To low-side or high-side?
Tourer
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 440
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RE: To low-side or high-side?
ORIGINAL: Gart
(onthefence: let it go. I was tired of dragging my boots across the seat).
(onthefence: let it go. I was tired of dragging my boots across the seat).
Are we sure that all aspects of this have been discussed? Cause now my curiosity has been peaked. If I start mounting from the Starboard side, do I swing my leg in an arc, or would I be better off stepping straight over.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 28,549
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From: Vermont
RE: To low-side or high-side?
ORIGINAL: twincam47
Not So..........mounting/dismountingfrom the high side keeps the bike from falling on your leg in case of a jiffy stand failure. It will also keeps you from being knocked into traffic if you're are on the right shoulder putting your rain gear on and the bike falls.
All Police Motormen are taught to mount/dismount from the high side for these and other reasons.
Northwestern University Center for Public Safety Police Motorcycle operator and instructor course manuals outline this.....these are 2 week and 3 week courses not just your average basic rider course.
And for the other post....motorcycles and horses are meant to be mounted on the left side....
a calf roper will mount and dismount his horse on the right side if he is right handed.
Not So..........mounting/dismountingfrom the high side keeps the bike from falling on your leg in case of a jiffy stand failure. It will also keeps you from being knocked into traffic if you're are on the right shoulder putting your rain gear on and the bike falls.
All Police Motormen are taught to mount/dismount from the high side for these and other reasons.
Northwestern University Center for Public Safety Police Motorcycle operator and instructor course manuals outline this.....these are 2 week and 3 week courses not just your average basic rider course.
And for the other post....motorcycles and horses are meant to be mounted on the left side....
a calf roper will mount and dismount his horse on the right side if he is right handed.
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
From:
RE: To low-side or high-side?
ORIGINAL: OnTheFence
Damn, this is just like high school all over again.Everyone is goofing off and poor ole onthefence gets sent to the principals office.
Are we sure that all aspects of this have been discussed? Cause now my curiosity has been peaked. If I start mounting from the Starboard side, do I swing my leg in an arc, or would I be better off stepping straight over.
ORIGINAL: Gart
(onthefence: let it go. I was tired of dragging my boots across the seat).
(onthefence: let it go. I was tired of dragging my boots across the seat).
Are we sure that all aspects of this have been discussed? Cause now my curiosity has been peaked. If I start mounting from the Starboard side, do I swing my leg in an arc, or would I be better off stepping straight over.
Dave
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 129
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From:
RE: To low-side or high-side?
I agree for Police Motormen. This is quoted from the following website: http://www.msgroup.org/Tip.aspx?Num=012
"I have read that mounting a motorcycle from the right side is 'OK' and for proof the poster pointed out that the motorcycle police in California are required to do so.
While I believe it is true that at least the California Highway Patrol requires their motorcycle officers to use the right side to both mount and dismount their machines, that is hardly an example one should draw heavy conclusions from. It may suggest that if you pull to the side of a freeway and want to dismount you might be safer getting on and off on the right side based on traffic risk, but that does not infer that it is generally safer to do so.
Your side stand provides a WIDE tripod footprint (unlike your center stand) that virtually guarantees your bike will not fall over if you lean against it. (This, by the way, is why it is far safer to leave your bike on its side stand than it is to put it on its center stand in a storm.) You would court dumping the bike if it was not LEANING heavily on its side stand when you mounted it (as when the bike is parked on a slope to the right.) Similarly, mounting from the right tends to relieve pressure from the side stand unless you 'hop' onto your left foot before your fanny hits the seat. Worse, your right foot is planted firmly on the ground when you do that and if the bike were to fall over you could not get away from it.
The answer to these apparently less safe practices of our motorcycle officers is that they have different risks to manage than we street riders do. They do not want to lose visual contact with a suspect for the brief time it takes to remove a full-face helmet (nor do they want to occupy both hands taking a helmet off.) They must often leave their bikes FAST and a microphone/speaker cord going to their helmets could cost them their lives if they had to deal with them at a vulnerable time. They tend to work busy freeways and mount/dismount their bikes frequently at the side of the road. (And, of course, they mount and dismount on the right to put their bikes between themselves and a possible bullet from the driver of the car in front of them as well as to keep themselves away from traffic.)
All I'm saying is that suggesting that a motorcycle officer be used as a role model for how to behave on your street machine is a bad choice. It is clearly safer (except, perhaps, on the side of a freeway) to mount and dismount your bike from the left. It is safer to ride with a full-face helmet than a smaller shell. It is safer to use a built-in microphone than a hand-held."
