Top reasons why bikers don't wave back...

[FROSTY:Me]

Apehanger bike riders-their arms are already "up there " scared theyll look gay just flicking the wrist up and down

[PrincessBandit]

I also like to wave at little kids, only when they waving at me or watching me though - you can tell they get a real kick out of being acknowledge (especially by a bad ass biker like me )

I love waving at little kids too - see them sitting in their strollers reaching out their little arms towards the bike as mummy pushes them past oblivious to where their little one is gazing!

[Bloody Mad Woman (BMW)]

Waving to kids staring out of you at cars or on the side of the road is cool. They grin from ear to ear. If I am stationary, I always talk to the kids when they express an interest in the bike. I'm not so vain as to think it's me - purely the bike (and I'm the same in checking out other bikes - what was the rider like - fk knows lol)
I do wave or nod - but have noticed Harley's dont respond - that's ok, I could be snobbish and say get a real fkn bike and learn how to be a real rider. lol. Aint that important tho.

[twistemotion]

Strange thing this obsession that bikers have for waving,when driving my car i dont wave at other car drivers,when mowing the lawns i have no urge to wave at others doing the same...

When I owned a Land Rover Defender, we used to wave at each other (and Series Land Rovers). It's just a cameraderie thing, and only happens between special or rare vehicles (or owners who know each other's suffering) Motorbikes fall under any number of these categories, and I think it's great to wave at each other. If the other rider doesn't wave back, well don't take it personally. Like others have said, they might not have noticed, and if they did, after 2 or 3 other waves, they might feel like there's something wrong with THEM, and start waving back.

Now I don't expect any of you to wave at me on a scooter, and if you did, I'd probably bin it right there, so I'm reluctant to initiate a wave.

[Pwalo]

Sometimes I wave, sometimes I don't.

[Jiminy]

Strange thing this obsession that bikers have for waving,when driving my car i dont wave at other car drivers,when mowing the lawns i have no urge to wave at others doing the same

It's like when you're in a village, you say hi to people and stop for a chat. In a city, you just ignore everyone. I love the wave between bikers.

Funny thing is I did mountain biking for 10 years and we wave at each other, too. When I started biking as a pillion with my ex, she was waving at other riders while I was waving at mountain bikers instead. Oops.

Alternatively they might just not consider it important or maybe I'm just beneath their notice
(*PB crawls away to a little dark corner feeling sorry for herself* )

Time for a big hug, me think

[Number One]

I was thinking about my serial waving and realised there is one time when I never wave cos it just feels kinda silly....

That is when I am headed the same way as someone else and I overtake them....

Funnily I feel as though it would come across as cheeky rather than a friendly greeting...I did once wave to a guy I was passing but that was cos I could tell he had been on a long haul and was half checking he was awake + we ended up being side by side a long way due to the traffic which wasn't worth splitting either.

Anyone else not wave in this instance or should I be waving then too...

NB: Have switched to the ole head nod - don't feel so silly when people don't acknowledge back.

[Jiminy]

I was thinking about my serial waving and realised there is one time when I never wave cos it just feels kinda silly....

That is when I am headed the same way as someone else and I overtake them....

I usually make a sign with my left foot as I overtake other riders, or my right foot if they overtake me (which also makes it clear that I have seen them). Look kind of silly, but it makes me happy to acknowledge other riders

Oops, did I post again in a waving thread?

[Boulder]

if im a bit bizy to wave i just tilt my head up...
harleys dont normally wave to me anymore now that im on a jap bike.

I reckon Harley riders don't wave back cuz they are either too whacked out riding a bike thats hard to handle, or cuz there peeed off when your jap bike cost half as much and can do twice as much, or cuz they got something up there arrogant bumhole or maybe a few of them are tough mean sob's who dont give a shiite about anything!

[idb]

I reckon Harley riders don't wave back cuz they are either too whacked out riding a bike thats hard to handle, or cuz there peeed off when your jap bike cost half as much and can do twice as much, or cuz they got something up there arrogant bumhole or maybe a few of them are tough mean sob's who dont give a shiite about anything!

There could any number of reasons; they could be blind, they could be paralysed from the neck down, they might only have prosthetic arms.
You should show a bit more compassion for our less able comrades!

Then again, they could be all in your head and not really there at all!
Maybe you should go and get that checked out.

[Sellout]

It's a strange thing, on my commute there are 3 bikers who go the opposite way to me down SH1 in Christchurch, Old Red, Dirt Bike Boy and Whitey.

Whitey rides a white bike, has a white top box and has black cordura pants & jacket with white stripes, a white helemt and a yellow hi-vis... and we wave to each other every morning! and every evening!! It's a full arm wave to say "Hey, howsit?!" sometimes accompanied by a nod, I like Whitey.

Old Red rides an old, faded red Japanese tourer that I can hear over my 2T! (looks like a Honda tho.....) But he (she?) doesn't wave. Ever. Not even a nod. Considering their riding style, they may be too scared to let go of the handlebars...

Dirt bike boy has waved a couple of times, but he may just be trying to get some mud out of his ski goggles... I'm undecided.

So now I wave to Whitey, but just nod to the other 2. I try to wave to scootah riders only because I've got a couple I'm rebuilding and I'd hate to think that no-one would wave at me while I'm riding it (only for fun I promise!) When I'm just out for a joy ride (aren't they all joyrides?) I'll wave whenever I can, but I'll nod if I'm coming round a corner or something and my arms are busy. Or if there is a group of Harleys....

[Headbanger]

I reckon Harley riders don't wave back cuz they are either too whacked out riding a bike thats hard to handle, or cuz there peeed off when your jap bike cost half as much and can do twice as much, or cuz they got something up there arrogant bumhole or maybe a few of them are tough mean sob's who dont give a shiite about anything!

I reckon you don't get waved at because your a bit of a tosser.

[wysper]

Ppl on cruisers can't wave to ppl on sports bikes....
OR they'll bin for sure....
Keep both hands on the wheel at all times.....

That is dodgy advice . When I grabbed the wheel I fell off the bike. Didn't matter if it was the front or back wheel either.

[Henk]

Wave? thats the start of a slippery slope, next people wil be expecting me to talk to them.

[R-Soul]

haha

I try and wave most of the time.

the best I've had was from a mongrel mob member, who happend to be one of the biggest people I've ever seen gave me a masive wave peace sign as he went past.

Nah mate the peace sign is the other way around...
EDIT: Doh just saw maverick's post