You are either in the club or you aren’t…

Those of you who ride motorcycles will know exactly what I’m talking about here. Those of you who don’t – will barely understand this, but just might walk away shaking your head with new knowledge.

There seems to be a secret “wave” that oncoming bikers may or may not flash each other as they pass on the highway. Seems simple enough – two riders pass one another and sign a simple “hello”to each other as they approach in the form of a “wave”. Seems simple but it really has a dictionary full of finely tuned definitions describing what this “wave” can mean.

When I am out riding my motorbike (motorcycle for the US crew) I see many other riders offering a greeting and have come to an understanding that not all greeting are alike! When I was a new rider , the wave was like being welcomed into a secret club, but now after years of practicing the sport, I have found not all waves are alike and many are imbued with special meaning. Bear with me while I sort through the inner workings of the “wave”.

Here’s how it works:

For simplicity sake, lets establish that all motorcyclists and bikes are now riders and all riders are now going to be female. Since this is a “she” blog makes perfect sense to me.

Ok, moving right along…

The odds of receiving a wave from an oncoming biker seem to be governed by what the two of you have in common. In other words, the more you have in common, the better the chance will be that she will respond with an in kind wave.

We find that there seems to be three general commonality traits.

1. Brand equity. You are both riding the same brand motorcycle.
2. Style equity. If you are both riding the same style, ie: tourer, crotch rocket, cruiser, scooter, then your odds are increased as well.
3. Gear equity. If you both are either wearing or not wearing safety gear – odds increased again.

To further illustrate this concept:
IF you both are riding an ape-hangered cruiser wearing only a beanie helmet , the odds of a hand gesture between the two of you are VERY high. Conversely, the odds of a ape-hangered cruiser wearing only a beanie helmet waving to a BMW fully geared rider are almost next to none.

The Big Five
When a fellow biker is approaching, his left arm and hand will tell the story. Whether he is the initiator or the replier, the signals are the same. Following are the five main hand gestures you may encounter:

1. The Nothing – This is the “default” hand position of most cross-encounters. Simply leaving his left hand on the handle bar can mean anything from “not paying attention to the fact you’re approaching” to “I see you but I’m not interested in exchanging a greeting” – to the harsher, “I see you but since we don’t enjoy any ‘equity,’ I’m not going to acknowledge your existence.” Of course since no words are ever exchanged to clarify, all the rider can do is simply speculate.

2. The Two-finger Flip – The most casual AND most common acknowledgment. Left hand still on the handgrip, but the index and middle fingers raised briefly. This one simply says “dude, how’s it going?” Most of the time the receiver will respond just out of courtesy. Of course the whole issue of who goes first really boils down to nothing more than a game of greeting chicken – or whoever’s in the better mood at time.

3. The Big One – This is the granddaddy of all greetings. Left hand down off of the handlebar and out to the side. Fingers may either show a “peace” sign or be spread open palm side out. Here, the initiator is sending a clear signal that he acknowledges you. Not replying to this blatant plea for hospitality may be considered rude – and could possibly be interpreted as a strong message of inequity.

4. The Dis – Left hand down and resting on the thigh. This could be viewed as a request to treat the opposing party as a hostile witness – ESPECIALLY if it is moved there while you are approaching. Dating back to the days when rival motorcycle gangs roamed the streets, this signal indicated disrespect to the other rider(s) and was clearly meant as negative and often times led to confrontation. Today, however, the old cultural significance has been lost, and could simply just mean your arm is tired and resting on your leg.

5. The Geek – Left hand raised high in the air as if to say, “Hi mom!” This one is specifically reserved for the new rider, who is “SO excited to be one of the gang!” Also may be seen being used by Moped or scooter riders. Recommendation: Just don’t.

So there they are. All the secrets behind those mysterious motorcycle hand greetings revealed (not to be confused with the standard hand “turn” signals). So the next time you approach an oncoming rider, take note. He could be sending you a very intentional message!

Or not.

Article reprinted from “A view from The Cloud”.