Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: Leaning into turns, target fixation, self consciousness

Question
Hello Pat,
OK dumb question here, but I have to ask. I been riding for over 30 years. All makes models and sizes. So the problem is I have never been able to lean the bike comfortably to the left, weather it's going into a curve or taking off from a stop light. When I take off from a stop light to turn left I always wind up on the far right hand side of the lane I'm turning into if I try to turn to the center or left hand portion of the lane I always feel like I'm going to drop the bike by leaning too far. I don't have a problem on the right side leaning or turning I can almost scrape pegs if I wanted to on the right side and it doesn't bother me. What am I doing wrong? Any ideas?
Thanks,
Mike

Answer
That's a tough one. Psychological/mental barriers (fears) can be hard to identify and even harder to correct.

I have trouble with left handers too. I have not yet figured out exactly how to solve it. I think it has to do with the fact that the edge/shoulder of the road is right there and I'm intimidated by it. Not so much for right handers, because there's always extra pavement/lane to work with. Either way it's a basic fear issue that isn't easy to correct.

My GUESS in your situation is that because of a "fear" (or self-consciousness, or awareness) of running off the road, you are timid in your turning inputs and you end up focusing on the road's edge rather than the line/position you prefer. It's a classic case of target fixation. You focus on what you're afraid of, and your bike winds up heading that way and the fear makes you kind of bewildered and unable to analyze the situation for what it is.

You could try to practice your lefts in a big, wide parking lot or something, some early Saturday morning, focusing on where you want to go to build the technique in your psyche. Then on the street, you need to ignore any potential fear you might have, focus on the exact line/position you want, and stay focused there.

I think you'll find that just keeping your eyes on the intended target will solve the problem.

Good luck! I know your pain, brother.

Pat