Mount ST from the right...

Saw a bunch of Harley riders mounting their bikes from the right side....

Just wondering if anybody mounts their ST from the right????

Myself...I find it hard enough to get on from the left side...

Depends on which side I happen to be on. Really. Doesn't matter to much to me. But I know the right side is the wrong side for most. There's probably some safety lesson I didn't listen to.

It is my understanding that police officers are either trained or advised to mount/dismount their bikes from right side, away from traffic. I have found myself stopped on narrow shoulders and decided that I felt safer dismounting to the right. Otherwise, when safe to do so, I'm a lefty.

I always get on and off my bike from the right. Not sure why, but it just feels more natural. I agree with STripper-during my emergency operations class with the PD, they did advise disembarking to the right to avoid your leg getting struck from oncoming traffic behind you.

Did that just once. Swung a leg over from the right side and hit the seat before foot landed, all of this in my driveway. Well, as you may have guessed, compression of suspension and on sidestand rocked bike upright and off to the right side, piching me off in the yard on my back. Fortunatley all the gear on made for soft landing, for me anyways.

That's why they did that on CHIPS. I always wondered that.

I haven't practiced it enough but it's actually easier to get off on the high (right) side and there's less change of scuffing your bags.

I am guessing that the origin of left side mounting or what is referred to in the horse world the near side. Goes back to the early advent of motorcycling and the transition from the horse world, with no thought what so ever about traffic, guns and safety. I must say that I would have to practice a bit in private before I go out in public to mount from the right side.

I don't do it by default, although I have done it a couple of times for safety reasons when I had to park momentarily on the side of a busy roadway.

I always mount the topside... Unless it's upside down :nuts1::strawb1:bl13:

I usually take a running jump from the back, just like the Lone Ranger, used to work pretty well 'til I got a top box... almost done with all the plastic surgery now...

Here's a random video explaining the high side option.
I'm mostly a lefty since there's usually tools, compressor, 1st aid, rain gear in the away from traffic panier and my helmet if stowed is in the left side.

Right side dismounting seems to be a matter of distance the the fixed object on the right... nothing to the left; get off left, something big on the left; get off right.

Mounting depends on how much room there is to which side... As long as I'm on the bike's seat which way I get on it doesn't seem to have any effect on the ride.

P.S.
I'm not trying Joe's method! I work with surgeons.

I always mount from the left. It's the low side (when on the side stand) so it feels more natural. It also feels less likely to cause a tipover because no additional weight is placed on the side stand.

If traffic is a consideration, I just wait until it's clear, but I can certainly understand why traffic officers may be encouraged to use the right side.

Stand on the footpeg with your right leg and then you will have plenty of room for your left leg to move across the seat. Then just lower the left foot down to the left peg. Easy, peasy!

It's too hard to do it the conventional way. You wind up scuffing saddlebags, seat, etc.

ddemair said:

I always mount from the left. It's the low side (when on the side stand) so it feels more natural. It also feels less likely to cause a tipover because no additional weight is placed on the side stand.

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Same here. We/I don't normally face the same hazards as motor officers. I would like to practice dismounting on the high side. It's actually easier to do but it needs some practice to be smooth and second nature.

Motor officers here in CA are taught to mount/dismount on the high side but getting on means a long reach and most of us might have to scootch across the seat to plant the left leg.

I don't know if the duty weapon is much of a consideration. These days most carry semi-autos which are shorter in length and ride a little higher on the belt then revolvers and maybe even 4" revolvers. (This assumes the rider is right-handed.) The handie-talkie is usually carried on the opposite side and is about the same size as a firearm in the holster.

Besides dismounting away from traffic getting off in the high side makes it a little easier to keep an eye on the subject of the car stop. And for the CHP it puts them in a better position for their right-side approach.

No posts by Pan owners from Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, etc. where they ride to the left of center. Their habits would be interesting.

What really freaks me out is seeing a side-hack on the left side of a bike.

Like most, I'm a lefty, as everybody learned from riding bicycles. Show me a bicycle with the sidestand on the right, please.

Mellow said:

I usually take a running jump from the back, just like the Lone Ranger, used to work pretty well 'til I got a top box... almost done with all the plastic surgery now...

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Hmmmm, yet another Caitlin?

Left side mounting dismounting is easier for those of us who are not so tall that we can flat foot the bike with a bent knee. And throwing a leg over from the high side, unless you first step up on the foot peg gets harder as you get older. Well, for me at least. I used to have no problem throwing a leg over a bike 15 years ago, but now I have to consciously think about getting my leg up high enough not to scrape panniers, seat, etc. True, my Guzzi's used to be lower.......

Anyone have any idea why we don't see bikes with a kick stand on the RIGHT side? Horses don't come with kickstands.

I mostly mount from the left side and dismount from the right side. Since I hurt my hip I usually stand on the left peg and swing my right leg over to mount the bike.