Left Handed Riders

dan22
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dan22 8/14/2022 2:13pm
8/14/2022 2:13pm
I believe the famous Valentino Rossi is also left handed. He has incredible braking control, obviously with the left hand being the braking hand and has been known on the circuit as one of the last of the late brakers. I think Brembo came out with a chart showing that he was right up there even in his latter stages of his career
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brocster
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brocster 8/14/2022 4:29pm
8/14/2022 4:29pm
Lefty here. Do all things left but have pretty good penmanship and speed writing with my right hand also. Never thought about it on a dirt bike cause there was no other way. Push the bike from either side depending on what side of the truck I have to load it but on flat I never thought much about it, just grab and go. Interesting topic!
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fastchookracing 8/15/2022 2:09am
8/15/2022 2:09am
brocster wrote:
Lefty here. Do all things left but have pretty good penmanship and speed writing with my right hand also. Never thought about it on a dirt...
Lefty here. Do all things left but have pretty good penmanship and speed writing with my right hand also. Never thought about it on a dirt bike cause there was no other way. Push the bike from either side depending on what side of the truck I have to load it but on flat I never thought much about it, just grab and go. Interesting topic!
Yeah but when you write with your left hand you smear the ink as you write towards the right.
Earliest mx bikes had the clutch used to start and stop. Then later, mx bikes could be held wide open with the clutch flicked to roost corners. Now four stroke mx bikes...
Left or right, a clutch lever is much easier to fondle then twisting your wrist.
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crf250pilot
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crf250pilot 8/15/2022 7:05am
8/15/2022 7:05am
I've never had to pick my bike up with my arms crisscrossed looking like a total goon.
Jeremy Macduff 8/15/2022 7:20am
8/15/2022 7:20am
I'm left-handed. Hand dominance plays no role in riding a motorcycle. If the throttle was switched to the left-side, it would be a mind fuck. We all learn to ride a moto the same way, usually from a very early age.
ATKpilot99
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ATKpilot99 8/15/2022 7:54am
8/15/2022 7:54am
backinthesaddleagain wrote:
I get on my lawn tractor from the left
For me that depends on how much I've had to drink .
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Sheriff245 8/15/2022 8:39am
8/15/2022 8:39am
Lefty here. The reason the controls setup doesn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable is because we learned to ride that way. You can see it the other way: when riding a small 2 strike, you learn to control using the clutch instead of the throttle. Being left handed has never been an advantage in the 85cc and 125cc classes even though the clutch and shifter are on the left side.

I would also add that being left handed in a right handed world forces you to develop your weak hand a lot more than right handed people.
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Maverick313 8/15/2022 9:00am
8/15/2022 9:00am
tuttle425 wrote:
I am left handed. Walk on the left side of the bike when pushing, throw my right leg over to get on (just thinking about the...
I am left handed. Walk on the left side of the bike when pushing, throw my right leg over to get on (just thinking about the other way seems really uncomfortable). I’ve always thought a left side kickstarter would be bizarre.

I think when things are standard right or left, we all just get used to them because there are no other options. I can’t imagine driving a stick shift in England or Australia even though that’s my dominant hand. Just sitting here trying to imagine using my left for throttle and it’s beyond weird. I wouldn’t do it even if I had the option.



I'm a righty and have drove in Australia. Even through I was shifting with my non-dominant hand it was no issue. If you know how to shift a manual it was pretty much a non-issue. Now if they would have switched the peddles to the throttle on the inside, things may have got interesting.
bg22
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bg22 8/15/2022 9:16am
8/15/2022 9:16am
Lefty here. No issues with working the clutch or gas. I've been known to smoke new clutches in a single weekend as well. We have just learned to live in a right handed world.
tuttle425
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tuttle425 8/15/2022 11:42am
8/15/2022 11:42am
tuttle425 wrote:
I am left handed. Walk on the left side of the bike when pushing, throw my right leg over to get on (just thinking about the...
I am left handed. Walk on the left side of the bike when pushing, throw my right leg over to get on (just thinking about the other way seems really uncomfortable). I’ve always thought a left side kickstarter would be bizarre.

I think when things are standard right or left, we all just get used to them because there are no other options. I can’t imagine driving a stick shift in England or Australia even though that’s my dominant hand. Just sitting here trying to imagine using my left for throttle and it’s beyond weird. I wouldn’t do it even if I had the option.



Maverick313 wrote:
I'm a righty and have drove in Australia. Even through I was shifting with my non-dominant hand it was no issue. If you know how to...
I'm a righty and have drove in Australia. Even through I was shifting with my non-dominant hand it was no issue. If you know how to shift a manual it was pretty much a non-issue. Now if they would have switched the peddles to the throttle on the inside, things may have got interesting.
Ha, I always wondered if the pedals were switched too.
Teejay
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Teejay 8/15/2022 3:37pm
8/15/2022 3:37pm
I’m a lefty, push the bike from the right and lift it on the stand with my left hand, never even thought about it until reading this! Play guitar right handed as my mate who let me have a go when we were at school had a right handed guitar. Like others have said you had no choice with scissors and tools so you just have to learn to use both. Interesting topic.
motomike137
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motomike137 8/15/2022 6:28pm
8/15/2022 6:28pm Edited Date/Time 8/15/2022 6:31pm
ATKpilot99 wrote:
I write with my left hand and the throttle being on the right always felt natural to me . But then again I throw and swing...
I write with my left hand and the throttle being on the right always felt natural to me . But then again I throw and swing a bat , golf club etc. righty . If I play underhand pitch softball it's with my right hand yet I bowl lefty . Guess I'm a little messed up .
I'm similar. I throw a ball, catch, dribble and shoot a basketball, swing an axe and bat lefty. I kick a ball, play golf (I was given a set of right handed jr clubs as a kid and went with it) and write righty. I can catch equally with either hand but throwing and batting righty takes concentration even though I can do it and I tend to want to quickly revert back to the other hand. I could go on lol. The only thing I've ever experienced on a dirt bike that threw me off was the left handed kick starter on my Can Am back in the day. I always had to stand on the left side of the bike and use my right leg. I cant fathom what it would be like to reverse all or any of the controls on a bike. I've had times in my job where I was running a couple different programs on separate computers and it doesn't take me long to seamlessly use the mouse in my left hand. I switch hands occasionally on purpose when using a shovel or rake but it never seems natural. I'm a mess lol.
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motomike137
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motomike137 8/15/2022 6:30pm
8/15/2022 6:30pm
backinthesaddleagain wrote:
I get on my lawn tractor from the left
ATKpilot99 wrote:
For me that depends on how much I've had to drink .
He said get on not fall off lol!
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