Push or Pull??

[Stig]

I have been wondering this for a while. How do you counter steer :?: With a push or a pull :?:

I pull on the opposite bar.

[Iansv]

wish I knew :lol:

[Flamin_Squirrel]

Both :)

[SpankyHam]

pull

[Warren]

i dont really, i lean and just let the bars guide my hands.

[jonboy]

Push is the only way to do it. I've tried both, tried pushing one, pulling the other (easily get confused and do the wrong way :shock: ) but after discussion with Rictus (and he made this very clear :lol: ) pushing is the way to go. After my own experimentation I agree with him.


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[BillyC]

Generally push... but if you need to do something quickly... then a bit of pulling is required too! :oops:

[Stig]

Push is the only way to do it. I've tried both, tried pushing one, pulling the other (easily get confused and do the wrong way :shock: ) but after discussion with Rictus (and he made this very clear :lol: ) pushing is the way to go. After my own experimentation I agree with him.


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Which is why I put this post up. Tried the pushing on the way home. It feels alien doing it, but did seem somewhat smoother.

[Carsick]

I pull out of habit, but when I remember or really need to get in tightly I push as well.

[K]

Push.

If you find it wierd then don 'try' to do it. Instead, when leaning into a corner shift your upper body slightly towards the inside handle bar - the transferrance of weight will automatically make you countersteer slightly.

It can help to actually drop your outside shoulder slightly too. This is probably a really bad description - but if taking a left-hander = keep your head upright, pull you right shoulder down towards your left hip slightly whilst shifting your left shoulder towards the inside of the corner.
Don't worry about conciously applying pressure on either of the bars - let your weight do it for you.

It's kind of a :riding: movement! :wink:

Once that feels more natural then you can actually think about applying pressure onto the inside bar - then pushing down on the inside peg too.

One simple reason for pushing rather than pulling - if you need to use your fingers in an emergency for either brake or clutch, with the weight being pushed onto your hand rather then pulling on your fingers it's far easier to free/shift your grip.

Hope that helps, sorry if it just confuses you more. :roll: It's one of those things that is far easier to show than explain.

[Sid Squid]

Both.

[jonboy]

It's kind of a :riding: movement! :wink:

Very clever! :wink:


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[lynw]

push for me... if I need more of a lean I tend to push on the handlebar rather than pull... just how I feel comfortable doing it... :D

[Peter Henry]

I have tended to be a pusher,but do not have the same conviction when it is a left hand bend and hence that hand being required to push,(I am right handed u see)However I have found far more comfortable results by using both hands with a slight emphasis on the pusher. Straightening up out of bounds I basically just stay relaxed and let the bike right itself under power.If you can get in the zone with counter steering though it really does open up a whole new world I think. Much more enjoyable and sense of being in greater control and as one with the bike.
But hey I'm an old farty these days.What do I know?! :lol: 8)

[Spiderman]

push for me.

[northwind]

I use both too. But I always rationalised it as pushing the bike down into the corner before I'd even heard of countersteering, so I guess I'm mainly pushing.

[Moo]

I'am a pusher.

[blacksheep]

Both

[SVeeedy Gonzales]

I started off pulling the opposite side to the way I wanted to go, then moved on to pushing the side I did want to go... though I probably still do a bit of both

Both ways feel a bit odd at first and most people/everyone does it to some extent without realising. Main thing is to know it happens and then know that if you need to get more lean and tighten up the corner you can do it even more... not the first thing that you think of when the corner is tighter than you first realised :D

[jon]

I've been trying both but push comes much more naturally so that's what i mostly do. As someone said, if you want something to happen fast it's usually a bit of both.

[Carsick]

K, thank you. Your explanation is the first time I've actually twigged how to point your shoulder into a corner properly.
Just had a bit of a romp before it got dark and I could feel it making a slight difference as the bike turned in.

[Anonymous]

No blloody idea. Probably push, but actually maybe a drop of the shoulder on the corner side dropping the bar down into the lean...

no, it doesnt bear rationalisation does it..... :lol:

Ive never thought of it as a pull
:? but maybe it is.

Tell you what tho Im not going to start thinking about it when riding as it will never work then :lol:

[Anonymous]

K, thank you. Your explanation is the first time I've actually twigged how to point your shoulder into a corner properly.
Just had a bit of a romp before it got dark and I could feel it making a slight difference as the bike turned in.

I didnt notice this at all on the SV but notice it all the time on the GS.

[K]

K, thank you. Your explanation is the first time I've actually twigged how to point your shoulder into a corner properly.
Just had a bit of a romp before it got dark and I could feel it making a slight difference as the bike turned in.

Ahh good, I'm glad it made sense to someone... as I'm not too sure it made sense to me!

[Carsick]

Ahh good, I'm glad it made sense to someone... as I'm not too sure it made sense to me!
It made bugger all sense until I went out on the bike and did it.
I realise now that to some degree I already do it, but doing it consciously seems to make a difference.

[TrojanHorse11]

I'm sure you can all guess which one I voted for in the poll :lol:

[Shooter]

One hopes that the PUSHERS & PULLERS are talking about different sides of the bar when they consider what they do.

eg - you can not achieve the same result by Pushing / Pulling on the left hand bar for instance .

[Peter Henry]

A contentious little issue this is! At the end of the day,if what ever you do on a regular basis sees you negotiate curves smoothly,safely and without drama then stick with it. Only begin to analyse if you feel you want to improve your technique or be able to carve the turns quicker. :wink: 8)

[Balky001]

I only ever pushed but I'm trying a bit of both now. Pushing is far smoother and natural to me, but pulling at the same time can get the bike on its side quicker for thos flip flop moments. I think if you are leaning heavily and hanging off the side you are naturally pushing on the inside bar without noticing as the bar is closer to your body (you might be pulling too!)

[Ceri JC]

Usually use push (I find I can control it more finely).

Pulling is know as 'active countersteering' (rather than passive) and tends to be quicker/more severe. I find Pulling better for if a bend tightens up or you need to avoid something suddenly.

[rictus01]

mostly it comes down to much more than just push or pull.

how you sit on the bike and riding position, also whether you have clip-ons or flat bars.

most people start by gripping the bars and taking a great deal of weight through their forearms, this leads to them holding on and subconsciously pulling the bars into corners (this generally feels more naturel), how ever if you take most of your weight through your thighs and just rest your hands on the bars, you find you can use a very light grip.

Taking a little weight through each palm and laying your fingers over the grips allows a more comfortable riding position and naturel pushing position for corners, also you are able to use your control through your thighs to more easily weight shift on corners as well.

A combination or all these points enables better cornering, with less effort and consiquentiolly longer riding at greater concentration levels before the onset of fatigue.