I've noticed that riding around on a motorcycle has changed in the last 13 years. I remember when I rode around on my old 150cc scooter down in NM, AZ, and UT that most fellow riders would give a friendly wave as they rode by. At first it caught me off guard, and since I felt a little intimidated by the larger bikes and fancier attire of the riders, I didn't get in to the "wave to the other rider" thing. But as I rode more and more, I found that motorbike riders were just a happier lot, and they couldn't just keep the joy of being out on a bike stuffed inside. You just had to let it out by acknowledging other riders who were experiencing the same thrill of the open road. It felt like you were suddenly initiated into a fraternal order of people who all knew this one secret...driving around inside a tin can sucks and motorcycles are awesome!
For some reason, things are a little different now. I was without a bike for about 6-7 years and I was very excited to get back into it. But now when I ride around it seems like you hardly ever get the "wave from the other riders." It seems like our fraternity was taken over by a bunch of snobs. Attorneys and doctors who put down tens of thousands of dollars on a bike and gear and then go looking for something they lost somewhere. Maybe I'm not seeing it accurately...I really hope I'm not, but for some reason it seems that riders today just don't share the same connection I felt when I first started riding. The love of the ride has been replaced by the show. The freedom has been usurped by the parade. Very sad.
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I've noticed the same thing with bicycle riders. It used to be that everybody would wave, no matter what kind of bike they were on or what kind of cloths they were wearing. But now it's only about 50% who will wave back. I wave every time because I know that those that are riding for the fad of it will probably get hit by a car and quit anyway.
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