COUNTERSTEERING:

Countersteering is the process of pushing the handlebars in the opposite direction you wish to turn. Whether you know it or not, you have been countersteering if you ride a bicycle or a motorcycle.

To practice countersteering, go to an open lot. Accelerate to 30 mph or so, and remove your left hand from the bars. Now, gently push your right hand forward. The bike will automatically “fall” to the right. PUSH RIGHT - GO RIGHT. PUSH LEFT - GO LEFT.

Countersteering does not bring you around the turn so much as it “initiates” the turn. Once the bike begins to “fall in”, you then make the necessary bar and body inputs to control the turn. You also use countersteering to pull out of a turn. Next time you’re on an on-ramp, you can practice this. As the road begins to straighten out, accelerate and push on the bar in the direction you want to go, which will most likely be to the left. You are making a right turn, but to merge with traffic you want to go left, so you will PUSH on the LEFT handlebar.

Countersteering is a much more effective way to steer a motorcycle than shifting body weight. If something suddenly enters your path, and there is no way to stop in time, countersteering may save your life. The trick is to look past the object to your escape route, and to quickly countersteer in the proper direction. Many new riders, and even seasoned riders who do not practice countersteering, will turn away from the object, which just brings them closer to it!!