Suzuki Burgman USA Forum banner

is my bike one-sided?

4K views 28 replies 15 participants last post by  pauljo 
#1 ·
Hi all,

took my bike and little boy out for a ride the other day down just a few twisties.

I noticed that my bike easily leans to the right but I have to really force it to lean to the left. All I would have to do is just think about leaning to the right and the bike would, almost too easily. But I would have to do the "press down on left handlebar" to get the bike to lean left.

I have stock PSI in tires, stock shield, top case on the rear.

Any thoughts?
 
#2 ·
If both rear shocks are set the same, then I would have to say it's probably the rider or the passenger (if it's only when you have a passenger). You or he may sit slightly off center or slightly leaning, and not be aware of it.

It could, of course, be something wrong with the bike, like a bad bearing or something. I don't recall feeling anything wrong when I rode yours, but it's been a while and something may have changed.

Anyone close who can ride and give you a second opinion?
 
#5 ·
I do not know how much experience you have on two wheels and I do not wish to be disrepectful but sometimes folks have a bias as to which way they can turn best - just like they have a preference for which hand they hold a fork in - it is a brain thing.
 
#6 ·
I've also read that many folks have an easier time with right turns than left turns. It's a mental thing. I am a bit affected by it myself. For some reason, curves going to the right feel more natural. I have to focus more on curves going to the left, and tend to take them less aggressively.
 
#7 ·
captainfish said:
I noticed that my bike easily leans to the right but I have to really force it to lean to the left.
Nope, no defect. You just have a perfectly good Republican scooter. :D
(let the flames frome the Left begin :twisted: )

captainfish said:
...took my bike and little boy out for a ride....
allwalk said:
I think it may have been your passenger peering over you shoulder or around your helmet.
If he's little, he may have been peering around your side, meaning he would had to have been leaning farther. Maybe that was the cause. An adult head weighs about 16#, as much as a bowling ball. A kid with a helmet could be about as much. Leaned over, that could cause some noticeable handling differences.
 
#10 ·
On the riding twisties part, I like the right turns better, feels more natural.

On the passenger part, I noticed that when my older daughter (who rides) is with me I tended to over steer on the Burgman. I stopped leaning and took all the corners just fine. She didn't realize she was controlling the bike on her own till I told her. She moves sideways on the seat on corners. My younger daughter is hyper and is all over the place, and there is a lot of seat for her to wander around on. Kinda like riding in traffic on a windy day.
 
#11 ·
IronRanger said:
My younger daughter is hyper and is all over the place, and there is a lot of seat for her to wander around on. Kinda like riding in traffic on a windy day.
I also have one of those except in the form of a 10year old boy that weighs 100 # . He also believes that if he holds his arms out horizontal in what I call his flying mode it makes the ride even better :lol:
 
#12 ·
When on a long ride and my wife shifts her weight to get comfortable, it feels like someone has pushed the rear of the bike sideways. Any redirection of mass when traveling at speed will throw your balance off for a second or two. I tell my nieces and nephews when the get a ride to "Sit still and hold on."
 
#13 ·
Ok, thanks everyone. I appreciate your incites. No, I have not ridden 2-wheelers long. It could be that I am more right-sided than unbiased when it comes to curves. Or my passenger was not properly trained in proper riding techniques.

And, of course, I am right-brained. Does that make me right all the time?
 
#15 ·
It may just be You (everybody). When I was getting my pilots license, I had to do certain manuvers, like steep turn figure 8's, being as smooth as possible without an altitude change. My instructor said, "people usually do better turning left than right, but I was doing better right than left. I guess it's like being right handed or left handed.
I wouldn't worry too much about it.
 
#16 ·
I'm right handed, and prefer left turns...

If he's small - he's probably leaning to the right either to see, or to have his right foot securely planted. If he's sitting shifted to the right - then it would make a dramatic difference...
 
