Do You Favor Left or Right Turns?

fasternyou929 · 09-23-2009, 03:24 AM

Are you more comfortable with left turns or right turns? I am at least 10x more comfortable turning left than right. Of course, all my local tracks run clockwise, dammit.

I know part of the problem is I don't like having my body cross over my throttle hand, so I tense up some and end up more upright than I want to be.

The other part is I've low-sided in 2 right turns and can't look back and pinpoint what went wrong. The last one, a good 100mph+ wash-out at VIR took me completely off-guard. I just remember thinking "are my forearms extending? Why is the front end going away from me? Oh, I must be crashing. (enter sounds of metal and plastic vs. concrete). Yup, I'm crashing. Son of a bitch."

I also prefer left on the street because they're nowhere near as blind (some of the downhill rights in the mountains you can't see 0.2 seconds ahead of yourself) and if I go wide I'll head toward the shoulder, not the oncoming traffic lane.

Riceaholic · 09-23-2009, 05:31 AM

Same reason to some degree with the throttle hand. My right knee is also shot so it doesn't move as well as my left when it's close to the ground. My lean angles are the same left to right but I always touch down a lot more with my left knee. This last trip to the gap, I wore out a left slider and only touched my right down a few times when we were really getting on it.

fasternyou929 · 09-23-2009, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riceaholic

Same reason to some degree with the throttle hand. My right knee is also shot so it doesn't move as well as my left when it's close to the ground. My lean angles are the same left to right but I always touch down a lot more with my left knee. This last trip to the gap, I wore out a left slider and only touched my right down a few times when we were really getting on it.

I'm pretty much the same. Even at Barber I didn't touch my right knee down until the 2nd day. I was still running fast laps before that, I just don't get over as far and, like you, my right knee and hip just don't like to move that way.

Mikey · 09-23-2009, 06:55 AM

I'm backward. I prefer to go right. I like having my throttle hand on the inside, and my left knee and hip have some issues, so I just move better going right. Seems like most of the riders I know prefer left, though.

t-homo · 09-23-2009, 08:01 AM

I am the same with left handers mostly because of the crossing over the throttle hand thing. Weird part is I have got my right knee down, but not my left, yet.

neebelung · 09-23-2009, 08:10 AM

I prefer rights, but I've really never analyzed why.

I have heard there's some correlation between a rider's dominant hand and their turning skill/comfort, but I don't know if it's true (and since I'm kinda ambidextrous, I'm not a good case study

)

Yamerhaw · 09-23-2009, 08:46 AM

I prefer rights, but i always wear out the left side of my tires before the right, so i dont know if i'm any faster in the rights, or just like them better

Krypt Keeper · 09-23-2009, 09:18 AM

I had a small highside buck 8yrs or so ago into a right hand corner after hitting a patch of sand. I managed to stay on the bike after checking out the headlight upside down. I came back down onto the seat left foot hit the ground, right foot his the rear brake locking that up allowing me to slide across the apex into the nice comfy ditch facing the wrong way. I never did go down or fall over, did stall out though. I sat there for a second and said to myself "damn that was close!" I thumbed the start buttom and eased back home.

2 weeks later I went to the Gap for the first time, and every right hand corner made me see it happening again, and spooked the poop out of me. Just recently in the last 2yrs I have been able to enter rights handers with the same confidence as I do with left handers. I do still have some moments though.

CrazyKell · 09-23-2009, 09:56 AM

I prefer left handers but my home track is mainly right handers.

When I had someone ride behind me to critique.....he said I was much better at right handers. Strange.

z06boy · 09-23-2009, 10:03 AM

I'm more comfortable turning to the left for some reason.

