Your experiences encountering Harley riders on the road???

[avanti]

I'm just curious since my experiences on the 07 are entirely different than when I've ridden anything else (non-Harley, of course).  I have found over the past couple years every (and, I mean EVERY) Harley rider I've encountered on the road waves at me while on the 07.  Now I confess to waving at everyone, but some H-riders even wave before I do! 
 
This is entirely different than my past experiences.  Here is an example, though admittedly extreme, from the past.  Riding another bike I used to meet the same Harley rider on the same route perhaps monthly and he would make it a point to look the other way every time I waved.  I finally encountered him just out of a blind corner and he returned my wave before realizing it was me.  He sped-up and away... I never saw him again, probably just coincidental. 
 
Anyway, I'm just curious as to others experiences meeting H-riders on the road.  I know I've not gotten a lot prettier over the years, my white flowing beard no more obvious, my clothes no more Harleyesque, etc.  Hehehe.
 

[yamahazaki]

The very first Harley I pulled up aside on a stoplight when I got my FZ07, he gave me a thumbs up.
 
Anyway, this is my own anecdotal observation based on where I live as far as the wave. This is a combination of waiting for the wave and/or me waving and getting a response.
 
Harleys: 30-40%
Motards: 50%-
Supersports: 50-60%
Tourers: 60%
Sport tourers/ADV bikes: 70-80%+
 

[mjh937]

I always wave and almost everyone waves back. The ones that don't are usually on a Harley, but it has to be less than 5%. I even had a guy on a Harley chopper stiop to see if I was okay when I was stopped on the shoulder sending a text message. Everyone is pretty friendly here.

[Cruizin]

If a guy on an ADV style bike ever flips you off, don't get offended. He is giving you the ADV rider salute.

[ducttapewd40]

Most are cool and wave back but every time I've encountered a biker that was flat out rude, they were on a Harley. Almost all of my bad encounters were in Wisconsin though, home of the Harley. Over there I was flipped off, yelled at, cut off, had my attempts to pass dangerously blocked. Every other state the worst I've seen was not waving back.
 
 

[Guest 2wheeler]

Here's a great article on "Motorcycle Etiquette: How Not to Wave Like a Dork"
 
https://axleaddict.com/motorcycles/MotorcycleEtiquetteHowNotToWaveLikeADork
 
 

[Slug]

Here in TN, everyone is pretty friendly. I wave at everyone I see, scooters included, and maybe 20-30% of Harley riders don't wave back. But to be fair, the same amount of sport bike riders won't wave back either. Usually the ones that don't wave are the ones in full Harley gear or the sport bike riders on stretched bikes, khaki shorts, and the WWII German lookin' helmet (Wehrmacht?). I saw the first FZ07 besides mine today on a ride and and we both waved like excited school kids to each other. I really love how its just a thing to wave to other motorcyclists. Makes me happy.

[Mr.Puss]

Yeah I dont care if I get a response or not, I wave at everything with two wheels and a motor regardless.... yes, even those oh so "unique" hipsters.
 
The HD cats are hit and miss, most are simply too busy being trying to act elitist. Perhaps I'd get a better response if I stood up and shook my junk at them instead, or wave my special (single purpose I might add ) floppy HD branded, HD rider attractant dildo ecstatically.
 

[martyinaustin]

i'm beginning to enjoy the unspoken rivalry. most people around here are friendly. some don't wave and straight up ignore you. the city hipster dipshits are really amusing. one tried to tell me how to park the other day 'cause he parked too close to me after i was already there. i've started to really enjoy annoying them...like showing up at Harley oriented events and parking in their spots. here's a fun example of them trying to park me in and mess w/ me. i laughed and laughed as i easily backed my bike out and rode off....

 

[Beemer]

So much to be said about this so I'll try my best to keep it short. (that's almost impossible)
I think, from everything I've read about this subject, that it's safe to say that Harley riders, more than other riders, have a sh*tty attitude toward fellow bikers. Each rider will have their own ignorant reason for their ego fix and you can't change that so I just laugh when I imagine a Harley rider passing by, not waving and somehow convinced that his antiquated log with two tires is better than my Yamaha. The reasons for their attitude vary. Of course some people are just losers and simply think they've found a way to feel special and accepted by riding a Harley.
 
In their mind, being in a club where they get to wear the black leather façade that makes them 'feel' like they're a tough Hell's Angels biker or something similar is the answer to their problem but they're sadly mistaken. I also know for fact that many Harley riders are so ignorant they think anyone on a sport bike isn't a real biker because only Harley riders know the true meaning of biking. GTF outa here!

 
 
 
Funny this subject was brought up because just yesterday I saw a group of (6) Harley riders coming my way and my instinct was to wave at them but something told me not to, just to see how many of them would wave to me and as I suspected, not one of them did. All summed up, I couldn't care less about what ignorant people with their blue blood club attitude think of me.
 
 

[Cruizin]

So much to be said about this so I'll try my best to keep it short. (that's almost impossible) I think, from everything I've read about this subject, that it's safe to say that Harley riders, more than other riders, have a sh*tty attitude toward fellow bikers. Each rider will have their own ignorant reason for their ego fix and you can't change that so I just laugh when I imagine a Harley rider passing by, not waving and somehow convinced that his antiquated log with two tires is better than my Yamaha. The reasons for their attitude vary. Of course some people are just losers and simply think they've found a way to feel special and accepted by riding a Harley.
 
In their mind, being in a club where they get to wear the black leather façade that makes them 'feel' like they're a tough Hell's Angels biker or something similar is the answer to their problem but they're sadly mistaken. I also know for fact that many Harley riders are so ignorant they think anyone on a sport bike isn't a real biker because only Harley riders know the true meaning of biking. GTF outa here!
 
