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I’ve found countersteering to be a very effective way of adjusting the angle of a motorbike while riding. You basically push the handlebars in the ‘wrong’ direc

I’ve found countersteering to be a very effective way of adjusting the angle of a motorbike while riding. You basically push the handlebars in the ‘wrong’ direction and the bike just leans over. It’s scary when you first try it going down a motorway (it’s less sensitive at higher speed), but very effective indeed, and doesn’t require moving your centre of gravity. I don’t pretend to be a professional racer though. They do seem to lean a lot. PS. You can do this on a bicycle too, but the reduced momentum makes it much more sensitive.

vr46 9y ago
All steering after ~15mph is countersteering. There's loads of very cool techniques involved in motorcycle racing, well outlined in Keith Code's book Twist of the Wrist 2, although some appear to be less useful nowadays, such as the speed of reaching lean angle versus the actual angle...
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
icc97 9y ago
You do this when riding a bicycle too
GreyZephyr 9y ago
Counter steering tips the bike into a corner. Some form of lateral force from the front tire and gravity from the lean angle are responsible for the bike turning. In modern racing the limit on the speed you can carry through a corner is the force between the tire and the road surface. This is proportional to the size of the contact patch between the tire and the road. Modern traction control systems have recently surpassed humans in being able to maintain a maximum amount of power to the rear wheel without making it spin out. Previously more lean usually ment a shorter line through a corner but was balanced by the need for accurate throttle control, leading to the rider being tucked in close to the bike with one knee down. With the new systems the aim has become to stand the bike up again as quickly as possible to maximize the contact patch allowing the traction control to put more power through the back wheel and accelerate the bike faster. This has changed the entire style of riding for professional racers, leading them to hang further out from the bike often touching both elbow and knee to the ground, to try and maintain the same center of gravity of the bike and rider but with the bike in a more upright position creating a larger contact patch and allowing the traction control to accelerate harder.
- LandR 9y ago
  I wasn't aware motorbike racing allowed the use of traction control. I know as a fan of F1, that fans generally look down on traction control, is that the same in motorbike racing? Does MotoGp use traction control systems?
  - jeroen 9y ago
    Yes, MotoGP uses traction control. I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't really care. Like F1, it's a prototype class, so results are a combination of the rider and the machine.
  - vr46 9y ago
    Until the last couple of years, the manufacturers all used their own electronics, but now all the bikes must use Magneti Marelli electronics and must figure out how to use those APIs to control spin and throttle. Last season, Yamaha couldn't get this right with its chassis, and its riders couldn't make the tyres last the race with decent grip.
  - GreyZephyr 9y ago
    Yes, MotoGP allows traction control. Like all technical innovations it has led to a change in riders priorities and skills. Some people dislike it, but overall it's not accepted I'd say. Personally I've found it interesting to watch riders adapt there riding style to the new technology.
jacquesm 9y ago
That's how you balance a recumbent bike. It takes some getting used to but after a while it becomes just as much second nature as shifting your COG.
toomanybeersies 9y ago
Countersteering is a natural thing isn't it? I don't ride motorbikes very often, but every time I do, countersteering just comes naturally.
Gustomaximus 9y ago
A side point, riding a motorbike involves counter steering, just some people dont know they are doing it. For the latter this can be dangerous as when you hit an emergency situation and your brain goes from a relaxed state and thinks 'what do I do' you try to steer away, and end up heading more towards the object you want to avoid. So if you do ride a motorbike and dont know you are counter steering I'd recommend googling 'conscious counter-steering' and practising this. It could save you on the next bend.

vr46 9y ago

All steering after ~15mph is countersteering. There's loads of very cool techniques involved in motorcycle racing, well outlined in Keith Code's book Twist of the Wrist 2, although some appear to be less useful nowadays, such as the speed of reaching lean angle versus the actual angle...

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

icc97 9y ago

You do this when riding a bicycle too

GreyZephyr 9y ago

Counter steering tips the bike into a corner. Some form of lateral force from the front tire and gravity from the lean angle are responsible for the bike turning. In modern racing the limit on the speed you can carry through a corner is the force between the tire and the road surface. This is proportional to the size of the contact patch between the tire and the road. Modern traction control systems have recently surpassed humans in being able to maintain a maximum amount of power to the rear wheel without making it spin out. Previously more lean usually ment a shorter line through a corner but was balanced by the need for accurate throttle control, leading to the rider being tucked in close to the bike with one knee down. With the new systems the aim has become to stand the bike up again as quickly as possible to maximize the contact patch allowing the traction control to put more power through the back wheel and accelerate the bike faster. This has changed the entire style of riding for professional racers, leading them to hang further out from the bike often touching both elbow and knee to the ground, to try and maintain the same center of gravity of the bike and rider but with the bike in a more upright position creating a larger contact patch and allowing the traction control to accelerate harder.

LandR 9y ago
I wasn't aware motorbike racing allowed the use of traction control. I know as a fan of F1, that fans generally look down on traction control, is that the same in motorbike racing? Does MotoGp use traction control systems?
- jeroen 9y ago
  Yes, MotoGP uses traction control. I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't really care. Like F1, it's a prototype class, so results are a combination of the rider and the machine.
- vr46 9y ago
  Until the last couple of years, the manufacturers all used their own electronics, but now all the bikes must use Magneti Marelli electronics and must figure out how to use those APIs to control spin and throttle. Last season, Yamaha couldn't get this right with its chassis, and its riders couldn't make the tyres last the race with decent grip.
- GreyZephyr 9y ago
  Yes, MotoGP allows traction control. Like all technical innovations it has led to a change in riders priorities and skills. Some people dislike it, but overall it's not accepted I'd say. Personally I've found it interesting to watch riders adapt there riding style to the new technology.

jacquesm 9y ago

That's how you balance a recumbent bike. It takes some getting used to but after a while it becomes just as much second nature as shifting your COG.

toomanybeersies 9y ago

Countersteering is a natural thing isn't it? I don't ride motorbikes very often, but every time I do, countersteering just comes naturally.

Gustomaximus 9y ago

A side point, riding a motorbike involves counter steering, just some people dont know they are doing it. For the latter this can be dangerous as when you hit an emergency situation and your brain goes from a relaxed state and thinks 'what do I do' you try to steer away, and end up heading more towards the object you want to avoid. So if you do ride a motorbike and dont know you are counter steering I'd recommend googling 'conscious counter-steering' and practising this. It could save you on the next bend.