You're gonna get yerself in trouble by over-analyzing counter-steering. It's EXACTLY the same thing you learned to do riding a bicycle...no more...no less. Nothing exotic about it. Now go out and ride yer big bicycle with a motor.

 

With all due respect, there's a whole lot of people who need to take a BASIC MSF course and find out the facts, not just about countersteering, but how to RIDE A CYCLE safely.

Don't come on a forum and ask for advice....you'll get mostly opinions, and very few facts from others who have also never taken a class.

Then graduate to an advanced class, get a Ride Like a Pro Video, take a police course, or an advanced racing course.

Some of the "advice" given on forums will kill you.

 

I'd say one of the most important things you'll learn in an MSF course is far more counter-intuitive than counter-steering; the fact that you'll find that continuing to maintain acceleration into the curve (and especially not decelerating by grabbing a big handful of brake) significantly improves control through the turn. I don't think that particular skill translates well from bicycles to motorcycles, since the speed and mass are so much greater on a motorcycle.

Of course that won't help you much if you go into a curve way too hot (though you'll find, after enough riding, what once appeared to be a 'hot' entry speed is now quite manageable with even a bit more throttle). It takes time to learn what to get excited about, and what's normal on a bike....with a bit of caution, and plenty of practice, you'll survive quite nicely.

 

sctrooper, what I suggested to all my MSF classes:

Find a deserted stretch of good highway, with the center markings. Start out slow, at 20 mph, and dodge the center lines. Press left, go left, press right, go right. Slowly speed up as you become comfortable with the press-press (on the handlebars) and swerve the center hash marks.

You will find that you should, with no problem at all, be able to swerve the center hash marks at 60+ mph.

Now, apply what you just taught yourself to riding. You are going straight down a road and suddenly there is a pot hole or other hazard directly in front of you. Press left, swerve to the left around your obstacle, press right, to bring you back into your path of travel.

Or, press right, swerve right, press left, swerve left back to your path of travel.

Countersteering is necessary just to ride a two wheeled vehicle. You do it whether or not you realize it. Conscious countersteering, as I described above, is what keeps you out of trouble.

Countersteering creates the lean. The lean turns the motorcycle. It's as simple as that.

 

But no one has talked about HOW the countersteering creates the lean!

It's called gyroscopic precession, and it's the same principle that toy tops and fancy gyroscopic navigation systems use.

Force applied to the axis of rotation causes the gyroscope (i.e., wheel) to turn at right angles to the force.

Which is also, incidentally, part of the reason high-rake cycles are hard to steer... the right angle isn't horizontal.

At least, that's what I learned in physics ... AFTER I took the MSF course and learned how to do it.

 

You can dazzle'em with brilliance, or baffle'm with BS, but when it comes right down to it, all you need to know is, Press left, go left. Press right, go right.

 

UGH.
Leaning is not countersteering. Like I mentioned before..
You countersteer to get the bike to lean. Then you straighten the bars most of the way while you are leaning.

The lean makes the bike turn. The steeper/longer you countersteer, the deeper the lean, the sharper the turn.
Whether you think about it or not, that's the physics behind it.

 

Hi sctrooper,

I waded through about half of this, then jumped to the last page. You got some good responses and some not so good. I think Krusty summed it up best. Don't try to over-analyze counter steering. If you're riding a two wheeler, you're already doing it whether you realize it or not. You're just now becoming aware of what you've been doing with the handlebars all along. Start by applying the smallest amount of pressure to the bars at whatever speed you're traveling and feel what happens. Then work your way up from there. Obviously, it's preferable to only do this when there's not much traffic around!

With all respects to sm0kediver, counter steering will work at any speed fast enough for you to keep your feet on the pegs / foot boards. If you don't believe me, just go find a relatively empty parking lot and cruise around at 5 - 10 mph. Give it a gentle steer to the left and watch which way you go. It'll work every time.

Best of luck & Ride Safe,
Steve R.

 

Nice attempt, but they ain't gonna get it. We'll be subjected to charts, graphs, power points, astrophysicist quotes before it's over.

All I can add to improve your post is contribute the following:

 

All I can say is....she's going wherever they're going.