Which is your BAD side???

[stevo]

Here's an exerpt from one of Keith Codes books...it was posted on another site I'm on and it's pertinent to ALL of us...

It's in 2 posts 'cos it was too long for one......... I hate it when it's too long to fit :shhhh


The Bad Side
By Keith Code

There are technical points concerning a rider's fear of making either right- or left-hand turns. Many riders have this fear and it's frustrating. Scores of riders have complained to me about this with a sheepish sort of approach and "admitted" they were perplexed by it. Rightfully so, roughly 50% of their turns were being hampered by an unknown, un-categorized, seemingly unapproachable fear having no apparent source or reasoning behind it. Out of desperation for an answer, riders have blamed it on being right- or left-handed, mysterious brain malfunctions and a host of other equally dead-end "nonsense solutions." I say nonsense because none of them answered their questions or addressed the hesitance, uncertainty and fear.


Having a fear of right turns would be the worst if you lived in Kansas or Nebraska where practically the only turns worth the title are freeway on- and off-ramps. If you went "ramping" with your friends, "doing the cloverleaf" round and round, you'd be at the back of the pack. Anxiety on lefts would exclude you from the dirt track racing business for sure. But mainly we are talking about day-to-day riding and any such apprehension as this (and there are others) spoils a rider's confidence, making him somewhat gun-shy.

There are actually three reasons why you could have this unidirectional phobia, and all three contain an inordinate amount of some emotional response that runs from suspicion and distrust to mild panic and a dose of plain old anxiety for good measure. By the way, if you consider yourself in this category of rider, count your blessings--many riders have bi-directional phobia and it's only by their force of will and love of freedom that they persist in their riding at all!

First Reason

Reason number one for this fear is that you crashed on the right or left at sometime and the relatively indelible mental scar is still on the mend but remains a more or less hidden and nagging source of irritation. The part of the mind that is concerned with survival does not easily forget; the proof is that our species still exists.

There have no doubt been other more pressing problems along the way that have tried and tested man in his effort to put order into his environment. The fact that the incident of a crash drops down to an obscure sub-level of awareness is not a help in this, or perhaps any other case, as it can add an unpredictable element to our riding.

You may gain some control over this with practice, but the oddest part of it is that, if you haven't ridden for a while, this apprehension of turning right or left can return in force... provided it springs from this particular source. In the technology of the mind and according to the discipline of Dianetics, these incidents are stored in what is called the Reactive Mind, for the obvious reason that one finds himself reacting to, rather than being co-active with, some circumstance. In this case, right or left turns.

Second Reason

In the discipline of riding technology we have the act and activity of counter-steering to contend with. Here a rider may have become confused, in a panic of some sort, and gone back to another variety of "survival response" that pressed him into turning the bike's bars in the direction he wanted to go, rather than doing the correct action of counter-steering. That instant of confusion has stopped many riders cold in their tracks, never to twist their wrist again and pleasure themselves with motorcycle riding.

Turn left to go right, push the right bar to go right; it's the thing that eludes us in that panic situation (statistically) more commonly than anything, save only the overuse and locking of the rear brake.

When you dissect this confusion regarding the counter-steering process, you see that it is possibly more devastating than the rear-end lock-up, even though both have the same result: the bike goes straight, and often straight into that which we were trying to avoid. Remember, you can only do two things on a motorcycle, change its speed and change its direction. Confusion on counter-steering locks up the individual's senses tighter than a transmission run without oil and reduces those two necessary control factors down to one--a bad deal in anyone's book.

Third Reason

The third possible reason for being irrational about rights and lefts is the one that has solved it more often than not-practice (or the lack thereof). Applying the drill sergeant's viewpoint of repeatedly training the rider to practice and eventually master the maneuver is a very practical solution. I suppose this one falls under the heading of the discipline of rider dynamics. Ninety-five percent of all riders push the bike down and away from their body to initiate a turn or steering action, especially when attempting to do it rapidly. Rapidly here means something on the order of how fast you would have to turn your bike if someone stopped quickly in front of you and you wanted to simply ride around him, or avoid a pothole, rock or any other obstacle.

For example, when a muffler falls off the car in front of you on the freeway at 60 mph, that's 88 feet per second of headway you are making down the road. Despite the fact you've left a generous 40 feet between you and the car, that translates into one half-second to get the bike's direction diverted, including your reaction time to begin the steering process. We're talking about a couple of tenths of a second here-muy rapido.

