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CBRchica -> RE: Leaning and Countersteer (9/22/2006 10:38:43 PM)
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COUNTERSTEERING: Countersteering is the process of pushing the handlebars in the opposite direction you wish to turn. Whether you know it or not, you have been countersteering if you ride a bicycle or a motorcycle.
To practice countersteering, go to an open lot or a deserted road. Accelerate to 30 mph or so, and remove your left hand from the bars. Now, gently push your right hand forward. The bike will automatically “fall” to the right. PUSH RIGHT - GO RIGHT. PUSH LEFT - GO LEFT.
Countersteering does not bring you around the turn so much as it “initiates” the turn. Once the bike begins to “fall in”, you then make the necessary bar and body inputs to control the turn. You also use countersteering to pull out of a turn. Next time you’re on an on-ramp, you can practice this. As the road begins to straighten out, accelerate and push on the bar in the direction you want to go, which will most likely be the left bar. You are making a right turn, but to merge with traffic you want to go left, so you will PUSH on the LEFT handlebar.
Countersteering is a much more effective way to steer a motorcycle than shifting body weight. If something suddenly enters your path, and there is no way to stop in time, countersteering may save your life. The trick is to look past the object to your escape route, and to quickly countersteer in the proper direction. Many new riders, and even seasoned riders who do not practice countersteering, will turn away from the object, which just brings them closer to it!!
CONTROL: One thing racing teaches you is to control your bike. I never realized just how much you can "throw" a motorcycle around without it biting you back. Don’t get me wrong, I am not recommending you go out and start weaving and swerving all over the place. You should, however, practice evasive maneuvers.
One that I like to do is driving straight toward a manhole cover, and swerving at the last possible instant. Your swerve should be a firm push on the bars one way, quickly followed by a firm push in the opposite direction. Do not switch lanes - simply miss the manhole cover or paper or whatever you have chosen. If you have chosen a manhole cover, make sure you don't make the hard input while you are on it. They tend to be very slippery.
Also, I do not recommend doing this in traffic. It tends to scare the people around you, and can actually cause an accident if the car next to you also swerves.
LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO: In racing, the motto is “look past to go past”. What this means is that if you are following someone that you want to pass, don’t look at them. Look at that little piece of track that he has left open, and go to it.
In an emergency situation on the street, riders often fixate on whatever it is they want to avoid. Since the tendency is to go where you look, this brings the rider toward the object. If you are practicing good street riding behavior, you will be constantly scanning the area around you, and continually providing yourself with escape routes.
If something suddenly appears in front of you, simply look to your escape route, and make the appropriate bar inputs (remember - COUNTER STEER!)
DON’T PANIC! Practice, Practice, Practice ... Only when you continually practice maximum braking, emergency swerving, looking ahead, etc., will you not panic when faced with an emergency situation. Riding on the track will make you a better rider because you are constantly testing the limits of yourself and your bike. You will notice that you are much more confident at street speeds after you’ve been at the track. By incorporating these new skills into your street riding, you will be better prepared to handle an emergency situation. The trap you must avoid is doing everything on the street that you do at the track. At the track, you can explore your limits. On the street, you should always leave yourself an “out”.
I also firmly be
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