Call me a knob, I don't care.

I am not a brand snob. I don't care what you ride. And normally, I'm
pretty friendly on the road. If a rider waves at me, or shows some
kind of attention, I'll usually return the favor. Harley, sportbike,
Beemer, hell, even a scooter will get a nod or a wave from me. But
these freakin' weirdos who glue pink or purple mohawks on the top of
their helmet are too much. I don't want anyone to think I might
actually be friends with someone that whacko. I ain't waving at no
frickin' pink mohawk.

 

Hello and welcome to 2005.

 

I guess we're a bit behind the times here in the new world.

 

You're a knob.

Just like I'll be told **** OFF pretty instantly.

Personally, being nodded to or getting a quick
perk on the headlight or whatever mattered to
me when I was learning. Hard to believe that's
over 20 years ago now.

I had a lay-off, for various reasons, of about 12
years from it all and nowadays I simply no
longer acknowledge anyone in that manner on
the roads.

I co-operate with trucks and vans just as I do
in a truck, van or car when they overtake me
and am conscientious about doing whatever
I can to stay in their mirrors--I know what you
feel like when you've gone past any kind of
two-wheeler in such a vehicle--you just want
to make sure you have passed them safely
without distracting them or chaning their
otherwise course of action on the road.

There is an argument that says I maybe
could be rather more diligent when it comes
to nodding to those learners I have a very real
respect for--those who are doing in what I
consider to be "the traditional way"--despite
the 250 and later 125 limits weren't introduced
here until the late 1970s and early 1980s.

But in all fairness, it's hard to tell just how
much experience they have, and I wouldn't
want to wreck the rep of motorcycling by
causing one to be overwhelmed with self-
conscious pride or uneasy embarrasment
and go piling into something or, worse,
someone.

As such, these days I tend to assume any
kind of gesture other than genuine signals
to other road users (brakes, indicators)
contravenes The Highway Code; and in the
same way I should ignore a car full of teens
flicking obscenities at me through the back
window with the stereo on full, I just tend
to ignore it.

Obviously if someone claims to be in some
kind of genuine trouble (hazards going) I may
offer to help still; but even that residual goodwill
has been somewhat eroded of late.

I did have to train myself out of it too, making
a conscious effort not to.

As far as I'm concerned it's not big, it's not
clever, and if people wish to meet up with
other local bikers then they should get out
to local biking pub's.

But if people wish to stick bright eyecatching
things on their helmets I have no objection;
I'm sure they'll be equally as noticeable to
monoglot cagers as they are to your good
self.

G DAEB
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