This process of pushing the bike down and away from you to steer it seems like an automatic response and is most probably an attempt to keep oneself in the normally correct relationship to the planet and its gravity, namely, vertically oriented or perpendicular to the ground. This is a good idea for walking, sitting and standing-but not for riding. When you stay "on top" of the bike, pushing it under and away, you actually commit a number of riding dynamics sins. The first of which is the "Bad Passenger Syndrome."

[stevo]

this is the second part of the first part, which together make the whole part :banarock



Bad Passenger

Bad passengers lean the wrong way on the bike. They position themselves in perfect discord vis-a-vis your intended lean, steering and cornering sensibilities. So do you when you push the bike away from yourself, or hold your body rigidly upright on the bike. The most common solution to a bad passenger's efforts to go against the bike's cornering lean angle is to browbeat them and threaten "no more rides." But how do you fix this tendency in yourself?

A bad passenger makes you correct your steering and eventually become wary of their actions and the bike's response to them. This ultimately leads to becoming tense on the bike while turning. Pushing the bike away from yourself or sitting rigidly upright while riding solo has the same effect.

Hung Off Upright

Hang-off-style riders don't think this applies to them, but it does. Many riders are still pushing the bike under themselves while hung off. Look through some race photos, especially on the club level, and you will easily see that some are still trying to be bad passengers on their own bikes, countering the benefits of the hung position by trying to remain upright through the corners.

A rider's hung-off style may have more to do with his ability to be comfortable with the lean of the bike and go with it, than anything else. This is not to say there is only one way to sit on a bike, in any style of riding. But it does mean that each rider must find his own way of agreeing with his bike's dynamics while keeping a good perspective on the road. And this doesn't mean that you always have to have your head and eyes parallel with the horizon, as some riders claim. But it does mean that you may have to push yourself to get out of the "man is an upright beast" mode of thinking and ride with the bike, not against it. It may feel awkward at first, but it's the only way to be "in-unit" with the bike. Most professional riders do this. John Kocinski is an example of someone in perfect harmony with his machine.

Show and Tell

Having a rider do a quick-flick, side-to-side steering maneuver in a parking lot allows you to easily observe him jerking and stuffing the bike underneath himself in an effort to overwhelm it with good intentions and brute force, rather than using correct, effective and efficient steering technique.

There are other steering quirks you may observe while having someone do such simple show-and-tell drills. For example, some riders have a sudden hitch that comes at the end of the steering when they have leaned it over as far as they dare. It's a kind of jerking motion initiated from their rigid upper body.

You may see an exaggerated movement at the hips, another variation of their attempt to keep the back erect. Also, look for no movement of the head, or extreme movements to keep it erect. A general tenseness of the whole body is common, as is lots of extraneous motion of the bike. Yet very little steering is actually taking place in these examples. So what's the right thing to do here?

Good Passenger

What do good passengers do? Nothing! They just sit there and enjoy the ride, practically limp on the saddle. The bike leans over and so does the passenger. Which scenario agrees with motorcycle design: weight on top that is moving, or weight that is stable and tracking with it? Motorcycles respond best to a positive and sure hand that does the least amount of changing. Holding your body upright is not doing nothing, it is doing something. It is an action you initiate, a tenseness you provide, and it is in opposition to the bike's intended design (what it "likes"). The answer to the question, "What's wrong with my bike's handling?" more often than not is "A malfunction in the seat/handlebar interface."

More Lean

The more you stay erect and try to push the bike down and away (motocross-style riding), the more leaned over you must be to get through the turn. That's a fact. Crotch rocket jockeys hang off their bikes for show, but the pros do it to lean their bikes over less. You can counter this adverse affect of having to lean more by simply going with the bike while you turn it, in concert with and congruous to its motion, not against it. There is even an outside chance you may find it feels better and improves your control over the bike, and reduces the number of mini-actions needed to corner. There is also a good possibility that this will open the door to conquering your directional fear, whichever form it may take.

