Do you wave at other motorcycle/bike tourers?
Do you wave at other motorcycle/bike tourers? This was a thread I started couple of weeks back after returning from ladakh, the reason behind starting this thread wasn’t revealed when I started it since I wanted genuine answers from other members. What was the reason behind it? Read on…
When I went to ladakh this year I found more expeditions or motorcycle tours then individual bikers or groups. I met one such group while climbing Gata loops, it looked like an army expedition since it was being followed by an army truck carrying all of the luggage of the group and the whole group consisted of what looked like Yamaha fazers. When the group was crossing me (they were coming from the opposite side) I waved at them as I normally do when I see any other tourer. But in the group of at least a dozen motorcycle riders I didn’t even get a single wave back! While it may not sound as such a terrible thing to most, but for me it was a rude shock! In me previous trip to ladakh and other places, I had come across many bikers and always had a reply back in form of a thumbs up, wave, smile or a little bowing of the head. But this time there was none of this, despite the fact they were coming downhill on a fairly good stretch of road! This wasn’t confined to this group either; I came across few more tourers who showed the same attitude. While I did come across many riders who replied back or even waved at me before I did but this aspect of the ride did made me feel a bit sad.
Some of you might be wondering why I am putting so much emphasis on such a small thing, well for that you need to know why exactly I wave at other tourers. The reason behind it is the fact that I am happy to see another motorcycle tourer doing the same thing that I am doing, while in case of bike (cycle) riders it is purely out of respect for the effort they are putting in.
For me any tourer is my friend irrespective of the vehicle they are riding/driving or their nationality or group allegiance. A wave, a smile, thumbs up is just a small gesture to acknowledge that friendship. While you might not agree with these thoughts, but for me the day we bikers stop acknowledging each other and stop respecting each other for what we do, that day the biking brotherhood that some of us cherish so much will cease to exist and we will become no different from millions of commuters trying to hurry through a “routine”!
Totally agree with you. Touring on bikes has a touch of brotherhoodliness (I think that is the word). I always do it and most often than not I do get a response.
I would luv to, but in all these days of riding never came accross another motorcycle tourer(s) to wave at(may be i dont ride enough). Now i have seen groups riding doubles to share fuel, wearing no helmets. R they tourers? I define a tourer as wearing all the gear and mostly riding single with stuff tied on the rear seat. Of course baring exceptions. It do be easy on remote parts to see ppl on 2 wheels to recognize tourers, but how do u recognize one on normal highways?
Spot on Prabul, it is the brotherhood that differentiates us from rest of the travelers.
Praveen you are right, in Himalayas it is easy to spot tourers then in the plains. However even while touring in other places some time it is easy to spot a fellow tourer by the way they are dressed, riding the bike or carrying luggage, however in a day ride unless a person is riding in group it is quite difficult to differentiate. But then again even waving at a local rider isn’t such a bad thing, after all a smile or wave doesn’t cost a thing and if it manages to bring a smile to another persons face then it is more then worth it.