Dr Deth has the reason. Right-handed cavalry riders would always mount from the left because their sword and scabbard was set on the belt above the left leg (i.e. to make it easy for a right-handed person to draw). It’s far easier to throw your right leg over the saddle in this position; trying to mount from the right and throwing both left leg and scabbard over the back of the horse is not only awkward but dangerous.
With regard to mounting horses from the left, a horseman who actually works and uses tools from the saddle will tend to handle the reins with the left hand so as to leave the right hand free to handle sward, lance, rope, whip or what ever. Mounting from the left allows that and leaves the right arm free to pull up into the saddle. The last thing you need to be doing is jerking on the horse’s mouth while you are mounting. Having a big old sidearm hanging off the horseman’s left hip certainly is part of it but maintaining consistent contact between the rider’s hand and the horse’s mouth is part of it, too.
No, you hold the reins in your left hand while mounting a horse.
No, No, you run up behind the unsuspecting horse with spurs a gingling and double handedly slap his ass as you vault from behind into the saddle… don’t you’all no nuttin?
*::: sheesh ::: *
I thought it was jump out the window onto your waiting horse.
We had a young fool try this one time on one of our horses. The horse had turned her head to watch the noise as his friends egged him on, then as he came running up and just when he leaped, she politely sidestepped to give him room. And then looked down at him lying in a heap on the ground, and gently nudged him with her muzzle.
Neither he nor his buddies ever tried this mounting technique again.
I generally mount my bike by wheeling it to the kerb, then standing at the edge of the footpath while it’s on the road itself, and swinging my leg over. This gives me a valuable inch of extra height I don’t have to lift my knee over.
Of course, since I’m in Australia, this means I mount from the left. So I’m surprised to see so many people in right-hand-drive countries don’t mount from the right, Does nobody else do the footpath/road thing? I’m not very flexible, so every bit of extra mounting height counts, for me.
A centre stand, especially on a bike of non-trivial size, usually has a pedal pad to step on while you’re putting the bike on or off it, and the bike may have a grab handle as well. With these and the correct technique, even a heavy-ish bike is easy to put on the stand (my heaviest was “only” a one-liter BMW K100RT tourer, though) and requires little more than timing - but it has to be done from the left.
There is definitely enough balancing and coordination going on that it’s a non-trivial exercise - for me, even holding the bike upright from the wrong side feels unnatural and awkward, let alone swinging my leg over. I’ve done it from necessity now and then, but felt insecure throughout.
Kick starters are mostly on the right side of the bike… Would be counter productive to walk around the motorcycle to mount from the left. A lot of the time, you are constantly working throttle & enrichment device to keep the engine running having just started it. Can’t really let go to walk around…
With a tall back rest for a passenger, (sissy bar) and tall handle bars, with the bike on the kick stand, front wheel turned left, it is sometimes difficult to mount from the right.
Bikes parked tightly together backed into the curb will leave little room so it is really easier to mount from the right.
Crotch rockets and old classic Japanese standards, (Kaw 1000 etc. ) are easier to mount from the left as are most dual sport bikes…
YMMV
This seems to be saying that you take the motorcycle off the kick stand before you mount? If this is true, why would you do that?
On a bicycle retracting the kick stand before mounting makes sense to me and I do it that way; but a motorcycle, side stand or center stand, I mount before retracting…
YMMV