Diagnosis

Look for one or more of these indications on your "bad" side:

The body is stiff or tense while making turns on the side you don't like, at least more so than on the side you do like.
You don't allow your body to go with the bike's lean on one side. Instead, you are fighting it to some degree, and it is fighting you.
The effort to remain perfectly vertical is greater on your bad side.
You turn with less aggressiveness/more timidity on your bad side.
You become shortsighted, looking too close to the bike on that shy side.
You find yourself making more steering corrections by trying to "dip" the bike into turns or pressing and releasing the bars several times in each turn.
You notice a tendency to stiff-arm the steering.
You notice you are trying to steer the bike with your shoulders rather than your arms.
You might find more symptoms, but one or more of the above will be present on your bad side.

Coaching

The very best and simplest way I've found to cure this tendency to push the bike under is to have someone watch you while you do a quick-flick, back-and-forth steering drill in a parking lot. You have your friend stand at one point and you ride directly away from him as though you were weaving cones. Then turn around and ride directly back at them, weaving as quickly as you feel comfortable and at a speed you like, usually in second gear. In that way your coach is able to see you either going with the bike at each steering change, or they will see you and the bike crisscrossing back and forth from each other.

As the coach, that's what you are looking for, the bike and the rider doing the same action, the rider's body is leaned over the same as the bike at each and every point from beginning of the steering action to the end. There is no trick to seeing this...it is obvious. For example, when they ride away from you, if you see the mirrors moving closer and further away from the rider's body, they are obviously not moving together. That's pushing the bike under rather than good steering. This is also the time to notice which side is the rider's bad side. The back-and-forth flicks will be hesitant on one side or the other.

Remedies

The entire purpose of this exercise is to have the rider get in better communication with his machine-going with it, not against it-rather than treating it as though it were a foreign object that he is wrestling to stay on top of or muscling down like a rodeo rider. Often, it simply takes a reminder to loosen-up the upper body. Sometimes the rider needs to lean forward and imagine the tank and he are one and the same. On sportbikes, a full crouch over the tank can sometimes be the answer to link the rider with his bike, giving him a ready reference to its physical attitude in relation to the road.

Making sure the rider has some bend in his elbows while leaning forward slightly seems to help. Using palm pressure to steer the bike seems to resolve the tendency to muscle the bike over from side to side. Dropping the elbows so the forearm is more level with the tank makes the steering easier and promotes going with the bike, and it takes a rider away from the stiff-armed approach to steering. Reminders to relax the shoulders and let the arms do the work of steering also help.

End Result

You stop doing the drill when the rider has the feeling he is in better control of the bike, when he has the idea of how easy and how much less effort it takes to steer, or when he feels comfortable with both rights and lefts.

There could be other contributing factors, like overly worn tires or a bent frame, that would bring a genuine and justified anxiety to a right or left turn, but I believe the above three reasons cover everything else. And if you are anything like the hundreds of riders I've had do the above drill, you could use a little work on this area, even if you don't have a bad side. I hope it helps.

[GOTWA]

Stevo that was awesome!

My years in the dirt left me not riding my street bike right. I couldn't put my finger on it but I just knew I wasn't doing it right. I could get down the road but oft times felt awkward, especially in left turns.

Ended up taking a private lesson form an MSF instructor and told him I wanted to focus on strictly on conering. After a quick assessment, he got to work on me.

I was doing the "bad passenger" thing. Trying hold myself upright and throw the bike through the turn. After an hour and a half he had me doing turns I would have been paniced to try on the street because I know the bike would have went down.

I still catch myself every so often starting to throw the bike and have to correct myself. Leaning over with that bike, defying gravity, and trusting in the physics of propullsion and kinetic energy is not a natural act. Complicated even further by growing up on dirt bikes and just teaching myself how to ride through trial and error.

That lesson was the best "upgrade" I've made since I bought my Sporty!

[stevo]

I have a tendency to the "bad passenger" thing aswell......Dirt riding background...

I've been a little tentative since I broke my leg and am just startin to get the flow happening again....

The fact that I'm riding a bike that requires a TOTALLY different cornering technique probably hasn't helped..

I have a preference for left handers.... this goes back many years to roller skating and then BMX ... I could slide the bike better to the left and I was more comfortable in the air laying the bike down flat to the left.

I've always been a slide of the side rather than a sit there and lean sort of rider....that was usually to allow a better cornering clearance... I used to be able to get the old VF1000 over far enough to scrub the lettering on the side of the tyre..

I needed to slide off the side on the sporty because it had no ground clearance....but even though i'm sorta more comfortable on lefts I could come into one of the right handers on our local go-kart track with foot, lower leg and knee toucking and both wheels slidin...that's about the limit..

