Why do Harley Riders fail to return biker hand acknowledgement?

I consider anyone on two wheels as my extended family. That's why I wave at everyone. If I don't get a wave back, I don't take it personally and keep on riding.  

Dave - scooter are not what they used to be. I have seen some pretty tricked out Yamaha scooters. You will get a wave from me no problem.  

Not sure why the cruiser guys are like that.  So far only the "serious" bikers ignore my wife and I, but for the most part everyone on two wheels has been friendly.  

Dear All.. sorry for my over long monologues.. re First Bike.. Storm at night..kept me awake..

It could be a displacement thing... or they ride so little that they are concerned solely with maintaining control of their machine..

I have ridden some.. in different parts of the world.. and their handling is(often) other worldly.. but entertaining all the same.. in some corners I may have considering not waving at on coming vehicles..unless it was to signal that they should get off the road (due mainly to over exuberant use of the throttle,arriving at said corner a little hot, the resultant feeling that I was on two halves of one bike as it tied itself in knots..). The "girls" I was with did ask.. "is it normal for flames to keep coming out the back before the corners".. Coast road to Hermanus from Cape Town S.A..
I think the new ones are probably better..
As Steve Harris(of Harris in the UK) said to me after riding one...for what they are for..they are quite fun.. a bit underframed.

So if they don't wave.. It's because they're trying desperately to stay in control of the beast and on the road..

So wave regardless.. even at scooters and cyclists..  

Because I know a few guys that belong to certain Motorcycle Clubs in California. I can give you a straight answer. Gang signls. A casual Harley rider mostly will signal back if your riding a Harley and not wearing rockers of patches but never to a someone on a crotch rocket or a patch holder. Having owned and ridden a Harley in California it's kinda the unwritten rule. It's not a good idea to flash or wave to someone you do not know. It's the wrong way to get the wrong groups or persons attention directed to yourself. Because a casual wave can look like a finger to some people. If your riding a foreign bike 99% of Harley riders won't even acknowledge you exist. Here in Texas only the biggest bike bigots or *** won't wave back. I only nod if waved at when on my Triumph or my Rigid Sportster. I'll flash a peace sign at stop lights but thats it. Save your self a beat down and don't buzz past any patch holders. Change lanes and just go by.
You charging past isn't a good idea to some groups of riders. The sargent at arms will come talk with you and it wont be a nice conversation. And these guys ride all the time and are alot better riders than you might think, one of them might tail you even if your doing 120. Or just dont let it bother you and do what the safety course instructor said, look ahead and keep both hands on the bars.  

that is one of the biggest excuses i have heard yet. not everyone who rides a harley is in a gang, maybe one percent are. you want a "straight answer" then it is that most harley riders dont know what riding is about. they are all about the image of it, and there image doesnt include sport riders. it is really unfortunate that they dont see the true meaning of riding, and to be honest they give that one percent who are about more a bad name. if youre on two wheels then who cares what you ride. and im pretty sure that someone whos all about the look on out-dated technolgy isnt going to come close to tailing someone who "charges past" them who knows what they are doing. ive been there a few times and nothing happens. the way i see it is give everyone a wave and if they refuse to acknowlege you, they either didnt see you or they are one of the posers.  

see75see:
that is one of the biggest excuses i have heard yet. not everyone who rides a harley is in a gang, maybe one percent are.

Exactly. I pass by Harley riders every single day here in California, and fewer than one percent of the H-D riders have been "patch holders".

It's pretty easy to distinguish them from the general H-D population, and at least over here, they could care less if someone on a bike waved at them...unless it was apparent that they were from a rival gang. Otherwise, they won't give it a second thought. They've got more important things to worry about than some non-member waving at them.

Now "blowing by" any group that you see ahead of you--patch holders or anyone else-- at close range, of course, is not recommended and will obviously elicit a response. But to tell you the truth, it's not a recommended policy for any vehicle you encounter.  

I have only ridden on the east coast and in western Europe, but i find that 99% of the riders I encounter wave back.  The 1% that don't here in Germany are the BMW dual-sport riders, man are they arrogant.  
Broom Brooomm

that is a BEAUTIFUL FZ, i'm a proud YZF 600R owner here but i love my classic yamaha's.

regardless, i wave at everybody, even the scooters. 90% of them wave back. if not, eh, screw 'em.  

I don't wave, ever. Not because of what or how I ride. School bus drivers wave to each other, I noticed. To think that you're a part of some brotherhood with others just because you're on 2 wheels is sort of lame. Good and bad people come in all shapes, sizes and colors; they also drive, ride, scoot and fly all kinds of different vehicles. Go ahead and wave at me when we ride by each other if you want. If you get your panties in a bunch when I don't wave back, it's you who's got their nose in the air, stuck up or whatever you wanna call it. I'm not trying to stop you from waving so don't try to stop me from not waving. I've never been one to be a part of "command behavior" of any sort. To each their own!  

I always wave at all bikers and I find for the most part they all wave back even the Harley guys. Maybe Canadian bikers are just more freindly?  

Hi guys,

New here and joined to answer this thread.

I ride both a Harley Sportser (Nightster to be specific) and a sportbike (CBR1000).

Frankly, I don't like waving to anybody, whether I'm on my cruiser or sportbike. The reason is simple:
For me riding a bike is an all consuming activity. That's one of the reason I ride. Total focus on the moment. Watching out for crazy drivers, road hazards, gravel, animals,  etc. etc.. It let's me forget everything else that's going on my world.

I don't like to be distracted by every other rider who feels the need to wave to me. Sometimes, people ride in packs of hundreds and I feel like I'm watching some sort of parade and obligated to wave to every one of these guys.

For a while I decided that instead of taking my hand off the handlebars (a safety hazard I believe) I'd just nod my head. But even that is distracting when I'm watching the road and focused on riding by bike, not making pleasantries.

I'm probably the odd one out, but if you see me on the road and I don't wave now you know why. It's not because I'm stuck up, it's because I'm caught up in the zen of riding.

Cheerio
Raz  

A friend of mine went on a big Harley ride and came back with the answer:
HD guys hate sportbikers because.....
wait for it....
we pass.

Seriously that's it.

The HD ride protocol says that you DO NOT PASS the rider in front of you, regardless how slow he's going or whatever.
Ever notice that HD/cruiser dudes will actually hug the double yellow so you can't pass?

It's sounds absurd, but one of the biggest HD clubs in SoCal abides by this nonsense...strictly.

Now you know.

As for the others...they're just dicks.  

From my perspective riding in the southeastern part of the country it seems there is a real dislike for those people riding sport bikes. They still call them "crotch rockets" down here and surely this kind of bike is immediatley associated with a stupid kid. The metric riders will usually wave, but the "harley guys" seldom do. When they do wave rather than a one finger salute they subtley give you the "asshole sign". So, i don't wave to any cruiser guys unless they WAVE first. I'm 55 and ride an RC51 a CBR600RR and a VFR750.  

I wave at every rider I can, if it's safe to do so. If they don't wave back, it's no big deal.

For a time, I had stopped waving altogether. Then one day, I was in kind of a bad mood, another rider waved at me and it really made my day. Now I wave to pass that feeling on. I don't need a response.