Counter steer?

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

EFA...

Haha, well you were definitely on you're way to one sooner or later if you end up in a hedge after giving a handlebar a "solid but brief tug" on a wide piece of dry clear road

Try it on a pushbike first. It works and you are less likely to damage anything.

[rictus01]

it's magic, I know the internet told me.......

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

Steer left to go right, steer right to go left

Simples!

+1
Thread complete

If you want to turn right for example, push gently on the handlebars with your right hand. This starts the bike leaning into the corner, do the rest as per usual.

Originally Posted by MrFish

If you want to turn right for example, push gently on the handlebars with your right hand. This starts the bike leaning into the corner, do the rest as per usual.

That's how I learned it, push with your right hand to turn right, push with your left hand to turn left.

P.S. It doesn't work at walking speed, so be warned! Not sure what speed you need to do for the technique to work, but as an educated guess I'd say it kicks in round about 10, maybe 15 MPH? Try to find somewhere safe to practice, and get the feel for it before you try to use the technique in anger.

Also you are already doing it lightly subcontiously, but once your are aware you can use the technique to you full advantage, i find it very useful if i run wide lol.

[BillyC]

Seeing as no one's said it, I will.

I think most, if not all replies so far have talked about how to counter-steer. It's the rather sub-conscious act of applying, what might be considered opposite force, to the handlebars in order to turn the bike. So the bars are pushed from the right, in order to turn right; and the left to turn left.

But what actually happens here, and why does this work? Understanding this is rather fundamental to knowing how your bike moves and steers.

Sid Squid explained it to me once, and it has stuck with me ever since. Imagine a shape: a cone. Circular at its base, narrowing to a straight point.

Now, turn this cone on its side, and place it on a flat surface - and give it a push... it won't roll in a straight line, but will always steer around its pointy end.

Consider the profile of your motorcycle tyre... it's a curved surface, and most of the time you ride in a straight line, rolling along the centre of the tyre.

So, when you decide to turn the bike, either by leaning, or applying some counter-steer force to the handlebars; you effectively present part of the curved profile of the tyre to the road - and this has the same effect as the cone. Consequently your bike turns in one direction or the other.


Different tyres have different profiles - and thus have different rates of turn. Also, the effective angle of the "cone" varies the further you go from the tyre's centre line. This makes for a steeper cone, and a higher rate of turn.

Now that's simples.

[Richie]

hic.. my daddy set me out over the old harvested corn fields on my honda c50.
t'was a good ped at the time..
every time i came to that right hander just after the o'l combine it always spat me off in the that pig **** pit. my daddy would say, "try a touch of left on the bar and that will compensate.."

it worked ..

then I asked my daddy ... What does compensate mean?

he said .. ask your momma...

I asked momma and she said..

"Your father is living in an American souther'n county dream world.
Now this is the real world..





Counter steering is great. but only do it when you know you can pull it off and it is safe to do so.
This message is brought to you by experance and by the number 12.

Wouldn't worry too much, you do it naturally... you must or you simply wouldnt go around corners.