Euro bike/traffic customs

[newboy]

I have had a look honest!!!

I have heard about French bikers giving the V's
Euro drivers pulling out to let you through (WOW!!) and us waving a leg back...

What customs should I be aware of (and learn) so that I will be a "courteous" biker on my travels

I have googled... - and even yahooed(always bl**dy useless) to no avail...
What I would like to know are the general day to day customs - I am happy with paperwork etc....

 

[Decster]

In Italy its the left hand just off the handle bar or sometimes just raised fingers...

 

[teejay]

1. Acknowledge other bikers with v sign (as in Churchills Victory not the other!), just drop hand off the bars, I don't know why they do this on the continent, perhaps 2 fingers means 2 wheels, but as we pass clutch hand to clutch its easy.
2. Yes car drivers, particulary in France will move over and let you through, so much more switched on that in this country.
3. Again generally acknowledgement is drop the right leg off the footrest as when acknowledging another biker when you overtake them, obvious really if you wave with the throttle hand they undertake you again!!


Enjoy riding on the other side of the road, the space, the roads, the courtesy of other road users, the views, the food, the drink.....bit of a wait for me to do it again.


Teejay

 

[bladerunner]

As you say, in France, as you approach a bike coming towards you, the left arm goes out with the Churchill V, hand horizontal. The cooler you are, the nearer your hand to the road. I once saw a french guy on a super moto skim the tarmac as he rounded a left hander towards me!

As/if you pass a biker, stretch out the right leg ("I fart in your general direction!"). Generally, cars are courteous (they are getting better in the UK I think).

Beware yoofs on buzzy scooters wheely-ing or racing you at lights.

My experience of foreign bikers has been uniformly good. Speak their language where possible and offer to buy the first beer, you'll be amazed at their hospitality.

 

[Grazoid]

The V does mean two wheels ... had it said to me a couple of times complete with the salute when other riders have stopped to chat in France . When they leave they will flash the V and say, suprise suprise, "Two Wheels".

 

[Rocky Mountaineer]

The V does mean two wheels ... had it said to me a couple of times complete with the salute when other riders have stopped to chat in France . When they leave they will flash the V and say, suprise suprise, "Two Wheels".

I'm intrigued, that's the same hand signal everyone was using (including me after a while) when I rode Halifax-Vancouver Island in Canada last June. Funny that, I've only just realised what it meant also that sometimes I was only using one finger (and wasn't wheely-ing at the time).