[Ducati] Hand signal question

[Stephen OLeary]

I left on a weeklong motorcycle trip July 22.  As I was going up the coast on Monday, I met riders coming south from the Moto GP at Laguna Seca.  As one rider went by, he raised his left hand to his helmet.  The next rider after him did the same thing.  I have never seen this signal before, but I figured that the most likely thing they were trying to tell me was that there were police ahead.  Then a group of three riders went by doing the same thing.  Finally, I saw a rider coming toward me being followed by a patrol car.  The motorcycle rider made the left hand to the helmet signal to me.  At first I thought “Duh!” and then I thought that was kind of a bold gesture.  It turns out, however, that he was trying to warn me about an array of motorcycle officers around the next corner.  I wasn’t going that fast and coming from the opposite direction; I saw them before they saw me.
   
  My questions are: Can anyone tell me about this signal?  How come I’ve never seen it before?  How universal is it?  What is the actual proper form of the signal?
   
  Steve in Encinitas
  Ducati 1098 yellow
  BMW R1200RT grey

       
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