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counter steering Posted by: Les Thorn 20 Nov 2009 7:44pm

Your comment about counter steering is flawed. The only way to steer any cycle (be it a push bike, scooter or a fast sports motor bike) above about 30kph is by pressure on the bars in the opposite direction to the required direction of travel. Why??? because of gyroscopic precession in the front wheel. It is a well known phenomenon that means the only way to turn on a bike is by the pressure on the bars and has been proved time and time again. To teach counter steering as an alternate is utterly flawed. cut and paste the URL and see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nRUeEkS644

Reply 1: Posted by: Consumer Staff 23 Nov 2009 10:22am

Hi there
Are you implying "pulling" on the opposite bar - I hope so. This would have a similar effect to the counter-steering I described.
Having ridden for twenty years, raced for many years, taken instruction courses, and read many instruction manuals (including Keith Code's), I can assure you that counter-steering does work. It's saved my skin on many occassions.
Because of gyroscopic physics, the effects of counter-steering are more pronounced at 50km/h than at 200km/h, but motorcycle racers still use the counter-steering method at these speeds to assist tipping the bike into corners, rather than relying on weight-transfer alone.
I used counter-steering on the lead photo of this article. What you seem to be suggesting would have seen me crash into the rear door of the car.
Best regards
Marc Wendelborn

Reply 2: Posted by: Vivienne Nickels 29 Jan 2011 1:05pm

Push on the inside bar. Simple.

Great reading, Motorcycle roadcode Posted by: Allan Wright 13 Oct 2009 8:55pm

It has some great tips for safe riding and good for a brush up on the rules. One good thing I got from reading it, was that all motorcycles can use Bus Lanes (as long as it doesnt say BUSES ONLY must to the disgust of car drivers.