Originally Posted by guitarfish

Man, sorry to hear that! I also have a noticeably harder time doing right-hand turns for some reason. Left turns are very natural and easy, but right turns are awkward and poorly executed. I've only been riding a little over a month, so I'm not too upset about it, but it is weird to me that there such a difference. And from what I hear from others, it's not uncommon.

Originally Posted by guitarfish (Post 14390614)

Man, sorry to hear that! I also have a noticeably harder time doing right-hand turns for some reason. Left turns are very natural and easy, but right turns are awkward and poorly executed. I've only been riding a little over a month, so I'm not too upset about it, but it is weird to me that there such a difference. And from what I hear from others, it's not uncommon.

Originally Posted by Lighteye (Post 14389647)

I can now tell you from experience that a 2015 Road King is a super PITA to get right`side up when the parking lot is full of fine loose gravel.

How it happened:

As is my habit, I dedicate a small portion of my daily ride to low speed drills in an almost always empty county park parking lot by the house. Today, where I normally drop my red solo cups with rocks in them (redneck parking cones), there were 2 vehicles parked, so I went to the other side of the lot.

I had successfully completed 20 or so u-turns and slightly dyslexic figure 8s and thought I'd try tightening it up and slowing it down. I positively suck at right hand u-turns, but the only way to learn is to do it.

Well, I didn't master the turn I wanted at idle speed, but I did learn that I still have cat-like reflexes as far as getting the hell out of the way. I do NOT remember the bike going down. One second I was at full lock halfway through the turn, and it started to lean, and the next I was standing beside it as it was on the ground cocked up at an odd angle. It was as if I had teleported and my ride had drank a few too many and fallen over.

Not a mark on the rear saddle bag bars, but my highway peg got shoved up on the front highway bar and scratched the hell out of it. I guess it had worked it's way just loose enough over the last 1,000 miles. Better scratches there than a broken leg if the bars weren't there and I was slower getting off.

After several unsuccessful attempts at righting it the way I was taught due to the loose gravel making me slip and slide, I went around to the right side of the bike where I was able to plant my feet in grass and pulled it up successfully by rearing back and using my 290 pounds as a counterweight.

I didn't want to end practice on a bad note, so I mounted up and started again. I got back on, fired it up and did another half dozen successful turns before calling it a day, as it was starting to rain, and I was a tad sore.

I got home, unbolted both highway pegs and checked the damage. None other noted. While I was doing this, my Pro-Guards showed up via mailman.

I'll hit it again tomorrow. If you get thrown, get back up if you can and get back on. No fear, just a keen awareness that I need to work more on low speed things. I WILL master full lock turns both ways without having to put a foot down. I see even experienced riders doing it, and I know I can get good enough not to. I just wish that I had video running so I could see how it happened, and exactly the moment I went wrong.


:::sigh::: back to the drawing boards.