The Wave by Tom Ruttan

[g21-30]

Found this article here:

http://www.ekho.com/elton/PC800/The%20Wave.htm

The Wave
By Tom Ruttan
CYCLE CANADA - APRIL 2002

The bike's passenger seat swept up just enough that I could see over my father's shoulders. That seat was my throne. My dad and I traveled many backroads, searching for the ones we had never found before. Traveling these roads just to see where they went. Never in a rush. Just be home for supper.

I remember wandering down a back road with my father, sitting on my throne watching the trees whiz by, feeling the rumble of our bike beneath us like a contented giant cat. A motorcycle came over a hill toward us and as it went by, my father threw up his gloved clutch hand and gave a little wave. The other biker waved back with the same friendly swing of his left wrist.

I tapped my father on his shoulder, which was our signal that I wanted to say something. He cocked his helmeted ear back slightly while keeping his eyes ahead.

I yelled, "Do we know him?"
'What?" he shouted.
"You waved to him. Who was it?"
"I don't know. Just another guy on a bike. So I waved."
"How come?"
"You just do. It's important."

Later, when we had stopped for chocolate ice cream, I asked why it was important to wave to other bikers. My father tried to explain how the wave demonstrated comradeship and a mutual understanding of what it was to enjoy riding a motorcycle. He looked for the words to describe how almost all bikers struggled with the same things like cold, rain, heat, car drivers who did not see them, but how riding remained an almost pure pleasure.

I was young then and I am not sure that I really understood what he was trying to get across, but it was a beginning. Afterward, I always waved along with my father when we passed other bikers.

I remember one cold October morning when the clouds were heavy and dark, giving us another clue that winter was riding in from just over the horizon. My father and I were warm inside our car as we headed to a friend's home. Rounding a comer, we saw a motorcycle parked on the shoulder of the road. Past the bike, we saw the rider walking through the ditch, scouring the long grasses crowned with a touch of frost. We pulled over and backed up to where the bike stood.

I asked Dad, "Who's that?"
"Don't know," he replied. "But he seems to have lost something. Maybe we can give him a hand."

We left the car and wandered through the tall grass of the ditch to the biker. He said that he had been pulling on his gloves as he rode and he had lost one. The three of us spent some time combing the ditch, but all we found were two empty cans and a plastic water bottle.

My father turned and headed back to our car and I followed him. He opened the trunk and threw the cans and the water bottle into a small cardboard box that we kept for garbage. He rummaged through various tools, oil containers and windshield washer fluid until he found an old crumpled pair of brown leather gloves. Dad straightened them out and handed them to me to hold. He continued looking until he located an old catalogue. I understood why my dad had grabbed the gloves. I had no idea what he was going to do with the catalogue. We headed back to the biker who was still walking the ditch.

My dad said, "Here's some gloves for you. And I brought you a catalogue as well."
"Thanks," he replied. I really appreciate it." He reached into his hip pocket and withdrew a worn black wallet.
"Let me give you some money for the gloves," he said as he slid some bills out.
"No thanks," my dad replied as I handed the rider the gloves. "They're old and not worth anything anyway."
The biker smiled. "Thanks a lot." He pulled on the old gloves and then he unzipped his jacket. I watched as my father handed him the catalogue and the biker slipped it inside his coat. He jostled his jacket around to get the catalogue sitting high and centered under his coat and zipped it up. I remember nodding my head at the time, finally making sense of why my dad had given him the catalogue. It would keep him a bit warmer. After wishing the biker well, my father and I left him warming up his bike.

Two weeks later, the biker came to our home and returned my father's gloves. He had found our address on the catalogue. Neither my father nor the biker seemed to think that my father stopping at the side of the road for a stranger and giving him a pair of gloves, and that stranger making sure that the gloves were returned, were events at all out of the ordinary for people who rode motorcycles. For me, it was another subtle lesson.

It was spring the next year when I was sitting high on my throne, watching the farm fields slip by when I saw two bikes coming towards us. As they rumbled past, both my father and I waved, but the other bikers kept their sunglasses locked straight ahead and did not acknowledge us. I remember thinking that they must have seen us because our waves were too obvious to miss. Why hadn't they waved back? I thought all bikers waved to one another.

