The Hi Sign

By: Joe Altieri

I love riding my motorcycle. The combination of power, speed, and adrenaline is absolutely infectious, and I never seem to tire of the experience. There is an amazing peace that comes with being a solitary rider, flying along, feeling the wind, and hearing and smelling the world as it goes by you. It's quite unique, and much different than any other form of transport I have experienced. My favorite part of it is the solidarity, the brother or sisterhood that you share with other riders. It's something that connects us all, the bond of the experience of the ride and all that comes with it. Nothing quite reinforces this connection as when you are flying down the road and off in the distance, coming toward you, is another rider. You are both keenly aware of the others approach, and, as the distance between you closes your left hand slips off the handlebar, and right as you pass one another, it comes out...the upside-down Peace Sign, the "Highway Salute", or simply "The Wave". Whatever you call it, anyone who rides knows what I'm talking about, and can vouch for its significance.

The origins of this little ritual are pretty cool. Hundreds of years ago, when knights on horseback approached one another in the country side, if they both carried the same crest on their shields, they would raise the visor of their helmets to identify themselves to their "brother in arms.” If no helmet was worn, then the salute, or wave, took its place. This is the same tradition carried on by riders today. There are many variations, and after an intense discussion on the subject with some of my riding buddies, all we determined was that nothing seems too official. The "cool wave" is where you drop the left hand down, palm up, and shoot the peace sign. Someone told me that the two fingers down means “keep two tires on the ground”. I have seen some people point to other riders in acknowledgement; others simply wave the traditional hello, while still others will just show you the middle finger (this is most often Harley Riders who realize that the approaching bike they are waving to is, in fact, not another Harley, but some kind of foreign machine).

There seems to be any number of reasons as to why people will or won’t throw out this little salute. Some, like me, throw it to everything on two wheels...I’ve even started tossing it to scooters recently, what the hell? Some will only give it to riders on bikes like theirs; sportbike to sportbike, cruiser to cruiser, old grumpy Harley guy to nobody, everybody has their own code, but everyone seems to do it one way or the other. Whatever the reason, I think it’s the act that is significant. It helps us to find camaraderie in our solitude, a way to know that even when your alone you are part of something bigger, and its just a matter of time before a brother or sister comes along.

Published: Aug 4, 2010

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