| Author | Message | ||
     Silas_clone |
I stopped buying EASYRIDERS and IRON HORSE [well, I do still buy IH on occasion, FLATHEAD 50's style choppers and Bobbers] and now read Cycle World, etc., all as a result of Buell. Turns [sweepers?] are my new fun time, I no longer enjoy interstate riding [although it too is much more enjoyable now on a Buell instead of a Sporty] But WHY am I able to turn [sweep?] MUCH better to the right than the left. I have about an inch and a quarter of unused [actually light scuffing on roughly 1/4" of that] tire patch on the left side of the rear tire, but 7/8" on the right. I seem to "sit" better going right, I feel better. I try to slide my big butt off in both directions, sitting square and locking out the opposite arm, using my legs in turns, just like I saw on SPEEDWORLD[?], that TV show that features motorcycles at times. Knee surgery, back issues etc., could be the culprit. I could be sitting crooked. I am very anal about axle alignment [as previous posts would prove] I did remove the right side barend mirror. Could drag at 50-70 mph be great enough to evoke some power assisted steering? Bent frame, isolators, what? | ||
| Chasespeed |
Nah... you are good to go bro... When you are cuttin left(seeing as how you are in the states, not the UK, or Austraila.. The turns wont be as tight, as when you are cutting right...SO, for the same given speed, you are not leaning as far over...becuase you are on the outside of the radius.. and 3/8 of an inch difference on you chicken strips, arent MUCH different, and COULD certainly be explained by the differece in turns..> As long as it isnt wobbling, you are good to go... Chase | ||
| Tyronewildman |
Silas_clone Never thought about it till U mentioned it. Thru the years most folks say they make left turns better & all this time U & I favor right turns. Then U mentioned a Sportster & I had my '84 since new till last summer & my son has mentioned that I ride all my bikes with my body twisted a little to the right & I figured it was cause U have to set that way to miss the air cleaner on the Sportster. Only had my S3T since '02 & maybe setting (turned a little) this way has something to do with which turn U're more comfortable with. Who knows???Later,,, De  | ||
| Silas_clone |
Chase, That is an outstanding reply! I feel so much better. I thought I had a bent frame or something. No wobbles. Chicken strips, huh? That's about as good a name as I could think of and pretty much sums up my riding style, chicken... Ty, I got enuff hard miles on this body so I feel like I am crooked too. But I seem to notice this when riding straight lines sitting straight in the saddle. | ||
| Aesquire |
Chase is sooooo right. One thing the race watchers forget is that us street riders have a very narrow track. Your track, mostly, is your lane.....BUT, in left hand turns, your lane is only the right side of your lane, to avoid having your head at fender height in the oncoming lane.! ( reverse this for U.K. riders ) so not only is a left sweeper wider than a right one, it's another 5 feet wider than that. Most of the time, on the street, the whole apex thing is theoretical. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Silas, Ever crashed in a left-hand turn? I've read a couple of articles that say this is a common thing to happen: someone crashes in a turn (whichever direction) and then subconsciously holds back when turning that direction for years afterwards. If that's the case, you just have to convince yourself to get over it. BTW, there's a short article in this month's Cycle World with suggestions for safer riding. They say you should always hold your right hand cornering speed to ~80% of what you can comfortably do in a left hand turn. The reason? Because if you lose it in a right hand turn you are apt to go sliding into oncoming traffic. If you lose it on a left hand turn, odds are you'll just go off the road. | ||
| Captainkirk |
I notice I lean much further in a right turn than a left. I am convinced it's a "brain thing". Try doing anything with your dominant hand; right OR left. Now try doing it with the other side. In most cases your dominant side will out-perform the other; this is just a matter of your dominant brain half taking control of the situation and being more familiar (read; comfortable) leaning one way than the other. Practice will overcome. Get out and work on it (weather permitting) and after a conscious effort I'm sure you'll be leaning either way with equal enthusiasm. | ||
| Silas_clone |
Hugh, read that issue, I always worry about "losing my head" leaning into blind lefts. Captain, I am sort of ambidextrous, I write with my left hand and throw righty. I really understand Chase's explanation. I am sure that is the deal. | ||
| Bad_karma |
Also keep in mind most of the US roads are crowned. Joe | ||
| Loki |
I figure I am all sorts of messed up then. left handed right eye dominant write left (and not the norm there either) catch with the left bat right (and a fair lefty also) shoot right (gun) shoot screwy (bow){draw left:sight with right eye) computer mouse is in the right hand I don't believe I favor either either left or right turns. Or so my tires would indicate after a good romp in the hills. Rough growing up in a right handed world being a lefty. I know I am in my right mind though. | ||
| Mwellm |
Great thread.....I feel exactly the same lefts just seem less comfortable...I did have a handlebar malfunction going into a very mild left and crashed....that did not help I'm sure.....I just practice off camber lefts all the time...a big help... | ||
| Danny_h__jesternut |
I can personaly atest to the crashing in a right hander bites,( Vanson Leathers work & hold up great) oncomings posatively HURT. Ow I cringe jest lookin back. Lefts, I recon wouldn't be much fun here in ole N.E. Big trees, no run off, rocks the size o school busses. Yep I'm now jest a wee bit,very slightly parinoid,rights. But ya can't tell by my chickens. | ||
| Kyrocket |
"Glad" to hear it's not just me with the problem of lefties. I too feel much more comfortable in a right turn over left. I just assumed it was a dominance issue but Chase has a very good argument. I will just be glad when it's nice enough to get out and work on it. today's temps...7 and 25. brrrrr. | ||
| Silas_clone |
It was nice on Sunday. I went out and realized [after Chase' post] that I do not have to slide off the seat as far to the left as I do to the right! I stayed in the saddle going left, the bike "oozed" thru left hand sweepers. I realized that I was turning too hard when I slid over into a left. The resultant "feeling" made me reluctant to turn hard | ||
| Tbolt_pilot |
I favor left turns to right because of growing up and racing circle tracks. It carries over from cars to my bike. I can turn left and drift anything but can't come close to matching it going right. I'm sure some Aussie's are the same but opposite. | ||
| Photon7p |
yeah...you would think that left turns (US)would be a little harder seeing that if you're leaning off the bike you loose some throttle control because of the position you put your arms in...but I do love scraping the pegs on the left side! | ||
| Buellbikr |
Every time I've been down it's been on the left side,but I still lean further going into a left-hand turn.I can't figure out why I can't drag the pegs as good going into a right-hand turn.I get so low on a left that i'm dragging the shift lever.Left peg is disappearing while the right is barely scraping metal.My rear tire will look good on the right half but the left half has threads showing.I just can't make myself go any harder into a right turn.What's up with that? | ||
| Dubsty13 |
to me the left hand turn isnt as hard because if i bring the bike low enough my foot hits the ground, ('cause i leave my foot under the shifter, though i did adjust it as high as possible) and it throws me off... im in the states as well so this is usually local roads as the left hand turn can be made sharper then when on larger median divided streets. havent hit my right foot yet though... usually sits ontop the break is my idea and thus i can lay it farther down. |