I patted my father on his shoulder and yelled, "How come they didn't wave to us?"
"Don't know. Sometimes they don't."

I remember feeling very puzzled. Why wouldn't someone wave back?

Later that summer, I turned 12 and learned how to ride a bike with a clutch. I spent many afternoons on a country laneway beside our home, kicking and kicking to start my father's '55 BSA. When it would finally sputter to a start, my concentration would grow to a sharp focus as I tried to let out the clutch slowly while marrying it with just enough throttle to bring me to a smooth takeoff. More often, I lurched and stumbled forward while trying to keep the front wheel straight and remember to pick my feet up. A few feet farther down the lane, I would sigh and begin kicking again.

A couple of years later, my older brother began road racing, and I became a racetrack rat. We spent many weekends wandering to several tracks in Ontario-Harewood, Mosport and eventually Shannonville. These were the early years of two-stroke domination, of Kawasaki green and 750 two-stroke triples, of Yvon Duhamel's cat-and-mouse games and the artistry of Steve Baker.

Eventually, I started to pursue interests other than the race track. I got my motorcycle licence and began wandering the backroads on my own. I found myself stopping along sideroads if I saw a rider sitting alone, just checking to see if I could be of help. And I continued to wave to each biker I saw.

But I remained confused as to why some riders never waved back. It left me with almost a feeling of rejection, as if I were reaching to shake someone's hand but they kept their arm hanging by their side.

I began to canvass my friends about waving. I talked with people I met at bike events, asking what they thought. Most of the riders told me they waved to other motorcyclists and often initiated the friendly air handshake as they passed one another.

I did meet some riders, though, who told me that they did not wave to other riders because they felt that they were different from other bikers. They felt that they were "a breed apart." One guy told me in colourful language that he did not "wave to no wusses.'' He went on to say that his kind of bikers were tough, independent, and they did not require or want the help of anyone, whether they rode a bike or not.

I suspected that there were some people who bought a bike because they wanted to purchase an image of being tougher, more independent, a not-putting-up-with-anyone's-crap kind of person, but I did not think that this was typical of most riders.

People buy bikes for different reasons. Some will be quick to tell you what make it is, how much they paid for it, or how fast it will go. Brand loyalty is going to be strong for some people whether they have a Harley, Ford, Sony, Nike or whatever. Some people want to buy an image and try to purchase another person's perception of them. But it can't be done. They hope that it can, but it can't.

Still, there is a group of people who ride bikes who truly are a "breed apart." They appreciate both the engineering and the artistry in the machines they ride. Their bikes become part of who they are and how they define themselves to themselves alone.

They don't care what other people think. They don't care if anyone knows how much they paid for their bike or how fast it will go. The bike means something to them that nothing else does. They ride for themselves and not for anyone else. They don't care whether anyone knows they have a bike. They may not be able to find words to describe what it means to ride, but they still know. They might not be able to explain what it means to feel the smooth acceleration and the strength beneath them. But they understand.

These are the riders who park their bikes, begin to walk away and then stop. They turn and took back. They see something when they look at their bikes that you might not. Something more complex, something that is almost secret, sensed rather than known. They see their passion. They see a part of themselves.

These are the riders who understand why they wave to other motorcyclists. They savour the wave. It symbolizes the connection between riders, and if they saw you and your bike on the side of the road, they would stop to help and might not ask your name. They understand what you are up against every time you take your bike on the road-the drivers that do not see you, the ones that cut you off or tailgate you, the potholes that hide in wait. The rain. The cold.

I have been shivering and sweating on a bike for more than 40 years. Most of the riders that pass give me a supportive wave. I love it when I see a younger rider on a "crotch rocket" scream past me and wave. New riders carrying on traditions.

And I will continue in my attempts to get every biker just a little closer to one another with a simple wave of my gloved clutch hand. And if they do not wave back when I extend my hand into the breeze as I pass them, I will smile a little more. They may be a little mistaken about just who is a "breed apart."

[addy126]

Excellent!

[bob706]

Awesome

[Cab305]

Very eloquent.

[JeffM]

[spooph]

indeed, I love waiving!

[addy126]

Originally Posted by spooph

indeed, I love waiving!

