hand signal?

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fraggles04

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Hello. I am a new rider and just got my [first] bike Saturday (Honda CB500X). Sunday evening (about 7:30PM) I rode from Waterloo -> St. Agatha -> Wellesley and back (want to try to get an hour in every day). It seems like every oncoming motorcyclist gave me a wave of sorts (left hand down, palm facing out - one guy had a #1/index finger out). I assume it means greetings or hello? Is there a list somewhere? A quick search through the site doesn't show anything.

I didn't really wave back as I am still learning and keeping my hand on the handle bar while going 80+km/h seems like the prudent thing to do. So if you passed a rude jerk on a white Honda (wearing red Icon jacket) that ignored you completely, my apologies. :-)
 
fraggles04 said:
I didn't really wave back as I am still learning and keeping my hand on the handle bar while going 80+km/h seems like the prudent thing to do. So if you passed a rude jerk on a white Honda (wearing red Icon jacket) that ignored you completely, my apologies. :-)
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If you don't want to take your hands off the controls, just shake your head from side-to-side in response to the other rider's wave. They'll understand completely.
 
Welcome to riding! It is a good sign when other bikers acknowledge you on the road. Any acknowledgement to the other rider is good, such as a nod or wave.

There are not many biker signs. Some important ones include:
-Police ahead: repeated pats on your helmet
-road debris: stick your leg straight out
 
You want a chart to understand a simple wave that basically just means, "Hey."?
 
VazpJiD.jpg
 
fraggles04 said:
I didn't really wave back as I am still learning and keeping my hand on the handle bar while going 80+km/h seems like the prudent thing to do. So if you passed a rude jerk on a white Honda (wearing red Icon jacket) that ignored you completely, my apologies. :-)
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You will find that gently moving your hand off the grip does absolutely nothing to your trajectory or stability. But when you're comfortable. Nice bike, eh?

https://rideapart.com/articles/important-motorcycle-wave
 
Furpo said:
You will find that gently moving your hand off the grip does absolutely nothing to your trajectory or stability. But when you're comfortable. Nice bike, eh?

https://rideapart.com/articles/important-motorcycle-wave
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When the bike is moving, it is very stable and will not just fall over. You could take both hands off the bars and it would stay upright till it hit something. Not recommending this of course, but in time you will get comfortable riding one handed, something you will do if you ever tour on a bike.
 
wonderings said:
When the bike is moving, it is very stable and will not just fall over. You could take both hands off the bars and it would stay upright till it hit something. Not recommending this of course, but in time you will get comfortable riding one handed, something you will do if you ever tour on a bike.
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Assuming there's nothing wrong with your bike.
 
Thanks. Actually we did a lot of one hand riding in the M2 course but not at speed. I am not confident enough to do no hands yet (I can barely do that on my bicycle for extended period of time - funny I could do that all day long as a kid) but one hand typically isn't a problem. It was a combination of late reaction, new motorcycle, lack of experience and speed that made me keep my hand on the handlebar.

I went out for another ride this evening and had no issues waving back this time, now that I am prepared.

wonderings said:
When the bike is moving, it is very stable and will not just fall over. You could take both hands off the bars and it would stay upright till it hit something. Not recommending this of course, but in time you will get comfortable riding one handed, something you will do if you ever tour on a bike.
Click to expand...
 
Most guys on sportbikes just nod their head,I guess its because most of their weight is positioned over the handlebars so they cant let go and wave.
 
canuckwr250 said:
Most guys on sportbikes just nod their head,I guess its because most of their weight is positioned over the handlebars so they cant let go and wave.
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I only nod if I'm using the clutch at the time. Most people wave.
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