Yes ,they have some kind of belief that they're more serious bikers than the rest. It's a hand-me - down view from the "Filthy Few" and the "1% ers". A bit adolescent really. Theyre not worth bothering about. I know riders who will never stop to help them when their fashion accessories have a problem by the road. Even then, some people have done big (RTW) trips on these machines.

I find that the French are the most wavy/friendly, and the Germans seem surprised sometimes if you wave..they dont seem to expect it. Moroccan kids wave like mad from the roadside - they seem to imagine we're all Paris/Dakar.

After the 1000 aside battles on Brighton beach between Mods and Rockers, there is still the habit not to wave at scooters. A folk memory!

I'd say too that a nod of the head isnt always easy to see, or a wiggle of a few fingers.

I stopped the other day to pull something out of my tank bag and a fella on a Harley Road King pulled up to see if I was OK , a couple of days before I was filling the tank at a gas station and 3 guys rode in on new 1200 GS's [with brand new BMW Rallye 2 clown suits] and they steadfastly ignored me when I raised my hand to say Hi .

I always wave to bikers on the road and I reckon about 95% wave back .

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

Good thread this one. I too have been trying to work out who does and who doesn't and I'm not sure it's geographical or bike related. There are simply just too many miserable buggers in the UK.

I think more leg waving and thumbs ups (one hand only) are needed particularly for the bikes you really like. The nod is too British, too reserved, too subtle.

No chance! I set off at the start of the year to test the theory that BMW and Harley riders never wave or nod. It just isn't true. Now the guy on the 2 week old GS1200 hanging on for dear life because the ****** thing is too big but still desperate to be like Ewan or Charlie is unlikely to wave, as is the Dentist on the Harley who'll only wave to people who earn more than he does. However, the same GS or UltraHeavyGlide might be ridden by the bloke you saw yesterday on the battered MZ who will wave.

The only part of my theory that works anything like is that waving and nodding as a proportion increases in the winter. Once all the weekend warriors are off the scene more real bikers are left who'll acknowledge you.

The Dales are a magnet for the "my 1900cc 2008 Yamazuki is 3 grammes lighter than your 2007 (even though my race leathers are reinforced to keep the pies in)" Brigade, so you will find a more odd stares and looks away that decent waves I'm afraid. We all nod in Leeds.

Sidecarists will of course give you a massive wave

Andy

"(even though my race leathers are reinforced to keep the pies in)"

Pies or piles?

Hi, in my corner of the U.S. the wave is the way.Low hand beneath the plane of the bars if you're cool,above if you're enthusiastic. Nods seemto be reserved for in corner passing or in town when the wave seems a little over the top.
I reserve the foot action to point out splattered animals or other on the road debris to those following me.Or to signal I'm entering the pits on my rare race days.
Non wavers I put in differant catagories,numb-nut elitest be they BMW,Hog or fake hog riders along with some pubesant sport bikers who think its about chillin'.

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ride,smile,repeat as nessasary

I loved my stripped-down Lambretta. No fairings. No helmet. The wind in me mullet.

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I've a feeling I'm not in Kansas anymore.

I`ve been away from bikes for nearly 8 years. Now back in the saddle I`ve noticed very little nodding go on.
But people on similar type bikes have nodded and a old boy on a harley, But sportys must think i`m Churchill

Ooop North starts where you can get 100 miles in before breakfast and the breakfast is actually nice to eat (excludes Watford Gap), costs under a tenner (still excludes Watford Gap), contains more Black pudding and less beans/no nasty manufactured potatoey things and comes with a pot of tea that doesn't taste like it was made with socks (definately excludes WG). Now I realise this makes certain area's of East London at certain times of day theoretically part of the North, but i'm sure they'd rather have that than Croissants at fifteen quid a pop

Andy

Ha ha, check out Roy Harpers Watford Gap song, a plate of grease and a load of crap.

Funnily I am just off for mine now hope I survive the morning.

Well, if you're ever in Spain and you see someone giving you the "V" (palm forward of course, not the other one), that's the Spanish equivalent of the nod/wave. So no, it has nothing to do with the latest football match

And here, well, I happen to commute to work along a biker-magnet road (great winding road through a gorge with nearly pristine tarmac), and of course run into all kinds of bikes (and riders) there. Harleys (particularly if in a group) NEVER "V"/wave/nod back (I always do so, even at them), trail bikes & tourers nearly always do, sport bikes are usually too busy trying to hang as far over the white line as they can to see if they can get their head stuck in the grill of an oncomming truck to be able to wave/whatever. Only time one of them signalled in any way at me was by repeatedly flashing his lights and pointing behind him... I just waved back at him (rather idiotically in retrospect)... turned out there were cops down the road (not that I care as I never speed anyways). Explains why he looked so confused at me when I just smiled, nodded and "V"-ed him...

And no, I don't wave to 50cc's.. around here if I did I might as well just keep my left hand up the whole way from my house to work and back, or end up looking like one of those stupid bobbing-head doggies some people have in their cars. Unless they wave at me first (which usually means they're not actually 50cc bikes, but just look like it).

Oh yeah, maxi-scooters just look real confused whenever I "V" them... which makes it all the more fun to make sure I do it real obviously
Then again, I reckon half the people that don't wave at me (at least in the summer) is cos I'm in a t-shirt & jeans and have a messenger bag slung over me...

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"Hope for the best - plan for the worst. Then watch it all go pear-shaped and wing it." - Me

Have a nice trip.