Turning, cornering, bends etc

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by Viney

What??

Fizz, dont try. Its been told etc etc. I probbaly do it all the time, just when its explained it seems just plain wrong.

It did the first few times when it was explained to me. You do it naturally if you didnt the bike wouldnt turn. The correct term for it should be "Active Countersteering" as all you are doing is exagerating the natural effect.

Seriously ride in a straight line and try it. If you dont wanna take one hand off the bar. Just push on your throttle hand and see what happens.

Sometime I find it easier to pull on the bar rather than push but this isnt strictly the correct way to do it.

When I see you next and we're on the bike's if you like follow me and I'll show you want I mean. Its easier to explain it then.

[Viney]

So what you are saying is that when you steer into the corner, you push the bars into the direcetion that you are conering.

Soooo

Left hand bend, push on the right bar etc

If so, then that to me isnt counter steering. Counter to me, means the opposite. So if you where goinging into a left hand bend you would push on the left, hence my confusion.

Originally Posted by Viney

So what you are saying is that when you steer into the corner, you push the bars into the direcetion that you are conering.

Soooo

Left hand bend, push on the right bar etc

If so, then that to me isnt counter steering. Counter to me, means the opposite. So if you where goinging into a left hand bend you would push on the left, hence my confusion.

Er, no, if you're going into a left hand bend you push on the left hand bar.

It's called counter steering because you're turning the wheel to point in the opposite direction to that which you're turning.

Everybody countersteers, thats what tips the bike over in the first place. But awareness of doing it DOES make it more controllable and allows you to turn much quicker in an emergency as well as correcting a line you've got wrong mid corner.....if your just doing it subconsciously, then there is a tendency to fight yourself by gripping steady with one hand ( the conscious sense making part of your brain) whilst pushing or pulling with the other to countersteer around a corner ( the unconscious part of your brain that is actually getting you around the corner!)
This was VERY stressfull for me until I worked out what I was doing wrong.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by Flamin_Squirrel

Er, no, if you're going into a left hand bend you push on the left hand bar.

It's called counter steering because you're turning the wheel to point in the opposite direction to that which you're turning.

Thank you Jordan. You managed to say what I've been trying to type out and deleting and re-writing for the last few minutes

As mentioned by the folks...the best counter steering is actually done unconsciously which in itself will leave some left if some mid corner alteration is needed. Just lean that baby in and look through the corner.

I would disagree with gripping the tank with both knees when cornering. I would say once a little weight has been shifted to the side which will be on the inside of the turn....place some pressure on the tank with the outer knee,this will allow the knee on the low side to move away from the tank if you feel natural in doing that.

There are actually fewer things to get right for perefect cornering than you might think and most have been mentioned by the peeps:

Braking

Positioning

Lean

Look through the corner.

Me I'm sh*t at this anyways!

Hmmm. I'm not sure how unconcious counter-steering could be best. When you know you're doing it you can turn much faster

Jordan...Well I can put it like this...I never knew a thing about counter steering until the past couple of years. I have ridden bikes since my teens and not at all slowly.

The point I am making is that I survived very well thankyou without a clue as to the dynamics of what was going on.

Turn in faster was simply a matter of lean more aggresively,nothing more.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by Flamin_Squirrel

Hmmm. I'm not sure how unconcious counter-steering could be best. When you know you're doing it you can turn much faster

I think I know what Peter means. He means ( please correct me Peter if I have this wrong ) that if you just ride the bike. You countersteer anyway. From what I have read on the subject the natural dynamics of riding the bike mean that if you dont countersteer you dont go round the corner. I.e you do it naturally without thinking about it. therefore thats why he refers to it as unconcious counter-steering.

it is a bit confusing. Which is why I said above what it should be called is "Active counter steering" as what you are really doing is exagerating or amplifying the effect of what you do normally to get round a corner.

Fizz...perfectly put sir.