Countersteering and body posture

**Bob** · 26th June 2004, 22:38

What techniques do you guys use?

Been working very hard on this of late. I have been working mainly on getting myself as relaxed as possible - arms bent, shoulders relaxed, hands lightly on the grips (resting, not holding - if I need to go for the levers suddenly, holding slows me down).

Body position? I try to stay perpendicular with the bike - if I'm in line with the bike, then it is easier to get the bike to move I find.

And as for countersteering, I was recently told you should always push rather than pull, eg. taking a right hander, then push the right bar down, rather than pull the left. OK, same overall effect, but pulling means you have to grip the bar - so the 'levers' situation comes into play.

I found a great tip on how to make sure your arms are sufficiently relaxed - if you can flap your arms like a bird when riding, they're relaxed enough! Sounds odd, really works! If your arms are too stiff to do this, then they can't act like pistons and it affects your ability to corner - and more importantly, the ability to adjust mid-corner.

So how about you guys - any techniques you've adopted or adapted to make your riding smoother and easier?

**Two Smoker** · 26th June 2004, 22:46

Generally im not on the bike when cornering, hanging off and dropping the shoulder is my style, i always push, not pull, for counter steering too.......

Oh and i change the postion of my feet.... if i go around a left hand corner, my right foot is in the centre of the peg, and my left toe is on the peg...... and vice versa.......

**Bob** · 26th June 2004, 23:02

I've never been able to get on with hanging off the bike (partly because I had a disc removed so my back isn't as flexible as it could be). I tend to stay centered, but I drop my shoulder and lean into the direction of corner as well. All goes with the 'relaxed posture' thing.

If I can find it, I'll try to post here a photo I have from a track day a training institute organised. Two riders in the pic - No.1 does it all right - leaning into corner, arms relaxed, working with the bike. No. 2? Well they'd be OK motocrossing. Leaning against the corner (left hander, they're trying to sit up so they're actually leaning right), arms rigidly straight - didn't realise it, but they were fighting the bike rather than work with it!

**wkid_one** · 26th June 2004, 23:10

Best tip is to drop your inside shoulder towards the apex.....

**dangerous** · 26th June 2004, 23:37

I nearly always counter steer, by pushing. It's rather interesting how much pressure and energy is required while riding hard.
The other day I was pushing it hard around the bays and I noticed that I had a real saw knee, as I had done it in at work, it was hurting bad when I was standing the bike back up comming out of a corner, which tells me I push bloody hard on the up facing foot peg to help with standing the bike up while my arse is hanging off the other side.
I dident realise that I did this as every thing is done in auto mode normaly.

**FROSTY:Me** · 26th June 2004, 23:57

Relaxed is always good.I tend to break the rules a bit with the old pushing thing. i had a pretty bad crash a few years ago that basicly wiped out my left shoulder and left me with a very weak left arm as a result to compensate I tend to haul back on the right hand bar rather than push on the left bar.it took me a long time to unlearn the "natural " way to do things .
if you are tense and wound up it can't make for a nice riding experience.

**DEATH_INC.** · 27th June 2004, 05:41

I tend to muscle the bike around a lot,prolly a leftover from my MX days,I lean on the front,arms up and out and generally tell the bike what it's gonna do.I also tend to hold it a lot with my legs too,and push/pull on everything that I can......

**moko** · 27th June 2004, 06:42

I`m always totally relaxed on the bike,riding`s always really chilled me out which is why I`ll often spend a whole Sunday afternoon with no destination in mind,my brain`s totally focussed,body relaxed.I`m a "pusher",slide across the seat a bit on fast sweepers,not enough to be called hanging off.
When I had my XT600 I used to haul it around the twistys with the bars crosser-style as DEATH-INC says,great fun and I`d really love to try a Supermoto sometime.

**Jackrat** · 27th June 2004, 10:44

If I'm just cruising I let the bike do what it wants.
If I'm on a mission I use lots of body language,pushing the bike around dirt style.I tend to get over the front a lot and lead with my hips and shoulders.
When I do hang off I tuck my inside knee in hard,but that's a result of twisting my body into the corner.The more I think about it,I think I do a bit of every thing.Counter steering looks after itself unless an emergency situation comes up an then I can just about turn the bike on it's ear by hauling hard on the bars.It has saved my skin a couple of times.
It's a bit hard to say exactly how I do things because I change according to what's going on at the time.

**Hitcher** · 27th June 2004, 14:37

I too am a countersteering "pusher" and an inside-shoulder-dropper. It's interesting that I haven't had to do this as much since I've been running the Metzeler Roadtecs -- these tend to make the bike run pretty much where I look. Spooky...

**onearmedbandit** · 27th June 2004, 18:22

Does this pic help??

**Two Smoker** · 27th June 2004, 19:05

Thats what i do (in the picture) but sometimes my opposite arm in on my knee, due to the smallness of my bike and my 6 foot frame (you so what if its skinny hehehe)

**Kickaha** · 27th June 2004, 19:12

I always push for countersteering,but don't tend to bother moving my body weight around much on a road bike,on the race bike I move the body quite a bit as well and are just starting to work on using pressure on the pegs as well.

Went for a ride last weekend and found because my left wrist is still in a cast it was really hard to countersteer as the position my wrist is locked in made it hard to push on the bars,made me realise just how much I rely on it..

**Skyryder** · 27th June 2004, 19:24

To be honest I am not too sure just what my body does when cornering. Not riding a sports bike I know I do not lay low in the corners due to the riding position. If I am pushing it on a road I like to throw the bike around a bit. Heavy and hard braking will cause tension but this is just g forces at work. I suspect that this is more notacable on a cruiser or a bike with an upright position as against a sports bike where there is more body angle. Just not too sure on that. Tend to take a line and go with the flow. Less tension that way.

Skyryder