I wave to other motorcyclists when I’m riding. Yesterday a Harley rider waved back! :eek: Sometimes I’ll raise my hand, and other times I’ll flash a “peace sign”.
To me, it is an acknowledgment that we are sharing in the joys of riding on two wheels, and the secondary meaning is “Peace out, brah!” I never mean the other common meaning, unless I display it to a cage driver.
So I have some questions for you other MotoDopers. First, do you wave to other motorcyclists? Secondly, do you use the two-finger wave? Finally, what do you mean by it? “Hello, two-wheeled brother (or sister)”? “Peace”? Something else?
And to answer the cage drivers who always want to know “Why do you guys wave to each other?”: It’s because we all know each other.
I always wave, if I can. However I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone give me two fingers up. I couldn’t even guess what it means, maybe it’s a gang sign!
As I said, I only give “twos up” to cage drivers. A two-finger salute to another motorcyclist, meaning “Hail, fellow, well met!” or “Peace!”, is a palm-outward raising of the hand with the middle and index fingers raised. A “two-finger salute” to a cage driver is more of a thrusting upward motion accompanied by a couple of flips, and the back of the hand is displayed as much as possible.
Incidentally, I was in the carpool lane yesterday when a cage driver started pulling into me. I gunned the engine to get away (I love the R1!), but didn’t make any gestures. He leaned on his horn. Sweet Zombie Jesus! First the guy doesn’t check the traffic around him, and then he gets pissed at me because I had the gall to be occupying the space where he wanted to go! No wonder those guys are always running into each other. :rolleyes:
2-fingers?? is that the forefinger and pinkie finger up??
If so, I was riding my bicycle on a country road, putting in some heavy miles when about a dozen Harleys came flying by me. All the women on the backs without turning around gave me the forefinger/pinkie signal as they passed me, and some of the solo riders too. It was pretty cool, assuming it was a good thing and not meaning ‘get off our road, spandex-boy!’.
In the UK a two-finger wave using index and middle finger, displaying the back of the hand and thrusting upwards means “eff off”. I can’t imagine motorcycle riders in the UK would use it for anything else as its meaning is as clear and prevalent as the one-fingered salute in the US.
Forefinger and pinkie extended is a sign that someone is putting the “horns” on you. Either as a cuckold, or as a curse. Perhaps it meant something different to them.
Same sign with the thumb stuck out horizontally means “I love you.”
I’ve noticed a decidedly different response from folks since I changed from the one finger wave to the two finger wave. Who woulda thunk one finger could make such a difference…
I and other motorcyclists display the “peace sign” palm-forward, not back of the hand forward.
Which reminds me: I’ve always wondered about Winston Churchill in the famous newsreel footage where he’s displaying “V for Victory” back of the hand toward the camera. Was he really signing “Victory!”? Or was he sending a personal message to the cameraman?
I thought that meant “Shaka” (“Hang loose, Brah!”).
A Harley rider waved at you?? Must have been an executive on his new bike and didn’t know the rules:)
I wave at all bikes, though I’m starting to wave less at HD’s. I rarely get a return or even a nod. I use, and usually get, the two finger. The two finger wave/salute to me just makes it personal, at least on my part. Lets them know that it is a wave and not an arm signal to turn, or a visor adjustment.
Little kids in cars get the kahuna (pinky and thumb). They always get a kick out of that:)
Around these parts the forefinger and pinkie finger up is the “Hook 'em Horns” sign of the U. of Texas Longhorns. Didn’t do them much good against Arkansas yesterday though.
Johnny- I’ve had Harley riders wave to me on my SCOOTER! But that’s just because I’m really cute, I think. Anyway, my husband and I ALWAYS wave, no matter what the person is riding. To me it says “Hey- Having fun on this beautiful day? Nice ride! Yeeeehaw!”
hehe, round here the index/pinkie combo (known as ‘the horns’) usually signifies metal music, altho it’s spread and now includes punk, and something to flash at your mates when out listening to METAL!!! can be accompanied by growling ‘metallllllll!’ in your most hardcore voice. the act itself is known as ‘throwing the horns’.
eesh, it looks like i ripped that from an encyclopedia of hand gestures…
'round here (South Carolina) most bikers just hold a hand, palm down out to the left.
I wave at everybody, if they don’t wave back I just assume that they’re busy shifting.
I wave at all motorcyclists; not all wave back. Not a problem – they might be staring ahead at some boneheaded thing a car driver’s doing. Never wave at people in cars except for kids (when they’ve got that, “Ooooh!” look on their faces).
I’m watching the Battle of El Alamein on The History Channel. Twenty-seven minutes into it, there is footage of Churchill arriving in North Africa. He’s definitely displaying the “V” sign with the back of the hand forward.
