I'm a motorcycle safety instructor trying to do a little research. It's well known that most motorcyclists can turn left more comfortably than right. If this has been beat to death here, please pardon me, but I'd be interested in knowing if that's true of bicyclists too.
It has nothing to do with bicycle or motorcycle... or even four wheeled vehicles. It is the crown of the road and since the majority of people who read and write here are in right hand traffic, that is the preferred side for cornering. In left hand traffic countries it is the opposite.
In contrast, fast guys don't give a damn, all that counts is the angle between the road and the plumb line of the rider.
I experience this left turn phenom. as well, not only in biking, but in skating and rollerblading. It's much easier for me to circle counter-clockwise, or to the left. My dominant side is my right and I'm right-handed. Maybe for lefties, it's easier to turn right?
I'm left-handed, and when doing low-speed test rides in my garage after tinkering I always go clockwise (right).
A right-hand dominant "goofy foot" boarder would turn clockwise too.
Not in my case. I don't skateboard or surf, but if I did I'd be left foot forward and I'd feel much more comfortable on right turns.
I quit skateboarding when I was a kid because I didn't trust the traction of the skateboard enough to lean backwards to turn left.
I'm a motorcycle safety instructor trying to do a little research. It's well known that most motorcyclists can turn left more comfortably than right. If this has been beat to death here, please pardon me, but I'd be interested in knowing if that's true of bicyclists too.
It has nothing to do with bicycle or motorcycle... or even four wheeled vehicles.
On front wheel drive vehicles you may have to fight torque steer. It was most noticable on my wife Turbo Probe. I seem to recall that it was harder to steer left when accelerating hard yet going right was not a problem.
Quoted message said:
In contrast, fast guys don't give a damn, all that counts is the angle between the road and the plumb line of the rider.
Now I feel much better as I commented I had no problem on my bike either way. I wouldn't consider myself fast but the comment gave me a mental boost. :-)
On Thu, 02 Sep 2004 18:29:11 -0500, Neil Cherry <[email hidden]> wrote (more or less):
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Frank who? said:
I'm a motorcycle safety instructor trying to do a little research. It's well known that most motorcyclists can turn left more comfortably than right. If this has been beat to death here, please pardon me, but I'd be interested in knowing if that's true of bicyclists too.
It has nothing to do with bicycle or motorcycle... or even four wheeled vehicles.
On front wheel drive vehicles you may have to fight torque steer. It was most noticable on my wife Turbo Probe.
Torque steer is caused, essentially, by having unequal length drive shafts going from the gearbox to each of the two driven front wheels.
I'm not sure how this applies to bicycles or motorbikes.
Quoted message said:
I seem to recall that it was harder to steer left when accelerating hard yet going right was not a problem.
Quoted message said:
In contrast, fast guys don't give a damn, all that counts is the angle between the road and the plumb line of the rider.
Now I feel much better as I commented I had no problem on my bike either way. I wouldn't consider myself fast but the comment gave me a mental boost. :-)
>I experience this left turn phenom. as well, not only in biking, but in >skating and rollerblading. It's much easier for me to circle >counter-clockwise, or to the left. My dominant side is my right and I'm >right-handed. Maybe for lefties, it's easier to turn right?
I'm left-handed, and when doing low-speed test rides in my garage after tinkering I always go clockwise (right).
A right-hand dominant "goofy foot" boarder would turn clockwise too.
Not in my case. I don't skateboard or surf, but if I did I'd be left foot forward and I'd feel much more comfortable on right turns.
I quit skateboarding when I was a kid because I didn't trust the traction of the skateboard enough to lean backwards to turn left.
I'm right-handed and can make much smaller circles on skates, a bike or a motorcycle when turning left. Turning right feels really awkward and I am always unsure. According to the slide-on-the-slippery-floor test I'm normal-footed for skate/snowboarding purposes, although I've done neither. I find it much easier to turn right on skis (a joint thing, I think).
Just data points, if anybody is collecting.
-- Cheers, Bev +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Save the whales for dessert
It seems to do something with what hemisphere brain/hand is dominant. Right handed people seem to be more comfortable going left, while left handed people are more comfortable going right.
"keydates" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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It seems to do something with what hemisphere brain/hand is dominant. Right handed people seem to be more comfortable going left, while left handed people are more comfortable going right.
-- keydates
but there are plenty of goofy-footed right handers...turning right. -a
