conscious countersteering, what went wrong
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From: West Philly, PA!
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I'm new to riding a motorbike but i did watch Twist of the Wrist numerous times whilst doing my DAS.
I know what people are saying about body steering, i used to do it on my mountain bike all the time, round corners, but your only going about 8-10 miles per hour. Motorbikes are hugely different and while you may think you are changing direction shifting your weight, the front wheel is still moving in the opposite direction to compensate, hence the Keith Code bike. You cannot change the direction of a motorbike if the front wheel doesn't move.
I know what people are saying about body steering, i used to do it on my mountain bike all the time, round corners, but your only going about 8-10 miles per hour. Motorbikes are hugely different and while you may think you are changing direction shifting your weight, the front wheel is still moving in the opposite direction to compensate, hence the Keith Code bike. You cannot change the direction of a motorbike if the front wheel doesn't move.
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Joined: Apr 2012
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From: Indiana
you shouldnt have to lean at all.... If I wanted I could could counter steer my bike around a tight corner and my body is straight up. I can basically sit on my fairing. Instead of thinking "push left go left" try just pushing the bike "downward" with your left hand.
Try it on a bicycle even... its the same concept.
Try it on a bicycle even... its the same concept.
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From: Indiana
Also you can get good practice by turning with one hand... in a safe manner of course. This is actually suggested practice in some riding courses.
If you arent confident enough you can do it on the roads go to a parking lot thats empty.
If you arent confident enough you can do it on the roads go to a parking lot thats empty.
Well, that's not entirely true. Many people use a combination of leaning the body to tip the bike first whereas a counter steer movement upsets the CG to tip the bike over.
I can take a bike around a whole road course and never touch the bars. If you ever rode a bicycle with no hands, you could to. Although obviously, one method is clearly more efficient than the other.
But some still have a difficult time understanding the different concepts.
I can take a bike around a whole road course and never touch the bars. If you ever rode a bicycle with no hands, you could to. Although obviously, one method is clearly more efficient than the other.
But some still have a difficult time understanding the different concepts.
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Joined: Dec 2009
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From: St. Louis, MO
I know what people are saying about body steering, i used to do it on my mountain bike all the time, round corners, but your only going about 8-10 miles per hour. Motorbikes are hugely different and while you may think you are changing direction shifting your weight, the front wheel is still moving in the opposite direction to compensate, hence the Keith Code bike. You cannot change the direction of a motorbike if the front wheel doesn't move.
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Joined: Dec 2009
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From: minnesota
worrying about sliding your rear end out at 15mph? dont worry.
i used to try and throw my (135lb) weight around to get the bike leaned around fast corners, but after a certian speed, my own weight is cancelled out by the inertia of the bike (the bike is way heavier than me and it wants to stay straight up and go foreward) so i finally had a sort of breakthrough after reading about racers muscling their bars over into turns. pushing the front wheel the OTHER way from the direction you need to lean used the inertia of the whole bike and forces it to lean in the direction you need it to. its the leaning that makes the bike curve around fast a turn, not the direction you point your bars! i know it sounds wierd, but you will not be able to turn that bike without this when you really need to.
also. nobody has mentioned "target fixation" which basically means that your bike will go where ever you are LOOKING. its subcontious and it sounds stupid, but its real and ive crashed because of it. thinking "oh crap, theres thwe edge of the road and im close to it..." and the bike just follows my line of sight right off the edge of the curve. it felt pretty dumb. and it hurt.
so LOOK through the turn towhere you want the bike to go .
and please take a class!
i used to try and throw my (135lb) weight around to get the bike leaned around fast corners, but after a certian speed, my own weight is cancelled out by the inertia of the bike (the bike is way heavier than me and it wants to stay straight up and go foreward) so i finally had a sort of breakthrough after reading about racers muscling their bars over into turns. pushing the front wheel the OTHER way from the direction you need to lean used the inertia of the whole bike and forces it to lean in the direction you need it to. its the leaning that makes the bike curve around fast a turn, not the direction you point your bars! i know it sounds wierd, but you will not be able to turn that bike without this when you really need to.
also. nobody has mentioned "target fixation" which basically means that your bike will go where ever you are LOOKING. its subcontious and it sounds stupid, but its real and ive crashed because of it. thinking "oh crap, theres thwe edge of the road and im close to it..." and the bike just follows my line of sight right off the edge of the curve. it felt pretty dumb. and it hurt.
so LOOK through the turn towhere you want the bike to go .
and please take a class!
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