Havin just spent a few days up in the twisties with the gixxer, I'm getting more comfortable with it and learning how to corner it properly..it requires a TOTALLY different technique to the sporty and I'm just getting to the stage where there's no chicken strip on the rear tyre on both sides and I'm only a couple of mm off the edge of the tread on the front left side....have a close look at a new rice rocket and see how far ya have to be over to use all the front tread....


I'm maybe going to do my first ever riding course late September, it's an advanced rider course and it's about the only way we can get the go-kart track for our big road bikes now......and I figure it's about time I tried to learn somethin again.....last time I tried I was already doin everythin they suggested..... I just don't feel fast anymore...maybe it's just that this bike doesn't flow as well as I had the sporty flowin or maybe it's just that I'm a V-twin rider..not an inline 4 guy....as it's well documented that the technique for either is very different

[jack82]

My right sides my "bad" side.........it comes from having to change line mid corner to avoid on coming log trucks on our narrow shit roads down here...........it happens alot so you tend to tense up on the right handers.
When I get on a good twisty road with not much traffic the smooth flow tends to come back.
The other thing is switching from dirt riding to road riding constantly.Totally different styles and you have to switch your brain on to dirt or road.........

[raysheen]

My right sides my "bad" side.........it comes from having to change line mid corner to avoid on coming log trucks on our narrow shit roads down here...........it happens alot so you tend to tense up on the right handers.
interesting! same exact reasoning for my bad side...except it's my left side since I'm in the US

[jack82]

I've owned a few inline 4s but I could never ride them quickly.........I'm definately a v twin guy......any v twin.....just comfortable on em...........I could ride my old bevel Ducati's faster than any other bikes I've owned.
I've got a little SV650 that just hoot's up mountain roads............but put me on a 4 and I just cant jell with it........

[RedRider]

Stevo, this is a great article! I am always looking to improve my riding skills, whether I am on the bike practicing, or learning the theory of riding when I'm not on the scoot.

IMO, this thread should be a sticky so it can be seen and referenced by members looking to be better riders. I know that I'll be re-reading this article in the future to get it right in my head.

Thanks for posting this.

[stevo]

Yeah..I'm havin the same problems... I've gotta learn how to ride again...

I read an article by Doohan that said ya should shut the power off totally, pull the clutch in, tap down thru the gears and "neutral" thru the corner and then feed the power on...

I use a bit of power and both brakes on the sporty...

With this Gixxer i'm findin I've gotta use the "neutral" technique.... brake late, pull the clutch in, tapp down a gear or so, slide the rear in, hold it in the corner with the brakes and then feed on the power comin out and judge the slide...

Takes a SHIT load of concentration to do well tho...and it feels horrible if ya don't get it right...and still doesn't feel really right even when it is.....

just no FLOW..... I'm actually about as quick on the sporty THRU the turns as this thing

[Sportster Girl]

Thanks a ton Stevo! What a great article. I always knew something was going on with all that, but didn't know exactly what.

My 'bad' side is right turns. Again, probably from the dirt bike background. I'm gonna print this out and refer to it again from time to time.

This is really good stuff to know....

[jack82]

I used to try to "point and shoot" when riding a 4.........hard braking,quick turn,power out..............but like you say its real hard to get it right and it rarely feels smooth.

On a twin I'm not so severe on the brakes but carry a higher corner speed and drag the rear brake a little if needed.Alot smoother and less rushed than on a 4 and probably just as fast [at least for me]........

I reckon some bikes are just suited to ya and some aint.

[sportymark]

The "bad side" on the Harley seems to be the right but only cos it grounds down so easy (the left isn't much better).

This handling issue with Harley's (mainly the large front wheels I think) is the main reason I kept hold of my CBR, the handling on a Jap sprorts bike is just light years ahead.

But saying that, it does mask a lot of rider error (sports bikes) and I find I really need to work hard if I'm going quick on the Sporty.

The fact is I like both kinds of bikes.

