Motorcycle Etiquette

June 21^st, 2004

I made the decision to get back into riding. I bought a bike. I even got a learner's permit so I could ride the bike before the Motorcycle Rider's Course (MRC) began. And finally, I attended the MRC in Chesapeake. "DW" and "SIM" did a great job of emphasizing the hazards of bike riding and the responsibility each rider has for themselves, the riding conditions, and those things out there called "cars". Shortly after completing the course and riding for several weeks, I realized the MRC had left out an essential element of motorcycle riding - Motorcycle Etiquette (ME).

Now hear me out. Those of us who have been lucky enough to go on all-expense- paid cruises around the world (courtesy of Uncle Sam) know that different gestures mean different things in different cultures (I knew that Sociology degree would eventually pay off). For example, the Texas Longhorn gesture has an entirely different meaning in Spain (something about your wife and her many male friends).

Once I started riding again, it didn't take me long to realize that I entered some type of sub-culture with new rules of social behavior. You may not think these are important, but I began to ponder questions like:

How much personal space do you give an unknown rider at a stoplight?

How to adjust pants in public after they work themselves into awkward positions?

Is it appropriate to lip sing to the music in your head when stopped in traffic?

As important as these are, it is WAVING that should be a mandatory etiquette topic in the MRC. When I was riding back in the early 70's, it was not very common to see another bike so I'd wave at anything. I use to wave at anything with one headlight. Of course, in North Carolina during the 70's that meant I waved at a lot of cars. To set the stage, I ride a Honda Sabre and I'm so happy to be riding I wave at everybody (even scooters). But now, I'm learning there is a whole new waving etiquette. I was perplexed by the variety and optional nature of waving. I soon noticed that there were wave variations between bike types.

It seems to me that I have a 50/50 chance of getting a wave from a sport bike. I'm not sure if they're too busy hanging on to wave, or they recognize that I'm not one of them. But, when they do wave, it is usually a bold straight-armed finger point that seems to say "Back at you Brother". Touring bikes (Goldwings and the like) have a unique wave (elbow bent, hand up high). Every time I see it, I know they're saying, "Howdy partner, nice to see you on the trail." My personal favorite is the cruiser wave (big surprise). It is down low and cool. It's like we're speaking Spanish. I start by signaling "Yo" and they reply by saying "Tambien (me too)". The casual, subdued nature of the wave keeps those intruding car drivers out of the communication, and I like the fact it's closer to the handlebars just in case my riding ability isn't up to my coolness level.

DW, if you're out there reading, how about adding a waving exercise to the MRC. You could divide the class into groups of sport bikes, touring bikes and cruisers. The groups could practice waving as they ride past each other. To keep it simple just start with the straight-arm, up high, and down low waves. In the meantime, I'll just keep thinking about waving as Christmas presents - Its better to give, than receive.

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