Why do you drive on the wrong side of the road?

It’s one of those age-old questions that tends to come up around border crossings, road trips, or late-night garage chats:
Why do some countries drive on the left, and others on the right?

At Purpose Built Moto, we’re not here to settle a centuries-old debate—but we are here to make sure your headlight’s pointing the right way, whichever side of the road you're on.

Historically, the left side made sense. In the sword-carrying days, it meant your dominant hand was free to defend yourself. That logic stuck around in places like the UK, Japan, Australia—and a handful of others who, depending on your point of view, either got it right or just never bothered to change.

Left vs Right: The Road Rules That Stuck

Meanwhile, the rest of the world decided to do it the other way around. Right-hand drive became the standard across most of Europe and the Americas. Why? Historians have theories. We just think it was to keep things interesting—and to confuse travelling motorcyclists.

Down here in Australia (yep, Down Under—where everything's the right way up if you're standing on your head), we build our bikes to suit the left side of the road. But we also know a lot of our riders live in places where the rules are reversed.

That’s Why We Make Two Versions of Our 7” Headlight

Modern motorcycle headlights aren’t symmetrical. The beam pattern is angled slightly off-centre—so you can see the roadside clearly, without blinding oncoming traffic.

Drive Safe with Country-Specific 7-Inch LED Headlights

If you run the wrong version in the wrong country, your lighting's off, your visibility suffers, and other drivers won’t thank you.

That’s why we offer both Left-Hand Drive (LHD) and Right-Hand Drive (RHD) versions of our 7-inch LED Headlights—designed to suit the road rules wherever you ride.

Lighting the Way: Custom Solutions for Right-Hand Riders

Because when you're building a custom bike, these details matter. And while we might ride on the left down here, we can still light the way for our mates riding on the right.