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1) The easiest way to say "hello", when we cross with another motard, is to wave with the left hand (never with the right one for obvious reasons). Some motards wave with 2 fingers in "V", not for aerodinamic reasons but imitating Barry Sheene who used this sign to greet to the fotographers at the end of the races which he won. Since then, in the 70's, this sign is part of the motorciclistic language. |
| 2) The greeting with the foot, is not used in Portugal but is common between the "speeders" on other countries like France for instance because of the difficulty (and for the risk that this sign has), of taking off the hand from the guider when we ride at speeds *slightly* over the law limits. However, this sign can be interpretated as a threat! |  |
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3) If the main objective is not to take off the the hand from the guider, there are other signs like raising two fingers (which is not very visible) or to make a wave with the head. The last one is a very polite sign like the english people do, to avoid let go of the guider in the midle of the transit. |
| 4) The light signs are fully used by the car drivers to inform of dangers along the roads (cop's radar for instance). It's better to avoid this sign, because it can be ambiguous as a greeting. To inform our fellows that they must decrease the speed, we must wave our hand in an explicit way with the palm of our hand turned down, after the light signs. |  |
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5) Unfortunatly in a big trip we can not just ride, we must make those unavoidable sotps to refill the fuel tank. When the motorbike is *thirsty* we inform our fellows, by pointing with the thumb turned to the fuel tank. (Common rule is, when someone is *biting at the end*, and he gives the signal, he is nicknamed of *party pooper*. The other members of the caravan were also coming on to the same conditions, but without warning to *to hide their weak point*.) |
| 6) If the road has no adherence, sand, gravel, oil and so on, the motard warns those who are following him by draging his boot on the ground. (...in spite of being fully warned, the "author", has not recovered yet from the previous situation, wanted to make of the road and scratch the plastics of a nice motorbike borrowed from an importer.) |  |
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7) Whenever the motard ahead, when riding in group sees an obstacle, he must warn the others who are following him in order to avoid the trap. (This Winter, the "author" of these drawings had the opportunity to meet very nice and sympathetic nurses and physioterapeuts because of a more dangerous zone his precedent happened to be a automobile, that besides not warning him obstructed his visibility.......of the holes of the moon). |
| 8) One of the ways to signal that *it's at the next*, because we have come already to refill need, it's to turn on your right signal light and point to the sign which indicates a fuel station. (in the same maner, this signal can be used to advise restaurants, dangerous signs, and so on...) |  |
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9) To warn another motard that he has the light turned off, or of any other lights problems, we must open and close serveral times our hand, joining the finger's heads. (If this sign is given to you by a pedestrian, probably he is warning you that you are using your lights on during the day). |
| 10) Some times we go so concentrated on the ride, glued to the fuel tank, with the nose preached on the manometers and the eyes on the road, that sudenly we *fall* on to reality and we must say to our fellows "turn back! We should have turned 20 km's back!!!!". |  |
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11) When the stomack it's the first to give up, we must advise our fellows by this signal...."what about a stop to grab something to eat?". This signal will be perfectly dispensable if we go on a gastronomic motorbike ride". If we want to drink, we must use one of the most common signs used, which is to lift up the thumb pointing into the mouth. On normal conditions, we just stop to drink when the motorbike is *thirsty* too! |
| 12) To sleep is other necessity which limits the rhythm. The author of these pages, had always resisted by not disturbing his friends with these kind of stops, until he discovers use to make their "siestas" on the spanish plains. In spite of our rich experience, it's a NO, as motorbikes automatic pilot is still in the *test tube*. |  |
