Modern Buddy

I might as well get all my posts out at once today! I live and work in Denver, so these concerns may vary by region.

Topic 1: How come nobody waves at me? I am new to the world of scooters, but not to two wheels. Prior to owning a scooter I had a regular ol' motorcycle and one of the things I enjoyed was the camaraderie with other bikers expressed by the little wave when you passed each other on the road. Do scooters not do this? I have given up trying. I usually see several scooters on my commute and have tried everything from the standard point-to-the-ground wave to a real honest wave. I just assumed I'd get a response. Not so much.

Topic 2: Does anyone actually get parking tickets for parking on the sidewalk? My building downtown is nice enough to provide free motorcycle parking for its tenants, but when I venture out I feel a bit silly taking up an entire parking spot for the little 125 cc scoot. Colorado law says it's a motorcycle and I have a license plate and everything. I was just wondering if the law is actually enforced.

the people on the scooters probably dont know to wave....

and motorcyclists wont wave to you... because scooters arent real bikes.

To be honest, I didn't wave at scooters when I was on a motorcycle and I don't wave at motorcycles now that I'm on a scooter. In my mind, there is no disrespect either way - they are just different vehicles.

I get waved at a lot here in Rochester by the motorcyclists. I guess my Roughhouse looks more like a motorcycle when approaching from the opposite direction

Maybe all the scooterists got together and discussed how you didn't wave to them in your biker days, so now you're getting snubbed. Nah I'm kidding. From what I've noticed here some people do the wave, some don't. Nashville is small so I think other riders who don't wave are literally thinking "I don't know that guy"

there is free motorcycle parking where I work, and I feel no shame in taking up a whole spot for all 125cc's of raw Taiwanese power. But then I got accustomed to it during the winter when all of the bikes were mysteriously absent. If its legally a bike on the plates why not park there?

Around here in KC I find that the young guys on crotch rockets and the newbie (OC wanna be Harley riders) won't wave... but the older Harley riders will wave. I had one ask me at a red light how fast I could go... when I said 65mph, he smiled and said "...on those little wheels you got to be nuts!"

Back in February we were at Knuckleheads (biker/blues bar) we got the kudos from the band because four of us rode and Harley riders didn't. Of course, it didn't hurt that we've been following the band (Levee Town) since they formed.

As far as the scooter riders I've seen a few who didn't return a wave, and some who nodded or gave me a half wave (one of those waves without taking their hand off of the handle bars).

Here in Columbus Ohio, we lobbied for, and won Motorized Two Wheeled Vehicle Parking. Last year, to great fanfaire, the special sign and special spots were opened. This year, the other shoe dropped. The city announced that there are no free lunches and no free parking. Users of these spots are required to pay $50 for a permit sticker, which allows the vehicle to park in the spots. A great deal for commuters that park downtown, near to a MTWV spot, for everyone else, not so much. If you park on a sidewalk you will be ticketed $50.

Even private property owners are intolerant of scooterists practicing creative parking-I was ticketed at the Polaris Fashion Place Mall for parking in an out of the way corner of a large pavilion area that had benches that I could lock up to. I am now boycotting this mall and driving an additional 35 minutes to get to the next closest mall.

As far as waving, I get waved at by probably 40% of scooters and 60% of motorcycles. I suspect the scooter riders don't know any better

-v

I get waives all the time. Some folks will, some won't. It just depends on the rider.

I have yet to be ticketed for parking on the sidewalk but I haven't done it much so I cannot really speak to that.

I get waves all the time from motorcycles. The only people who don't wave are guys on sport bikes, and even some of them wave. For a lot of folks I think it's the general respect that you're on two wheels instead of 4.

So far I have yet to get a parking ticket, but I try not to press my luck.

I must admit when I had a motorcycle that I did not wave at scooter riders. For a while when I got my buddy I would try to wave at non-chinese models that was too hard. So I just follow Becktastic's suggestion and wave at everyone. I am happier and if they wave great if not then that is okay. They just got a wave from someone on a scooter!

I'm in Denver and found that gnarley looking biker guys wave but the weekend warriors won't. Other scooters only wave at me while I'm shifting so I try to give them a nod or the finger wave. So far no tickets for me and Stella.

I get waved at occasionally, and I love getting surprised when that one rider on a Harley whom I assume won't wave at me, does!

Anyway, I did have a cager roll down her window in gridlocked rush hour traffic and say that the girl I was riding 2 up with and I were 'sooo cute!' I gave her a thumbs up and smiled the rest of the ride hah

When I first started to scoot (a whole 2 months ago) I didn't notice anyone waving at me since I was so concerned with what was in front of me and such. It wasn't until my first meet-up group ride that I figured out cycles wave to one another. Still sometimes the cage in front of me is doing something too dang stupid to take my eyes off it so sometimes I don't see a scoot until it's too late to wave.

I've noticed that most non-wavers don't see me waving and/or are too afraid to take their hands off the bars.

If you feel the stoke, just keep waving, it'll catch on

Come to think of it I tend to give scoots a thumbs up when I have to drive my cage (aka Rita) instead of my scoot.

jijifer wrote:When I first started to scoot (a whole 2 months ago) I didn't notice anyone waving at me since I was so concerned with what was in front of me and such. It wasn't until my first meet-up group ride that I figured out cycles wave to one another. Still sometimes the cage in front of me is doing something too dang stupid to take my eyes off it so sometimes I don't see a scoot until it's too late to wave.

I've noticed that most non-wavers don't see me waving and/or are too afraid to take their hands off the bars.

If you feel the stoke, just keep waving, it'll catch on

And this brings me to another important point: Women on scooters will generally find other riders much "friendlier"

I get waved at and wave in return all the time in Fort Collins. It's pretty rare that I pass another scooter without a wave 'round these parts.

As far as parking on the sidewalk, I wouldn't chance it in Denver. I have some scooter friends in Denver and I think I recall folks talking about being ticketed/hassled for parking on the sidewalks. I bet the folks at Sportique or Erico would have some firsthand knowledge about that.

jijifer wrote:I've noticed that most non-wavers don't see me waving and/or are too afraid to take their hands off the bars.

I also think they're afraid to let go. My guess is that most of the unwaving scooter riders I see are first time two-wheelers (as I was 3 years ago). But I quickly learned to give the "wave" and now initiate it with every two-wheeler I see. Have had very few motorcyclists not return the wave.

I wave to everyone on two wheels... scooters, cruiser bikes, crotch-rockets, mopeds, bicycles, people running on
the sidewalk, kids, etc. I think cruiser/Harley guys generally wave the most, with the occasional sport biker... Kids
always wave, runners will every now and then and cyclists will just look at you like you're crazy. I hardly ever see
other scooters around, especially not with people riding them, and when I do they don't usually wave back. My
reasoning for un-returned waves is as follows:

1. they didn't see me wave

2. they think waving is stupid

3. they think I am stupid, thus they don't want to associate with me

4. they are trying to figure out what the heck I am riding

5. they are unable to take their hand off the bars (i.e. shifting/turning/noobs)

6. they see my beautiful scooter and are frozen in amazement

I'm convinced it's generally option #6 or sometimes option #1... I can't really imagine they would have time to
evaluate the gesture and make a conscious decision that I am stupid and they don't want to wave back. Actually
I have had someone start to wave back, then put their hand down really fast when they saw that I was on a scooter....
needless to say they got the thumbs down.