i just want to ask a few questions about counter steering.... ill be taking the MSF course as soon as i come accross about $200

does it come natural to you or do you have to force yourself to learn it. so far ive got 1 person saying to came natural to him and another guy saying you have to learn it.... from what ive read it kinda comes natural and that all turns involve counter steering.

has anyone had problems learning it by any chance? or did everyone pass that with a breeze....

ive also looked it up in wikipedia to learn more about it.... maybe i should go read up on it some more.

sorry if i sound stupid for asking, but i just want some heads up on it.

-fourtwenty

 

I really wouldn't sweat it . I can't say it comes naturalbut its not something you will conciously think about either . Just take it slow and easy, listen to the instructors of the course and things should be just fine . The main thing is to relax and not push yourself beyond your own capabilites . Hope this helps .

 

[sm=exactly.gif]You have been doing since your were 5 years old on all your bikes that did not have training wheels.
Once your out on the road just try this; while going straight push on the right bar lightly, turning the front wheel to the left,and the bike will go right. do it on both sides and before you know it you will have a great understanding of counter steering.

Then go to a track day where you can really apply counter steering or some nice canyon riding.

Hope this helps and ride safe.

 

1+

If you keep your eyes on the road, looking at where you want to go,and not looking down on your bike, you'll be able steer/ counter-steer much easier and safely.

Countersteering is like learning to drive a stick. Once you become good at it, you won't have to think about doing it at all.

 

ah thanks for your help guys ^_^

also when counter steering do you have to hold it the entire turn, or is it only a momentary thing to shift the position of the bike. can someone explain how it works to me?

 

Once you set ypur self into the corner you could let go of the bars and the bike will continue to turn. You only need to add input to the bars for corrections, to come out of the turn and go back to full gas.

 

the momentum will carry you thru it .............just don't twist it ( the throttle ) until your coming OUT OF THE TURN& DON'T GRAB THE BRAKES IN THE TURN .Try to reduce your speed before you get to the turn .You'll see that as u go into the turn the bike will flow thru it . Again DON'T PUSH YOURSELF .Just take it easy .Start slowly and work your confidence up first .You'll learn to judge how and when to start slowing down with time . At this point don't worry about how fast you can get into the turn or how fast you can exit a turn . Relax and enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Looks like others already answered your first question on counter-steering, but surprisingly enough it actually works, though I may read through this again to see if I understand the physics ofwhy it works. And these guys are right, slow down before the turn and then accelerate a bit through it rather than trying to decelerate through the turn. I only started riding last September and at least as far as street riding goes, that was probablymy mostproblematic area I had initially. I was takingturns so slowly that it really didn't matter at first, but you learn how to position yourself for turns and accelerate through them so you don't look like a ten-year old on his first bicycle riding without training wheels for the first time. I thought the MSF course was worththe money for someone who was basically a first-timer for all practical purposes.Have fun out there.

 

i totaly agree with what the other guy's were saying. When you go to the course you will learn a lot and you will feel better about riding. Well at least i did. you'll get the hang of it. i thought the course was fun especialy weaving through the cones they set up.

 

P.S. -- And no it doesn't come naturally, at least not at first. You have to think to do it, but then it should become second nature.