Hand Signals........

i find it funny when you meet people on the trail that have NO CLUE what the hand signals/fingers mean. happens extremely ofter around here since my area is mainly sled owners that don't ride trail systems. my area is just farmers fields, trails cut through woods, ponds, creeks, etc., so there is no trail system to speak of. every year the local trails changed depending on whoever breaks trail 1st for the season. when i give a signal of how many are behind me the oncoming sled 9 times out of ten just waves and little do we know there is a group of 5 or something behind him. sorry guys, just venting. alot of riders just don't have a friggin clue around here
 

I give courtesy by trying my best to be alert, signaling to those behind me and keeping to the right. Can some one answer the question in my first post. "what this allows you to do verse passing riders that don't use the finger system " The ones who would be saved by signals are the same ones I personally want to keep their hands on the bars when passing me and my Family !

Yes, I know there is NO answer to that question.... guess I may not like rules that are designed to protect the ignorant from themselves .........
 
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Vmax540 said:
I give courtesy by trying my best to be alert, signaling to those behind me and keeping to the right. Can some one answer the question in my first post. "what this allows you to do verse passing riders that don't use the finger system " The ones who would be saved by signals are the same ones I personally want to keep their hands on the bars when passing me and my Family !

Yes, I know there is NO answer to that question.... guess I may not like rules that are designed to protect the ignorant from themselves .........
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Your right their is no answer for you question. Using hand signals does not allow me to do anything different on the trail. But it does give me piece of mind that those that are ridding twoards us will know that my wife and daughter are behind me. If you have the time and money to ride snowmobiles you should have the time to know how to ride them properly and by the rules. My 13 yr daughter has her permit and follows all the rules. The day she dont is the day she will be waiting back at the cottage by herself the rest of the day. I was taught this way and i taught my faimly to ride this way. Call me old school if you want. But if you ever pass me and my group you will be getting the hand signals the whole way!!! I think it was sideshow that said keep to the right and look for the lights!!! Good rule to ride by with some had signals thrown in. And not all of us that use these signals are ignorant! In fact most of the hotshot riders you are refering to ride the same river i do and i bet you 95% use the signals and are respectful to the rules of riding. My 2cents, or maybe that was 5. LOL!!
 
Sideshowrob said:
I'm really not sure what you're looking for here? I guess if you you don't like the signals then don't use them. There will always be someone doing something someone doesn't like, that is life. We're just trying to justify why someone might use a hand signal.
Stay right, watch for light.
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Fair enough, problem is those that use old hand signals and not the Finger System get trashed.
 
VMAX 540; I feel more comfortable knowing I just past the last oncoming person in a group. I feel the lead person in a group is probably the most experianced. I use the hand/finger signals. My wife is usually the tailgunner. I think it is respectfull to other drivers to use the hand/finger signals. The closed fist being the last vehicle in a groupe. If an unexperianced driver is running with us I put them in the middle and advise to keep both hands on the bars at all times, the driver behind will compensate for the inexperianced driver. I hope this answers why we use the hand signals. Al
 
My personal opinion is that it is good. My reasons my group uses hand signals is : #1 if you take you hand of the bars to signal how many are behind you, you should slow down as an instinct. #2 we all ride at different speeds and ability so if I pass you and my other rider is a couple hundred yards back it lets you know he might be coming around the corner. #3 I just think it's common courtesy ;)!
 
Sideshowrob said:
I wear mitts. :dunno:
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I wear mitts as well but what I do is motion with a pointed thumb to the rear if there are more sleds behind me. This signal system can be your best friend or your worst enemy on the trails. Every group I have ever met on the trails uses it and i respect that.
 
