Countersteering

[dantama]

Some people have never had a problem with it, did it naturally and just didn't know there was a name for it.

Others had to overcome what their minds said should make a bike turn and had to really learn it.

I remember trying to teach my older brother how to ride when I was about 16. The bike kept going the opposite what he wanted it to and I had to reach around him to get the bike on track. (Not the best way to teach or learn to ride)

I was confounded by his inability to steer the bike, and at that time had no knowledge of counter steering vs direct steering.

Did you have to learn it, or did you do what came natural and it happened to be the right thing?

[audiogooroo]

Came pretty natural for me. No name for it back in those "olden days" when I first learned to ride. I was just told to press down on the grip of the handle bars of the side in which I wanted to turn. Which in effect, creates countersteering, because by pressing down you are actually pushing it away from you.
I rode for 30 years before I ever heard the term countersteering.

[bobzinger]

Back in 1974 I bought a new TX500 Yamaha which at the time was a pretty good sized bike. I just noticed that you steered the opposite once you were above 10mph. I also noticed that it's alot easier to hold a nice line in curves countersteering rather that trying to shift weight.

[gshep]

"></param><param

Best explaination of countersteering I've seen. Also answers why your front tires are not scuffing during a turn.

Shep

[gshep]

Or the whole article

http://www.obairlann.net/reaper/moto...rsteering.html

[Top Cat]

I didn't know about counter steering at all. I bought my first bike and was told you steer by leaning. Thats what I thought I was doing. Must be counter steering came natural ???

[dantama]

I didn't know about counter steering at all. I bought my first bike and was told you steer by leaning. Thats what I thought I was doing. Must be counter steering came natural ???

Leaning can steer a motorcycle, but only if your arms don't get in the way of it.

On the safety board that I used to post to (the one on the sticky thread here) there was a long discussion on the subject with the owner of the board saying leaning can't turn a bike.

I thought otherwise because I can lock the throttle and let go of the bars and still serpentine in and out of the dotted line with some precision without touching the bars, just leaning. Sometimes out of boredom going down a canyon and being behind a slow car, I'll let go of the bars and go through multiple corners without ever touching the bars (Not safe and not recommended, just a fact).

I think that like yourself, most people that think that their leaning is turning the motorcycle, are really letting off pressure on the correct bar, and increasing pressure on the other......even if they think that they are just leaning.

[dantama]

Or the whole article

http://www.obairlann.net/reaper/moto...rsteering.html

The video was very good. Look at 2:08 for a good video of counter-steering in action.

One thing to point out, that the wording at the end of the video could be misunderstood on, is that counter steering isn't optional at speed. If you have been steering your bike above a jogging speed, you are already counter steering. It is not something that you can decide to start doing. You're already doing it.

You just might not know the dynamics or the terminology, but you are doing it, you have no choice in the mater.

[blowndodge]

I had to learn it back in 1975 or so. Back then the muscle bikes handled like crap and a buddy of mine was into road racing and explained it to me. His method is a little different as he instructed me to push on the grip in the direction you wanted to turn. Push the throttle grip forward and the bike falls to the right an turns to the right. Left side the same. same dynamics as counter steering but different thought process and it's easier for me as I didn't want to have to think about tugging the other grip in the opposite direction. Push turn , push turn. I can slam the floorboard down in a half second if I needed to turn fast RIGHT NOW! just by the push method.

[jussmatt]

Been riding bicycles all my life at various levels....so once i got to the motorcycle level, it came naturally. Like most though...I had no idea of the name for it.

One could think of it this way.The countersteering turns the bike in the direction needed, the leaning counters centrifugal force at a given speed. More speed, more leaning needed.Racers do both in very coordinated movements. If they don't they fall down.

[Top Cat]

Speaking of racers. Did anyone happen to see Todd Bayliss in the road Race on TV last Sunday? That guy is awsome. He almost dumped it twice and droped back to 5th and stilll won the race. The anouncer kept saying "He's got to calm down"

[dantama]

Been riding bicycles all my life at various levels....so once i got to the motorcycle level, it came naturally. Like most though...I had no idea of the name for it.

Same here.

If you ride a bicycle fast, you steer the exact same way. So didn't even think about it when I rode a motorcycle for the first time probably at 12 yrs old.

No one has spoken up about not knowing how, and being alarmed by it. But on other boards that I've been on, there were plenty that had to consciously think it out on every corner for a while.

If that's you, speak up. We're a friendly bunch and it makes a very interesting conversation to find out what others experiences with it were, when it didn't come naturally.

LOL, when we started was so long ago for so many of us here. Some of us (myself) can't remember details from so long ago. I guess we are a well seasoned group here.

[dantama]

One could think of it this way.The countersteering turns the bike in the direction needed, the leaning counters centrifugal force at a given speed. More speed, more leaning needed.Racers do both in very coordinated movements. If they don't they fall down.

But you can lean and still go straight, right?