Waiving = to excuse one's action or right
Waving = to move one's hand to articulate a movement side to side, up and down that acknowledges another lol

[Alex]

[Banzai]

[capt_bugaloo]

[ally99]

NICE! Thanks for sharing!

[welcome2thedawn]

awesome article...thanks for sharing

[Cab305]

Hope you don't mind will post this in local forum.

[g21-30]

Originally Posted by Cab305

Hope you don't mind will post this in local forum.

It's not mine; however, you should give credit to Tom Ruttan.

[sombo]

Ok, finally got the chance to find this post again so I could read it. Great article and well written. I always wave.... well at least when I actually see the other rider in time. There are times where I'm too focused on my side of the road to see a rider in the other direction. And sometimes when I don't get the wave back I first think that perhaps they too just did not see me in time and nothing more.

[jApOrMs]

[Snake]

Great story. Like Tom Ruttan said in the story. Whenever onother biker waves back at me I feel a connection to the biker community.

[CZroe]

I only wave at BLUE!!!

J/K; I even wave at scooters and bicycles.

[RedCromwell]

Just wanted to post something I thought was funny...

So, I'm riding my bike home last night. The sun had set an hour ago. I see a single headlight approaching me from the opposite direction so, I put my hand out to give the "wave" to a fellow rider.

And as we meet it's a car with one headlight out.

I just had to chuckle to myself.

[Indy250r]

Good read.

It felt pretty cool the first time I got the wave.

[Rosie]

Nobody ever waves around here
Is it just me not noticing?

[JeffM]

A gentleman gave me the shaka sign last weekend. I just waved back kind of awkwardly as I tried to present a half a$$ shaka back at him I need to practice my shaka while riding.

[RedCromwell]

I had thought about giving the "shaka" sign to people... but worried that people would have no idea what it was and think I was flipping them off or something.

[tjkamper]

Originally Posted by Indy250r

Good read.

It felt pretty cool the first time I got the wave.

Your first wave is comparable to a first kiss. It is a very emotional and even puzzling experience.

[tjkamper]

Originally Posted by RedCromwell

I had thought about giving the "shaka" sign to people... but worried that people would have no idea what it was and think I was flipping them off or something.

In Venezuela that is a perverse gesture suggestive of the F word. Not as in "F*** YOU", but like saying, "I want to F*** her/him."

[Havok]

Great article! This is how I feel when I ride and see other riders. It's part of the appeal of riding to me. The comradery with other riders, that they know the feeling as well. I always wave as long as it is safe, if I can't get my hands up a head nod or leg out for sure. If they wave back cool if not oh well, tradition is tradition, two wheels and a motor they get the respect, little kids on bikes get the wave as well, it's cool as they get a beaming smile as they try and ride with me, that way when the get older and ride they can keep the tradition alive

[Rosie]

Got my first "wave" today
Actually, it was more of a "head nod" at a light, from a green ZX-6R.. bigger Ninja! I was so happy! I nodded back and I felt "part of the riders team". Very nice, it was a great feeling!

[g21-30]

It gets better! Kind of a brotherhood (sisterhood! )!

[Darling Ninja]

On the freeway, I would get a lot of riders flashing the peace sign as they passed me. They were lane-splitting and I wasn't.

[Blackwidow]

wow, i think that was one of the best articles i've read, thanks for sharing.

I never waived, mainly because I was too scared to take my hand off the bars...but a few weeks ago, while we were riding, a couple of bikers were coming from the opposite direction and waived. I immediately waived back and seriously, I felt this sense of belonging. it was a great feeling!

[kkim]

Originally Posted by tjkamper

In Venezuela that is a perverse gesture suggestive of the F word. Not as in "F*** YOU", but like saying, "I want to F*** her/him."

interesting... I wonder if that's where the Hawaii tradition of using the shaka sign came from.

[Havok]

Originally Posted by Blackwidow

wow, i think that was one of the best articles i've read, thanks for sharing.

I never waived, mainly because I was too scared to take my hand off the bars...but a few weeks ago, while we were riding, a couple of bikers were coming from the opposite direction and waived. I immediately waived back and seriously, I felt this sense of belonging. it was a great feeling!

You can always head nod or leg out as well if you are not comfortable taking your hands off the bars. I usually flash the peace sign or a salute as I roll past.