Which side you chose to mount/dismount your bike is up to you, ultimately its a personal preference. I may have been too general with my original comments that "its in all the manuals", but I didn't pull the info out of my ***. I was answering the original posters question before everyone decided to jump on my post and tell me I was wrong.
Dave
"I have read that mounting a motorcycle from the right side is 'OK' and for proof the poster pointed out that the motorcycle police in California are required to do so.
While I believe it is true that at least the California Highway Patrol requires their motorcycle officers to use the right side to both mount and dismount their machines, that is hardly an example one should draw heavy conclusions from. It may suggest that if you pull to the side of a freeway and want to dismount you might be safer getting on and off on the right side based on traffic risk, but that does not infer that it is generally safer to do so.
Your side stand provides a WIDE tripod footprint (unlike your center stand) that virtually guarantees your bike will not fall over if you lean against it. (This, by the way, is why it is far safer to leave your bike on its side stand than it is to put it on its center stand in a storm.) You would court dumping the bike if it was not LEANING heavily on its side stand when you mounted it (as when the bike is parked on a slope to the right.) Similarly, mounting from the right tends to relieve pressure from the side stand unless you 'hop' onto your left foot before your fanny hits the seat. Worse, your right foot is planted firmly on the ground when you do that and if the bike were to fall over you could not get away from it.
The answer to these apparently less safe practices of our motorcycle officers is that they have different risks to manage than we street riders do. They do not want to lose visual contact with a suspect for the brief time it takes to remove a full-face helmet (nor do they want to occupy both hands taking a helmet off.) They must often leave their bikes FAST and a microphone/speaker cord going to their helmets could cost them their lives if they had to deal with them at a vulnerable time. They tend to work busy freeways and mount/dismount their bikes frequently at the side of the road. (And, of course, they mount and dismount on the right to put their bikes between themselves and a possible bullet from the driver of the car in front of them as well as to keep themselves away from traffic.)
All I'm saying is that suggesting that a motorcycle officer be used as a role model for how to behave on your street machine is a bad choice. It is clearly safer (except, perhaps, on the side of a freeway) to mount and dismount your bike from the left. It is safer to ride with a full-face helmet than a smaller shell. It is safer to use a built-in microphone than a hand-held."
Which side you chose to mount/dismount your bike is up to you, ultimately its a personal preference. I may have been too general with my original comments that "its in all the manuals", but I didn't pull the info out of my ***. I was answering the original posters question before everyone decided to jump on my post and tell me I was wrong.
Dave
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,437
Likes: 15
RE: To low-side or high-side?
No I said this early on in this post. I am a motor and I have never heard of or seen any motor mount from the left. It is taught in motor school to mount from the high side and though I don't know about all the schools I do know that the top motor schools teach high side for safety.
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 129
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From:
RE: To low-side or high-side?
ORIGINAL: mtclassic
No I said this early on in this post. I am a motor and I have never heard of or seen any motor mount from the left. It is taught in motor school to mount from the high side and though I don't know about all the schools I do know that the top motor schools teach high side for safety.
No I said this early on in this post. I am a motor and I have never heard of or seen any motor mount from the left. It is taught in motor school to mount from the high side and though I don't know about all the schools I do know that the top motor schools teach high side for safety.
I never asked my buddies about when they were on duty which side they mounted from. I know when I have been out with them, they have gotten on the bike from the left side. I know my grandfather always mounted his motorcycle from the left (but he retired from the police force as Chief of Police in 1979 or 1980, so its been a while).
I wasn't trying to say anyone was wrong and I was completely unaware that the guys I was quoting in this thread were cops. I just know what I was taught and what I read (which were from reputable sources, i.e. the MSF and the Department of Defense).
I just love riding and trying to help others try to answer questions they have about a passion of mine which is motorcycles. Maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today or something. I didnt intend to be "that guy" on this forum/thread.
Sorry all.....Be safe!!
Dave
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 352
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From: Newport News, VA
RE: To low-side or high-side?
[quote]ORIGINAL: Shoe
Its in all the manuals I have read, is the taught method from the military and my friends who are state police in NJ, my grandfather who was Chiefof Police in Millville, NJ,and the local and state police where I am stationed here in MS and they all say the same thing.
So yes I will tell you all those things. Its what I read and what I was taught
ORIGINAL: twincam47
I would ask RLAP (mr. paladino) if that is the way IPTM teaches their classes down in Florida.
And it isnt my technique...the partnership between H-D and NUCPS started over 20 years ago and is thepremier Police Motorcycle Training in the country.
