sockmonkeygirl wrote on 05/17/09 at 15:45:51:Truthfully, I am confused as hell about this countersteering thing. I think I ride more instinctively than technically.
Here's a good description of countersteering:
http://genjac.com/BoomerBiker/Countersteering.htmAt speeds under 6 mph we turn the handlebars right to turn right. At higher speed the bike reacts differently. We all know that a motorcycle must be leaned over to turn. Here's what happens
every time at speeds over 6 mph:
1--Turn the handlebars right just a bit. The bike starts to turn right.
2--Centrifugal force causes the bike to lean left
almost immediately.
3--When leaning left a force (gyroscopic precession) causes the steering to turn left. The bike turns left as it continues to lean left.
4--Turn the bars a bit left, centrifugal force stands the bike up, and the turn ends and it goes straight.
If I got all my lefts and rights in the correct order, here's the summary. Push the bar's left side to turn left. Push the bar's right side to turn right. Try it. Keep your body lined up on the bike...if the bike is leaning over 10°, your body is lined up and leaning an equal 10°, not offset to either side. Ride in a safe spot and push on the right bar. You'll lean right and turn right. Push harder and you'll lean more and turn sharper. Push harder, scrape a peg, and lean your body way into the turn to get the bike a bit upright off the scraping peg. Try this--in a safe place, take your left hand off the bar. Open your right hand so only your right palm is in contact with the twistgrip. Push on your right palm. The bike will turn right!
Now practice for an emergency. As you're riding in a safe place, pick a spot on the pavement that you can dodge around. A pebble, a tar mark, a leaf, anything that won't be a problem if you run over it. Aim at the mark, then push the bars on one side, go around your mark, then push the bars the other way to straighten out. Do this about 3,000 times so it is ingrained into muscle memory. When you need to dodge something or straighten the bike out after a gust of a side wind, you'll countersteer the bars to straighten the bike.
Think of this...if a gust of wind pushes you to the left and the bike starts to steer left, which way to you turn the bars to straighten the bike?...You want to go right, and if you turn the bars right centrifugal force will make the bike lean more left and maybe you'll get thrown off. Counter steer...push the bars on the right side (turn the bars left) to go right. That's countersteering. You're doing it now without knowing it. The question is what you'll do in that emergency situation.
Pages: 
