Countersteering

[faffi]

I'm aware of what's going on and practice it every ride - to make it automatic in case of an emergency - and I'm not protesting it at all. What surprised me was the countersteering is hardly visible in the video, whereas I found myself turning (or bike balancing itself) far further with the turn than I had ever expected.

 

But riding like on the video - or faster or slower - I'm not really aware of what I do to turn the bike. It just goes where I want I use very little force, simply sitting there like a slack sack of potatoes.

[stuman]

But riding like on the video - or faster or slower - I'm not really aware of what I do to turn the bike.

 

Becoming more aware and having control over this very thing is a pretty important.

[Fajita Dave]

What surprised me was the countersteering is hardly visible in the video, whereas I found myself turning (or bike balancing itself) far further with the turn than I had ever expected.

 

 

A few times the counter-steer was pretty easy to spot. It was always while you were making a faster change in lean angle which would require more input. When your rolling slowly from a 0 degree lean angle to a 25 or 30 degree lean angle you aren't going to see much counter-steer because it doesn't take much. If you make quick lean angle changes or especially quick transitions from left to right you'll see a huge counter-steer input. Also as the motorcycle starts to turn that means the front wheel is pointing in that direction. You might still be counter-steering but the wheel is still pointing in the direction of the turn which is going to make the input very hard to see.

[lwarner]

Becoming more aware of exactly what is taking place when you steer the bike will make you more able to control your bike. Having certainty on exactly what input is needed produced an amazing result in my own riding, particularly at very high speeds (140+mph) where the input requires more force and you have less time to make it. Also, the idea of sticking your head out over your hand (and into 140+ winds) and counting on the steering to take care of itself is pretty unappealing to me... I like to tuck out of the wind.

[faffi]

But riding like on the video - or faster or slower - I'm not really aware of what I do to turn the bike.

 

Becoming more aware and having control over this very thing is a pretty important.

 

Yes - and maybe not. If I were to ride at the limit, like you do on a track, it would be important both to get the best speed and to reduce the risk. However, at my moderate pace I find that concentrating on the road direction and road surface brings me more than paying attention to how I turn it - it does turn where I want and has for the past 30 years. I practice countersteering to make it second nature in case I need to swerve quickly and unexpectedly, but apart from that I feel very confident in what I do and always ride within the limits I know will be safe (for the bike - I tend to go too fast for visibility, but that's another issue).

 

The most important thing I have learned here so for is to stay relaxed. This still isn't second nature, but I'm working on it. I find that the ride - for me - is more enjoyable if I can just ride without paying attention to what I do, that it just happens.

 

You may not agree with this, and I'm fine with that. But it works for me. As long as I keep speed down where I'm relaxed I don't have to fight SR and I don't have to fight the bike. I intinctively know when to brake and when to get on the throttle to prevent stepping out of the bike's - and my own - comfortzone. It wouldn't work on a race track, but it seems to work OK for the road for me