My bike likes right turns more than left turns.

[Dale_K]

Definitely a different, more composed feeling around right hand turns. The bike tracks better with less need for additional corrections once in the turn. I used to have a Harley XR1000 that had the same characteristic except it liked left hand turns. The contemporary magazine road tests even commented on it.

I'm guessing the BMW might be feeling the effects of front tire wear. Most bikes seem to wear the left side much more than the right. Anybody else have a bike that handles differently from one side to the other?

[Lost Rider]

I'm not sure if mine feels the same, but the tires sure don't wear evenly...
This is not from a track day, just NorCal twisties...

[winkeldc]

I am not asking this sarcastically by the way. Do you think it may have something to do with the engine tending to pull to the right with the engine revs?

I noticed that tendency also, but just thought it was my hesitancy going left because my daily commute only has tight right had turns. I thought I was just getting used to them.

[Caol]

Interesting... I, on the other hand, prefer left hand turns. I've no particular reason why, but everything just seems a little better composed going through a left hand sweeper, rather than a right hand sweeper. However, once things tighten up in the twisties, the preference fades away and it is more the road shape and conditions that make the difference.

I wonder if eyesight might have something to do with it?? I'm basically right handed, but tend to use my left hand more that a lot of folks (both my sisters are lefties). I have found out that my dominant eye is my left eye, possibly making moves to the left more controlled for me than to the right, especially if longer concentration is required, hence the lack of preference in tighter, shorter duration turns in the twisties. (Made me a lousy pistol shot while I was in the Forces! )

Kyle

[Flashdog]

Many front tires show an uneven wear pattern due to the crown of the road. Being from flat straight Florida almost all front tires look like that

As for being more comfortable or stable on sweeping lefts versus rights I have a theory. We drive on the right in the USA so making lefts at intersections are longer and more sweeping. We can really lean our bikes into them. On the other hand, right turns are a lot tighter.

[Bill Stevenson]

Most people seem to have a natural preference for turning in one direction over the other. I am more comfortable turning left, which I think may go back to bicycle racing on a velodrome. No one knows why we have this preference, but it is normal for most riders. What has me puzzled is that you liked going one way on one bike and the other way on another bike. In my experience, most people seem to prefer going one way or the other no matter what they are riding.

Bill

[Caroanbill]

Despite being upside down and on the wrong side of the road, I prefer cornering LEFT over cornering right.

This would translate to cornering RIGHT in north america (oh, and on my head).

Reason - it's easier to do the classic in-wide, out-close line. I can take the bike close to the centre line on entry, and I've got the whole road width on exit(that's visually, but not actually unless I cross the centre line). Going right, I have to take the bike to the egde of the road - which is often choppy and narrow: few country roads have a sealed shoulder in Oz. Since there's no run-off area to see, I find it unsettling to ride on the extreme left to initiate a right turn.

Strangely enough, our equivalent of MSF ("Stay Upright") actually teach that it's easier to do left-handers on our left hand side roads for precisely this reason.

My chicken strips bear this out - slightly wider on the RHS on my front tyre ... little difference on the rear.

Oddly enough, I get more tight work turing RIGHT on LH roads - not from intersections (where right is a wider turn than left) but from turning right at tight roundabouts - these buggers are everywhere around narrow inner city roads are are oftn so hgily cambered that it takes a great effort of will to get around 'em.

[Dale_K]

Another thing I've noticed is that coasting with both hands off the bars, the bike wants to move slightly to the right. I need to really shift my weight to the left to maintain a straight path.

I think some old Brit bikes deliberately offset the rear wheel a small amount to correct side-to-side weight imbalance. I'm pretty sure the old Harley XR1000 had a weight imbalance, a huge exhaust system on the left side. The R1200R probably has a weight imbalance too. The final drive and drive shaft are on one side only, which might be offset by other components (starter motor?).

[deilenberger]

I believe the difference in cornering "comfort" (speed you'll do a corner at) has more to do with oncoming traffic on right turns (if you go wide) and lack of same on left turns (just off in the puckerbushes..) At least I know that's the case with me. Realized it some years ago when I was pushing through the Dragon (before it became impossible to enjoy) and found I went faster on lefts..

