So I'm sure everyone has heard of it, but I was wondering if the saying that its you feel easier turning left than right because we are on this side of the equator. Is this true and if so does anyone know the actual physics behind it?

 

uh huh.... lets see what the left handed people have to say because im pretty sure its to do with hand dominance. but not sure.

on a side note, i was thinking about this the whole time i read that:

I'm not an ambi-turner.
It's a problem I had
since I was a baby.
I can't turn left.

Derek, that's nothing
to be ashamed of.
I'm sure there are a lot of people
out there who can't turn...
There have got to be some people
out there, just like you...
who can't turn... turn left.

 

oohh the files are INSIDE the computer....its so simple.

and i doubt thats the case. I feel more comfortable turning left in a car because my steering wheel is on the left side and im just more comfortable being on the inside of the turn and right there. On a bike i dont really have a preference

 

i'm left handed and dont feel comfortable with right turns. idk i did drifting for a while and in my rx7 i preferred going left over right around a turn because you got more of a peripheral view out of the winshield/side of the car.

with the bike i just think alot of left turns are wider than right or something who knows.

 

well good thing your not a nascar driver derek lol. but thanks guys, i dont really have a preference either but i have heard it a few times.

 

No, I don't think the equator has anything to do with it.

But a lot has to do with roads. Right hand turns on a bike allow you to lean away from traffic and give some people a feeling of more room for more speed. They also give you the benefit of the crowning of the road surface. You won't get as "deep" feeling, but you'll turn a bit better.
Left hand turns have you leaning into oncoming traffic. You also run out of lean quicker due to the crowning of the road... and leftys give some the feeling that the trees and telephone poles are really close if you make a mistake and go wide.

So, there are many factors that influence how comfortable you are with different turns, and much of it is perception of the above. Some may argue that rights make them worried of sliding into oncoming traffic. Then you also have hand dominance, etc.

I've payed a good bit of attention to this phenomenon in the past year or so, and come to the conclusion that I think I like them both.
Seriously, I'm left handed and I like left turns. BUT, I think the rights make me a little more comfortable due to space/traffic.

 

I feel more comfortable leaning left for 1 simple reason: My exhaust is on the right.

Somewhere in the back of my noggin is the idea that I'll scrape exhaust, even on light leans

 

I taught on the bike course for 9 years. Most of the people I taught were more comfortable turning one direction than the other...that is why we make them ride the figure eight. Practice the direction of turns you are less comfortable with till it doesn't feel awkward.

 

Im def. more comfortable in leaning either way now because of practing. But, slow turns really do get me alot of times. Im alot more comfortable at higer speeds than slower speeds simply because the bike is more in line with itself and not as wriggly than at lower speeds.

 

+1. I had the same issue for so long. I eventually found a nice set of twisties I could really get a some speed on because of the low amount of traffic since it was "out there" in the boonies. Managed to figure it out...I think my problem was more mental than anything... Now I can even his fairly unfamiliar slow turns a bit faster than I used to be able to...but I'm going to take some lessons next season that I'm sure will help me dramatically...