i use hand signals all the time, just for the fact that trails are not straight highways they have curves ,corners and hills and by useing the hand signals this allerts on coming sleds, to know atleast how many sleds there going to meet at the next blind corner or hill peak,i believe its a good safe thing and cannot under stand the questioning about it!!! when i drive im always on the right never in the middle, but looking at the trail it seems that everybody else uses the center until they come up on sleds, and you wonder why theres accidents!! everybody has a side just use it!!! (example) i came into a blind corner and met two skidoos coming the other way, my lane was the inside, the skidoos were going to cut the corner taking my lane, we hit it at the same time i held my lane and moved as far as i could to the right the skidoos had to vere back into there lane and flipped me off and where bitching as i was told by the next driver in my group when i stopped to take a breath, if i would have seen it there would have be two skidoos for sale by the living parents that raised these morons!!!!and they were driving fast but as i will stand by that wasnt the problem the problem was they were in MY LANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the other drivers in my group thought we hit it was that close! hand signals and driveing in your lane are the safest thing you can do!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
stretchSXV said:
My personal opinion is that it is good. My reasons my group uses hand signals is : #1 if you take you hand of the bars to signal how many are behind you, you should slow down as an instinct. #2 we all ride at different speeds and ability so if I pass you and my other rider is a couple hundred yards back it lets you know he might be coming around the corner. #3 I just think it's common courtesy ;)!
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That is the number one reason right there! A group of several riders might have different abilities and ride at different speeds through a tight twisty section. The hand signals will tell oncomers that the last sled they just saw might not be the last one in the group.
 
super1c said:
Your right their is no answer for you question. Using hand signals does not allow me to do anything different on the trail. But it does give me piece of mind that those that are ridding twoards us will know that my wife and daughter are behind me. If you have the time and money to ride snowmobiles you should have the time to know how to ride them properly and by the rules. My 13 yr daughter has her permit and follows all the rules. The day she dont is the day she will be waiting back at the cottage by herself the rest of the day. I was taught this way and i taught my faimly to ride this way. Call me old school if you want. But if you ever pass me and my group you will be getting the hand signals the whole way!!! I think it was sideshow that said keep to the right and look for the lights!!! Good rule to ride by with some had signals thrown in. And not all of us that use these signals are ignorant! In fact most of the hotshot riders you are refering to ride the same river i do and i bet you 95% use the signals and are respectful to the rules of riding. My 2cents, or maybe that was 5. LOL!!
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x2 the kids and wife,so use some sence.
 
Vmax540 said:
Sorry, for beating a dead horse but, after last weekend in which I was given the middle finger again.... by a group of Blair Morgans, I just had to vent....


No one here unless you have ESP can tell the on coming sleds how many groups or lone riders are behind your last sled.... What does does it mean to you when you just passed the last guy after being given the fist? Does this mean #1 Open er up, #2 Hey I can ride on the other side now, #3 The group I just passed knows there is no one behind them so, I can ride recklessly and not pay attention? ! ? Please, explain why using the fingers system is good and what this allows you to do verse passing riders that don't use the finger system ? If you are the leader a simple quick arm up will warn your group.
While riding at night you see a headlight coming or the front sleds brake light come on what do you do.....yep, slow down and pull to the far right. During the day the same only this time the following riders clearly see the front sleds hand and in seconds see the oncoming sleds them selves. Always ride Assuming there are sleds coming around the next turn or hill, what you cannot Assume is there will be no more coming ? I often ride on small trail systems of around 100 miles total and have ridden in these high traffic areas where I have passed at least 30+ groups/sleds in a single day so, just how silly is it to all be fingering each other so that, while riding 1/4 of your day is with one hand.......sorry, that is scary ! Plain and simple Keep to the Right and Both hands on the bar !
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When convenient I'll signal oncoming traffic if I'm leading or if bringing up the rear but rarely if I'm in the middle of the pack. However we nearly always signal within the group for turns, stops and arm straight up palm in for on coming sleds when possible.

Weekend rides are kind of like driving to work at 4:00 am vs. 8:00 am. A whole different kind of skill set seen of drivers around you.

Agreed it's annoying to be flipped off by some pole-smoker with no clue but don't take it personal.

To answer your question... it does nothing for me when signaled as I ride like I'm invisable and like you are always looking for alternate routes if forced into it.
 
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