Hand Signals for Group Riding

On the Tiggr Roadtrip i was interested to find that there was some Different Hand signals used by Different states.
Most of the common ones were the same but still it's good to know what the guy on the other bike is trying to tell you at Warp speed factor Nine
Thought it would be handy ,especially for the Newer riders, if we compiled a list & maybe made it a sticky on the Ride Days section.

Cheers Brett

And yes I'm sure the lots of Signals for "Cage Driver your a TOOL" & they'll get a mention as well.

#1 hand signal is point........
at the brick on the road
at the loose manhole
at the dead posssum
or the oil slick

#2 signal is the slightly raised hand
which means OK
to the passing manouvre
or recognition of #1
or the 'nod'

more..?

I like the Ulysses way of signaling and corner marking!

I like the Ulysses way of signaling and corner marking!

I reckon that would be handy, I don't really know any myself

A useful one is the sudden throttle pin and tearoff into the distance... it means "Cops!!! Geddafuggouddahere!!!"

Something on the Road surface is usually pointed to by either foot, letting you know something is wrong Down there.

So Swerve to avoid the object & put the Foot out toward the object so those following attention is drawn down to it & they can do the same for anyone behind them & so on.

Cheers Brett

Scotty you have the Ullyses ones or a link ?.

The most common two are the "pat pat" motion to slow down for danger and the swirly motion to signal cops ahead.

One signal that people seem to use two different ways is sticking a foot out.

Some people use it to signal "overtake me" which is the way I originally learned it, but others use the foot to signal crap on the road. I learned the latter when I was behind Pontikat who stuck his foot out... and kept accelerating making it impossible for me to pass ... that left me wondering a little!

Very good post, Brett - maybe we should have a few standards on the site's homepage or as a sticky.

I've been on many road/touring trips in Malaysia, and the handsigns are abit different from the Aussie style. Although the commonly used 'slow down'/'cops ahead' is the same.

Some common ones are:
Hand
1. left hand wave from back to front - overtake me, go ahead.
2. left palm beside left ear, then straighten hand out with fingers pointing front - full speed ahead, Go!
3. left fist out, elbow 90 degrees - Stop, or prepare to stop.
4. left finger pointing to ground on left side - hazzard/object on Left ground
5. left fist placed behind helmet - follow me, do not overtake me.

Foot
1. right foot pointing to ground on right side - hazzard/object on Right ground
2. both foot out, not touching pegs - water ahead
3. stand up on bike - uneven ground or hump ahead!


We also used alot of 'markers' and 'sweepers'(aka 'last man charlie') on our trips.

i think foot down to point out a hazard.
an action like patting the ground to indicate to wipe off speed, not necessarily just for cops, but for roadworks or a bad surface or something like that.
if u want someone to pass u, just waive your right hand from the back of the bike to the front.
lets not forget it doesn't hurt to pull over, let everyone regroup and talk about what's coming up ahead.

Something on the Road surface is usually pointed to by either foot, letting you know something is wrong Down there.

.

I never use the foot pointer, never have, prolly never will
as too many riders (KSRCians.. me included)
do a leg stretch while riding which can be taken to be pointing
at road hazards
so
I ignore them...

I prefer hand signals as imho, riders should not be staring
at the feet of the bloke in front...


so let the argument rage...


ciao

Last edited by Smitty on Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It really does depend on who you ride with. For instance, the foot out to indicate danger is also a signal to indicate "you can overtake me". Mixed signals here are potentially very dangerous. But there are the obvious ones; like slow down (caution) and copper (special caution).

I think its best to ask a group you ride with what signals they use. Before leaving a meeting point. Or the regulars should instruct the newbies before departure. Either way will be better than presuming everyone knows what you are trying to signal...

woops, my 2 cents just ran out

a lot of those ones put up by RG are usefull.

the slow down/cops seems universal as he said, however i signal over-taking by using my left hand and wrapping it around my back and flicking my palm to the front of the bike.

usually the signal to avoid crap on the road is usually signaled by a big mofo swing to teh side to actually avoid the shit on the road. Followed by a stab with whichever foot is closest to the stuff on the road if your close enough behind to see it being pointed out.

the best one is the one fingure salute