cornering question

[nobutawoproduce]

Do you "counter steer" to lean the bike over then go into the corner with direct input into the handles through the corner or do you just steer into the corner using the counter balancing technique? An what is the highest speed you can do this at?, i know it varies with what type of bike you have, but i was just wondering what is your highest speed before having to require counter steering, like real counter steering (press left your bike will go left), not lean and direct input.

Also does the counter balancing technique only work for slow turns? When are you required to lean with the bike?

About to take msf course and this is area is kinda dark to me, so shine some light on me, Thanks

 

[afm199]

You will figure it out quickly. Slow 5 mph turns usually require turning the bars the way you want to go. Faster turns are push turns. Don't worry about mph, you will figure it out quickly. Do you ride a bicycle?

 

[Lovedoc]

The transition from direct steering to counter steer varies based on the geometry of the motorcycle, on a sportbike it will be at speeds easily attainable in first gear in a parking lot, or the MSF course. It might be less than idle speed in fact. If you have a bicycle you can play around with it, on my old road bike it was about 5MPH, made things interesting climbing a steep hill. Once you exceed the speed, direct steering will simply countersteer you the opposite direction.

You are never required to lean with the bike to make it turn. When you are going so fast around a corner that your traction, or more likely, your ground clearance, is in serious jeopardy, lowering your center of gravity by leaning inside would allow you to maintain the same speed at a lesser lean angle.

You can do slow speed U turns and such without counterbalancing, just not as tight. I think this skill might be less important to acquire early in training than some others, like countersteering, for eg.

 

[flying_hun]

Good answer. Lots of good technique books out there these days that will help you with questions like these. Proficient Motorcycling and Total Control are two of my favorites.

 

[Aluisious]

The MSF folks have an exercise that will make you figure this out, don't worry about it.

I thought counter-steer was crazy voodoo until I had to do it in the course. Once I figured it out it was the greatest thing in the world.

It's funny to watch squids riding in the twisties throwing their asses around and barely making easy turns...as long as they're not headed right at you.

 

[Burning1]

The transition from direct steering to counter steer varies based on the geometry of the motorcycle, on a sportbike it will be at speeds easily attainable in first gear in a parking lot, or the MSF course. It might be less than idle speed in fact. If you have a bicycle you can play around with it, on my old road bike it was about 5MPH, made things interesting climbing a steep hill. Once you exceed the speed, direct steering will simply countersteer you the opposite direction.

Warning: The following thoughts are mostly technical, based on personal observation, and motorcycle theory. They might be extremely confusing for a newer rider, and is almost certainly pointless. Please ignore.

I use counter steering to choose which side the bike should fall to at a dead stop, which tells me that it's a useful technique all the way down to 0mph. My observation is that even at low speeds, I use a little counter steering to lean the bike over, before pointing the wheel into a turn. I turn the bars just enough to keep the bike from falling over.

I believe technically, the correct answer is that you will have turn the handlebars into a corner at any speed at which the bike is not capable of self stabilizing.

 

[Hundo]

By no means am I any kind of expert, but one thing really helped me with the entire counter-steering thing, especially when I just getting started, and that thing was actually separating throttle from steering.

I did this by "assigning" throttle duties to the right hand (duh!) and steering to my left (predominantly). What I mentally hammered home was that if all I had to focus on was one hand (left), then pushing with my left -- on the handlebar -- would make my bike go left, and pulling would make it go right.

This helped me tremendously. Corner transitions were much smoother and my prior habit of throttle-chop was nearly eradicated.

 

[Seesm]

As you turn you just counter steer.. It just happens the faster you go the more you do it... You do not fight it just dig it.