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Posted: 1/5/2005 11:03:30 PM EDT
[#1]
I was looking at my tires yesterday and noticed that the left side was more worn than the right. Odd, indeed.
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Posted: 1/5/2005 11:14:31 PM EDT
[#2]
I go left or right with indifference. Although, I once had a bike with bent handlebars that made turning in the direction of the bent bar super easy, and turning the other way a chore.
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Posted: 1/5/2005 11:15:24 PM EDT
[#3]
I only lean to turn or to conter act a cross wind
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Posted: 1/5/2005 11:19:27 PM EDT
[#4]
Umm, why else would you lean it?  Bryan |
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Posted: 1/5/2005 11:19:49 PM EDT
[#5]
I've scraped valve covers, bars, and footpegs pretty equally on both sides.
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Posted: 1/5/2005 11:28:44 PM EDT
[#6]
Damn I'm Tired, Mis read your question and all, Was thinking you meant sitting unevenly on one side of the seat or another!!! Must get some sleep. To answer the Question: I feel the same about leaning either direction..... |
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Posted: 1/5/2005 11:29:55 PM EDT
[#7]
You're not that guy I've seen taking an angle grinder to his knee pucks are you? 
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Posted: 1/5/2005 11:36:42 PM EDT
[#8]
I'm a little more comfortable turning right than left.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 12:58:58 AM EDT
[#9]
When I first strted riding, I was more comfortable leaning to the left than I was to the right.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 1:03:55 AM EDT
[#10]
That some kind of hockey thing? I don't do crotch rockets, I tend to ride them like they were made to be ridden and get in too much trouble... Can't help it. Closest I had was a BMW R90/6 one-off cafe racer. Been cruisers ever since then - but I still scrape up pegs... |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 1:21:35 AM EDT
[#11]
Ditto on the peg scraping. I had to replace the bolts on the bottom of my pegs at 3k miles.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 2:43:54 AM EDT
[#12]
Most people are more comfortable leaning to the left. This is especially noticeable in low speed, tight turns.
Why? Beats me. I've heard theories about an instinct to protect that side of the body. I don't know. Tight turns to the right require more practice for me to be proficient at them. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 3:31:48 AM EDT
[#13]
Damn! You must ride a Beemer or a 'wing and haul some serious ass in the twisties. I had a friend who used to buy take offs from the racers at Willow Springs and when we would go canyon riding on the weekend to various spots all the wannabes would marvel at the shredding on his tires and he'd say he did it that morning. I don't have a preference as far as leaning is concerned, but I've noticed that when riding in the mountains, I'll go a hell of a lot faster on my way up a steep climb than on the way down. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 3:39:02 AM EDT
[#14]
What I first started riding I had a lot of difficulty turing to the right because the combination of moving my arm for the turn while not messing up the throttle took awhile to learn. I would guess it's just the subconsious protecting the throttle that makes people less likely to take right turns as hard as the left. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 3:39:48 AM EDT
[#15]
No preferance.
But, my bike has those big ass foot skis on each side. Lucky for me they fold up when cornering. It's funny I'll be going around a corner and my foot just raises up. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 3:40:38 AM EDT
[#16]
no difference. pegs, pipes, primary covers, kickstands...anything that sticks out throws sparks.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 3:44:37 AM EDT
[#17]
Add me to the list of those who are more comfortable turning left than right. I have to agree it has to do with the throttle being on the right and trying to keep control while the arm is at a more comfortable angle.
Woody |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 3:57:37 AM EDT
[#18]
Riding my bike is almost like riding a dirt bike, except it is lower to the ground. Very light and nimble.
no problem leaning either way. 
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Posted: 1/6/2005 3:57:41 AM EDT
[#19]
Dirt Bike. Left turns.
Street Bike, Right turns. I have know idea why. Appears that everywhere I go in town, it's a right turn. Now, it's going to bug me. Now on the trails, with a MX bike, almost all turns are to the left till I hit a tree.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 3:58:19 AM EDT
[#20]
... you need more miles with the breeze to your knees
... kinda like flinching the first few time you fired a 1911 |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 5:35:12 AM EDT
[#21]
When I first started riding I had to work at leaning more for RH turns. I seemed to just fall into hard left turns but I didn't feel as comfortable at hard right turns.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 5:42:41 AM EDT
[#22]
On the street on my harleys it makes no difference. Back in the dirt bike days I could definitely power slide (flat track) better to the left and in motocross a little better with the left hand berms.
