A question for our American/EU colleagues
 

As someone who lives in the UK, where we drive on the correct (left) side of the road, mounting a bike on its side-stand has always seemed natural. It only occurred to me recently that motorcycles built for right-hand drive markets also have the side-stand on the left.

So if driving on the right, and you pull over, do you get on/off into the middle of the road, or do you get on/off the side opposite to the side-stand?

Either way seems a bit awkward ... just curious!

Thanks.

Re: A question for our American/EU colleagues
 

For both horses and motorcycles, you mount and dismount from the left.

Re: A question for our American/EU colleagues
 

This is one of the most brilliant questions I've ever seen. Genuinely intrigued as to the answers.

But why the left?

Re: A question for our American/EU colleagues
 

As someone who lived in the US for 20+ years it seems an odd question. Most of the time when I get on/off my bike I'm at home/at a petrol station/in a shopping centre car park/at work. Speaking as a short person, the road camber helped getting on/off when I was on the right (hand) side of the road - the bike leaned less and required less effort to pull it to vertical.
Here in the UK, it makes me nervous if I stop on a steep camber, the side stand is down but the bike seems to lean...and lean before the stand touches the ground.

Perhaps a better question would be - which foot do you put down first? It would make sense in the UK (with my vertically challenged body) to put my right foot down first but here and in the US I put my left foot down first.

I used to ride horses, too, and I'm trying to visualise mounting from the other side (and failing). Does it affect left handed people more?

Edit: from Horse and Rider. "Mounting from the left is just tradition. Soldiers would mount up on their horses left sides so that their swords, anchored over their left legs, wouldn't harm their horses' backs. But you're trail riding, not heading into battle. Make sure your horse is comfortable with you mounting and dismounting on either side."

Re: A question for our American/EU colleagues
 

Swords are also apparently the reason why we drive on the left - so that people would pass on their sword-hand side.

I think if I was stopping to put my side-stand down, it'd have to be on the right foot as the left needs to be free to move the stand.

I tend to worry more about the bike being too close to vertical (meaning less weight on the stand and so less stable) than being too leaned over.

Re: A question for our American/EU colleagues
 

Kerb side, safer.

Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk

Re: A question for our American/EU colleagues
 

you should always have your right foot on your rear brake so its always left foot down first.

getting on and off i use the foot rests like stirrups of a horse to get on/off the bike and yes i'm very vertically challenged.

Re: A question for our American/EU colleagues
 

Fell off the SV twice by managing to step on the sidestand foot projection - luckily a broken lever only damage done