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Re: Are you a leftie or a rightie

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:40 pm
by T-Bird
I can scrape pegs on either but just enjoy diving into a good left turn more than a right. I am left handed but pitch right. I send morse code with either hand.

Re: Are you a leftie or a rightie

Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 5:12 am
by madjak30
I only really have a preference when turning from a stop...I think it is because I stop with just my left foot down so the bike is already leaning in that direction...if I have to start off turning right, I have to switch feet and also turn tighter...that could also be the reason...left hand turns are wider than right handers, but I don't find I have a preference once under way...only at a stop...

Later.

Re: Are you a leftie or a rightie

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 10:36 pm
by Wrider
So I'm digging this back up to say I'm definitely more comfortable cornering to the right...
I looked at my riding boots today, and while I know I ought to have the ball of my foot on the peg, most of my riding is done in the city so shifting and such prevents me from just leaving it there, which means the majority of the time my arch is on the peg.

That said, I scrape both boots somewhat regularly. But my right boot shows a WHOLE lot more wear than the left...
After noticing this, I was paying attention to my foot position on the ride home from work this morning. I tend to hang my right foot out more so that it's not under or on the brake pedal, but my left I leave under the shifter, so that could have a bit to do with the wear patterns shown below.


Left side boot.
Image


Right side boot.
Image

Edited for smaller pictures. Even my feet aren't as big as that made them look lol.

Re: Are you a leftie or a rightie

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 11:25 pm
by sapaul
Best post I have seen on this subject, thanks for that. My boots also take a little punishment on the right side as I trail brake in corners sometimes.

Re: Are you a leftie or a rightie

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:40 am
by JackoftheGreen
I sat and thought about this question for awhile before responding, and ultimately I have to admit I'm much more comfortable with a righter than a lefter. To prefer a right hand turn from a stand-still makes sense to me, since in the U.S. you can cut your right hand turn just as clean as you like, whereas a left hand you have to cross traffic first and then begin your corner. But at speed on sweeping highway curves, a reason for the preference is harder to tease out.

Ultimately, all I can say is that when I'm tucking into a sweeping right, I feel like I'm working with the bike, but for a sweeping left I feel like I'm working against it. It feels as though the bike is 'taller' on the left than on the right, like a wedge, and I can't explain it any better than that. Perhaps it has to do with the throttle being on the right -- I'm already 'pulling' with my right hand, so tilting to that direction seems a natural extension of the twisting motion. Or maybe it's the kickstand being over there, making it seem as though there's less clearance on that side.

Or, maybe my left butt cheek is just bigger than the right. LoL, who knows...

Re: Are you a leftie or a rightie

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 12:09 pm
by dr_bar
JackoftheGreen wrote: Perhaps it has to do with the throttle being on the right -- I'm already 'pulling' with my right hand, so tilting to that direction seems a natural extension of the twisting motion. Or maybe it's the kickstand being over there, making it seem as though there's less clearance on that side.
Odd, I would think pulling back on the right side would help in a sweeping left... Isn't that a correct assumption?