[tobes]

I believe the difference in cornering "comfort" (speed you'll do a corner at) has more to do with oncoming traffic on right turns (if you go wide) and lack of same on left turns (just off in the puckerbushes..) At least I know that's the case with me. Realized it some years ago when I was pushing through the Dragon (before it became impossible to enjoy) and found I went faster on lefts..

+1. That's what it is for me. The thought of sliding into oncoming traffic vs the shoulder. I also am much more comfortable with uphill corning than down hill.

[ka5ysy]

Interesting... I, on the other hand, prefer left hand turns. I've no particular reason why, but everything just seems a little better composed going through a left hand sweeper, rather than a right hand sweeper. However, once things tighten up in the twisties, the preference fades away and it is more the road shape and conditions that make the difference.

I wonder if eyesight might have something to do with it?? I'm basically right handed, but tend to use my left hand more that a lot of folks (both my sisters are lefties). I have found out that my dominant eye is my left eye, possibly making moves to the left more controlled for me than to the right, especially if longer concentration is required, hence the lack of preference in tighter, shorter duration turns in the twisties. (Made me a lousy pistol shot while I was in the Forces! )

Kyle

Kyle: what you're noticing is something we teach in the Riders Edge / MSF courses: Turning to the left, riders(new ones especially) will tend to roll on the throttle unconsciously because the keep they right wrist in the same position. This is automatically doing a proper "roll on the throttle" in left turns. Going to the right tends to roll off the throttle making it feel like the bike is tucking into the turn or "falling off" as some describe it. What I suggest to my students is to jamb the right thumb into the rubber flange part of the right grip to "lock" the throttle position. This is very useful when doing slow speed full lock turns where the effect is especially noticed.

Set your bike on the center stand and try moving lock to lock with the bars while maintaining constant throttle position to get a feel for how you must move your wrist.

Those finding the right turn easier tend to be right handed and therefore the right arm is dominant and slightly stronger, making for an easier "push" of the right bars. The boxer engine torque also makes it feel easier to turn into a right turn because the torque twist is to the right when rolling on the throttle..

[NeilS]

Another difference might come up if you're not turning your head enough in the corners. When your dominant eye sees the road, the turn is easier than when your dominant eye only sees the side of your nose.

We see this quite often in my MSF classes, but more commonly in the low-speed sharp turns. But I don't know why the same principle wouldn't apply with less-sharp turns at higher speeds.

It's easy to fix, just look further into the turn.

[motoracer8]

Some years ago a friend bought a new Kawasaki GPZ 750, the machine always wanted to drift left, the kids that worked in the shop where he bought it had no clue what made it do that and had no idea what to do about it but agreed that it did indeed did drift left. Kawasaki was no help, their responce was it had probbaly been crashed, the machine was near new and did not have a scratch.

I did the normal stuff checked wheel alignment, head stock bearings, swing arm bushings, I even put a different front tire on it all to no avail. I pulled the front end off and took it to a friend with a frame alignment jig, the headstock was 2 degrees off, I guess the frame welder that day must of had alittle too much saki the night before. I gave my friend the option you can deal with Kawasaki or pay my friend to straighten your frame, he went with the second option, after $500 in labor and a perfectly staight frame the machine would track straight and true. A letter and the invoice for labor to straighten the frame was sent to Kawasaki, of course they did not want to pay because he did'nt take it back to the dealer that did'nt know how to fix it. They would not admit to a out of alignment frame, sounds alittle like BMW sometimes dose'nt it.

Ken G.

[hjsbmw]

Yes, there is this thing with road camber that makes tires wear more on the inside. I don't think a bike should pull to either side though when you take the hands off the handlebars. I'm new to BMW, but on other bikes I would suspect a misaligned chain, wheels, or worn steering head bearings.

As for rider input I agree with Don in that it's mostly confidence or lack thereof. I prefer left turns because I always see more into the curve than in a right. That makes me slow down more in rights. It wouldn't be the first time that there is a dead animal, someone broke down or pulls out of a rural driveway, or some heavy dirt got washed across the road. Not exactly the kind of stuff I want to ride into unassuming and at high speed.