--RR |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 5:45:09 AM EDT
[#23]
interesting, lefts feel more natural than rights for me as well
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Posted: 1/6/2005 5:55:48 AM EDT
[#24]
I bet all you guys that lean to the left are regular footed and the guys that lean to the right are goofy foot. Makes sense to me.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 6:09:31 AM EDT
[#25]
Funny question and I haven't ridden a bike in many years (decades), but I do remember distinctly that I did have a preference for right turns. In fact, I was once so aggressive with a slow right turn that I dumped the bike on the pavement, but I did have a lot of confidence with right turns.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 6:15:28 AM EDT
[#26]
We once did a survey at a club meeting that addressed this exact question. The results were that about 78% of the people felt that turning left was easier than right.
We also asked if the rider was left handed or right handed, thinking that maybe that had something to do with ease of turning. The results showed that the left hand/right hand thing had nothing to do with ease of turning. With experience, turning either way becomes just as easy. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 6:31:07 AM EDT
[#27]
I've been riding for about 6 months now and I'm pretty comfortable either way. I do tend to lean a little further left than right but I'm working on that. I've hit both toes a few times and felt the side of my left foot scrape the pavement twice. That was a bit scary. MJD
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Posted: 1/6/2005 6:38:49 AM EDT
[#28]
Long time "real" scooter trash have no problems understanding your question or the answer.
This is "brain" thang, most folks are right handed and the left side of their brains are generally more highly developed. As most folks rarely ever make attempts to exercise the right side of their brains (by exercising the left hand or left side of the body) they don't realize the benefit can come of it. I use my left hand, not by choice, but in Jr. High a coach unwittingly got me started by making me play ping-pong left handed, (I was too good for everyone righthanded because MOM kicked my butt all the time at the game; still beats me 2 outta 3 today) I eventually learned to beat them all left handed and this taught me that being "ambidexterous" was within reach. All it takes is practice. I lean down to the crash bars on either side with confidence, and there's missin chrome on both undersides of my scoot bars and floorboards to prove it. Give it a try sometime, practice a skill/game/writting or whatever until you become accomplished at that skill lefty as good as you are righty (should only take about 5-10 years of devoted effort in multiple tasking using this method to become comfortably ambi) and you'll find that the feeling will no longer bother ya...... Here's the skinny on this one also.......
Scoot tires ALWAYS wear more on the left side that the right because 2-lane roads are always "crowned" in the middle, so driving down the road the "crown" of the road is always on your left. Hence the left side of your scoot tires wear MORE on the left. Mike ps - ain't much about scoots and riding 'em I ain't run across, over or thru, guess after 30+ years ya either learn or die, especially when 2 wheels are involved.... |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 6:40:53 AM EDT
[#29]
More than likely there is a misalignment of the rear wheel causing the turn problem. Measure from the center of the swing arm bolt to the center of the rear axle bolt. It should be equal on both sides of the bike. If not, it will turn better in one direction than in the other. It will feel like it doesn't want to lean as easily or as far in a given direction. The longer dimension on the left will make it turn easier to the right.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 6:47:09 AM EDT
[#30]
 You sir should read the complete thread before ya post........  You won't look quite so foolish. BTW, thanks for the laugh, Mike |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 7:08:47 AM EDT
[#31]
So I read it....again! My impression was that he found it more difficult to lean it one direction over the other. I've been riding and wrenching on bikes for 30 years. A mechanical problem can cause what he experienced.
What didn't I understand, it wasn't a serious question?? |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 7:15:11 AM EDT
[#32]
I have heard that the reason for that is that most highways slightly slope from the middle to the edge to drain water off the road. Thus, the left side of our tires on motorcycles are slightly more worn because we are riding vertical against a slope from left down to right. patsue |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 7:17:14 AM EDT
[#33]
Did you read my post above?, (which is what is was referring to as reading the "complete" thread) Mike ps - we all start out being more comfy leaning one way or the other, depending on whether we're left or right handed, and unlike you, I detected no "mechanical" issues with his post more of a "feeling" issue....... to which I responded with what I feel was the appropriate answer. pps - YOU"LL NOTE PATSUE ABOVE LIKE YOU POSTED WITHOUT READING THE WHOLE THREAD, either that or there's and echo in here.......
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Posted: 1/6/2005 7:17:23 AM EDT
[#34]
I'll agree with Nozzleman that a bike that's not properly sorted can be rather uncomfortable to lean in one direction but not the other. However, if the poster has the same feeling when leaning several different bikes, the mechanical diagnosis is a moot point.