[jwb47]

I cant say I buy into the dirt bike thing causing the turn problems I spent alot of time motocross , enduro and flat track riding after 32 years of riding maybe I am just becoming to complaciant but I have no trouble or fear turning right or left its all the same just the opposite of the turn in the other direction. I never heard the expression of countersteering until I started reading forums on the internet. all I know is what you have to do to make it around a curve on a 1/2 mile track at 80 mph, a good screamin slide into the hay bales will do wonderful things for your learning curve, I think most riding problems are nothing more than bad habits we go back to subconsiusly , an example I use to chew tobbacco when I worked in the mines, every day when I stepped on the elevator I would automaticaly grab a dip. when I left the mines I never bought another can of chew and forgot about it . 5 years later I was working on a building and had to ride the elevator , as soon as I stepped on the elevator I reached in to my pocket for a can of skoal , nothing more than a habit brought back from the past. maybe going back to the basics of riding would benefit us all.

[stevo]

Those are exactly the points that were mentioned....

The tendency to drop the bike down and keep yourself upright...ie: dirtbike style ... watch the supermotard guys compared to a road racer...this isn't a problem if you're in full control....

It IS a problem if it's done thru a fear to allow the bike to go any lower....

I've seen this habit/fear in many riders, especially newbies and BABs.... the girlfriend has it on right handers .... I have difficulty understanding why because if I have a weakness I will learn/train untill it becomes a strength ... she wont... and most people wont...

Facing your fear means accepting your fallibility


and habits or fears that are deeply ingrained into the subconcious....need to be cleaned out as they will manifest themselves at JUST the wrong moment

[raysheen]

only slightly related but the dirtbike talk reminded me of it...saw a guy on a BT the other day who didn't look very comfortable going around a very sharp curve (rolling stop ~90 deg.) and the first thing he did was to stick his leg out in front of the bike "motocross style"...didn't look like a safe move in those circumstances...but the worst thing about it was I don't even know if he noticed he did it...one reason that I always try to disect my riding habits..so I can always be improving safety etc.

[GRAYFEATHER]

Thats a top write up Stevo. to get my self tuned with the bike I do the brocken white line run Left right left right through the white lines on the road after lots of practice I am very in tune with the bikes dynamics but still at times find my bad side is the right, real tight bends or Chasing a ricer.

Grayfeather.

[cantolina]

Excellent article...

I have noticed a recent tendency to sit more upright in a turn...mostly lefts...(slid out on a left last year in gravel..)....I have to look at that...

Timely advice...THANX! :)

[ed_in_az]

The tendency to drop the bike down and keep yourself upright...ie: dirtbike style ... watch the supermotard guys compared to a road racer...this isn't a problem if you're in full control....

I rode dirtbikes for years, yet as I was reading this thread I was still thinking, what's wouldn't translate to the street. Now I see what you mean. The type of turning you mention above is only valid for sliding, like we do in the dirt. Probably the reason I adapted to the street when I bought my first road bike was I had 8 years of ATVs between my dirt riding and my street riding and this probably "broke" some old dirtbike habits.

I'm generally slower on right hand turns when rounding a hill. When turning left around a hill you have better visibility into the turn. The reverse would be true in OZ with traffic on the left.

:cheers

[Preacher]

Interesting article... I am glad I forced myself to overlook the Dianetics reference. (Normally, when encountering bullshit of that level, I would simply ignore anything else said.)

[xena]

I've been trying to kick my "bad side" habit for years now and have been unsuccessful. I find that I have a hard time with controlled right turns on my mountain bike, on rollerblades, and on my sporty. To me it feels like it's related to my being left handed but thats just a guess.
While I have become more comfortable with right turns, I don't think they will ever feel as natural as left turns.

The article is great though and thanks so much for posting it Stevo. Everyone on this site should read it.

[75oldschool]

man thats a good article.my problume is i feel like im going to fall over when turning don't know why just do. looks like im off to those classes for motorcycle rider. singed up for it two years ago then thought i didn't need it so i canceled.
boy was i wrong:o will be singing up next week. what a dumass mister know it all:doh

[ReddTigger]

Since I Am a recently new rider ( may 2005) I dont think that one side is bad,I think that both sides are bad. I finally got away from trying to steer through the turn, but now that you mention it, I do think that I am pushing the bike down, Instead of doing the correct things, I will try to pay more attention on the way home from work tonite, and see where I really am.

Waiting for the courses to come my way.....

[lefty]

:doh My bad side is very specific, downhill lefts and is explained in the first scenario. I saw a guy go high side last spring on a downhill left right in front of me. I see down hill left coming I tense up, don't lean, pull back, push the bike down, act like a freakin' pussy, clearly making a spill even more probable. Need to get over it.

