Modern Vespa

OK I've got the WWWave down, you know left hand out below
the waist, thats all nothing else. Are there other nonverbal signals
I should Know?

Also do they sell a "la Cuka Ratcha" horn for lx 150s?
I know my spelling must be wrong but how many went to
their H>S> Spanish Dictionary to look up "cuka"?
Allright put your hands down.

jim

Biker coming toward you patting the top of his helmet is letting you know that the Rollers are ahead.

Weirded me out first time I saw it.

Rollers == Cops

Thanks for answering the question before it was uttered.

Not a gesture used here.

"La Cucaracha" = The Cockroach

Well all the hand signs are something every rider should know.


You can find more at this site.


Hand Signs



But two others that are good to know are the road hazards (pothole, trash, etc)

If passing on the left point hand with a couple of fingers extended down at he hazard and track as passing by.

If passing on the right extend your foot out.

This lets riders behind you know that there's something in the road to watch out for.


Myself, I've may it a habit and do it all the time, so it's become second nature.

http://www.msf-usa.org/index_new.cfm

Group ride hand signs.

One thing I am always amused by is people pointing out hazards on the road - depending where you are you can end up flapping your arms like a scooter Vishnu.

People don't tend to do the hazard thing here, for whatever reason.

Someone once told me it was to be used if there's a police car in your mirror, to let the cop know you've seen them and you're slowing down / not about to swerve across their path.

I've never used it though!

LOL!

or is that Shiva?

I am always one to point out the uglies ( hazards etc..) and some of my scooter buddies think that it is sometimes silly.... but I say it is not as silly as having your front wheel sucked down into a freakin' pit in the road or running over a fresh road kill....

WONDER that made my day

Ewww, I am all for avoiding the road kill.
Seriously, most of the hazard hand signals are borrowed from cycling peletons. Used 'em meself with the people-powered pedal rides. With the exception of the "wave" Most of the Armstrong wanna-be's would as soon run you over as wave 'hello'.
So nice that Scooterists are such a friendly bunch!

i ran over a dead fox in the blackwall tunnel at the weekend all the hand signals in the world wouldn't have helped as there is no room to swerve. i thought it was a brown paper bag until i saw his little paws in the air... BUMP BUMP - squish ..... sorry lil buddy

well one does need to use common sense, just as with doing the "wave" Or a flatten can or a small patch of gravel in a curve.

I ride with the PGR, and they are very big on hand signs in group rides.

Which I find to be a good thing, when you're riding a staggered line with a group of bikes you can't always see the road hazards ahead.

Not far enough apart for the speed then...

I've given up totally on giving warnings of road debris etc. In giving the warning I'm taking my mind off my own riding, which is possibly a greater hazard than just some mud in the road. Besides, I find these days I mostly ride with those who can spot these things for themselves.

Around here at least, other bikers will pat their hand flat, palm down, to tell you to slow down, an indication of stopped traffic or police radar ahead.

That's the standard mandated 'slow-down' hand signal here. For cagers too.

In the UK truckers used to flash thier lights and do the thumbs down signal to warn others of Plod up ahead.

I love the French because the flash you for miles and miles before you see one.

Bill x

When I was at the Cold Play concert sunday night they made everyone take out there cell phone and turn them on. They started from one side of the stadium and we did a wave with the light from the cell phone when all of the other lights were turned out. Was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Sorry but the wave reminded me of this.

Ewwwww - I'm with you BleuBelle. I'm not in a hurry to see any roadkill either (as a newbie I guess I'm naively hoping I never have to).

Saw the title to this post and thought it was about that german film "The Wave" - bit disappointed it wasn't

When out in Mexico the coach drivers would turn on their cabin lights and slow down as they passed each other in the desert - they'd then both gesticulate wildly with one hand. I thought at first it was just random waving but it turned out there was a complete language behind the signals. Couldn't work out for the life of me what they were saying - I guess it was a lonely job.

Rarely use hand signals in London as I like to have both hands on the bars. I once crashed my vespa due to giving hand signals. The car in front pulled nicely over to give me room to pass and I raised my left hand to say thanks. At the same time the next car in line did exactly the same so I left my hand off the bar in order to say thanks to him to. Sadly he hadn't actually seen me but had pulled over to the side in order to give himself a larger turning circle to spin round in the traffic. I ended up putting on to much front brake as I only had that hand on the bars as he swung across me. Oddly enough I could see the funny side even as I slid down the road in to the side of his car. I just nod to drivers now.

Mike

I hate it when drivers flash their lights! I always think "What? WHAT!? Am I on fire? Is there an eight-vehicle pileup round the next corner?"

Actually here:
http://www.msf-usa.org/index_new.cfm?spl=2&action=display&pagename=Library

Group Riding "Quick Tips" near the bottom of the second section down

London hazards

"There's pothole/pedestrian/cyclist/dudeonskates/deadbadger/rolledovertaxi/japanesetourist/fifteenbeerbottles/oldnewspaper/brokencarrots/kidwearingshades/squashedfootball/twitwearinganiPod/brokenumbrella/falseleg/babypigeon/oilslick/vomit/dieselspill/watercolourpainting/cavernofdoom".

After a while, you just ignore it all and marmalise foxes like genie.

I had a guy do the Jim Davison "nick nick " at me I was doing 50 on a 30 dual ..... thanks whoever he was

Dont forget the universal sighs of the roadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_sign

I don't often go on group rides, but I did see someone in front of me a few bikes pat their hindquarters with their left hand.

Now it didn't much look like the ride behind them was tailgating, but does patting your rear mean "stop riding my SS" ???

Hmm I'll have to look at the hand sign page....

I have learned that useing the left hand and open and closing it like a talking sock puppet means "you left your blinker on", something my husband does often.

Well if it was just a few "mates" out for a ride I might agree.

But it's not a joy ride, it's a funeral procession with a large number of bikes many flying full flags (which is quite a sight).

So IMHO hands signs are useful thing.

You mean that there's no universal 'sock puppet' in the road signal?! They can be quite hazardous. Especially the Monkey ones.

Generally, "the wave" consists of not just a low wave of the hand, but with two fingers extended to indicate "two-wheeler."

Once I got a bit weirded out when a guy in a T-rex threw me the wave. Even though it's classed as a motorcycle here, the damn thing is a car!

Anything MV-Bot can do, I can do better..!