No, this is not a political posting.
The other day we were discussing right-hand corners and left-hand corners and it was my contention that, most riders I know, prefer left-handers to right-handers. I have also seen this discussed on motorcycle forums and, in the US, for example, the opposite preference seems to apply. So what is the difference and why do we always seem to prefer one to the other? Let’s look at this in an Australian context; if you’re reading this somewhere where they drive on the wrong side of the road (joke), then reverse the conclusions.
LH corners (I’ll use the shorthand from now on) seem to be the preference and it does seem a little strange that it should be. After all, if you over-cook one, you’re likely to end up on the other side of the road, potentially exposed to traffic coming the other way. However, in the subconscious we are probably still thinking that even this less-than-palatable situation at least allows us more run-off area than the RH corner does. RH corners, however, usually have little or no run-off area and are often bounded by fences, armco or solid walls and cliffs. So, while the prosepct of running wide and hitting another car is removed, the idea of hitting a roadside embankment or simply getting off into the dirt on the side of the road, is not an attractive one.
I’m not sure if this is statistically correct or not, but I feel that, on the sorts of twisty roads that we ride, LH corners are generally more open than RH ones and generally allow more visibility. Thus, picking out the exit point and aiming for the apex is always a little easier. And I think this is the main reason why we don’t like RH’s. It is the lack of visibility through the corner. RH corners in the mountains tend to be completely blind; we can’t see what’s coming around the corner and we can’t judge beforehand whether the corner is constant, opening or closing radius.
And I wonder if our tendency to countersteer naturally has something to do with it? Given that our right hand is performing a very delicate function as we ride, while our left is a little less occupied, I wonder if tightening up on the throttle as we enter RH’s imparts an unbalancing effect on the steering just when it is needed least?
I’d be interested to read up some more on this and get some feedback as well. Have you found a web site that explains this strange phenomenon? I’d like to know.