Along time ago i went around a corner too fast and wound up completely in the opposite lane while going around a blind turn. I felt completely helpless and no matter how hard i leaned there i was in the middle of the lane until i made it through this tight turn and was able to get back to my side. If any car was coming i would have hit him head on. It was at that point i decided to look into how to avoid this situation. I bought a book called "twist of the wrist" which after reading and enjoying i bought "twist of the wrist 2". It explains counter steering, how to take turns (how to enter and exit the turn) and much more. The main thing i took away from those books (and practiced and still do to this day) is counter steering. We all do it, you do it, I do it....we all do it unconsciously to a certain degree every time we ride. The trick is learning how to do it on purpose and being good at it. It takes practice, seems like every time i go out ill pick a spot in the road and pretend like its (a dead squirell, 2x4, large rock) and counter steer myself quickly around it. I cant tell you how many times this has saved my ***. Many time i wind up going into a turn a little faster than id like and by consciously counter steering through it puts me right back on track. I honestly dont know if i would be here after 30 years of riding if i hadnt bought that book and started practicing. I am hoping someone listens to this and goes out and buys one of those books i mentioned and practices it. I think there is alot of riders out there that dont understand counter steering or how it could save them.
All true. I didn't know how bad if a rider i was. Mr. Code showed me my problems. Leaning vs counter steering w/ body positioning was one of the problems i had. Letting off the throttle in turns was another. Great series.
Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough is great too. Because PM, i see this in my head all the time...:
Bah! What is this counter steering you speak of? Next I guess you'll try to convince me to use the front brakes to stop with. Everyone knows the rear brakes are way better and wont throw you over the handle bars. (Sarcasm)
If you really want to learn some stuff take a state sponsored safety course. I had been riding for decades until I took the MSC course here in Pa back in 2001. I learned a lot in that class and it was free.
Counter steering is not intuitive and must be learned. Turning of the head in the direction of the turn is just as important. Taking a MSF or similar course can teach you these "tricks" of the trade.
There is perhaps no more important thing than counter steering. I searched and cannot find it now, but there is an excellent video of an instructor on a sport bike with two sets of handlebars: the stock ones, and another set which is fixed. Using the fixed bars to demonstrate the very limited usefulness of just weight shifting, the instructor holds on to the fixed bars while throwing his weight COMPLETELY from one side to another. This causes the bike to track as straight as an arrow. He does this again at a higher speed, but actually DISMOUNTS the bike COMPLETELY, standing entirely on one foot peg. Riders are often stunned to see that the bike, virtually unaffected by these gymnastics, continues right on target like a torpedo.
I saw that video or read an article on it. in a way it's really because motorcycles are inherently stable at anything over a few miles an hours. Another awesome video shows riderless motorcycles at a track after the rider is ejected. The bike straightens out and stays up till they hit something. Awesome.
10-11-2017, 11:56 PM
Counter Steering
