Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Countersteering

[Henners]

Been aware of the principle for years but the Bike article made me realise that if you push with your palm rather than pull with your fingers you still have the fingers available to brake or clutch with. Brilliant! Only taken 34 years to learn that

[Edited on 16-6-2004 by Henners]

[TP]

I was fortunate enough to read a twist of the wrist years ago and I have to say that once you get used to it you can really speed up your steering using this technique. I'm positive it's saved me a few times dodging cars that have pulled out in front of me - let alone cornering.

Although you can only really make it work if you have confidence in your front end. Which I don't at the moment. I'm putting the SuperCorsa's on soon (this weekend maybe) so hopefully that will make a difference (my D207RR front is scalloped) but I'm positive my suspension isn't set up for me or the bumpy roads - it's great on smooth fast sweepers though. hrrmm (Ooops, didn't mean to hijack the thread - sorry!!)

[Edited on 16-6-2004 by tp-996]

[fodder]

Originally posted by Nigel C
Read about this in Bike magazine and it is very interesting putting it into operation ! now although we do it subconsciously every time we ride a bike it wasn't until i read this article that i have been consciously countersteering on purpose it can be hard work and you need to concentrate like mad taking a light grip on the bars and pushing the righthand bar in righthanders and the left hand bar in lefthanders .
and it works look at the exit and nudge the bar !! been doing it for three days now and iv'e never taken turns so fast before if you start to run a bit wide just push the bar harder .

buy the latest copy of bike and read the article and try it i'm glad i did

and before all you css etc guys say "yeah we do it all the time on the track" i don't ride on the track (yet)

If you actually look at the position of the top yoke (briefly) when steering you will notice you have probably been doing it all along

[Melnie Mouse]

yes it amazing, we all probably do it or we wouldn't be turning it at all.. it's also going to be in next month's ride too.. it's a shame they don't teach you more of this in cbt etc etc...

easier to read, harder to put in practise, keep learning, easier it becomes..

[DJ Tera]

Anyone who's seen me changing lanes like a psycho will deffo have seen conscious countersteering in action

[Desmondo]

There are 3 ways to countersteer. Push...pull...or both. Which one works for you is totally down to you. I prefer to just push

[Jools]

Now this may seem obvious but riding a bike isn't like driving a car.

: "Derrrr.....Jools tell us something we already know"

Jools: "Clear off rodent, I'm just about to"

When you steer a car, unlike countersteering, you steer in the direction the bend goes, and you hold the wheel on the appropriate amount of lock and steer all the way round the bend, only straightening up on the exit right?

:"Errrrr...right"

Well when you're on a bike, you do indeed countersteer whether you know it or not but... you only countersteer to initiate the turn, get the bike pointing at the apex and to get it cranked over. Then you let the front wheel sort itself out and do what it needs to do to get round the bend.

So whether you push, pull or both the action is (for me anyway 'cos I push with my palms) "Push..Relax". The quicker you push, the faster the bike will crank over, the further you push the further the bike will crank over...and the effort you need to push will increase with speed.

That's why practising the CSS techniques, where the idea is to go in deep, flick the bike in using 'quick steering' and minimise the time you're cranked over is really hard (especially on the road). Why? Because the tendency when you push the bar fast, is to also push it too far and you end up having to sit the bike up again because you've steered too far and are about to run 3 feet inside the apex instead of clipping it. So it takes a lot of practise to push the bar quickly and accurately - but it's worth it.

So remember, as you start to take a corner the sequence is...Look at the apex, push...relax. The more relaxed you are the better it will all feel (oooooohhhh Matron).

Please don't do what I did when I started to learn this stuff and go "Push...and hold" (like in a car), because if you do the bike will keep cranking over until you're going down the road on yo A55...as the scars on the right hand side of my bike will witness

[mike916]

Very well put Jools it sounds so easy to do when you read it.

Just have trouble putting in practice on the B roads- I feel a hedge moment looming again - I've never yet quite got the hang of countersteering though every summer I say I'll crack it this year

Just like trying to get your knee down - always next year

[psychlist]

Steering Woz that all aboot then?