Started riding again almost 3 years ago... Never had ridden a street bike before until then. I had only ridden dirt bikes when I was a kid.

I decided that I was going to take on this new hobby as safely as possible...

I use my turn signals of course for all lane changes and turns, but I also always supplement them with using the old fashioned hand signals as well. I never, I mean never see any other riders doing this except me. I ride in the Dallas Fort Worth area so I see a lot of bikers around.

Why wouldn't all the rest of you join me in this??? It's just got to be safer, right?

Or am I the only old fashioned nerd out there??

 

Nope i use em to . well sometimes lol . Mostly only on the highway, merge areas for lane changes and such . Habit i picked up from riding with old bikers :-).

I had a bike the other day merging ( i was in a car , sry to admit lol) he pointed to his lane change after his turn signal came on. The hand was way easier to see.

 

No....your not the only one. Here in NJ you do not need to have turn signals on your bike to pass inspection, so you see many people who decide for whatever reason they dont want TS, so they use hand signals. While your not required by law to have turn signals, you are required to use hand signals.
Also.....I noticed that when out HOG chapter is out on a group ride, we always use hand signals.

 

Use hand signals for turns sometimes. I still use the following ;pat the top of your head for cop, radar, speed trap;point at road debris when pack riding; slow down signal and last but certainly the greatest hand signal of the all. The great communication signal the bird.

 

Aside from the useful purpose of many hand signals when riding with a group, the general use of hand signals for turning or changing lanes on a bike equipped with electric turn indicators is not only redundant IMO, but can also be potentially hazardous. In traffic, where signaling is most important, why would you not want to have BOTH hands on the bars?

 

You're not alone. I often use hand signals in addition to turn signals or when slowing down.

 

Nope, don't use them. If they can't see the signals that are flashing away, how are they going to see a hand signal. Sometimes I can't see somebody waving at me until they're almost past so I don't think they'll do that much good. Always use the signals on the bike far enough in advance of a turn that if they can't see that then I'm moving out of the way. Been riding 42 years and gone hundreds of thousands of miles without a problem so I'm using what I feel works. If you want to be seen better you could always put some truck sized signals on your ride.

 

I use them when riding with somebody else to signal turns, etc., that are coming up. I will also use them in "risky" situations to make sure that blind cager behind me sees that I am slowing to make a left turn. Believe what you will, but the hand signals are much more visible than the flashing lights, especially during bright sunlight.

 

+1, more as a courtesy to riders behind me than anything else.

 

Yes, use 'em. Anything to wake up the motorists around you. They don't always see a flashing turn signal, so a moving hand might be out of the ordinary and catch their eye. (Condition dependent: weather, traffic, daylight, situation, etc.)