This may be a very basic question, but I am buggered if in my "not a rookie, not a gun" trackday experience I can't make any real progress with the problem. Just to illustrate, if I was approaching the final corner at Jerez, being a left hander, all other things being equal I will feel "natural" preparing, entering and rounding that corner. There is just an inner confidence and ease with even challenging left handers (at my level of ability). Contrast approaching the Melbourne Loop - it is a thought process, my arms , shoulders won't be as relaxed and getting through it is work by comparison. It's like (and my local track has 6 rights and 1 left!!!) I'm sort of asked to play cricket right-handed when I'm a left hander - no matter how much I practice batting right handed there is just no comparison. Would honestly appreciate ways of reducing this because the local track's not going to change.
To the best of my knowledge, yes. This is a longstanding thing, even when just road riding days, always preferred turning left at an intersection than right - I am left handed BTW if that matters.
Maybe you could put an ad in the bike mags for left orientated bike riders? Then when you have a dozen recruits (to share the cost), hire your local track and ride around it in the opposite direction?
Absolutely relate to this. Most - if not all - UK tracks are clockwise so naturally have an abundance of RH corners/bends. On the road, LH cornering always felt the most 'natural', so track riding needed a big mental & physical change. I don't think about it nowadays as I'm comfortable either way, but I think it's worth trying to understand how much you're leaning on your arms when cornering. Try sitting on your bike - on a paddock stand so it's upright & stable - and lean forward/sideways get your head & upper body to the inside of an imaginary corner WITHOUT holding the bars. Using your core like this could help to train your body to use core strength/stability instead of arms/hands. Hold on with your inner thigh on the tank side too. Both these should automatically enable a lighter touch on the bars & twistgrip that will relax your track & road riding. I think half the problem of RH cornering is the awkwardness of controlling your hand/arm as it gets compressed. Just my personal take & opinion obviously...
No there's bound to be a solution. Turning left as often as possible will probably cure this, its a matter practice. My first suggestion was the easy cop out where you can have tons of fun without having to put in much effort -save for the one turn on your local track! LOL.
I have a theory, and it’s all based on road riding and I’m the same. Entry to a left is easier, and you at worst case if you get it wrong come on centre or other side of the road. You can widen the arc in easily, and see far further away. Get a right wrong (in uk) and your off and in a bush. This transmits itself in all riding ime. I broke by, on track, making sure I used all the track on way in and all the track on way out, so overcoming the ‘natural’ to me fear. I found changing my technique so I am hanging off the inside transformed my track riding and allowed me to take left or right just as easily at speed. If you sit in the middle, there is a likelihood you are actual lifting your body up in a corner and affecting how it feels. Pictures will tell you. If you are hanging off, I found squaring my head up, like Tony Elias and rutter (but not his odd body position) helped too. Get TOTW, it’s worth a read if you haven’t Unless I’ve misunderstood your neutral no bias comment
You need to strengthen your non dominant side So say you sit with your legs or arms crossed one way all the time , try doing it the other way until both feel natural . lots of balancing exercises online the rest of it’s just in your head
Go to Spain for at least a week for a riding holiday. You can then concentrate on the right turns without so much fear of running out of road.
I am the same and always thought it was the camber of the road acting like banking and making you feel better
LH turns always feel better for me regardless of whether riding on left or right side of the road. US riders often complain of the same thing. I've thought this is due to having throttle hand pinched inward in RHers (worse throttle control means less confidence). Loosening my grip helps, pretend you hold the controls like a crab would have to from the sides. Also heard it described as holding throttle like a screwdriver, helps keep your wrist open. Another confidence factor is having a nice solid placement for my outer foot. I don't trail brake on road or track, so the right foot has more time to settle. The left foot is banging down gears so there's more going on before I have to take a set. I bet body asymmetry is a part of it too, never thought about that.
I’m another afflicted with a preference for left turns. I think it’s mostly psychological and as @trogdor says the right hand is far busier than the left so thats a distraction. Melbourne loop I simply hate because of this and yet Goddards i’m happy to drag my knee all the way round. One thing it did notice was that it’s mainly the slower right turns that I have a mental block over - 3 sessions on Silverstone GP and I had finally shredded my right knee slider as well as the left. More time on track, work on body position, looking through the corner, and just force yourself to trust the bike - it sounds like you are just like me in tensing up when you approach a bogey corner so focusing on the basics rather than trying to go fast might be the best way to tackle it. That’s my plan anyway. I had a preferred side for rolling a kayak when I first learned - I practised the other to get it right and eventually that became my more natural side so I think this is no different.