#17 ·
As this was his first big ride, he was more than a bit nervous. I don't think he moved. I had to tell him that he could move his hands from the grab rails to my waist or to give his hands a break if he wanted to. Now, he may have been moving his head around, but I don't reall seeing him doing that in my rearview mirrors.

From listening to you guys, I think I just need more experience. I don't recall having that much trouble during my first few rides. Maybe the fact that i had a passenger for first time, albeit a light one (80lbs) changed the operation to the point that I was not used to it anymore.

???
 
#18 ·
I went canoeing recently and I had a lightweight in the front. I told him to keep his oar out of the water because I found that I could pilot the canoe just fine without his assist. He weighs about 130# I did notice though that if he had his rear not centered on his seat then the whole craft would act unbalanced. I had to tell him several times to get straight in the seat.
justa thought.
pete
 
#19 ·
pauljo said:
I've also read that many folks have an easier time with right turns than left turns. It's a mental thing. I am a bit affected by it myself. For some reason, curves going to the right feel more natural. I have to focus more on curves going to the left, and tend to take them less aggressively.
If you think about it at least for a two lane highway for example (for those of us who live in a country where you drive on the right side of the road) turning in a right hand curve you are in the inside of the curve, and if you are taking a curve to the left you are on the outside of the curve so you are actually taking a longer radius on a left hand curve vs a right hand curve of the same size. If you live in a country where they drive in the left lane instead of the right, it would of course be just the opposite.
This, I think is the reason why it seems easier to make a right hand turn than a left hand turn. This is also true making a turn in a four lane intersection, turning left is simply a wider turn.
 
#20 ·
When I took a cross country land navigation course in the military our instructors brought us out to a large flat field. The had us line up, spot a landmark in the distance, then close our eyes and walk quite a few paces toward it. Everyone thought they had walked a nice straight line, but found they curved off to the right or left by alot. The exercise was to show us which way we tended to curve so we could compensate when going through areas we didn't have a distance landmark to head towards. It really is common for people lost in woodlands to wander for hours and find themselves back where they started. Kinda like me and my Burgman on a sunny day. 8)
 
#21 ·
Don't right handed people tend to walk to the right, and left to the left?


Unless you have one leg quite a bit shorter than the other...then you tend to walk to the side of the shorter leg. Most people have slightly different length legs, and it can cause back, hip, and knee disorders if significantly different in length.

Off the subject enough here?
 
#22 ·
I think it is more of an inner ear issue but I'm really just guessing. We were following our balance in our head without the use of our eyes. Everyone in our class was suprised at which way they turned, didn't seem connected hand preference.

Balance being what keeps us off the ground, might be why we prefer one lean over the other.

I think we need a Doctor to jump in here and educate us on riding twisties.
 
#23 ·
It doesn't take being much off center to make a difference. You'll get used to it, and compensate for it without even thinking about it. Until you get more comfortable riding tandem, I'd suggest your passengers hold onto the grab rails instead of you - that will keep them from following your body as you lean. I gave up years ago on trying to explain to non-riders that they shouldn't lean with me, it was easier to just have them hold onto the bike. :)
 
#24 ·
Just one more thought... It could be that the rider is biased toward the right. If there is an existing unbalanced load on the bike, with the extra weight on the right, then the bike will turn right much more easily then left. I notice this when I ride to work with my laptop and it's accessories hanging on in their case off my shoulder.

Dave B.
 
#25 ·
Robert said:
I gave up years ago on trying to explain to non-riders that they shouldn't lean with me, it was easier to just have them hold onto the bike. :)
According to the experts, you know, motorcycle courses, DMV hand books ect. your passenger is supposed to lean with you when you lean. They tell you to "educate you passenger" each time you have a new one to do this. :roll:
 
#26 ·
I find when ice skating or roller blading that I prefer left turns to right ones.
More control/confidence, whatever.

Same on the burg, my slow motion turns are a little shaky to the right.
Left, no problem. :?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top