Total Motorcycle Community Forums

luis_alberto wrote:I think that it must be required to all riders (no matter the size of the engine) that go into traffic to take a motorcycle safety course.

They are over here, new riders* are required to take the CBT which sounds similar to the riders edge course except on smaller bikes and with an on-road section in order to ride sub 125cc (14.6bhp) machines.


* Grandfather rights apply to people holding a Class B (car) entitlement on their licence from before 01/02/2001 which mean they do not have to do training or wear L plates on mopeds.**

** Moped is defined as;
a motorcycle that has the following features:
~maximum design speed not exceeding 50 kilometres per hour (km/h) (about 31 miles per hour (mph))
~an engine capacity no greater than 50 cc
~can be moved by pedals if the moped was first used before 1 September 1977

I find it is mainly the Harley guys and especially the custom chopper ones that tend to not wave. I wave to them all if I can. You can almost tell the ones that are not going to wave back.

Hi Kal, how ya doing. The UK may be a nanny state, but they seem to be getting the bike thing right

I used to wave at other bikes religiously, but there are just soo many other bikes on the road today it is kind of meaningless. I need to get one of those plastic wavey hands on a metal spring to handle the load as to not offend anyones sensibilities when I am out riding

Now as for the diffferent attitudes that you face riding different bikes, I find this funny as heck as well. When the wife used to have a VTR 250 I was amazed at how many people wanted to square off at stop-lights, when virtually nobody was interested when I was on my VTR1000 . I would get snickered at by the guy on the Gixxer with 3/4" of chicken strips on his squared off tire and experience a completely different attitude than when I was on my big bike. Same thing with older bikes: I get a distinctly different vibe from others when I ride the 14 year old viffer vs. the LOUD and narly Superduke. For a while I thought it was just me or a coincidence but it happens....

BTW the VTR250 was dead even against a 1500 Boulevard Suzuki up to 120km/hr. (at which point he took a sudden exit )

sapaul wrote:Hi Kal, how ya doing. The UK may be a nanny state, but they seem to be getting the bike thing right

Hiya Paul

The bike thing was well balanced, but now they've changed it agian it's getting harder and harder to pass, if only because the most recent updates have come from the EU and conditions her are inately different. Little things like speed limits.

High_Side wrote:BTW the VTR250 was dead even against a 1500 Boulevard Suzuki up to 120km/hr. (at which point he took a sudden exit )

I want a VTR250 Such a pretty, pretty bike >lust<

I've never heard of a VTR250. Just looked it up, awesome. Too bad the demographic over here in the US leans hard (hard = more cc's) to the cruiser or sportbike side and not much in between.

I try to wave to everyone that seems to be in my field of view and if my clutch hand is not busy.

High_Side wrote:I used to wave at other bikes religiously, but there are just soo many other bikes on the road today it is kind of meaningless. I need to get one of those plastic wavey hands on a metal spring to handle the load as to not offend anyones sensibilities when I am out riding

I'm with you on this. When I was a noob rider a couple of years ago, and I wouldn't get the return wave I would instantly think, "What is this guy's problem?" But it's not necessarily a bad attitude. Could be he's afraid to let go of the handlebars. Could be he is lost in his thoughts. Could be he doesn't know you from Adam, so why are you waving at him? Or it could be he just didn't see you. If you don't get the return wave try not to take it personally, I know I don't. I usually don't wave at scooters either. I guess I don't consider them to be "motorcycles", although technically they are.

I usually don't wave at scooters either. I guess I don't consider them to be "motorcycles", although technically they are.[/quote]


Philistine

bandit600 wrote:I've never heard of a VTR250. Just looked it up, awesome. Too bad the demographic over here in the US leans hard (hard = more cc's) to the cruiser or sportbike side and not much in between.

Actually, I was referring to the old one that was sole in the US. My wife's '90 VTR has basically the same engine as the new Japanese market VTR250 that looks like a Monster. They didn't sell well in Canada because they listed at $5500 new in 1990! Thats more than you need to buy a new 2010 Ninja 250 for today!

I wave most of the time, tho I do notice its mainly the posers on choppers who don't wave back. But as for universal hand signal for bikers, I think there should be one that could be used to warn on-coming riders that a speed tax collector has set up shop just down the road. Couple of times while riding home, I've spotted an unmarked RCMP mini-van pulled off to the side of the other side of the highway usually around a bend just awaiting for some poor soul to blast by, then a few minutes later see an on-coming rider heading straight into the trap. Apart from flashing my high beams at him or her, we've no way of warning them. And with headlight modulators, odds are they wont notice the warning. I was thinking a hand sign, something thing like holding out your arm with your palm outward and fingers spread wide open, and then clenching into a fist...sort of like showing 5-0......just a thought