You’ve no doubt seen motorcycles traveling down the road numerous times and you’ve likely seen the people who ride them as well. They come from all different walks of life and look all different ways. Some are the hardcore type that seems to fit the stereotypes we’ve heard before. But that’s not always the case.
What Do We Call a Person Riding a Motorcycle?
The technical term for someone who is riding a motorcycle is a motorcyclist, but that’s not the term we often hear. In fact, it’s common to hear someone riding a motorcycle referred to as a biker, which is a term that they often use to describe themselves as well.
If you refer to someone riding a motorcycle as a ‘biker’ you’re likely not going to be wrong. While the term tends to have some negative connotations it’s not actually a negative word on its own. Rather, it’s just a way to refer to someone who rides a ‘bike’ or ‘motorbike.’
What is a Group of Motorcycle Riders Called?
You might hear a group of motorcycle riders referred to as a motorcycle club, but more commonly you’ll hear ‘motorcycle gang’ or ‘biker gang.’ These terms don’t refer to ‘gangs’ in the sense that many of us are accustomed to and instead refer to a group of people.
Calling a group of bikers a ‘biker gang’ or a ‘motorcycle gang’ doesn’t have to mean anything negative. It just means they are a group of people who enjoy doing something together. You may hear a lot of people refer to their friends as their ‘gang’ now without it meaning anything negative.
What Do Bikers Call Their Girlfriends?
Bikers refer to their girlfriends most commonly as their ‘old lady.’ While this term doesn’t sound very endearing it’s actually a very referential term. For a biker, their ‘old lady’ is extremely important and needs to be treated with respect.
One thing you definitely never want to do is offend a biker’s old lady. They may make jokes or negative comments but the fact is that they are extremely loyal and that they demand the best treatment for their girlfriends and wives. They will not tolerate anyone else being disrespectful or getting too close to ‘their woman.’
What is the Average Age of Motorcycle Riders?
In the United States, the average motorcycle rider is 48 years old. This seems to be a little younger than some would think (who associate motorcycles with a midlife crisis) but is older than what others would believe that it’s a ‘young person’s thing.’
Riding a motorcycle is common among middle-aged individuals and happens more commonly with men. Riders are generally middle class and prefer to ride their bikes on the road rather than off-road.
That doesn’t mean that women don’t ride or that wealthier or poorer individuals don’t, but the demographics in the United States seem to show that these are the commonalities between most riders.
Many motorcycle manufacturers are starting to realize that they need to target other groups and have started looking at women and younger demographics as their target market. This has actually succeeded and these individuals are now making up a larger portion of sales than they did in the past.
How Do Bikers Greet Each Other?
The common way for bikers to greet each other is with something called a ‘biker wave.’ This is slightly different from a typical wave, though some do that instead. With this wave, you don’t take your hand too far off the handlebars so you maintain control.
A biker wave is moving the left hand out 45 degrees below the handlebars. Then, instead of actually waving the hand you make a sign similar to a peace sign.
This is considered a universal sign for bikers throughout the country and it’s considered good manners to do it when you pass other bikers on the roadway. While it’s not entirely wrong to skip it, most bikers will engage in this wave.
Why Do Bikers Wave to Each Other?
The idea behind the biker wave is that you’re telling the other biker to keep two tires on the ground or to be safe. It’s a sign that you’re there and that you are concerned for your fellow riders, which can also be seen as just being happy to share the road.
When you do the biker wave you may or may not get a response. Some bikers won’t do it or they might be engaged in some other maneuver with their bike and may not be able to. The most important thing is to stay safe and keep control of your bike, so make sure you’re doing that before trying to do the biker wave.
Is Driving a Motorcycle Easy?
The short answer is that it can be easy once you get the hang of it. The process to learn how to drive a motorcycle, however, is definitely going to be difficult. You’ll need to be dedicated and take your time to get it down.
Once you’ve learned how to drive a car you might think that you can drive anything, but the truth is driving a motorcycle and driving a car are definitely not the same thing. You’ll need to take classes or work with someone who is experienced with a motorcycle to get the hang of it.
It’s especially important to get good training because motorcycles are far more dangerous than cars and injury is far more likely.
Conclusion
For those who are looking to start riding a motorcycle or who already do but want to know a bit more, hopefully, this information has been helpful. As a biker, you may feel interested in joining your own motorcycle gang or as a potential motorcyclist, you might be a little nervous about the learning curve. But no matter what, you can have a great experience with your bike.
References
https://brandongaille.com/32-compelling-motorcycle-demographics/
https://ridingwithoutreason.com/the-biker-wave-why-we-do-it-and-what-it-means/