For the record, I was always more comfortable leaning left than right. Last bike was a Ducati Monster. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 7:50:30 AM EDT
[#35]
Wow! I can't believe I was quoted this much.  For the record, I grew up on dirt bikes. XR75, anyone? I owned several street and trail bikes until I sold them all in 93 to get up a down payent on my first house. I sold an AR15A2 and a Super Redhawk around the same time, for the same reason. I'm in the process of getting my toys back. My VTX1800 is about due for tires after 4k miles. I've got a heavy right foot, and my throttle hand has some strong twisting tendencies.  I'm thinking of selling off a few toys to get a KDX 250. I miss the dirt bike. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 8:03:48 AM EDT
[#36]
Wow, although most stock tires aren't worth crap and the first thing I replace, 4K is pretty bad, especially if the front one's worn out too. Metzler ME 880 tires are specially designed for Crusiers and IMO are some the best ya can get. Rears normally go 10K IF your anal retentive about watching the air-pressure (42psi) regularly. Fronts will normally go 16-18K, again watch the air-pressure, their finiky about that..... Mike ps - Mileages given above are only for the METZLERS, as I have no idea what comes on a new Honda nowdays.... |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 8:15:36 AM EDT
[#37]
40/40 PSI, that is.
I'm heavy handed. ETA: The rear tire is looking a little thin. My throttle hand is heavy. The front tire is okay. I'm looking at the Metzlers. I've seen good things about the Metzlers. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 8:17:16 AM EDT
[#38]
BMW? |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 9:01:16 AM EDT
[#39]
It's more of a right handed / left handed thing. If your right handed, then left turns are more comfortable and natural. When you were a kid on your sting-ray, didn't you skid your bike to the same side all the time. My kid races motocross and it becomes very apparent that people favor a certain direction when turning, either left or right. He is much more aggressive making left turns than right turns.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 9:29:35 AM EDT
[#40]
Nice RZ. Those are hard to find. I had a banshee atv with that motor. The powerband is almost uncontrollable. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 9:40:20 AM EDT
[#41]
The reason that most of us feel more comfortable leaning and turning left is due to the fact that the rear brake pedal is actuated by the right foot. If you are like me, in the back of your mind, you realize that you can't simultaneously apply rear brake and place your right foot on the ground if the bike should happen to fall over or begin to slide out from under you. That is my reasoning for the tendency to prefer to lean more to the left side.
I know the right handers are a bitch doing the barrel races at the Easy Riders Rodeo. Hard to get a big dresser slowed down and ready to make a hard right hander in the dirt. I dumped mine on a right hander, and knocked the barrel over. The left handers were no problem. All in a day's fun.  RODEO PICS |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 9:44:40 AM EDT
[#42]
Probably right after he "oldschools" up his M4 with it too. I was almost deficient in right turns when I started and almost got killed like 3 times. I went to a race school and havent had a problem since. My bike came with some BT010's and not 2000 miles into them I had turned the edges blue. Not sure what that means but they were obviously blue. I'm going to have to get some supercorsas or pirelli dragons now. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 9:51:17 AM EDT
[#43]
Nope.... So long a its fast, Im comfortable.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 9:55:50 AM EDT
[#44]
I don't think you're going to want to ride on the street with supercorsas. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 9:59:52 AM EDT
[#45]
I know the reason.
In the U.S. we drive on the right side of the road. Right turns become harder and are usually taken at lower speed due to lane width. Samuel |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 10:13:36 AM EDT
[#46]
BINGO!!! After all the expert testimony and rider resume's we finally have the REAL reason that most riders favor left turns over right. With lots of practice and conscious retraining it can be corrected. But it's generally only a real problem if you race or like to push it real hard in the twisties. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 10:14:56 AM EDT
[#47]
Left turns seem easier than right ones for me, i'm righthanded also i've always wondered if it was one of those left brain right brain things or maybe no brain in my case.
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Posted: 1/6/2005 10:23:07 AM EDT
[#48]
Um..... touching either brake in the twisties is bad mojo. My mind is about as far from the brake as possible in a turn. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 12:43:43 PM EDT
[#49]
Then you are missing-out on some valuable braking space. I trail brake into the turn as long as possible. Of course, the deeper your lean, the less force you have available for braking and still maintaining traction. But when I'm in the mood to play roadracer in the twisties, I am not even close to being done on the brakes as I leave the straight for the turn. You have to develope a very light touch and sensitivity on the rear brake or you will slide. I've done that on several occasions. The front brake lends itself to more traction. Having said that, you don't want the front end to wash-out in the corner, so take it easy on that. My point is that your brakes still work through-out the entire turn... you just have less traction available for braking at that point so you have to be careful not to use up all your traction. Nick Ienatsch's book "Sport Riding Techniques" describes this "law" well. Riders like Rossi, Hayden, Edwards and Mladin could not get around the track like they do without trail-braking into the corners. |
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Posted: 1/6/2005 12:54:49 PM EDT
[#50]
I think the answer is a little simpler. You have to push on the right handlebar to do a right turn, but that's also the same side the throttle is on. Most people don't feel as comfortable maintaining throttle control and push on the handlebar/clipon at the same time. |
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