Using Hand Signals

Whether riding in a group or riding alone, hand signals are critically important to your overall safety. Motorcycle safety using hand signaling lets the other people (mostly cars) around you know what you are doing. Turn and brake lights are small, and often not familiar to automobile drivers. Hand signals greatly increase your visibility and over safety. Hand signals are really important when riding in groups, because of the limited visibility of the riders behind you, but equally important when sharing the highways with cell-phone talking, or equally distracted drivers that likely don’t even know that you are on the same road with them.

When riding in a group, the person behind you likely does not know what’s going on ahead of you. The courteous rider will relay signals back through the pack.

NOTE – While it’s best to use hand signals, you should only do them when you are in a safe position to do so. For example, if you are in a turn, you don’t want to take your hands off the handle bars or your feet off the pegs/boards. Just use common sense and everyone will be ok.

START ENGINES Group rides, Start your engines With your right or left arm
extended, move your index
finger in a circular motion.
     
LEFT TURN Group Riding, left turn Raise your left arm
horizontal with your
elbow fully extended.
   
RIGHT TURN Group Riding, right turn Raise your left arm
horizontal with your
elbow bent 90 degrees
vertically.
   
HAZARD LEFT Group Riding, road hazard on the left Extend your left arm at
a 45 degree angle and
point towards the hazard.
alternate: use your left foot
   
HAZARD IN ROAD
ON THE RIGHT

Group Riding, road hazard on the right, one way to signal.

 For safety reasons,  we
don’t promote taking
your right hand off the
throttle, so please use
your right foot to point
at a hazard in the road
on the right.
   
HAZARD ON ROAD/SHOULDER
ON THE RIGHT		 Group Riding, road hazard on the right, another way to signal. Extend your left arm upward
at a 45 degree angle with your
elbow bent to 90 degrees and
point towards the hazard over
your helmet. 

Note: Use this when a vehicle or
pedestrians are on the shoulder. 
   
SPEED UP Group Riding, speed up. Raise your left arm up and down
with your index finger extended
upward. This indicates the
leader wants to speed up.
   
SLOW DOWN Group Riding, slowwwww down. Extend your left arm at
a 45 degree angle and move
your hand up and down.
   
STOP Group riding, stopping. Extend your left arm at
a 45 degree angle with the
palm of your hand facing rearward.
   
SINGLE FILE Group Riding, form a single file formation. Position your left hand over
your helmet with your fingers
extended upward. This indicates
the leader wants the group in a
single file formation. Usually this
is done for safety reasons.
   
STAGGERED
FORMATION		 Group Riding, tighten up the formation. Extend your left arm upward
at a 45 degree angle with your
index and pinkie finger extended.
This indicate that it is safe to
return to staggered formation.
   
TIGHTEN UP Group Riding, tighten up the formation. Raise your left arm and
repeatedly move up and down
in a pulling motion. This
indicates the leader wants the
group to close ranks.
   
PISSED OFF Courtsey of Ann Arbor, MI HOG Chapter 2171, display of anger. Extend your left arm straight out
with your elbow bent 90 degrees.
Carefully extend your middle finger
to clearly demonstrate your
dissatisfaction with the other guy.

NOTE: Of course no one should use this.
It’s only meant to have fun here.

Special thanks to :

High Country HOG Chapter#422 Colorado