how do you get off???

[jserio]

okay...get our minds outta the gutter....this is a serious question.  in my safety class our instructor told us the proper way to dismount and mount the bike is from the right hand, or throttle side of the bike. any opinions on this? and how do you choose to dismount and mount and why?

[The Buddha]

Yup, you get off on the right and shove your foot under the exhaust looking for that centerstand and after getting a nice burn though your boot (or did he recomend flip flops) you'd opt to put it on the side stand which is conveniently on the right side (if you're riding an aeromacci )
You get off on the side where you have the center and side stands accessible ... duh.
Cool.
Srinath.

[pandy]

I have a hard enough time getting off the bike anyway....if I had to get off on the right side, I'd probably fall over even MORE often....

Why in the world would a safety instructor advise dismounting on the right... 

[FearedGS500]

you might want to speak up .. he might of ment his right your left ?

[Johnny5]

The right side?  

OK Multiple Choice:
A) He was an impostor
B) He wasn't an instructor, but he did stay at a Holiday Inn last night
C) He has Dyslexia of the appendages
D) He is Eugene Levy's character in "Best in Show" in real life
E) He is mistaken

or F) What FearedGS500 said (But he did say throttle side)

[bubba zanetti]

I flip a coin to see which side of the bike I'll dismount, heads left, tails right. As for mounting I like to run up from behind & leap onto it like John Wayne. 

[ashman]

Personally, its ALWAYS the right side. Facing the bike.

-Ash

[Anakist]

Same side as a horse. To the left of the vehicle when facing forward.

James

[Wrecent_Wryder]

When people first started building and riding motorcycles it had already been "standard" for at least hundreds of years, maybe thousands, that getting on and off a horse was always done from the left side of the horse. That doesn't vary, unless you're a trick rider ("stunter", in that field). This is because the reins are always held in the left hand, and THAT tradition is to leave the strong hand free for other tasks (or weapons).

A horse may actually spook if you try to mount from the right, it's something that's never happened to most of them, and they won't know what you're trying to do.

So, yeah, that's why the kickstand is on that side, that's why it leans that way, that's why the exhaust is most often on the right (if on one side only).

It's your bike, you can do any silly thing you want to, but I almost always find that traditions have reasons, and unless you fully understand the reasons first, violating tradition often has it's dangers.

[yamahonkawazuki]

i dont mount my bike, im not that kinky, but from the left, to answer the question, or to rephrase it, from the low side of it

[Caffeine]

I dismount from the FRONT, with an over-the-windscreen 180-degree half-twist.   And don't forget to bow to the judges. 

[simon79]

You get off on the side where you have the center and side stands accessible ... duh.

+1000.

What the hell?
I NEVER heard/saw anyone dismount their bikes from right side.
Well, after I've set kickstand down I might be physically able to dismount from right (my height: 181 cms) but,...it's against instinct, IMHO; and many people shorter than me and/or on taller bikes could find it challenging.
Personally I will:
stop the bike
switch lights off
put into neutral (50% of times)
hit killswitch (80%+ of times)
turn key to OFF
kick sidestand down
lean bike on it
dismount from LEFT side of the bike.
If needed/required, then I'll put bike on the centerstand.

Besides, there are times when I happen to mount from right side. Exceptions to the rule, yet.

I dismount from the FRONT, with an over-the-windscreen 180-degree half-twist.   And don't forget to bow to the judges. 

[GeeP]

The right side? 

OK Multiple Choice:
A) He was an impostor
B) He wasn't an instructor, but he did stay at a Holiday Inn last night
C) He has Dyslexia of the appendages
D) He is Eugene Levy's character in "Best in Show" in real life
E) He is mistaken

or F) What FearedGS500 said (But he did say throttle side)

G)  His instructor was a CHP officer.  (They mount from the right.)

[ArkRider]

G)  His instructor was a CHP officer.  (They mount from the right.)

Maybe to keep from being picked off by oncomming traffic? 

[jserio]

ark rider, you seem to get the point the instructor was making. he is also the instructor for the police dept as well. he told us by dismounting from the right side we would not have our back to any dangers behind us. he said it would improve our vision of our surroundings. on the little rebels were were riding it was not a problem at all. i'm a short person so on a taller bike it may be an issue.

[Jake D]

(my height: 181 cms) but,...it's against instinct, IMHO; and many people shorter than me and/or on taller bikes could find it challenging.

What you weight mang?  About 5 and a half stone?  BTW, 181 cm means nothing to us.  Metric systems if for bolts. 

[Johnny5]

ark rider, you seem to get the point the instructor was making. he is also the instructor for the police dept as well. he told us by dismounting from the right side we would not have our back to any dangers behind us. he said it would improve our vision of our surroundings. on the little rebels were were riding it was not a problem at all. i'm a short person so on a taller bike it may be an issue.

OK, all kidding aside, I can see that.  I wouldn't want to be dismounting and mounting a bike on the highway after pulling someone over, at all... and there is definitely some sense to dismounting from the right in that situation.  Still, I have never ever heard anybody (instructors and not) give that advice.  Try mounting/dismounting your bike from the right when it's on the sidestand... not going to be easy unless you have some seriously long and skinny legs, which I definitely do not.  May be different on a police cruiser, but you have to access your center stand and side stand from the left side of your bike... that alone is reason enough to mount/dismount from the left.

[simon79]

What you weight mang?  About 5 and a half stone?  BTW, 181 cm means nothing to us.  Metric systems if for bolts. 

181 cm = 5' 11''
my weight: 73 kgs = 160,6 lbs

Sorry,man. Here in Europe metric system is for almost everything 

[MrDan]

Metric systems if for bolts. 

Ok - that's awesome  I have to remember that.

Back on topic - I dismount from the right sometimes - usually if it's too tight to get off on the left, but always after the kickstand is down.

[bettingpython]

Uhmmm....with my wife

Ok CHP instructor yeah that sounds right LEO's are taught to the sidestand down and step off to the right. If you lose your balance and fall or knock the bike over it doesn't fall on you and you fall away from traffic.

Normally I dismount to the left. When we park the bikes when out riding the wife has a habit of pulling in too close on my left side so I get off and on the bike from the right side when space is tight. She's still learning but hey it's nice to have someone to ride with.