Body mechanics and countersteering

[Terminated]

Another good link:

http://www.thunderbike.co.nz/worksho...ersteering.htm

Heads Up and Enjoy

[Rhino]

This article raises several very good points.

Countersteering is a useful tool to have at your disposal, but it is not the be all and end all.

The comment about having your arms relaxed and bent is vital. If you ride with locked arms, you wil crash sooner rather than later. In 99% of cases, relaxing and letting the bike take its natural course will get you out of trouble.

Once you have used countersteering to "fall in" to a corner, you need to let the bike have its head and relax.

[Daffyd]

Very interesting. I tried countersteering for the first time yesterday and had the same problem. (Mental note...make sure arms and shoulders are relaxed when going round corners. Make that all the time.)

[JT.]

Very interesting. I tried countersteering for the first time yesterday ...

No you didn't, you just became aware of what you have always been doing without realising.

[Motu]

'Bloody Mechanics and Countersteering'

It's just a skill we learn from dealing with complaining customers.

[awd]

'Bloody Mechanics and Countersteering'

It's just a skill we learn from dealing with complaining customers.

Too bloody right there Motu!

[90s]

No you didn't, you just became aware of what you have always been doing without realising.

-Aha - how right you are. I did the RRRS course which is CS heavy. The instructors said many people say " ... but MY bike doesn't countersteer ... "
Having ridden scooters etc for years I said "well OF COURSE these real bikes all countersteer, but maybe because of the small wheels etc. you don't feel it on scooters ... " to which the instructor said in a resigned and weary voice, "no, they CS too". The frickin well don't I thought to myself.

But after really throwing the RG in CS for a few weeks practice I got to the point now where I only CS (except parking) and guess what - it feels exactly like riding the old scooters. A subtle 'push' down on the bar into corners. It seems I had taught myself to do it years ago without ever realising what I was doing. Only reason why I probably didn't self-discover it again on the RG was because I was obsessed with the idea of leaning sports bikes (which was fighting the bike without CS).

A friend recently got a bike for the first time and I took him through CS. He was very skeptical at first, but once he clicked he also realised it was exactly the way he pilots his racing (push) bike. Again, he never really realised what he had been doing.

Tacit skills eh?

[Mole_C]

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

Just a short vid i found to show the need for countersteering

[Shorts]

Here's an easy vid:

Counteering by RideYourRide

[cbr guy]

today i was mucking around, i counter steered and kept slowing down while keeping the handle bars in the same position, eventually the bike turned in the opposite direction to the original turn. jut saying because it might be interesting if anyone tried this, useless but fun

[90s]

today i was mucking around, i counter steered and kept slowing down while keeping the handle bars in the same position, eventually the bike turned in the opposite direction to the original turn. jut saying because it might be interesting if anyone tried this, useless but fun

There's a critical low spead under which the front wheel does not generate enough force to act as a gyroscope. On the RRRS course they reckoned any bike above 15k would safely be over the threshold, but we practiced at 40 or 50k.

I find on my GSX6 that CS works almost from a starting point, ie. above 5k. Pulling fast off into left hand turns at lights I CS staight in and can feel a very low-speed transition point. Apparently some bikes have a much higher switching point.

Anyone else want to post their bikes one?

[Macktheknife]

Here is another one for interest sake.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLzB5oriblk&NR=1
Shorts, that was a really good clip, well done.

[swbarnett]

Unless you're crawling you can't turn without counter steer. You may not know you're doing it but every time you lean into a corner it's an imperceptible amount of counter steer that starts the lean (the same is true for a bicycle).

Learning to do it consciously can be beneficial though as the bike does seem to relax into the corner with more counter steer.

[MVnut]

Sometimes, especially on a long ride or when tired, your arms may stiffen up when they should be relaxed. Occasionally flapping your arms ( like chicken wings... but keep your hands on the bars ) will relax them real quick.

[shcabbeh]

-Aha - how right you are. I did the RRRS course which is CS heavy. The instructors said many people say " ... but MY bike doesn't countersteer ... "
Having ridden scooters etc for years I said "well OF COURSE these real bikes all countersteer, but maybe because of the small wheels etc. you don't feel it on scooters ... " to which the instructor said in a resigned and weary voice, "no, they CS too". The frickin well don't I thought to myself.

Interesting, when I first read about counter-steering I immediately noticed it while I had my scooter. There is very little lean, but if you make yourself conscious of your actions (should do anyway) it's far easier to notice.

I might suggest not pushing too hard either...there are hidden, unexpected results! I got in touch with nature...via a ditch.