Left vs righthand corners?

[scumdog]

I'd always figured it had to do with throttle-hand flexibilty. When you're cornering to the right, you're countersteering and throttleing with the same hand, when you're cornering to the left it's one hand for each. Having said that, I think I prefer right-handers for that reason. One hand does all the work and the other one can just relax and get out of the way.

BTW I'm right handed, and all my one-vehicle crashes have been in right-hand corners, but I still prefer them. Visibility is better through right handers on the road too.

Re the counter-steer thing:
I tend to 'pull-back' on the left grip on a right-hand bend instead of pushing forwards with the right grip.(As it is too 'mobile' being the throttle, I found that pushing on it also caused me to increase speed as it twisted)

[YellowDog]

Why is it I'm way faster on lh corners than rh?
Im right handed an someone told me once that makes the lefthand side of my brain smarter.
WTF
or is it because i keep my car keys in my lh pocket and hence more weight off the bike.
Seems like its on the road as well as trackdays...maybe some HTFU pills would help..
Any ideas?

It's just like the first time you do skiing. If you are right handed, you can turn left, but not right. It is because you use your naturally familiar right side muscles to turn left. You turn the opposite way to the natural effort.

[duckonin]

Re the counter-steer thing:
I tend to 'pull-back' on the left grip on a right-hand bend instead of pushing forwards with the right grip.(As it is too 'mobile' being the throttle, I found that pushing on it also caused me to increase speed as it twisted)

Yes will agree with you on your comment....

[Sidewinder]

Why is it I'm way faster on lh corners than rh?
Im right handed an someone told me once that makes the lefthand side of my brain smarter.
WTF
or is it because i keep my car keys in my lh pocket and hence more weight off the bike.
Seems like its on the road as well as trackdays...maybe some HTFU pills would help..
Any ideas?

you are a noob! nah i have the same issue, got to do with the trotlle hand or some shit

[scrivy]

Well, I'm right handed, and my.... hangs left.......
But I do like to go faster around left handers than rights!

I figure its because the rear brake lever is on the right hand side of the bike, and when cranked around a right, my foot is too far from the lever incase I need to stand on the brakes (in an upright position) in a hurry due to unforseen obstacles.
Well, that's my theory.....

On my sidecar, I'm just as quick on either sides, as my inboard foot does the braking.

[pete376403]

coriolis effect p'raps?

[Elysium]

crank accross (hornet)

What is this "crank accross" you speak of?

[Blatman]

I'm left handed but prefer left hand corners, so I don't think it is to do with whether you are left or right handed

[mujambee]

Well, isn't any one going to shoot down my...."effect of gyroscopic action of the rotating masses?" theory?

I was going to go on an overly complex explanation of moving masses and that all, when I realised there is a far more simple explanation: If you look at all masses capable of producing gyroscopic effects on a bike (basically the wheels and the crankshaft), youll see that those are symetrical re the center plane of the bike.

Take a bike cornering left. Look at how the wheels move. Now look at same bike on a mirror, and compare it with it cornering right. You see exactly the same thing, so the effect is symetrical and has no influence.

To better illustrate it, now imagine a boxer BMW and look at it crankshaft. As I don't know how it goes, let's say it rotates so upper side goes right. If the bike leans to the left, it leans against the rotation of the crankshaft. Its image in the mirror will also lean agaist it. But when the bike leans right, it goes with the crankshaft, so mirror image and real bike are not exactly the same. In this case, the gyroscopic effect of the crankshaft may have some influence.

P.D.: Yes, I know its a bit late; it's been a damn couple of busy days.

[icekiwi]

Ya just have to go to a lot more Puke trackdays than Taupo ones!

lol did notice on a ride on sunday after our tikitour round Puke that i was taking the rh'ers a little faster,even my partner on the back commented.
Going to go on Mon 20th with Redline....will I see you there?

[2wheeldrifter]

It's in the mind I think, don't dwell on it... when riding just focus, do some track days or your fav bit of road over and over again. Don't look at speed, that's not what you want.. it's body position,.. speed will come on it's own. Would say most (I did) will have to make a conscious effort when doing a right hander, but in time it will feel just as good.. well 90% as good as a left hander! You may have to do it in stages and nail every stage before moving to the next etc..before your hangin off the seat!

Oh plus left handers you have no fear of a car crossing into your lane once your commited to your line aye!..

[Skyryder]

Some time back I was fishing at the outlet of Lake Wanaka and got talking to an American who was fishing in the same location. It turned out that this guy was an optician and while most of out talk was about what fish see, nylon refraction in moonlight and other fishing related subjects one comment of his did stand out and might offer an explanation of why most bikers prefer the lefthand corner be they in the northern or southern hemisphere, female or male or left or right handed.

The optician just happened to mention that for most of us our eyesight is naturaly focused to the left. I have spent some time in trying to find something on the net on this but have been unable to confirm this one way or the other. Whether this would have an effect on the preferance of a lefthand turn I can offer no opinion but this may give cause to why the lefthand is so much preferred by most riders no matter if this is north or southern hemisphere, male or female, road camber or for that matter left or right handed.

As to why this lefthand focus preference is natural the other comment he made in relation to this is that the sun moves from right to left. This was more of a personal opinion but this may explain some issues on why most of us prefer the left hand bend to the right.................who knows.


Skyyrder

[mashman]

I'm right handed, left footed, hanging left and I don't look right, but am more comfortable going into right handers than left... it did used to be the other way around!!!

Could be an eyesight thing. I was told by an optician that, in general, most people have one eye for short vision and one eye for long... It was news to me, but makes sense if depth perception is more acurate when looking to the left...

[mujambee]

The optician just happened to mention that for most of us our eyesight is naturaly focused to the left. I have spent some time in trying to find something on the net on this but have been unable to confirm this one way or the other. Whether this would have an effect on the preferance of a lefthand turn I can offer no opinion but this may give cause to why the lefthand is so much preferred by most riders no matter if this is north or southern hemisphere, male or female, road camber or for that matter left or right handed.

As to why this lefthand focus preference is natural the other comment he made in relation to this is that the sun moves from right to left. This was more of a personal opinion but this may explain some issues on why most of us prefer the left hand bend to the right.................who knows.


Skyyrder

Ask an archer, he will explain. One of the first things they do when you enter an archery is testing your "guide eye". That is the eye that finds the point you are looking at and targets on things, the other one just follows. A quick test is to wink an eye. Which one did you close? The guide one is the one you left open.

Most people's guide eye follows handness. That is, for a RH person the guide eye is the right one. But on some rare cases it doesn't follow. I'm one of those rare cases, RH but left guide eye (I have to use a left-handed arc).

I prefer lh turns, so my guess is that the eye has nothing to do.

Good theory, though.

[RocKai]

I've always found my right hand cornering to be awkward hence I used to go considerably slower round Right handers than left.

Now I compensate by hanging my arse of the right hand side of the bike, sticking my face in the right hand mirror and giving the throttle death. I go faster round right handers than left handers now

Why you need to think about explanation when you can just do it like McJim? I like it.