Funny this subject was brought up because just yesterday I saw a group of (6) Harley riders coming my way and my instinct was to wave at them but something told me not to, just to see how many of them would wave to me and as I suspected, not one of them did. all summed up, I couldn't care less about what ignorant people with their blue blood club attitude think of me.

 
I know some really cool guys who ride Harleys and we give ea other alot of shet. But those guys also ride dirtbikes with me. We ride some really gnarly steep stuff together, bleed together, drink together and then ride back down to our trucks together. Good guys.
 
But the one's that I don't get are the "pretend hells angels". The guys with patches all over their leather vests who think they are Jax Teller as soon as they put on their gear. The stuff they wear wouldn't protect anyone in a crash. Instead, they dress to look like a tough biker dude and it cracks me up into hystrics when I see them. I know a couple 1%'rs and they hate those guys.
 
I actually had a guy tell me once that "I probably couldn't handle the Harley lifestyle". I told him to go grab a dirtbike and a backpack with tools and some water and come meet me at the trailhead in Idaho City and I would take him up some trails so scary that I have seen grown men cry because both sides of the trail often have 3000 ft drop offs and the tral is nothing but loose rock maybe one foot wide and you have to hit it at full rpm to make it up or go flying off the cliff to certain death. He just kind of looked at me funny.
 
It's not just Harley guys though. I know guys on BMW ADV bikes who dress like dirt bikers and they have $30,000 into their bikes and they look down their noses at everyone else. They are almost as bad but at least they don't think that they could kick anyones ass because of the bike that they ride.
 
There are also sportbike guys who ride like squids and cut off cars and think that the road was made for them and that cars should all just get out of their way.
 
It's a matter of fact, some guys use bikes to "make up for something else" that is missing from their lives. And those are the ones with a little bit too much attitude.
 
Riding is just fun, and sometimes a challenge and sometimes dangerous. And as riders, we all need to be there for each other as fellow human beings. That is what this forum is for, a place for us all to learn and share with ea other.
 
 
I'll just leave this here
 

[faffi]

There was a time I used to be bothered, now I wave and if they do not return the gesture I reckon they have a reason and who am I to complain. In general, my experience is that Harley riders wave back more than most. Even the majority of the gang members will return a wave. The least likely to wave back are riders on standard Japanese motorcycles made for basic transportation. And BMW riders. But even here more will wave than those that do not.
 
 

[Sweeps]

In my experience the big ass windscreen Harley riders are too busy trying to look all cool and the like to bother acknowledging other riders. Just about everyone else I see acknowledges the kinship of riders.

[guylee]

It's weird I just mentioned this in the biker wave thread but I would say around here the Harley riders don't return the wave often.

[avanti]

Very interesting observations and opinions. Thanks, gang!
 
As for groups of riders--of any sort--the dynamics change, often dramatically, as with any other group. Having done research in social psychology, and taught it for decades, it's well understood that this is an entirely different animal than when people are alone. This is especially true when encountering others in need.
 
There are all kinds in any group.
 

[hobbs]

In my area waves from most folks are hit and miss, mostly hit.
 
The only group that doesn't wave are black riders, for whatever reason.
 

[Cruizin]

In my area waves from most folks are hit and miss, mostly hit. 
The only group that doesn't wave are black riders, for whatever reason.

 
Careful there please

[jetgirl]

It seems in New Hampshire and Massachusetts hardly anyone waves. In Maine, somewhat. In Vermont everyone always waved.

[hobbs]

In my area waves from most folks are hit and miss, mostly hit. 
The only group that doesn't wave are black riders, for whatever reason.

Careful there please

 
 
It was just an observation, nothing implied - feel free to edit if necessary. It is a strange local phenomenon.

[mitchrapp]

I'm a Harley rider (avatar) and a FZ-07 rider. I wave at pretty much everyone but those new three wheel thingys. To me they don't count. Soemtimes, I'll wave at a lady riding one, but its only in pity.
 
I've had all types of rider wave at me on both bikes. If they don't wave, I assume they were too busy looking out for goobers in cages to see me.

[rocco]

There is lots of hate down here. I had a ratty cruiser and was scoffed at the bike nights. They do not return the wave either regardless of bike.
 
There are also several outlaw clubs down here so I don't wave anymore or take offense if they don't.

[avanti]

rocco, just curious, where would "down here" be, roughly? I'm in the US South, so I'm just curious. Thanks.

[martin5]

I just got my FZ-07 a couple weeks ago.  I came from a Bolt C-Spec.  When riding the bolt, 9 times out of 10 Harley guys would wave.  Now on the FZ-07 in the past 300 miles that number has dropped to maybe 3/10. 

[rick]

  
 
I'll just leave this here
 

heh, heh, "Rolling Blunder" 
After 47 years of this sport, I'm sorta in the head nod camp. While mid turn or in bad traffic, forget about it - my attention is elsewhere. 
 
As for the feet forward guys, I'd say there's a bit more universal "motorcycle brotherhood" now than there was, say 20 years ago.  
 
About 10 years ago when I was still riding to work, I used to park next to a diehard harley guy, that would never even give me or my K1100RS BMW a look. And this a guy I'd see around the university where I worked fairly often. One day he showed up on a new Hardley and I just couldn't stand the silence anymore. Having just read a long article on that model, I asked him about all the, erm, refinements in that new one. He was just a bit shocked (and hopefully a little embarrassed) that I knew so much and maybe even a bit more about his new motor than he did. 
 
He still wouldn't give me recognition when we passed by each other in a hallway,  lol, but I would get an occasional good morning back. 

[rider]

I live in a small town and commute 2 towns away M-F, about 60 miles round trip. I rarely see a bike during the week, but everybody waves at everybody here. It doesn't matter what you ride - Harleys to scooters. It's not as segregated as it used to be.