OK, some history here. Is this because we mount horses from the left side (The Lone Ranger, Tonto, and Roy excepted, since they mounted with a vault from the rear)? Wouldn't it make more sense for right side of the road drivers to mount from the right, away from traffic?
Why are kick stands on the left side of all bikes?
- Thread starter SMSW
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Just a guess here. For right-handed folks, the left leg is the "standing leg", where they feel more stable. If you are right-handed, it is probable that you stand on your left leg and poke your right leg in first when you put on your pants. When you learned to ride a bicycle, you probably mounted from the left side.
Maybe, a holdover from the kick start days. Seems most were on the right?
Because King George III always mounted from left to right.
A lot of European Trials bikes have sprockets and chains on the left side, so the kick stand is on the right side today. GAS GAS (made in Spain)for instance has the sprocket and chain on the left, so the kick stand is on the right. While my Beta (made in Italy) has the chain/sprocket on the right, so the kickstand is on the left. So I wonder if many on the original European bikes that often shifted on the right side, also had chain and sprocket on the right side which would make it easier to mount a kick stand on the left side so it wouldn't interfere so much with the drive hardware and it's a carry over.
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My Nighthawk 750, and every other bike I've owned (until the ST), have the chain and kickstand on the left.
I've been watching reruns of CHIPs, and they mount and dismount their KZ1000Ps from from the right side.
Hillbillies mount theirs . . . never mind.
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Well, somebody had to choose, and so, they chose.
I've tried to mount a bike from the right side, but couldn't. I walked up to the bike and my body just didn't know how.
Ok, I'll bite. I have ridden horses (even jumped them), but sure, we always got on from the right. Why? (Teacher was an old English Cavalry Captain).
If a very informative podcast I heard was correct, it's a holdover from horse times.
The majority of people are right handed, and in old days, would have a scabbard for a sword on their left hip. This meant that mounting horses had to be done from the left side else they risk the scabbard smacking into the horse. Hence, mounting motorcycles from the left was a holdover from what people were used to (taught throughout the ages to mount on the left), and just became "the way" it was done. So leaning the bike to the left makes it easier to mount from the already established side.
No one still NEEDS to mount horses on the left. No one NEEDS to walk their dogs on their left side. But things are still taught that way due to long standing tradition of "that's the way we've always done it".
EDIT - saw the post about the gentleman mounting his horse from the right. Look at the teacher. It may be a cultural thing, but everytime I rode a horse, it was made very clear that you only mount them from the left (rode in US and Mexico, just standard trail rides, but a couple dozen)
The majority of people are right handed, and in old days, would have a scabbard for a sword on their left hip. This meant that mounting horses had to be done from the left side else they risk the scabbard smacking into the horse. Hence, mounting motorcycles from the left was a holdover from what people were used to (taught throughout the ages to mount on the left), and just became "the way" it was done. So leaning the bike to the left makes it easier to mount from the already established side.
No one still NEEDS to mount horses on the left. No one NEEDS to walk their dogs on their left side. But things are still taught that way due to long standing tradition of "that's the way we've always done it".
EDIT - saw the post about the gentleman mounting his horse from the right. Look at the teacher. It may be a cultural thing, but everytime I rode a horse, it was made very clear that you only mount them from the left (rode in US and Mexico, just standard trail rides, but a couple dozen)
My V Strom has a left sprocket, chain, and kick stand. And my old Triumph had the same (I think) and a right kick starter. Not sure if the chain makes a difference or reason for mounting the kickstand on one side or the other.
THAT makes a lot of sense. And if you wore armor, and carried a halberd or lance you stood a good chance of knocking your horse out when mounting. But, I cannot help but being a bit suspicious because of all the apocryphal stories that circulate on the internet.
I've seen dogs being walked on both sides regularly - I did not know that more people preferred the left side. In fact, it really depends which side of the walker the trees are on - dogs preferring the trees and hydrants.
IF this is any way logical, a bike with left side chain drive will drip excess lube on the ground and not your tire...... and then there was those Harley's back in the day that had a throttle you twisted forward to go faster (I don't think Harley was the only one with that)... and suicide shifters on the left, with optional reverse.
That's an old wives' tale.
The better half rides Hunter-Jumper (she has for years now) and folks saddle on the left and right. The "history" of saddling on the left comes from the war horse days, when soldiers wore their swords on the left (so saddled on left to not injure the horse).
I did that once or twice on one of my Hondas when the 'pull' throttle cable broke, so I switched the 'push' cable over at the carb end, and made it home.
Walleye
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Some horses, not well educated ones, are unsure when mounted from the right side because no one has done it do to a stupid superstition, they are creatures of habit and easily fall into the right side is normal routine, mounting from the right disrupts the horses comprehension and he may get stupid. Properly trained horses will trust a mount fro either side, they have left brain right brain reasoning and all training must be done to each individual side of the brain. Also you need to be able to mount either side because of various situations that may arise on the trail, one being a steep slope on the left, just try throwin your leg up an extra foot, always mount on the high side, or what if you blown your knee because your horse got stupid when you tried mounting from the right and now you cant use that leg to pull yourself up. Back to the kickstands, imagine all the times you pulled to the side of the road and do to the sloped away grading its difficult to balance the bike on the sidestand because the slope has your bike nearly upright, but if it was on the right the grading would have it leaning way to far, probably unmanageable in a heavy bike like an ST and the great amount of weight on the sidestand would most likely bury in loose soil and topple, and, and......
CHP and most police mount their bikes on the starboard because it exposes them less to rearward/oncoming traffic.
The port kickstand and the upright stand (with its port side foot step bar) are likely do to the traditional port side equestrian mounting position.
This may or may not have to do with the predominance of right handedness and left sword mounting. It might also be practical because most people are not goofy-footed, which means a planted left foot and swinging over the more dexterous right leg... just like surfing or skateboarding.
My legs are both thick muscular and stubby, so even with the seat on lowest setting, I use the left foot peg to get on/off the bike. A 6’4” friend of mine, swung his left leg over my bike like it was nothing, and on the up right stand. Keep in mind that the STP has a radio housing and not a flat bench seat.
The port kickstand and the upright stand (with its port side foot step bar) are likely do to the traditional port side equestrian mounting position.
This may or may not have to do with the predominance of right handedness and left sword mounting. It might also be practical because most people are not goofy-footed, which means a planted left foot and swinging over the more dexterous right leg... just like surfing or skateboarding.
My legs are both thick muscular and stubby, so even with the seat on lowest setting, I use the left foot peg to get on/off the bike. A 6’4” friend of mine, swung his left leg over my bike like it was nothing, and on the up right stand. Keep in mind that the STP has a radio housing and not a flat bench seat.