Lol.. I met this really enthusiastic guy once on a big gold wing bagfed up and doing about 70mph on the otherside of a dual carriage way, I was doing 'about' 70 as well guy was waving and grinning madley...I gave him a nod but wasnt to keen on waving and grinning back as had cars front side and back!....I was happy that he was happy though...
If the road is a bit tricky and needs a bit of concentration I'll often give a flash of the headlights rather than take my hand/feet off the controls.
Going back to the title of the thread “Advice To Foreign Bikers on French Roads”, the best tip I can think of (and surprised it’s not been mentioned before) is to drive on the right. Definitely safer that way.
We here in Australia because we drive on the left hand side of the road we nod our heads as our right hand is on the throttle. That's how we acknowledge other riders.
It seems mostly patch bikers feel they're to cool to acknowledge other bikers, especially if they are in a group, otherwise most bikers nod.
Nod Wave Flash Headlight Dangle a leg I do any of the above, but generally not all at the same time. Hasn't anybody noticed that waving with the left hand can still be seen even when riding on the left? - just saying. If a faster rider is coming up behind I'll sometimes dangle a leg (lets him/her know I've seen him too), so far it hasn't been taken off - or taken him out. However Jonny Foreigner riding on the right has a couple of advantages (apart from fantastic roads and mostly less traffic) The dropping of the left hand below the bar and two finger to the ground wave (probably mostly Italians) looks way cooler than us Brits nodding away like demented chickens. The internationally recognised left hand "slow down - Plod is just round the corner" is much easier to see when riding on the right.
I always understood that HD stood for “hundred dollars”, the dealer’s standard response to a customer’s query.
I got a nod, whilst sat at some lights in town the other day, from a guy on a full dress, Harley, 2 wheeled apartment in a sort of flat dishwater grey colour so I don't think you can attribute "assholeness" to any one brand. A nod, a wave, a leg shake are all good and require little effort. A headlight flash is probably less effective with most bikes now running DRL's, plus, the Triumph doesn"t have a flash or "pass" button anyway.
i wave at everybody. if they dont wave back i go on about my life. life is too short to let the assholes determine your state of mind.
I was told that 96% of Harley Davidson bikes ever made are still on the road. The other 4% made it home.
. In this instance it's good to remind yourself exactly who the Jonny foreigners are ( a mirror helps)