I always wave at Brit bike cops. Nice bunch. They always look surprised - well body language says so - I imagine the expressions under their lids :) and they always wave back. Good!

Meaning
 

The acknowledgement of our sharing the road on two + wheels is as natural as saying, "hello."
For myself, it signifies that I will pull over if you are stuck or broke down.
Driving on the 'right'side of the road makes that acknowledgement easier .
Obviously safety first. The concentration on the turn, intersection, or the bike takes an obvious priority And then there are times when I just happen to be focused elsewhere.

I've always found the bike cops a decent bunch around here. 9 times out of 10 they wave first, and when they stop for a chat they are genuine bike enthusiasts

Charlie

Kyrgyzstan
 

Here in Kyrgyzstan the wave is something new. If you wave at folks on the street most of them will just look at funny. Bikers seem to be more into it. I will honk, wave, or nod at anyone. It does not matter to me if they ride an old rusty moped or a brand new BMW. But what I have seen now is more of a division. My son rides a sport bike and I ride an old, slow, KLR! A lot of his buddies don't think to wave at me, that is till I get a hold of them. The mopeds don't wave at the bikes nor the bikers to the mopedist.... I just wave at them all and keep on keeping on. :scooter:
Mac

I try to wave or nod, but frankly, with the way many cagers drive I'm usually too busy focusing my attention on the surrounding road to bother!

Alas this has been something that has been becoming more and more common, my own take on this is that for a lot of these people it is just another mode of transport the same as there BMW/MERC/ YADDA,YADDA,YADDA. I wave and nod to anyone and there brother, I don't care if they drive a nifty 50 or a full blown custom street fighter, I have found that a lot of the teenagers on mopeds don't get it but at least smile, where as the type who don't, look at you like they wouldn't pee on you if you where on fire, hay-ho it's they're loss not ours, keep the smile on your face, wave to the guy on that model of ducati that you don't like and ride it like you stole it.:mchappy:

A few quick observations:

If OP is looking for my nod, he's going to be disappointed. I wave--always have, probably always will--and since I'm looking for waves I might not notice his nod. Sound worth complaining about? I don't think so.

I lived for almost two decades in an area where car drivers wave at each other--there are only a few cars, and it's expected. Much of the rural USA still does this. During the summer there was always an influx of people who didn't know local customs, and didn't wave. We used to complain a lot about this (although before the internet, so not publicly).

I was raised to say hello to people I pass on foot or bicycle--walking on trails, on sidewalks, on rural roads. In much of the world, people don't say hello--in fact, in some places I've trekked it's expressly forbidden to even show any sign that you've seen the other person, particularly between men and women. In other places, people stop, indulge in elaborate handshakes and greetings, and spend time establishing where each party comes from, what their family affiliations are, and who they might know in common.

In other words, there are no universal rules. What's more, customs change over time, and no one posting here is the final arbiter of what's right or wrong, what's to be considered appropriate or not. In fact, many of us here are getting on in years, and the ones who actually do make the rules are much younger. Anyone hoping to live happily during their declining years (sic) had best get used to it, and focus more on doing what works for them rather than worrying about whether others live up to their standards.

Barely even two cents' worth, but I'll accept voluntary contributions.

Mark

Always try and nod to oncoming bikers/scooterists etc, i'm not bothered what people are riding to be honest, me thinks we are too much of a minority to be splitting ourselves into divisions anyway. On the plod nod i do this as well and more than often get one back.

Here in the good ol USA, Los angeles area, Almost all bikers (with exception to Harley, Indian and Goldwing) wave at each other, no matter what size the bike is. It will happen going the same direction on the frwy, mountain roads, deserted desert highways. Everybody tends to wave unless conditions don't warrant it. We also pat the top of our helmets to warn for upcoming problems like a cop or an accident.

Interesting...

I'm probably biased but I think that in Portugal and Spain I'm more frequently ignored by small bikes. Maybe because they're more frequently ridden by high school kids :)

Very Seldom a GS or Triumph, etc ignores a compliment (normally we just open our left hand)

All the best

jazzmd

Fingers and Feet now
 

I live in the Czech Republic and here every biker always give each other the downward pointing left finger as we pass each other its a common salut as in a lot of Europe. Another thing we do here is that when a driver pulls over to let a biker past we stick out our right boot to say thank you. Drivers here are very biker friendly and about 75% will move over to let you pass safely so its only right that you encourage the behaviour and say thank you. Good manners on the road goes a long way to making the roads safer. We do not discriminate between scooters, cruisers or sports if you are on two wheels then we are all members the same club - bikers.?c?:scooter::scooter: