gt@hplvla.UUCP (08/22/84)
Nf-From: hplvla!gt Aug 22 10:24:00 1984
<<< LEAN WHEN YOU TURN >>>
Bikers waving to one another is a tradition which is as old as
motorcycles themselves. It means different things to different people.
To my teenage daughter (we just returned from a 3000 mile ride up to
Jasper, Alberta) it means, "hi there, I'm glad to see you're on a bike
too; have a nice ride." To me it means, "I know you're probably riding
for your own reasons which are different than mine, but at least we
are both riding," or something like that.
If you read the touring type magazines (eg. "Rider" and "Road Rider")
you will see this issue come up every now and again. It used to be
(in the sixties and before) that almost everybody waved to everybody;
yes even the Harley riders (Hell's Angels possibly excluded). Today
it is much more sporadic as indicated by responses to the original
posting. I don't think it is possible to generalize too much, but
since I usually wave to just about everybody (I have been kind of
conducting a survey to see who generally waves back) I would stack
them up as follows. The list goes from most likely to least likely.
Big rig touring bikes. These guys and gals almost always return a wave.
Young riders on general purpose bikes. Most like feeling like a part
of some secret fraternity.
Sport riders and cafe racers. I notice that these folks are much more
apt to wave at me if I am on my own race bike, going around a
corner twice as fast as they would ever think of and wave to
them first then if I am on my big bike, loaded down for a long
trip.
Harley riders, including choppers. These folks usually wave back
although rarely will wave first.
Japanese chopper riders with mirror glasses. Never man, like I'm busy
profiling. (note: that's Japanese bikes not Japanese riders.)
George Tatge
ihnp4!hpfcla!hplvla!gt
Yesterday's safety tip:
When riding barefoot, always come to a stop before putting
your feet down.