NUCPS, IPTM and California POST are the industry standards in Police motorcycle training. Other departments or states might have their own but have modeled their training after one of these.
And again NOT EVERYmanual........
I am not going to argue with you......27 years of my past life and YES we were taught and did as instructed.....mounted/dismounted from the high side.....positioning the motor on traffic stops...dismounting to the right (high side) protecting your side arm side (if you were right handed) and using the bike for cover if the stuff went bad. Never would I dismount on the low side near the moving lane of traffic or allow a failed part to push me into the moving lane.
And finally do what makes you feel good...just dont tell me that low side is in every manual and that your police friendsknow nothing about it.
ORIGINAL: Shoe
Funny, youre the first one to ever say this. I have a few friends who are motorcops both in NJ and MS and they have never heard or have been taught your technique.
Like I said, every manual out there teaches to mount the bike from the left side (its the customary way and it keeps you from burning your leg on the exhaust).
Its funny to see how many poor riders there are out there (feet draggers, those who use front brakes exclusively). Being in the military, they require us to take quite a few courses on motorcycle safety and none of them ever taught mounting the bike from the right side. Even those taught by the highway patrol.
I learned to ride and was licensed in California which has to be one of the toughest riding tests to pass in the country (its not just go around the block and come back like alot of other states) and they also teach you to mount the bike from the left side.
I also believe that they mount the bikes from the left side in the RLAP videos and, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure hes a cop
.
On a final note, I've taken much more than just the basic rider course. I was just simply stating that this is basic common knowledge and most would know it if they cared to take a course or sign up for the Experience Rider Course, which I doevery couple of years.
Dave
ORIGINAL: twincam47
Not So..........mounting/dismountingfrom the high side keeps the bike from falling on your leg in case of a jiffy stand failure. It will also keeps you from being knocked into traffic if you're are on the right shoulder putting your rain gear on and the bike falls.
All Police Motormen are taught to mount/dismount from the high side for these and other reasons.
Northwestern University Center for Public Safety Police Motorcycle operator and instructor course manuals outline this.....these are 2 week and 3 week courses not just your average basic rider course.
And for the other post....motorcycles and horses are meant to be mounted on the left side....
a calf roper will mount and dismount his horse on the right side if he is right handed.
ORIGINAL: Shoe
The proper way to get on a bike is from the left side (kickstand side). This is taught in every basic rider course and instruction manual out there.
Dave
The proper way to get on a bike is from the left side (kickstand side). This is taught in every basic rider course and instruction manual out there.
Dave
All Police Motormen are taught to mount/dismount from the high side for these and other reasons.
Northwestern University Center for Public Safety Police Motorcycle operator and instructor course manuals outline this.....these are 2 week and 3 week courses not just your average basic rider course.
And for the other post....motorcycles and horses are meant to be mounted on the left side....
a calf roper will mount and dismount his horse on the right side if he is right handed.
Like I said, every manual out there teaches to mount the bike from the left side (its the customary way and it keeps you from burning your leg on the exhaust).
Its funny to see how many poor riders there are out there (feet draggers, those who use front brakes exclusively). Being in the military, they require us to take quite a few courses on motorcycle safety and none of them ever taught mounting the bike from the right side. Even those taught by the highway patrol.
I learned to ride and was licensed in California which has to be one of the toughest riding tests to pass in the country (its not just go around the block and come back like alot of other states) and they also teach you to mount the bike from the left side.
I also believe that they mount the bikes from the left side in the RLAP videos and, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure hes a cop
.On a final note, I've taken much more than just the basic rider course. I was just simply stating that this is basic common knowledge and most would know it if they cared to take a course or sign up for the Experience Rider Course, which I doevery couple of years.
Dave
And it isnt my technique...the partnership between H-D and NUCPS started over 20 years ago and is thepremier Police Motorcycle Training in the country.
NUCPS, IPTM and California POST are the industry standards in Police motorcycle training. Other departments or states might have their own but have modeled their training after one of these.
And again NOT EVERYmanual........
I am not going to argue with you......27 years of my past life and YES we were taught and did as instructed.....mounted/dismounted from the high side.....positioning the motor on traffic stops...dismounting to the right (high side) protecting your side arm side (if you were right handed) and using the bike for cover if the stuff went bad. Never would I dismount on the low side near the moving lane of traffic or allow a failed part to push me into the moving lane.
And finally do what makes you feel good...just dont tell me that low side is in every manual and that your police friendsknow nothing about it.
So yes I will tell you all those things. Its what I read and what I was taught