Lefty

[Bikerdude]

Just now read the entire thread and this is another example of why I love the XLForum!!! Superb article..I needed this as much as anyone as well. Make it a sticky..Ya got my vote. This NEEDS to be read on a regular basis. Damn..I want to go out right now and practice some of this stuff... :tour

Thanks Stevo...You Da Man!! :clap

[Y2K]

:smoke [QUOTE=GOTWA]
I still catch myself every so often starting to throw the bike and have to correct myself. Leaning over with that bike, defying gravity, and trusting in the physics of propullsion and kinetic energy is not a natural act. Complicated even further by growing up on dirt bikes and just teaching myself how to ride through trial and error.


That is where so many riders freak out the first time they ride an Eglide.
You absofreak'nloutly can't throw one of these big boys around :laugh
You have to learn proper countersteering and how to lean into and set up for the corners.Once you have it down and know it's limitations you can go like hell on one but try and ride it like a dirt bike and it'll wear ya out but quick :D
I don't seem to be bothered by left or right,might be cause I ride a twisty road to work daily.Might also be because I've crashed on both sides so neither one is more scary than the other :laugh :p
Y2K

[xllent01]

That is a very good article, very good advise for everyone.


As a ex- Motocross, Supercross racer and a champion freestyle skier
one thing that can be adapted from both to the motorcycling
world is that when skiing all upper body motion is quiet, shoulders
square to the hill and looking foward, turning only your head and looking
far ahead to go were you want.
Same applies to motorcycles, quiet upper body, turning of head only
in the direction your body and bike will follow. Turning your head and
looking far ahead thru the corner, whether it be to the left or right.

No corner fears for me, can ride smooth being left side or right.
Including off cambers either up right or down left.

Turn your head and the bike will follow. Good advise for all to
live by.

[whispanic]

Interesting article... I am glad I forced myself to overlook the Dianetics reference. (Normally, when encountering bullshit of that level, I would simply ignore anything else said.)

Anton LeVay wrote that right? Not to hijack but I HATE scientology...but thats cause I havent seen enough Tom Cruise movies yet.

As for the subject here, Im still new to Sporty handeling and I have to say after a month of ownership I still consider myself a novice on this bike. I cant figure out if I should lean the thing over like I did my NH or should I push the bars and maintain a more upright posture.

How do you run?

Ill be honest until I can rub the pegs a bit I dont feel like I capable rider.

Ive always prided myself on my riding and driving ability. This scooter is something all in its own. I think I will be learning on it for a loooong time.

Adios

[merc]

Stevo
that was excellent
I have trouble now and then on the sharper curves.
I have to remind myself to relax and throttle and go with it.
It appears the looser I am the easier the turn.
Didn't know the machanics until now.
Got to go practice now
thanks

[whispanic]

This is how you ride a sporty! Or atleast how I wanna ride one.

If the pics no worky I'll add links below them.

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/55/3348/1024/IMG_6429.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/img/55/3348/1024/IMG_6429.jpg

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/55/3348/1024/IMG_6433.jpg

http://killboy.blogspot.com/2005/08/excellent-riding-from-couple-of-curves.html#comments (http://photos1.blogger.com/img/55/3348/1024/IMG_6433.jpg)

Adios

[95xlcustom]

left is my bad side. just dont feel as right as the right corners. the bad part is after a sixer they all feel good it all in my head

[StarGateOps]

I always thought it was me having a bad side. Been reluctant to ask anyone, the weakness thing, Ya Know. I have ridden motorcycles in every fashion and form of racing, competition and other I know of. I hate going right because it's gone wrong so many times. I have run the scenario in my head millions of times in the past. It always comes out that if I go down it's gotta be to the left cause I hate the right. I feel that I can't control things when they go wrong to the right. I am right handed too? Wide open throttle and throw it left must be printed on my brain. I can do that. I can't do right with any where near that authority.
Atleast I know more about it now.
stargateops

[calsport05]

Wow! Thanks for the great article Stevo. I'm gonna print this out and keep it for future reference. I'll bet almost everyone could learn something from it.

