Why can't I corner left as well as right?

[Cliffy777]

Ladies and gentlemen, I am looking for advice and tips. I can't seem to take corners to the left nearly as well as I do to the right.

On Alternate Route 1 to work there is a lovely S turn and I have been practicing all year, but I always drop about 5-7 mph between the RH and LH turn (same result on my way home when I am taking them "backwards" so to speak.)

Any of you canyon-carving, knee-dragging, corner-hugging folks got something to get me through this?
(I am NOT going back into therapy - most of the major stuff got fixed and I don't have health insurance anymore......)

[Rad]

Interesting, my experience with most people is that left hand corners are easier than right hand corners. Even the students in our beginning MSF classes usually find the circles to the left easier than to the right.

You usually have better sight lines go’n left and yur not press’n on the throttle when turn’n left.

Ya sure you know yur left from yur right….Just kid’n:D

When it is all said and done, I guess I was really no help to ya:eek

[Cliffy777]

Yup, I had my right and left marked for me a few years ago! Put the L and R on with a permanent marker, now all I have to do is roll up my sleeves to double check.
Well, I do take some comfort in knowing that my problem is the opposite of what most riders have.

[kbasa]

I have the same problem. It's like I can't get the right body position for lefts, which leads me to believe I need more track time. Muscle memory is a powerful thing.

I thought for a while that I couldn't get my brain to process a line for left turns, but I've noticed that I'm better with lefts on some bikes than I am with others.

For example, on Tina's Roadster, I can corner equally well in either direction. Same thing with a KTM 950 I rode a couple weeks ago. (Evil bike. I want one in a big way!) But on my S bike, I just can't seem to get my body shifted the right way for a left. :dunno

FWIW, I'm right handed, which seems counter to the "if you're a righty, you can do lefts" theory.

[CustomSarge]

If this on any crowned road, left take you away from "banking".
I've found that a genuinely flat road behaves about the same, granting the same handedness bias as it affects turn radii. Crowned roads, on the other hand, put the fear of Morbius(?) into me too many times (& still does occasionally). Another consideration may be "hanging" over the line on a tight lefty. I 'spose washing a righty should be worse, it crosses you through opposing traffic. (then again ya'll could be BS'n me) Yuks on Sarge if so... <<<)))

[Cliffy777]

There was no BS in my original post. I just don't seem to "flow" in lefty turns. (BTW, I am right handed.)

[James O]

I've always thought my left hand turns were faster than my right because I know if I over cook a left hander I will slide off the road. If I over cook a right I'll have to slide across the oncoming lane. Ouch. I've never slid my bike out from underneath me but as I try to test the limits, I feel the left handers are a little safer.

[jgr451]

Excellent observation Cliffy.Confession IS good for the soul.I am less confident one way than the other,can't think which right now.It is a psychological phenomenon,maybe a survival trait,that probably has to do with the thought process of If I overcook and there is a truck right there(or a sheer drop off as the case may be) I will die.
Kinda pulls in the reins for me.
Haven't been to montana for a test lately,but went to Trenton 2 years ago.Lots of time to practice but I forget now!!

[knary]

I used to find left turns easier. But these days they both scare me equally.

So do I get some congrats for not shedding any new light on the subject?

:bliss

[Cliffy777]

Originally posted by James O
I've always thought my left hand turns were faster than my right because I know if I over cook a left hander I will slide off the road. If I over cook a right I'll have to slide across the oncoming lane. Ouch. I've never slid my bike out from underneath me but as I try to test the limits, I feel the left handers are a little safer.

This gives me some mental ammunition to push the lefties a little more. These kind of mind games are what help me make it! Thanks.

[Gizmo]

Hi,

It is not uncommon for motorcyclists to turn better in one direction or to find that one direction gives them particular problems. Solution, try to find as many turns in theat direction and keep working on it. Not easy to find, but generally you can find a road with more turns in a particular direction.

[lorazepam]

Why not just circle the block in tha proper direction, it will confuse the dogs, and scare tne neighbors??

[jerry]

you have an interesting question and see you're getting some feedback so i thought i'd give you mine.
i ride after dark to work and noticed it's worse then.
so here's my take:
right handers we know there's lots of pavement left out there, but left handers are just the opposite; anyone that's gone off on the shoulder just once in their life won't forget it easily, so you tend to crowd the double yellow on those lefthanders and then what adds to the problem is if you chop the throttle, bike natually goes to the left.
if all that's not enough you get some redneck cager coming at you with his brights on.
what to do?
1.practice.
2.try using the white line.
3. stay focused and not slow down. bad things happen then. if you're going to slow..do it ahead of time.
check it out at night and see if i'm wrong.
good luck,

[lorazepam]

My problem from left handers is the paranoia of watching a guy get killed some years back from getting wedged with his bike under a guard rail. It certainly slowed me down for a long time, and I am still not back up to my old speeds.

[knary]

I honestly have few problems as long as I can see where I'm going. If one direction is starting to be more difficult, I'm undoubtably not looking as far to the exit as I could be.

Don't ya just love it when it's as though you're reaching out with your eyes, grabbing the road, and hauling it towards you?
yummmm

I think I need another ride on one of those Marin county roads...

[kbasa]

Well, you just git yerself down here, homes.

You know where the spare room is. Wanna help me do the steering head bearings on my VFR?

:bliss

[Weasel]

Try this, it worked for me many years ago when I realized my confidence wasn't the same for left turns as right turns (we're talking whether slow or fast). Go out into an empty parking lot and do a figure eight (a nice tight one). Now, the first figure eight you do will be started off in the direction you are most comfortable with (even though you turn in both directions when doing the figure eight). Now go the other way. Start with a wide figure eight. Keep getting tighter and tighter. Then just go around and around in the direction you are most uncomfotable in as slow as you can without putting your foot down. You probably already know: never tap your front brake when doing this or you'll go down. 'Hope this helps.

[LTOwner]

I took a private riding lesson last month, and the instructor claimed most people have more trouble with right hand turns, because of the way the brain is "wired". I know I certainly had more trouble with rights than lefts. We practiced nothing but right hand maneuvers, U-turns, corners, curves. Biggest thing I learned was to keep the head up, and look where you want to be, because you are going to wind up where you are looking.