Guide How To Counter Steer

[Fozzie]

There is much confusion in the biking world today over this as it isnt being taught so I thought it would be best to post a very good video on the subject of counter steering.

Counter steering is very good to use as it can be used at low speed to do some nippy turning.. Hope people approve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFBzLpGl ... re=related

[foz11]

didnt teach me that on cbt lol....not sure i dare try it

[Guest]

try it and you will wander how the hell you got around corners with out it... promise

i can never work out why they don't teach you this when you learn to ride and leave you to wait until someone else tells you about it!!

[Guest Mr Miller]

My instructor & I discussed it during my lessons!

We're just special up here!

[Guest]

I found it to be something i just did.... without thinking about it, im sure some of you are the same.

If you have ridden a push bike, you have counter steered.

Foz.. just try it in a straight line, just a little push to see what the bikes reaction is... u will soon get the feel of it, and its invaluable.

[foz11]

sounds like a trip to the car parks is needed to try it, not sure i want to be "testing" things on the roads

[JoshRS]

i had extra tuition after my cbt, and we did some counter steering.

i do it at low speeds for nippy turning etc. but when riding along normally i just look where i want to go and some how i end up in that direction. and when propper going for it, it's hanging off the bike to turn it (or trying to)...

[Guest]

if you watch some bikers on the road, they look like theyre turning into the corner, rather than out of it, counter steering.. always used to get me thinking, what the F?

[TC1474]

You cannot ride without counter steering regardless of whether you have been taught or not.

Someone (Very eminent medical man) did once explain how certain things become automatic without having been taught, and countere steering whether on a motorcycle or pedal cycles is one of those things we do without thinking.

For some people to have it explained actually upsets their natural flow and rythym and there have been some crashes because they have worried about doing it so much even though they were still doing it as a natural instinct.

[techno]

You cannot ride without counter steering regardless of whether you have been taught or not.

Its just that as you improve you will feel yourself putting greater input into it!

[PhatDad]

Is it actually counter steering or is it just leaning your bike into the corner? It's natural for a rider to lean their bike into a corner which if I'm correct can only be done by pushing the bike that way or in other words pushing the handlebar downwards. If you didn't naturally do it then you would just end up going in a straight line or laying your bike down on it's opposite side. That's why at low speeds it can't be done because you don't have the momentum to keep your bike upright as you need the G forces trying to push your bike back up as you're pushing the bike down.

[techno]

Anything above walking pace is counter steering you wouldnt even turn into the corner without it.

[duane69]

something I've never thought about I just get on my bike and ride.

whether thats right or wrong I still enjoy myself

[Voodoo]

Anything above walking pace is counter steering you wouldnt even turn into the corner without it.

 

[Guest]

We were taught it on CBT... how on earth do the rest of you manage to turn corners? Just lean and hope?

[foz11]

We were taught it on CBT... how on earth do the rest of you manage to turn corners? Just lean and hope?

 

yeah

[fullscreenaging]

There are lots of factors involved in Countersteering. As has been said, we all do it without thinking. It's natural to countersteer and we do it subcontiously. Now, if you can learn to do it contiously, then you'll be able to turn your bike better into bends & corners.

I'm not very good at explaining complicated stuff, but here is some artciles to have a look at on the subject. Hope someone finds it interesting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering

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[Netmeister]

You cannot ride without counter steering regardless of whether you have been taught or not.

 

too

Obviously it differs with different weights but generally at around 15-20mph and above is when we start using counter steering. It's impossible to turn a corner without it. Like in a car for example, if you turn right at higher speeds all your weight is transferred to the left and it's the same thing happening on a bike. You turn right, centralfugal force means your weight goes to the left and the bike leans left. So we counter steer briefly to tip the bike in, then turn into the bend to stop the bike hitting the deck.

Most people had push bikes as their first 2 wheeled cycle and in that case we do actually turn into the bend because the speeds are much lower, so thats sometimes why people get confused.

Man I'm dull

[TeamMCS]

I tried my hand at counter-steering the other day (after watching Twist of the wrist 2). Funnily enough I think I was doing it anyway, after watching that video I noticed I had been doing a few of those techniques as I rode normally.

Now I'm aware of the technique I can try and hone it properly. I tried it a couple of times on 20mph corners and it felt very "odd". When I nudge the "wrong" bar I feel like I want to go in that direction. It feels almost a little unexpected the bike suddenly goes in the opposite direction (even though I did it fully in the knowledge I'd turn the correct way).

Does anyone have any tips for counter-steering?

[Pete]

Wow an old post resurrected!

Not really got any tips apart from just have a go / practice it at slow speeds. New riders will have used it in the swerve maneuver already without thinking about it. It's fine to be interested in it, but don't bake your noodle thinking too much!

I usually counter steer before performing a U-turn. If I'm doing a right U-turn I'll give the bar a little nudge on the right which dips the bike right to start my turn nice and cleanly. I also counter steer when I'm moseying on down a road with potholes and / or man hole covers. There's one road in particular on my route home and I can never remember where the man hole covers are (left, right, centre, centre, right, left...) so usually end up dodging them for fun if there's not too much traffic about!

If you really want to get into it then find some off the road area and lay some cones out and nip between them at over 15mph.

[TeamMCS]

Wops just noticed the post date! My bad.

Cheers, i think i just need to try it out as often as i can

[spunky1976]

check this out in respect of leaning over counter steering

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nRUeEkS644

[Aaron]

Now, if you can learn to do it contiously, then you'll be able to turn your bike better into bends & corners.

 

I prefer the term "active steering". Like thw guy i quoted said, everyone does it, but if you're aware of how it works you can "actively" use it to turn better.

 

Is it actually counter steering or is it just leaning your bike into the corner?

 

MEntioned already, but i'll say again because i get irritated by all these misleading youtube tutorials. COuntersteering just puts the bike into a lean. And the only reason to lean is, as mentioned, to keep the center of gravity inside the turn so you don't flip over.

Woah.... I just squashed a BIG f***ing spider.....

I hate all these youtube vids that simply say "to turn the bike you gotta lean". I'm sure this is why we see so many people leaning the bike way more than required, and riding crossed up. Because they think that lean literally means turn.

[Guest]

I appreciate this is an old thread but just wanted to add that i wasn't shown countersteering or cornering at speeds above 30mph during my CBT.

It came as a huuuuuugggggeeeeeee surprise to me when I was riding my first bike home at about 50 / 60 mph and I turned the handlebars to the left to go around a left bend and the bike went in the opposite direction !!!!

Scared the crap outta me and had to slow down for the first few bends until i 'dared' myself to lean the bike a bit to get around the corners and get home.

googling 'how to corner on a motorbike' provided some damn interesting reading after that...........

[rennie]

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