This is a good demo of counter steering.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhRydTnSDes

 

First time on a road I feel it out. Speed limit or a little over. If I like the road I will ride it over and over. Keeping the rev's around 3k let's you use the motor to accelerate and decelerate while covering the brakes in case you need them. Learn something everyday! I let the hotdogs go and see them later on. Ride in your comfort zone.

 

This ain't a video game. No extra lives!

 

I agree 100%. It's all in the hands. Once you quit leaning and start pushing with your hands, you'll feel much more in control.

 

Misfit, you can only turn the wheel left when pushing on the right handlebar when you are going slow. Once you pick up speed the bike doesn't turn by the wheel turning. I think the word countersteering confuses everybody. I think of it of pushing the bike over into a lean. To me it feels like the bike is falling over, the more it falls over the tighter you turn. It is just like riding a bicycle. If you stand your bike up straight at 30 mph and push as hard on the right handlebar as you can, nothing will happen. You have to push down on it and it will turn right.

 

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As an advanced riding instructor trained to the highest civilian standard, I teach and practise the following technique to motorcyclists in the UK wishing to ride to advanced standard.

The rider can only control 2 things, speed and position.

Using the simple acronym IPSGA in any given road situation you will learn to read the road and make appropriate adjustment to your speed and position.

Given the situation the OP was faced with you would apply IPSGA thus,

I = Information

you aproach the brow of a blind crest, from your first sighting of the crest what information was available to you? Head and eyes up, could you see any of the road further ahead, could you see a tree line following the road or even other vehicles giving a clue where the road may lead once over the crest. Signage? speed warning, bend severity. The clues are there.

P = Position

given that your visual limit point was the crest your preferred postion would be center of your lane giving you equal safety margin and allowing you further adjustment of position if stationary or moving hazard came into view over crest.

S = Speed

your speed should reflect the distance you see to be clear and can reasonably assume to happen, given the information phase, that is the blind crest. If you are riding in the mid gears using the flexibility of the engine then you can adjust speed easily. Riding in too high a gear does not give you the flexibility you need so get used to riding in lower gears for the best control of accel and decel.

G = Gear

once you are happy with approach speed match your gear to your adjusted speed, do not slow the bike by chopping down gears, this would indicate you were riding in to high a gear in the first place. Brakes are to slow, gears are to go.

you are now over the crest and are presented with the turn, you are already in a flexible gear so can still adjust speed if necessary with out course to panic brake. Head and eyes up and look to the visual limit point of the turn and countersteer the bike into the corner whilst maintaining a constant or rising throttle. As the bike turns the bike will naturally decelerate as the tire radius reduces with lean angle so compensate by using a rising throttle, this imparts natural balance to the machine and avoids loading the front end which will want to stand the bike upright.

A = Accelerate

maintain your focus on the visual limit point of the curve, when it starts to move away from you it is opening out which is then the moment to accelerate out of the turn.

Then it all starts all over again for the next hazard!!

A tip I give my students is to commentary out loud to themselves through this system as they are riding, it helps alot in the early days.

A number of other posters have mentioned relaxing and that in itself can be difficult, but using this system and teaching yourself to relax your upper body and grip will make a huge differnce to the way your bike reacts.

Do the courses that are available to you and keep doing them through your riding career. I have been riding for 33 yrs and am still learning.

Enjoy the wonderful roads in your part of the world and ride safe!

Mark

 

Know and trust Counter Steering.

Look through the turn, not at the road.

Ride your own ride at your own speed.

The warning signs are for trucks speeds. You can be absolutely safe at 15 mph over and experienced riders will do more. This does not hold true for 15 or 20 mph curves. Sometimes they really are 15 or 20 mph corners. But most 25 can be run completely safe at 40.

Slow your bike before the start of the corner so you can accelerate or maintain speed evenly through the curve. Nothing throws the confidence out the window like backing off the throttle or worse, tapping a brake.

At 15 mph over the truck speed, you have more than enough leeway to dodge rocks, potholes, gravel and cages over the line and small animals.

Don't look at the road or the yellow line. look through the curve.

Lean forward into a slightly aggressive position.

If you have to brake, bring the bike up vertical, brake hard then back into counter steer.

There is always somebody faster, don't worry about it. Do it right and as your confidence grows people will feel the same way about the way you ride.

 

Thanks for all the response. I'd like to expand my original question a bit. Am I the only one who is less comfortable in downhill curves than uphill or level? I imagine it has something to do with the fact that the bike is accelerating down the hill with or without me as opposed to me rolling on the throttle. It is largely mental I would think, but I am definitely less confident in a downhill curve. The particular curve in my original post was not only over the top of a blind hump, but then continued to curve in an almost decreasing radius as the road descended the other side. Even if my speed was good at the top, as gravity does its thing coming down I feel the need to brake as a result of the down grade but feel like I'm not supposed to be braking while leaning through a curve. Kind of a tricky situation and wondering if anyone has any specific advice as it pertains to that type of road. I know some of you mountain riders must encounter this sort of thing all the time. Thanks again.

 

Great thread! No matter how long you have been riding, lake a refresher course