda Nighthawk 750 and he loved it, too, although it took a little out-of-the-box thinking to get him on it. He's a small dude, and he he could not get both feet on the ground, so when he came to a stop, he tilted slightly to the right and got a toe on the ground, but at that point, he couldn't get the kickstand down. We came up with a tool for him to use, a piece of PVC pipe about 20 inches long that he would bungee cord to the handlebars and use to get the stand down. He and his SO are coming out to TX next summer for a visit and was wondering if he could ride my CB1100. I'm a little nervous about that. The CB is a little bigger than the Nighthawk, so I'm not so sure he could do it and may end up dropping it.
 
LOL. That was good, smallcitydave. I 100% agree with everything, but I would never say it out loud or admit it to anyone ever ;). I wave at everybody, BTW.
 
CB, this is a tough one when it comes to a friend, but I think you have reason to be concerned. If he had that much trouble with the Nighthawk, then he will find the size and weight of the CB even tougher. It doesn't take very much off vertical to find out how heavy this bike really is.
I would think of a way to kindly refuse him a ride on your pride and joy.
If he's a reasonable kind of guy I'm sure he would understand.
 
Sadly here in the UK waving and nodding seems to be on the decline. Every ignore makes me wonder if its worth waving to the next rider but I do in hope. Must say a response is a good feeling even if its a motorcycle cop :)
 
I do too, I think it’s fun.
My “response rate” is higher than 65%, and even much higher when my suit sort of lets one guess I might be a girl.
grin
 
Rocky_imp said:
CB, this is a tough one when it comes to a friend, but I think you have reason to be concerned. If he had that much trouble with the Nighthawk, then he will find the size and weight of the CB even tougher. It doesn't take very much off vertical to find out how heavy this bike really is.
I would think of a way to kindly refuse him a ride on your pride and joy.
If he's a reasonable kind of guy I'm sure he would understand.
I am hoping he will come to that conclusion himself.
 
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