Countersteering advice...

[Motig]

Search the threads theres heaps about countersteering and even the left/right cornering issue. Personally until I joined the KB crew I'd never really heard/bothered about countersteering. Then after seeing all the rubbish on here about it I became paranoid about it and went riding deliberately trying to countersteer as the esteemed opinions here said. It was only when I thought "bugger this is hard to do, how have I managed to survive all this time" and forgot about it and just went back to my normal riding that I realised I'd been doing it all the time. So dont stress over it , your probably already doing it you just havent noticed.

[cindymay]

I have read everything I could find on this site and others about countersteering. I find it works well for me and it is not a pushing or pulling but more a deft and momentary touch of the bar to settle and initiate the turn. It is no wonder some have a problem if they are trying to push and hold the bar - any longer than a moment is in effect trying to turn the bar like a steering wheel - which it is not and in the wrong direction.

[MSTRS:Me]

... I realised I'd been doing it all the time...

Well, waddaya know?

It is no wonder some have a problem if they are trying to push and hold the bar - any longer than a moment is in effect trying to turn the bar like a steering wheel - which it is not and in the wrong direction.

Depends on the bike. As I said in this post, some need to be treated this way. I don't like it, but Ixion does. Go figure. I haven't found a bike yet that corners without some initial input...of some sort. Looking alone doesn't work...it is the act of looking that causes the rider to do 'something else' that starts the bike turning.

[sinned]

Well, waddaya know?


Depends on the bike. As I said in this post, some need to be treated this way. I don't like it, but Ixion does. Go figure. I haven't found a bike yet that corners without some initial input...of some sort. Looking alone doesn't work...it is the act of looking that causes the rider to do 'something else' that starts the bike turning.

Off course "looking alone" works - that is how those who claim they don't counter steer or have yet to try counter steering get their bikes around corners.

[discotex]

Off course "looking alone" works - that is how those who claim they don't counter steer or have yet to try counter steering get their bikes around corners.

Are you serious?

Take hands off bars... Look left... Bike goes straight.... Thus looking alone does not turn a bike. Turning a bike requires input on the steering column otherwise we'd fix the bars.

Those who turn by looking (more than just a gentle arc) are countersteering even if they don't know they are. It's 95% of the physics of steering a motorcycle at anything over jogging pace (position of rider mass relative to the bike's mass is the other 5%).

Whether you are aware of it or not doesn't change that it's happening anyway.

[sinned]

Are you serious?

What do you think??

[discotex]

What do you think??

Fairly hard to tell given you're just a bunch of letters on a screen and no inflection of a voice etc to go off.

[terbang]

Try not to loose any sleep over countersteering as you've been doing it all along and probably, like most of us, blissfully unaware that you are doing it. It's what makes a motorcycle lean.
Just enjoy the ride.

[EgliHonda]

And some people just dont like going round left-hand corners....

Shit, I love left handers, can drop the knee like a you-beaut racer. It's those right handers that freak me out, think I'm scared of putting my head into oncoming traffic or something...
Embarassing on rides eh...

[sinned]

Fairly hard to tell given you're just a bunch of letters on a screen and no inflection of a voice etc to go off.

You're right, letters on a screen don't show my powers of mind-over-matter. Once I have fully developed these capabilities I too will be able to ride a bike without countersteering and I truly expect to be able corner like Rossi by sight alone.

[magicmonkey]

Well, the most resounding piece of advice seemed to be 'you're over-thinking it, chill out'. So, I took a few days away from the bike (more due to being shit faced or hung over than any actual plan ) and then I took it out last night, down to Ohiro bay, all around the coast to the city centre and back up home. It's an awesome road for learning on, lots of corners, 50K limit so you don't push yourself and you can often see enough of the road ahead to go a bit faster than that and know you're being safe about it.

I decided to just have a ride rather than try to learn anything, had a great time, then a bit later in the ride I started paying more attention to what I was doing without trying to change what I was doing. I turned up at home with a huge grin all over my face after the ride I still need to spend a lot more time doing this before I'm comfortable with it but it was a really good way to learn, I think if I go for a few more rides like that I'll be having a wail of a time and get countersteering down almost by accident

Thanks for all the advice and encouraging PM's guys, you've all been your usual awesome selves

[CookMySock]

All this "forget it and just ride" advice, is all very good until you get a fright and brain-lock. Then you are fucked aren't you.

Only riders fully brain-trained in countersteering have any command of the bike in an emergency. So either you do, or you don't - which will it be? Roll dice, pay money.. Live, die.. choose today.

Steve

[p.dath]

All this "forget it and just ride" advice, is all very good until you get a fright and brain-lock. Then you are fucked aren't you.

Only riders fully brain-trained in countersteering have any command of the bike in an emergency. So either you do, or you don't - which will it be? Roll dice, pay money.. Live, die.. choose today.

Steve

+1. I have to agree with DB here as well, and I say that from my own personal experience.

I think I was a slow learner when it came to consciously doing counter steering. I know I was doing it for sometime, but if I tried to think about doing it deliberately it all came unstuck.

I went along to one of the NASS sessions. And did nothing but deliberately counter steering for an entire hour while cone weaving. And by the end something clicked, and after that my whole riding experience took a big step forwards.

If you are really new to riding, don't worry about it too much, as you need lots of skills to become automatic. But once you've had some time riding (maybe 12 months?), I would definitely work on being able to counter steer deliberately.

[MSTRS:Me]

I decided to just have a ride rather than try to learn anything, had a great time, then a bit later in the ride I started paying more attention to what I was doing without trying to change what I was doing. I turned up at home with a huge grin all over my face after the ride I still need to spend a lot more time doing this before I'm comfortable with it but it was a really good way to learn, I think if I go for a few more rides like that I'll be having a wail of a time and get countersteering down almost by accident

I hope you meant 'whale'...
Not over-thinking it is really important. Hard not to do, as a learner, when nothing comes automatically.
Keep up the good work - You seem well on the way to freeing up your brain to allow more attention to be directed at hazard awareness, and fine-tuning lane position, cornering lines and so on.

[CookMySock]

I went along to one of the NASS sessions. And did nothing but deliberately counter steering for an entire hour while cone weaving. And by the end something clicked, and after that my whole riding experience took a big step forwards.

Good! I previously believed that situation could not be recovered. Well done!

Steve