[Lucifer]

Thanks Stevo,
Have been aware since the flat track days. I just wasn't as fast turning left. Reason we found a lighter right handed rider to race it for us. I could run away from most of them turning right though (I'm left handed). Same with speed skating, hockey, bike racing, soccer,etc for me. Thought it was a left handed vs. right handed equliibrium/coordination thing because the right handed people weren't nearly as fast as me turning right, but were faster turning left. Right handed world ya know. Although there were not many left handers to compare to. I agree lots of practice will cure most of it. As long as there is plenty of grip I would think it wouldn't come into play nearly as often. Especially at posted speed limits. Watch the sppedway riders (they compensate with body weight distribution, throttle, etc.). Of course they are racing light machines on dirt. I ride a FXDWG and a 04 Roadster and find that both ride completely different. The sportster is faster but I have to muscle it more. I have been working on it's suspension trying to get it as smooth as the dyna though. I can usually distinguish the differences between the different bikes I ride almost as soon as I get on them. I mean within a few miles. This bike does this, and that bike does that type of thing and usually don't encounter any problems even at speed. I'm not leaning mine over to the tires edge though. Don't see the need usually just to keep up. I agree, I see many newbies who are way too tense riding their bikes. Relax and enjoy the ride! Be alert and watch for obstacles! If trying to race I would suggest a racing school. These options were not available back in the day!
Ride to Live!

[relayer4u]

I have to agree that Keith Code can help you ride a bike better. Even if you have no desire at all to race your bike his books are worth having because much of his insight applies to road riding as well as on track activities. I suggest that anyone interested begin with "A Twist of the Wrist". More than the sum of it's title for sure. Here's the Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0965045013/103-6087439-4480634?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance

Here's an old picture of myself before I discovered Sportsters, circa 1983.

[Takingabreak]

The thing that freaks me is a steep downhill curve, it's hard to judge the lean angle, and to remember to lean forward first.

[Gone]

thanks for the great info. bein' a newbie to riding, i thought this syndrome was my own unique phobia and all in my head. taking a right from a deadstop make me tense up and i feel quirkie goin through the turn. i've been practicing and its got a little better. this helps explain what i'm doing wrong and gives me some things to practice. thanks again

[Urrell]

This looks like a great thread to read when I have more time.
My bad side to turn is the right.
We drive on the left and left turns have the camber running with us and we have the full width of the road to use if anything goes wrong.
But turning right if we are on the correct side of the road the camber runs against us and if anything goes wrong we only have a little road to correct the situation. And I have survived the PANIC SITUATION when rounding a corner a little fast came upon a pheasant. I need to enforce the counter steering in this situation as I am sure that to turn left I turned the bars to the left and the bike stood up instead of tightening to the corner. May this thread make us all think and learn.
:tour

[dagsportster]

Great post (resurrected from way back). I've been thinking about this lately as my bad side (left) really bothers me. Rights are fine -- I can go in early or late (for a blind curve) and hold a steady line with little correction. On lefts, it's more awkward and I find myself often starting to hang out over the double yellow line (yikes). It's weird...

[Zack3g]

great read!

[JayFL459]

Great stuff, have a right side hang up here while will lean into the left like a racer. Appreciate the info..

[gammaqueen]

The left is my bad side. I ride the hell out of right hand curves, even scrape my pegs, but I never ride quite as hard into left turns for some reason. Great reading! Thanks!

[wandrur]

Weird. My right is my bad side, even though I'm consciously paranoid about my left (old knee injury). But the left turns are smooth as silk for me while the rights often find me stiff armed and upright. I'm right handed, too, though left food dominant. Go figure, huh? Must be my politics affecting my turning ability... :p

[racerwill]

it's not just a riding thing..... I think everybody is predisposed to favor leaning to one side or the other...... I like turning left..... when I played hockey even though I shoot left,I played right wing cuz I could skate so much better to the left.... downhill skiing is exactly the same way......

I definitly "hot lap" the entrance ramps on my bike but I always know I could get at least a couple tenths quicker if I was hookin' it to the left.

I love short track racing in the stock car......

Ww

[StoneTriple]

It used to be my right side. However, I've completed the first two levels of Keith's Superbike School. He has a way of getting you past all that and focusing on control of the bike - a sort of mentally relaxed control. That was a few years ago. Since then, I've done several track days. I hardly ever think about a bad side these days.

[oldjarhead]

Great post, I am a new rider, rights are less comfortable. Good info, and now's the time to learn good habits so I don't have to break bad ones a year from now. Thanks.

[BluBeaSSt]

Awesome read, really made me think.