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Countersteer


gstallons

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  • 1 month later...

Wanna go right, push to the right... wanna go left, push to the left.    

Good comments. Lets not use the term steer for motorcycles. Its not a car, the push right, left is easy to practice and will come natural when you need it. Riders do it riding everyday and are not even aware of it. In a panic situation it must become "natural". One mistake in a corner leads to many. 

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I've always thought that the first time an instructor takes a 1st time rider, they should get the bike rolling, then make the student open his hands, meaning not grip the bar. They should only be allowed to push on the bar with their palms. Doing this would imprint counter steering immediately and learning it would be almost instant. Plus, newbies wouldn't death grip the bars, another rookie bad habit.

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Actually, I never realized it was different from riding a bicycle etc. until I went to SoCal and rode with some *really* fast guys. I was the "painfully slow" guy until Todd Egan took me under his wing and said, "Look. Your are doing everything wrong."  " Put your bike right here (about 10 feet ! behind him) follow me, stay at the same distance, and don't touch your brakes. You won't need them." We proceeded to spend the afternoon in the Santa Monica mountains going faster than I'd ever gone.

It's not the same as riding a bicycle. That's all I'm going to say about that.  :)

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Normally bicycles don't exceed the speeds needed for the "counter-steer" dynamic to be in affect. This is based on chassis geometry, contact patch, traction, and speed. Let us not bring tricycle or two-wheel leading dynamics into this. CoG becomes a vastly more important component with those things.

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Sorry for my previous brevity guys. Nowhere did I say riding motorcycles was the same as a bicycle. In the context of my intended point, some people can and do become quite competent at an activity by simply enjoying it. Others enjoy the analysis. Sorry to tread on it.

 

I got on my first motorcycle and rode the crap out of it. Just like I did the toy bikes. End of That analogy. :race:

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sorry, but I never really noticed any differences steering (or counter steering) a bike vs motorcycle.  

 

why would it be different once you're up to speed?  

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sorry, but I never really noticed any differences steering (or counter steering) a bike vs motorcycle.  

 

why would it be different once you're up to speed?  

I think the difference is bicycles often spend more time BELOW the point where counter steering takes over from direct steering as the best way to steer where as motorcycles spend considerably more time above that point,

But both motorcycles and bicycles have the same steering characteristics. At lower speeds they both direct steer well. As speed increases, counter steering becomes a better way to steer.

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