Why Is It?

Originally Posted by Elltg

and then why is the engine orientated how it is and so on until we have deconstructed motorbikes piece by piece until there is nothing left?

not quite so we will still have the stand on the left lol

[Shellywoozle]

If it was on the right then we would be asking ....

Why is a side stand on the right

sorry, goor point though Lissa

[Lissa]

Originally Posted by Elltg

Is it just me or is this just going to inevitably lead us onto why was the kick start on the right? and then why is the engine orientated how it is and so on until we have deconstructed motorbikes piece by piece until there is nothing left?

Nope, I can see why most things are where they are, it's just the bike leaning INTO traffic that seems a silly idea to me.

Originally Posted by bluefishman

Have you tried sleeping pills? or a bottle of wine?, solves all these little problems. lol.

Watching cricket usually does it for me!

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

Kickstart not always on the right, two spring to mind immediately;

Morini.


And BMW, but I can't find a clear picture of one of them.

There are others too, I recall a trialy that had a kicker on the left rotating forwards.

Exactly!

Originally Posted by Shellywoozle

If it was on the right then we would be asking ....

Why is a side stand on the right

No, that would make more sense to me.

Could it be for hill starts, so that you can have the rear brake applied whilst you flick it back?

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by Jordy

Could it be for hill starts, so that you can have the rear brake applied whilst you flick it back?

Not in initial inception, no, because older bikes - that had the foot controls the right way 'round so the rear brake is on the left - also had the prop stand on the left.
The reply above about right handedness, and thus right footedeness too, is the most persuasive argument for arranging the bits as they are, at least it is nowadays anyway as realistically we have the layout of the machine effectively as a matter of convention - there's no requirement other than that for the way the controls particularly are arranged.

On a related note a previous similar discussion:

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

The controls thing came up in conversation in Soho just recently, the way the controls are arranged nowadays is no more than a matter of convention, with few exceptions even most of the switches are in similar locations. In reality there is no 'right' place for any control to be located, early Japanese bikes had right foot changes too. Even the gear arrangement we* all think 'right', being 1st down and the rest up, is a comparatively recently adoption, not that long ago some Kawasaki two strokes had neutral at the top and all gears down. Most Brit bikes were 'down for up', the reason being that when gearboxes weren't as finely engineered and as light and positive as they are now, a more 'purposeful' change was necessary, and as you were likely to want to change up more quickly and positively than you were to change down, and you can press down harder more easily than you can lift the lever, the gears were arranged the other way up in order to make that easier, the 'race' pattern change being reversed is for the same reason, plus as you exit a corner the next gear you're likely to want is up, having your foot ready to change above the lever doesn't limit your lean angle as your foot under the lever might. While we're on the subject the twist grip wasn't the first way to control the throttle, lever throttles were common, and when the twist grip was invented some Indians had two, one for the throttle and one for the ignition advance & retard. The throttle was the twist grip on the left. Theory has it that Indian and Harley attempted to force brand loyalty on their customers by making their bikes controls so different that no-one would want to change .

*When I say 'we' I mean most of you, as I learnt to ride on a bike that had the gearchange on the right, and the other way up.

[Bri w]

Thought about LHD in the UK and Japan. But then there's Hardly Dangerous's. Then the old Brit bikes were RH gear change, I think. Then i thought of how to get on a horse. Then i thought about being right handed (but i'm Ambidextrous), then i thought of being right footed, but i'm left footed.

Then i thought,, aw rowlocks, does it really matter, me head hurts so i'm going for a lie down in a right footed, left handed bed.

i figured it might be because of the way an engine is generally configured...if the side stand was on the otherside, all the oil would be in the clutch housing and not on the crank side. Might be a really insignificant reason, but its got to help right?

IIRC twist grip on indians was on the left so US police could fire their gun with the right

That gear one's a fair point.
On the other hand most bikes have the exhaust silencer on the right which gets nice and hot, so having the stand on the left might be for that reason? So you don't burn yourself?

VP, Plenty of bikes have exhausts on the LHS or both sides... so maybe not.