A variation on the motorcycle riders’ etiquette where riders will nod at each other when stopped at traffic lights or when passing on an open road. One can end up with a sore neck after a day of riding some of the more popular weekend routes especially around the Royal National Park or Old Pacific Highway.
The reason to nod first is that if one waits to see if the other rider is going to acknowledge them the moment has passed. Two bikes approaching each other at 60+ km/h pass one another at 120km/h. Literally the blink of an eye. There is a certain camaraderie between motorcyclists which I certainly enjoy and enhances the pleasure of riding two wheels.
The same is true I’ve found when seeing an old acquaintance or former work colleague (or a Facebook ‘friend’) IRL. A tendency may be to hide or ignore the other person out of fear or embarrassment. I’ve certainly experienced this from others and have been guilty of it in the past. The moment passes and an opportunity is lost.
So much easier to say g’day and see where things go from there. At the very least I’ve found my day improves no matter what the result.
That’s how I got my current wife.
NB: The ‘nod’ does not apply to scooter riders, trikes, three wheel abominations or Harley riders. It’s mainly for German, Italian, English and Japanese manufactured bike owners. The ‘wave’ applies to everyone.