Biker Wave

Between Arizona Bike Week and the Day Ride features for the site, I have had the opportunity to do a fair amount of riding over the last couple of months. And as you know from previous articles I am usually in some sort of deep profound thought about my surroundings. Lately I have been trying to figure out the structure of waving aother riders. And I have found that there seems to be a lack consistency in this activity. This whole idea came to mind when I saw a painting called Highway Handshake by Dawn Holmes from Prescott Valley. It was a really neat picture of two motorcycles waving while passing on Hwy 89A to see this painting so you will have a picture of what I am about to say.

There are also 6 different types of waves:
The Crossing Guard Wave: This is the open palmed, arm bent at the elbow, fingers pointed straight up wave much like you saw in the Dawn Holmes picture above. This wave can also be mistaken as a right turn signal by the traffic behind them.

The Stop Traffic Wave: This is the arm straight out to your side, open palm facing forward like you used to do out of the back window of your Dad's 57 Ford Fairlane. This wave can also be confused as the slow down sign for trouble ahead.

The 1 or 2 Finger Wave: One of the most popular waves. This is the arm fully extended down to your side at a 45% angle with 1 or 2 fingers pointing to the ground. A perfect example of this wave is in the picture linked above. Although, this is really not a good wave to a guy riding a Harley. He probably thinks you are telling him some parts just fell off.

The 4 Finger Wave: This is done by leaving your left hand on the handlebar but unwrapping four fingers and pointing them straight out. You will usually see this from the Return Wave Only rider. Comes back to that lack of motivation with the whole waving process.

The Prom Queen Wave: This is with the left arm fully elevated and hand moving side to side like you actually know the person you are waving at. This is a rare wave but can usually be seen coming from the passenger on a Gold Wing.

The Nod: This is a relatively new response in lieu of a bona fide wave. This is usually executed by the rider that is not sure where he fits in. Not quite a First Waver but not really a Non Waver. He is looking for his own identity in the waving community.

What do you do when there is a group of say...5 oncoming riders? Will one long wave take care of the whole group? Or does it require 5 individual waves?
And what about poker run waving? We have to put a moratorium on the return route poker run wave. I feel like I need to put a little rubber hand on my handlebars that pops out when I push a button to take care of these days. And lastly, what about the going the same direction wave? Does this require a wave or a nod? And if you are passing on the left side do you wave with the right hand or come across the body with the left, which could also be mistaken as a Prom Queen Wave? These are all questions that Enquiring minds need to ask.

I've asked a lot of questions, so I decided to do my own scientific test to see just how the statistics would give us an idea of where we are. I know in different situations you would get a different result. But here it is. I did the loop of Cave Creek Rd. and Scottsdale Rd. on three Sunday afternoons and was a Non Waver. I found that there are consistently only 20-30% First Wavers out there. Which says that there are 70% Non Wavers. I did the same as a First Waver and found that there are 70% Return Wavers. What does all of this mean? Not a dog gone thing. It just means that you have had another look at some of the profound things that go on in my mind while riding. But the next time you are waving, I'll bet you'll be trying to figure what category the other guy is in. The good news is, it won't take you long to find out. Happy Waving.