When guys come from the back and are lane splitting as the get up and are just about to pass me I throw them the peace sign at them. Most seem impressed that I notice them rolling up on me from the back.

[highpsiguy]

I wave when waved to.

[BIGT94z]

That was a awesome read! I wave to everyone I was shocked last weekend when I actually got one of those bmw sport touring riders to wave back at me. They never wave around here!
Posted via Mobile Device

[JMcDonald]

Originally Posted by sombo

I always wave.... well at least when I actually see the other rider in time. There are times where I'm too focused on my side of the road to see a rider in the other direction.

Yeah, that happens to me sometimes. I always feel terrible! I used to think anyone who didn't wave was just a jerk until I realized I sometimes just didn't see them until they are already 90* to my right.

[Bleak21]

Originally Posted by BIGT94z

That was a awesome read! I wave to everyone I was shocked last weekend when I actually got one of those bmw sport touring riders to wave back at me. They never wave around here!
Posted via Mobile Device

Hmm they dont seem to wave by me either. It really disappoints me, especially since I like the f800st but would be part of this non-waving (secluded) community if I ever bought one.

On the contrary, most harleys and sportbike guys wave regardless. I guess there's a tradeoff to everything.

[g21-30]

Thought the new riders might want to read this!

[dave42]

Thanks for bumping this for new guys like me; I finally got a wave back this morning on my way to work after a couple of weeks of no-responses. That was cool.

[Jim Moore]

That was a good read, but this artilce (author unknown) really sums it up for me:

I love motorcycles, and I love riding. Like many of you, what first drew me to bikes was not just the experience of riding, but the feeling that I'd become part of a special community - a brotherhood, really. Nothing calms me more than a long ride down the interstate, waving to the members of my beloved clan. Except when I pass Harley guys. I hate Harley guys. Hate, hate, hate. When they pass me on the highway, you know what I do? I don't wave. With their little tassel handlebars and the studded luggage and the half helmets - God, they drive me crazy.

You know who else I hate? BMW guys. Oh, do I hate those guys. I don't wave at them either. They think they're so great, sitting all upright, with their 180 degree German engines. God, I hate them. They're almost as bad as those old bastards on their touring motorcycles. You know what I call those bikes? "Two wheeled couches!" Get it? Because they're so big. They drive around like they have all day. Appreciate the scenery somewhere else, Grandpa, and while you're at it, I'm not waving to you.

Ducati guys - I don't wave at them either. Why don't they spend a little more money on their bikes? "You can have it in any color as long as it is red." Aren't you cool! Like they even know what a Desmo-whatever engine is, anyway. Try finding the battery, you Italian-wannabe racers! I never, ever wave at those guys.

Suzuki guys aren't much better, which is why I never wave at them, either. They always have those stupid helmets sitting on the top of their stupid heads, and God forbid they should ever wear any safety gear. They make me so mad. Sometimes they'll speed by and look over at me, and you know what I do? I don't wave. I just keep going. Please, don't get me started on Kawasaki guys. Ninjas? What are you, twelve years old? Team Green my ass. I never wave at Kawasaki guys.

I ride a Honda, and I'll only wave at Honda guys, but even then I'll never wave at a guy in full leathers. Never, never, never. Yeah, like you're going to get your knee down on the New York Thruway. Nice crotch, by the way. Guys in full leathers will never get a wave from me. And by the way, neither will the guys in two piece leathers. And I'll tell you who else I'm not waving at - those guys with the helmets with loud paint jobs. Four pounds of paint on a two pound helmet - like I'm going to wave back at that! I'll also never wave at someone with a mirrored visor. Or helmet stickers. Or racing gloves. Or hiking boots.

To me, motorcycling is like a family, a close knit brotherhood of people who ride Hondas, wear jeans and a leather jacket (not Vanson) with regular gloves and a solid color helmet with a clear visor, no stickers, no racing gloves and regular boots (not Timberlands). And isn't that what really makes riding so special.

[Jim Moore]

Team Green my ass! That makes me laugh every time I read it. I demo'd a green ZX-6 at Daytona last year. I yelled, "Team Green my ass!" at everyone within earshot every time we stopped.