I first heard about
The Brotherhood in mid-
2000, after
Lonardo bought a
motorcycle. After he'd been riding for a while, he was overheard discussing
The Brotherhood with
Castaldo (who had been riding since he was a teenager).
The Brotherhood, they explained, referred to
the invisible club of motorcycle riders. Membership was as simple as buying and riding a bike of some kind. "Whatever," I distinctly remember thinking, "
sounds like repressed homosexuality to me."
Nevertheless, within a few months I was signed up for
The State-provided
motorcycle training course. My instructor was a 60ish former
Drill Instructor with approximately 8 teeth named something like "Al". The course consisted of both written and practical components, the latter taught on 100
cc bikes in a church parking lot. In the rain.
I was
underwhelmed.
After we all passed the course's written exam, to my astonishment, "Al" gave us a brief speech.
"Today, you are entering into an exclusive Brotherhood. Respect and enjoy your membership in this family and that of your brothers and sisters."
I'm not fucking kidding. Word for word. What I had assumed was code for some kind of
gay love tryst between my two closest friends was actually a real phenomenon. Well, *also* a real phenomenon.
I later learned that a critical duty of membership in
The Brotherhood is
The Wave.
The Wave is gesture, usually with the left hand, given to other members of
The Brotherhood upon passing them in either direction. A nod of the head is also acceptable. Like
The Brotherhood,
The Wave is an silent phenomenon, unnoticed by
car drivers. It's another manifestation of the other world
motorcycle riders inhabit.
It's important to note that the exact boundaries of
Brotherhood membership are unclear. I don't consider
scooter riders to be members, and so I never offer
The Wave.
Sportsbike riders often don't acknowledge
The Wave, indicating they are unaware of their membership. Some
Harley riders only respond to
The Wave from other
Harley riders, believing that a non-
Harley is a non-bike.
Next time you're following a bike, watch for
The Wave, and remember about
The Brotherhood - a secret, easily-accessible, exclusive club of men and woman all around you.