Thought it was a Side stand!
Why are kick stands on the left side of all bikes?
- Thread starter SMSW
- Start date
Back to the swords carried on the knights left. I remember old westerns in which the cowboy was carrying his carbine in his right hand as he reached up to mount his horse. Clearly these guys were not thinking or they would have put the rifle in the scabbard first, then mount the horse, Yes, this would have necessitated reaching over the horse or walking around and back to mount, delaying the film and or getaway.
Walleye made a good point. Many's the time I wished for a stand on the right because I stopped on the shoulder and my bike was so upright it was tippy. Sure it takes a heave to get a bike upright when its leaning way over, but not all bikes are as heavy as ST's and lifting your ST up from a tip over against the camber of a road or tilted shoulder is many times more difficult.
As far as AV8R's point about handedness (leggedness?), try something as simple as throwing your left leg over a sawhorse a few times. It becomes second nature. This is not learning to write with your left hand.
Walleye made a good point. Many's the time I wished for a stand on the right because I stopped on the shoulder and my bike was so upright it was tippy. Sure it takes a heave to get a bike upright when its leaning way over, but not all bikes are as heavy as ST's and lifting your ST up from a tip over against the camber of a road or tilted shoulder is many times more difficult.
As far as AV8R's point about handedness (leggedness?), try something as simple as throwing your left leg over a sawhorse a few times. It becomes second nature. This is not learning to write with your left hand.
Oh my. What type of oil do they use on their kick stand pivots? 
Oh my. What type of oil do they use on their kick stand pivots?
The RIGHT oil. They LEFT the cheap stuff to lubricate their swords.
This convo could easily slide into why we (in the West) put out right foot into our cars first or drive on the right side ..
Some of this is not science alone, but is cultural which had tradition and habits by elites that set the style or had practical reasons rooted in things lost to us in modern times. Like: why Western and UK steering wheels are placed opposite and pedal placement, or why men walk women on their arm opposite of the curb, etc. Needless to say, this convention has been passed down to cars and motorcycles today, regardless of it having modern scientific ergonomic basis. Humans are creatures of habit.
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Since you mentioned it, how are the pedals arranged in a right-drive car? Are the gas and clutch the same or swapped? How about the turn signal and other column-mounted switches?
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
Every car I have driven in the UK the pedals were arranged exactly the same way as on a North American car except they were on the opposite side of the car. The shift pattern on the manual transmission was the same as well. I can't specifically remember but I think all of the other column mounted controls were in the same place as well.
Heavens yes! In the back of Black's Canyon where the was no help and the bike was laying downhill. It took three tries, but I finally succeeded. No real damage, but threw it into the bushes a couple of days later. The adjuster wanted to know who owned the bushes.
ST Gui
240Robert
You basically perform the way you learn or train and in a right handed world there are 'certain ways of doing things'. It's interesting that driving on the left side of the road is very limited in practice and especially interesting that the controls for those vehicles are in the order and just located on the right side.
Be it superstition or convenience - training is the final arbiter. Though some lefties have more trouble adapting than others. We'll never know but the folklore of swords predominantly on the left side Knights of olde being why side stands are on the port side is as good a parable as any. The word 'probably' should have been used a lot more.
Be it superstition or convenience - training is the final arbiter. Though some lefties have more trouble adapting than others. We'll never know but the folklore of swords predominantly on the left side Knights of olde being why side stands are on the port side is as good a parable as any. The word 'probably' should have been used a lot more.
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
ST Gui
240Robert
For the application that makes perfect sense.Andrew Shadow said:
Training kickstands. 
When it said two kickstands, I envisioned both on the left, two different lengths. My bike leans a little bit too little.
When it said two kickstands, I envisioned both on the left, two different lengths. My bike leans a little bit too little.
This is enlightening, until the Model-T Ford, most driving was on the right side of the road, and driver on the right also to avoid the ditch hazard. Yes, large commercial wagons had left seated drivers to protect against hitting other big wagons on the other side of the road. This was also where drivers of horse teams would sit (left rear horse saddle).
And then there is this, the EU version
www.worldstandards.eu
And then there is this, the EU version
Why do some countries drive on the left and others on the right?
About 35 per cent of the world's countries drive on the left. This strange quirk perplexes the rest of the world; but there is a perfectly good reason.
www.worldstandards.eu
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Why are they called kick stands? It seems like that would be painful.
Get a sidestand foot.Training kickstands.
When it said two kickstands, I envisioned both on the left, two different lengths. My bike leans a little bit too little.
That would make it lean even less.
Sorry, my reading comprehension seems to be on the fritz. Not if you get a Duckfoot made for a Goldwing. It's fairly thin and is nice in soft soil or hot asphalt.
What's right for motor officers isn't necessarily what's right for the rest of us. We have different realities and risks. In 50 years of this hobby, I haven't made my first traffic stop yet.
BTW, Harley-Davidsons and children's bicycles have kickstands. Motorcycles have sidestands.
So, a kick stand is the thing you kick to start the engine, and the 13 doesn't have one to debate which side it's on. But on most bikes I've ridden that had them, they were on the right, which I reckon comes from right handedness - most folk will have a stronger right leg.
Side stands, the thing we rest the bike on when stopped, are on the left - as someone else said, it's a design choice - usually the opposite of the drive system works well (geometry & solid mounting point availability without excess stress).
Also, here in the civilised world, a bike on its side stand leans away from traffic, and I still sometimes mount from the right...
For all those that are stressed about it all, the 13 has a centre stand so you don't have to lean at all.
Side stands, the thing we rest the bike on when stopped, are on the left - as someone else said, it's a design choice - usually the opposite of the drive system works well (geometry & solid mounting point availability without excess stress).
Also, here in the civilised world, a bike on its side stand leans away from traffic, and I still sometimes mount from the right...
For all those that are stressed about it all, the 13 has a centre stand so you don't have to lean at all.
For all those that are stressed about it all, the 13 has a centre stand so you don't have to lean at all.
Except that unless you are Hercules you have to place it on the sidestand while you assume the stance and prepare for the Olympic deadlift / foot stomp competition.