Not sure if this has been done before, but in my humble experience the the biker-to-biker nod dies off the closer to Central Lahnden you get and I was wondering why.
Out in the leafy suburbs and clundy-side I not to all, especially learners, and usually get one back, unless its a Harley of course.
Fellow sports bikers nod the most, then the nakeds/street bikes, then the rider-who-conquered-the-outside-lane-of-the-Reigate-Bypass-single-handed-on-their-GS, and lastly the Harley tractor riders.
So apart from concentrating on staying alive, why this reluctance in Lahnden?
Elad has the unwritten geographical nodding rules spot on. When I first rode to London I tried nodding at everyone on 2 wheels. The close I got to central London, the harder this got, until I abandoned it completely.
I still get mightily upset when a nod or a wave is not returned though!
I do find that nods are still exchanged when one filtering biker gives up their filtering for another coming the other way… I also got nodded at by a blade rider when I was on the blade in London once, too - but I think he was the exception with trick everything on the front end at least…
Top Ten Reasons Why Harley Riders Don’t Wave Back
10. Afraid it will invalidate warranty.
9. Leather and studs make it too heavy to raise arm.
8. Refuse to wave to anyone whose bike is already paid for.
7. Afraid to let go of handlebars because they might vibrate off.
6. Rushing wind would blow scabs off the new tattoos.
5. Angry because just took out second mortgage to pay luxury tax on new Harley.
4. Just discovered the fine print in owner’s manual and realized H-D is partially owned by Honda.
3. Can’t tell if other riders are waving or just reaching to cover their ears like everyone else.
2. Remembers the last time a Harley rider waved back, he impaled his hand on spiked helmet.
They’re too tired from spending hours polishing all that chrome to lift their arms.
Top Ten Reasons Why Gold Wing Riders Don’t Wave Back
10. Wasn’t sure whether other rider was waving or making an obscene gesture.
9. Afraid might get frostbite if hand is removed from heated grip.
8. Has arthritis and the past 400 miles have made it difficult to raise arm.
7. Reflection from etched windshield momentarily blinded him.
6. The espresso machine just finished.
5. Was actually asleep when other rider waved.
4. Was in a three-way conference call with stockbroker and accessories dealer.
3. Was distracted by odd shaped blip on radar screen.
2. Was simultaneously adjusting the air suspension, seat height, programmable CD player, seat temperature and satellite navigation system.
Couldn’t find the “auto wave back” button on dashboard.
Top 10 Reasons Sport bikers Don’t Wave:
10. They have not been riding long enough to know they’re supposed to.
9. They’re going too fast to have time enough to register the movement and respond.
8. You weren’t wearing bright enough gear.
7. If they stick their arm out going that fast they’ll rip it out of the socket.
6. They’re too occupied with trying to get rid of their chicken strips.
5. They look way too cool with both hands on the bars or they don’t want to unbalance themselves while standing on the tank.
4. Their skin tight-Kevlar-ballistic-nylon-kangaroo-leather suits prevent any position other than fetal.
3. Raising an arm allows bugs into the armholes of their tank tops.
2. It’s too hard to do one-handed stoppies.
They were too busy slipping their flip-flop back on.
Top Ten Reasons Why BMW Riders Don’t Wave Back
10. New Aerostich suit too stiff to raise arm.
9. Removing a hand from the bars is considered “bad form.”
8. Your bike isn’t weird enough looking to justify acknowledgment.
7. Too sore from an 800-mile day on a stock “comfort” seat.
6. Too busy programming the GPS, monitoring radar, listening to ipod, XM, or talking on the cell phone.
5. He’s an Iron Butt rider and you’re not!.
4. Wires from Gerbings is too short.
3. You’re not riding the “right kind” of BMW.
2. You haven’t been properly introduced.
Afraid it will be misinterpreted as a friendly gesture.
It’s not just down to geography, clothing seems to play a big part.
I used to get nods of most riders on the run from Sevenoaks up until the nodding fizzles out at Lewisham and always got nods on my weekend blasts around Kent country side.
But now I’ve started wearing my HG dayglo jacket no bugger will acknowledge me at all…wtf’s that all about then :w00t:
I find in Central London things are generally too manic to nod effectively and sometimes on rideouts the pace is not conducive to nodding, or if a pack of bikes is coming the other way there is not sufficient time between riders to nod effectively. When riding alone outside of London nodding is much more effective.On the continent things are easier as riding on the right you can wave with your left hand at oncoming bikers and not let go of the throttle. This technique is also more effective as you can wave to an entire group of bikers in one go. Everyone waves in Europe even on the motorway. It’s great.
I live in Milton Keynes and the nod code is always in force here Only rode my bike in london once and I can see why people dont nod though! If you do nod at another bike the screen wash man will run over thinking you want your visor cleaned!
I complained about this before aswell and i dont even venture into london so im on about out of town riding where theres not manic trafic. I nod/wave to all bikers wether you ride a scooter, harley, sportsbike, motard… wateva but the amount of bikers that nod first or even return a nod is low.
I find learners nod to me more than any other rider and 9 times out of 10 i get a thumbs up when i nod/wave to them.
I actualy find cruisers and sportsbikes both equaly are the least likely to nod/wave back. Im not sure why this is, maybe its jealousy because i can wheelie further or get round the corners quicker or even the fact moto’s are just purely better i dont know.
When i was starting out to ride i actualy found more people stopped to see if i was ok when i pulled up on the side of the road and most bikers gave me the nod when i was on my 50 or 125 but as the years have gone by it does seem to be dying down the amount of bikers that acknowledge each other.
As a 125 ‘L’ rider, I still like the satisfaction of getting a nod back from a ‘big bike’ but there doesnt seem to be as many riders nodding to learners as everybody thinks! When I’m out and about I nod at everyone or everything on a bike (probably not scooters though, sorry) and I reckon only 50% of those bikers nod back. I’ve given up nodding at harley riders, its a waste of time!!! But regardless of return nods I shall continue to acknowledge fellow bikers… its the nice thing to do!!!
