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[CliC]

Been riding my Zero DS (my first electric as well as my first dualsport) for a couple days now, and noticed that of all the other riders I wave at, I'm only getting about 50% returned. With my Road King, and even the old Suzuki standard I used to have, that number was >90%. Not a big deal to me, but it piqued my curiosity. Are dualsport riders, or at least those astride dirt-derived machines like the DS or a KLR650, not respected by the rest of the biker population? Oh the shame

Maybe it's the lack of engine noise, but I doubt that's the problem across a divided highway with 50 feet of median. Curious...

C

[protomech]

People are pretty friendly here in the South. I get probably 90% return here - though I doubt most oncoming traffic recognizes the bike.

[CliC]

Yeah, I'm in south Texas, and on my past bikes I got a lot of waves back.

I've gotten a somewhat higher percentage of returns on the last couple rides. Maybe just a fluke on day one.

[Bakersbread]

Plenty of waves in utah

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

The Pacific Northwest provides waves, but yes the vast majority are cruiser owners in the USA and dual sport bikes don't typically register with them. Obviously, sometimes people just don't notice, but some of that unconscious reaction is biased.

[TargeT]

it's an unknown phenomenon here in the virgin islands...

[Mike Werner]

Could be that others think you're a moped or a 125cc....

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah I notice that I get less return waves on my ZF9 than I do on my XJ900.

I think some bikers simply "look down" on the smaller bikes. If so, then its an attitude thats a bit irritating to be honest.
We should be encouraging the younger riders, its what turns them from young riders on their first bike, to life long actual bikers.

It certainly played a part in my transformation from bike rider to biker.

[Burton]

I ride my current ICE bike year round as long as there isn't ice on the rode and my work isn't closed. I wave at every bike I have time to and I have found those who also ride year round will always wave back. The summer / spring / fall squids who come out don't wave as often if at all.

By squids I don't mean squirrely-kid either, I mean those that don't wear all their gear, are seasonal riders, and are often found broken down on the side of the road because they don't keep up with maintence.  This includes all types of subcategories of bikers in my book. Your perspective changes after you have been d own a couple times with full gear and you ride year round in all conditions when you look at other riders behaviors and 'gear' choices. lol

I should add my bike is a little unique. It is technically a ninja 250 but it has a huge touring shield on it, two v45's, a v46 with really annoying leds breaklights installed (all three cases on  a wingrack which has a custom mounting solution built from aluminum and EMT), as well as sheet metal leg / foot guards in the winter along with hippo hands. So it kind of sticks out and screams "utility" from every angle and doesn't look pretty by any means.

That stated people who ride year round always wave back.
The pansies who ride seasonally and only if the weather is nice only wave back when their prejudice allows them.

Just my thoughts on this. I have only been riding for a little over two years and only have 38k miles under my belt so my observations might not be valid elsewhere.

[MichaelJ]

+1 for PNW

A police motorcyclist waved back at me this morning.  He was on a well-equipped BMW and I was on my electric scooter.  I wave from both my cruiser and my scooter when its safe to do so and when it looks like it will be noticeable (i.e. not when on a divided highway).

Always puts a grin on my face when a rider waves back.

[Justin Andrews]

I wave from both my cruiser and my scooter when its safe to do so and when it looks like it will be noticeable

I think for this reason Head Nods are much more common here in the UK. Actual hand waves are rare by comparison.

[Richard230]

Around the Bay Area, I have been giving waves and receiving waves from all sorts of riders - and that includes scooter riders.  The only people who will not wave at me are the types (few and far between, fortunately) riding Harleys, wearing chrome Kaiser helmets (the ones with spikes on them), jeans, logging boots, T-shirts and gloves without fingers.  But then these types don't wave to anyone, not even cops.   

[BenS]

Yeah, it's likely because you're on a "Dirtbike" on the road, it's similar here in South Australia. I ride dirtbikes  and a roadbike, and the riders do seem to be like two different "gangs". Road/street bike riders will nod at other road/street riders, but not at dirtbikers/motarders on the road. Dirtbikers nearly always nod or wave at each other when off-road. I only give a nod or wave if it's safe to do so. It seems to be a bit like the "stand-up surfers vs body-boarders" attitude.

[pinaero]

Hello,

I live in the Shelton, Washington (about 20 minutes West of Olympia) area. I ride a 2016 Zero DSR. I typically get waves back from most riders. When one of my buddies who rides told me, "Most bikers will wave back, except for the cruisers with the tassles on their handlebars." I thought he was joking. Turns out, I haven't had a single tassle-bar cruiser wave back to me. Aside from that, I have had waves back from anything from cruisers, dual sports and even scooters.

Yay.

Cheers,
pinaero

[Erasmo]

The common joke here is that they're just afraid that the handlebar will drop on the street as soon as the release their hand from it.