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!