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The Wave
reprinted from Background Chain
The Motorcycle Wave
Our recent trip down south brought back a lot of memories. There were friends, sweet tea (it just isn't the same in the north), and our old house.
But what really got me was the motorcycles. I've had one for about 10 years, and for the last three and a half it's been sitting in the shed, defeated by old age and a rider who doesn't want to spend the time, energy or money on fixing it.
Around here, I only miss my '78 Honda in the Spring when they all come out of hibernation. Down south, people ride them year round. Driving around the southern highways, watching all those bikes... you miss it.
When we came back north, I saw some bikers pass each other and then noticed the thing I might miss most about riding a motorcycle -- the motorcycle wave.
The motorcycle wave is something nearly all bikers do even if they don't think about it. It is a simple to-the-side flick of the wrist imperceptible to most motorists but understood by bikers. It's like a secret handshake.
The wave varies from make to make as well (at least in the south where I did most of my riding). Harley riders lower their hand to their side and point the index finger to the ground. BMW riders barely lift their hand from the handlebar. And Honda riders, that friendly bunch, give an outright wave almost like a high five, when they pass each other. I'm not sure if I've ever seen kids on those bullet bikes wave -- they may be in too much of a hurry.
There are some who won't wave to riders on different makes, but for the most part, there is a community of motorcycle riders.
And that is the point ...
So, even as I drive down the road in a mini-van with kids in the back, I look at those bikers and their motorcycle wave and smile. Even on a machine built to carry one, they are a community.