communication signals for all bikers!

Ok..lets get this cleared up. Been to cali..texas..florida..nyc..upstate ny and north carolina, riding. The language is a universal one for all bikers as far as I have seen and been told..especially if ur in a motorcycle club or crew. 1)Police=knockers so knock on ur helmet/lid. Some say its a sign for heads up watch for cops..whatever u want...it means POLICE!!!!.
2)the leg kick to the left or right..is meant to let other behind u know there's an obstruction on the floor..ex- pothole, rock, tire, wood, sand, oil, water, whatever...etc.. The left leg usually means its on the left of the biker doing it and vice versa.
3)Pointing to ur tank...duh..u need gas.
4)A fist in the air..means tighten up the staggered formation. Every body pulls closer in staggered formation..possibly cuz we r exiting the highway soon or for whatever reason.
5)Left hand pointing over ur helmet to the right...we r turning right or exiting right. Still using turn signal/blinker but the hand gesture is for those further back or scattered to the side. Same thing to the left.
6)Hand down ..wide open palm facing the rear while kinda patting the air is slow down. Maybe the traffic is thick ahead or exiting soon or whatever.
7)Left hand/arm down 2 fingers out...the peace sign...universal greeting for passing bikers.
8)1 honk of the horn at a stop light...means the light is about to change..everybody into first gear get ready to roll.

Flashing lights..usually used for passing someone especially at night. When changing lanes...if ur in the staggered formation..u see the biker behind u in the right or left mirror depending on the side of the lane ur riding. Besides that..the 1 second turn of the head to look over ur shoulder is mandatory. All the combined hand gestures are bullsh#t cuz there's no time to do all that to a passing bike. Simple..knock on ur lid! I added airhorns to my bike..easy to do urself and I use the horns and pull my clutch in while revving a few times to let someone know I'm passing them (usually someone in a cage that looks like they're about to do something stupid or come into my lane). Some people wanna be cool and make up there own gestures for they're club/friends..but I think that's a bad idea. We should all speak the same language. When we ride in formation..we don't crash into ourselves like idiots or cause a dominoe effect if one goes down. Plus it leaves that emergency space on one side to swerve into. Hope we can get it together cuz our culture is a dangerous one..no matter how well u ride. Keep ur heads up and 2 wheels down..stay safe.
Peace!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK7TV5xPT9A

Where were you when they needed this advice?

I just prefer not riding in groups...one or two other people who I know are good riders and think the way I do is enough....

I have a friend who is an idiot on a bike, don't even like to ride with him. Have to split my attention between what I'm doing and what he's doing...that's dangerous...

Nice write up ES. The most important thing while riding in groups is to be staggered, not directly side by side. I did a memorial ride for my father last year and went over the route, speeds and signals (same as your list) we'd use before we left, and there were no problems. The less surprises the better in my opinion. We had a cople of novice riders with us, and the foot point saved one of them from eating a huge pothole.

I also agree with you Jeff. I will not ride with someone I cannot trust. It's hard enough looking out for myself, let alone the antics of a clueless/reckless idiot.

Most def. I ride alone 95% of the time cuz I ride everywhere I go if weather and circumstance permits. If I do go out for a run with the fellas..its usually 2 of my buddies that have been riding for many yrs and recently 2 of their friends who are also experienced and cool headed riders. Aside from knowing the signs and riding in formation...we all have respect and common sense. I went on a run recently with a group of about 15 bikes..worst thing I did. Had guys riding all next to eachother (god forbid one went down..everyone else woulda followed like a bunch of dominoes.)...and wheelies passing everyone. One guy got mad and tried to run a car off the road tellin him to pull over bcuz another idiot on a bike was coming down the highway and blew past everyone at like 100-110mph and the car didn't see him coming and almost went into the bikes lane but swerved back. What do u expect when ur flying at a 100 in a 55? He was trying to punch at the window and kick at his car...making us all look like a group of insane gangster bikers. Later my boyz told me the same cat almost ran into the back of my bike and I didn't even know. Same idiot that told me to tell everyone up front he needed gas then took off to go tell them himself!! almost clipping my front in the process. The best run I ever had was with like 200 bikes on a 9-11 run for the 5th year commemoration of the world trade center attack. We rode down with blockers that rode ahead and blocked the highway ramps so that we were the only vehicles on the highway and at the intersections so we never stopped till we got to ground zero...and the best part was that the cops didn't bother us and were at the intersections.....I guess the motorcycle clubs got permission. People were on the sidelines waving..and cheering. Then when we got to ground zero we all raised our lids and had a few minutes of silence. Then before leaving all of us revved our engines. We rode in formation the whole way there and then a bbq after. Best experience of my life.

I do a lot of fundraiser rides. Breast cancer seems to be the biggest reason (we bikers do like the boobies!) and most have been pretty well organized police escorted rides. The last one I went on was a little crazy. They were flying along at 65-70 mph on rural roads, which is a little too fast for such a ride. These things are supposed to be a relaxed 45-50 mph cruise/parade where people and kids line up along the route and you can wave/honk/rev your motor/do a little wheelie as you accelerate off a corner, etc... as you pass the crowd. At 65-70, the group gets too spread out, then jams back up together and the people lining the route don't get a good look at all the bikes.

That's part of my problem with group riding...there is no "one size fits all" speed for riding.

Occasionally I'll ride with my friend's CMA chapter. They are all good riders, but pretty pokey for my tastes...and I'm not a real aggressive rider...but I get frustrated after a while when they are holding back traffic on long two-laners and stuff. That's when cars get pissed and impatient, try to pass the line and find they can't do it, then cut back into your line to save themselves from a head-on, and you better not be the one beside them when that happens...

And then I've ridden with groups who are either much better riders or just plain crazy, or both, and I realize after struggling and making myself fear for my safety to try to keep up, that it's not worth it. I fall back, and ride my own road. They give me shit about being slow, but I also have a perfect safety record on two wheels, which none of them can claim. Some of them have the titanium to prove it. I like high tech alloys, but not in my body :uhoh:

My intense dislike of pain is a good limiter for me. It keeps me from doing foolish things.

Oddly, a lotta riders seem to lack this basic quality...

I prefer to ride alone. I ride quite offen with a friend but we ride a fair distance apart. So pretty much alone.