View Poll Results: Do you prefer left or right turns?
Left	17	54.84%
Right	14	45.16%
Voters: 31. You may not vote on this poll

09-23-2009, 03:24 AM	#1
fasternyou929 SFL Expatriate #2 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Moto: CBR1000 Posts: 2,043	Do You Favor Left or Right Turns? Are you more comfortable with left turns or right turns? I am at least 10x more comfortable turning left than right. Of course, all my local tracks run clockwise, dammit. I know part of the problem is I don't like having my body cross over my throttle hand, so I tense up some and end up more upright than I want to be. The other part is I've low-sided in 2 right turns and can't look back and pinpoint what went wrong. The last one, a good 100mph+ wash-out at VIR took me completely off-guard. I just remember thinking "are my forearms extending? Why is the front end going away from me? Oh, I must be crashing. (enter sounds of metal and plastic vs. concrete). Yup, I'm crashing. Son of a bitch." I also prefer left on the street because they're nowhere near as blind (some of the downhill rights in the mountains you can't see 0.2 seconds ahead of yourself) and if I go wide I'll head toward the shoulder, not the oncoming traffic lane.

09-23-2009, 06:55 AM	#4
Mikey Raving Lunatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Moto: Concours 14 ABS, ZX6E Posts: 902	I'm backward. I prefer to go right. I like having my throttle hand on the inside, and my left knee and hip have some issues, so I just move better going right. Seems like most of the riders I know prefer left, though. __________________ Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

09-23-2009, 08:46 AM	#7
Yamerhaw Country Boy Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Hicktown in NC Moto: 07 R1 Posts: 797	I prefer rights, but i always wear out the left side of my tires before the right, so i dont know if i'm any faster in the rights, or just like them better __________________ “If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.” It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.

09-23-2009, 05:31 AM	#2
Riceaholic High Life Drinker Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Tampa Bay Moto: 01 GSXR 1000 - Yamaha Zuma 125 Posts: 961	Same reason to some degree with the throttle hand. My right knee is also shot so it doesn't move as well as my left when it's close to the ground. My lean angles are the same left to right but I always touch down a lot more with my left knee. This last trip to the gap, I wore out a left slider and only touched my right down a few times when we were really getting on it.

09-23-2009, 08:01 AM	#5
t-homo WSB Champion Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Springfield, MO Posts: 7,146	I am the same with left handers mostly because of the crossing over the throttle hand thing. Weird part is I have got my right knee down, but not my left, yet.

09-23-2009, 08:10 AM	#6
neebelung Ornery, scandalous & evil Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Jacksonville, FL Moto: 2004 Scarlet R1 Posts: 5,962	I prefer rights, but I've really never analyzed why. I have heard there's some correlation between a rider's dominant hand and their turning skill/comfort, but I don't know if it's true (and since I'm kinda ambidextrous, I'm not a good case study )

09-23-2009, 09:18 AM	#8
Krypt Keeper Kneedragger Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: VA Moto: CBR1100XX, Daytona 600 Posts: 174	I had a small highside buck 8yrs or so ago into a right hand corner after hitting a patch of sand. I managed to stay on the bike after checking out the headlight upside down. I came back down onto the seat left foot hit the ground, right foot his the rear brake locking that up allowing me to slide across the apex into the nice comfy ditch facing the wrong way. I never did go down or fall over, did stall out though. I sat there for a second and said to myself "damn that was close!" I thumbed the start buttom and eased back home. 2 weeks later I went to the Gap for the first time, and every right hand corner made me see it happening again, and spooked the poop out of me. Just recently in the last 2yrs I have been able to enter rights handers with the same confidence as I do with left handers. I do still have some moments though.

09-23-2009, 09:56 AM	#9
CrazyKell Vrooom Join Date: Nov 2008 Moto: 06 ZX6R Posts: 4,427	I prefer left handers but my home track is mainly right handers. When I had someone ride behind me to critique.....he said I was much better at right handers. Strange.

09-23-2009, 10:03 AM	#10
z06boy Letzroll Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lake Norman area, NC Moto: 07 Red R1 & 07 Blue R6 Posts: 5,265	I'm more comfortable turning to the left for some reason.