The Physics of Countersteering

A video from the Cambridge Science Centre demonstrating how physics can be applied to steering and countersteering using a model motorcycle. Visit us at www.cambridgesc...

[@yxngfauzthesaucegod7427]

i won't be the first to say this and certainly not the last but this is the first video that made sense after like 10 videos

[@Z4G.]

I didnt get how countersteering worked. But after i got my first bike, i realized how it worked. Very hard to understand from an explanation, but very easy to understand when doing it

[@warchitect73]

gotta check out "twist of the wrist" videos. really good on this. and other stuff.

[@dinhdatVN]

I second this.

[@ciguana2mlgprovideo388]

I your going right lean right if your going left lean left just make sure you don't lean to much

[@decidiousrex]

Seriously. It's very mildly complicated physics, but hop on a bike, get to speed, and try turning the handlebars. You go the opposite way you intend. It's that basic.

[@Warmonkey1295]

This is by far the best explanation. Even better than the msf course

[@2391jessie]

+Warmonkey1220 - Its from Cambridge - English are articulate

[@richardcole1280]

Fuck the msf course. It’s garbage and doesn’t teach you anything

[@asher6657]

@@2391jessie itt hasnothing to do with how he articulates it... it is really not well explained in the MSF

[@ElanTanzer]

Wow, when I had created this video 6 years with my ex-husband in our living room as we were coming up with the initial concept of the Cambridge Science Centre, I never expected it to be so widely received and appreciated. Thank you, everyone, for your kind feedback! And many thanks to the people at CamRider Motorcycle School for helping us with the details.

[@eviljesus1223]

Using it to show my new rider bud, were building his bike now.

[@personalinterestschannel]

This is still the best explanation I've come across for countersteering. Would it be ok with you if I referenced your video in a future video I plan on doing?

[@kyle49281]

Very well explained, thank you

[@asher6657]

im interested.... you should create more videos on the physics and dynamics of riding. Very well explained.

[@microatmospherebreeze]

This shows how a MC turns without ANY countersteering. It also shows the continious torque (pressing) is required while turning. When torque is removed, the MC automaically returns to vertical straight line travel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5qwnGyNlrqBZrc

[@Shazzkid]

Its weird that most riders do this intuitively without ever knowing they're doing it

[@juanpinate7319]

Yeah xD

[@smythe7480]

So is it like riding a bicycle when you go thru corners?

[@wriches]

Surely it's all riders that do this rather than most? It's the standard way to turn isn't it? Even if you don't know you're doing it. The only other ways to turn are to to just turn the bars in the direction you wanna go, but that only works at very low speed. Or to lean bike without initiating countersteering first, which is more advanced and more for racing, trials etc.

[@vking5665]

Most motorcycle fatalities are New Riders who instinctively think by turning away from the object they are trying to avoid will move them away. Which actually sends them toward it. So not every rider does it in a panic situation. The last thing that enters a Rookies mind is aim for what I’m trying to avoid to get away from it.

[@xpusostomos]

The brain is a fuzzy black box that turns inputs into outputs without always understanding why.

[@shuumai]

The description at 2:32 was critical for me. Counter-steer then LET the bike turn. Relaxing on the bars allows the bike to naturally "fall" into the turn.

[@enematwatson1357]

shuumai Quite. A point that is amazingly difficult to convey effectively.

[@steve24822]

It is really important to release the counter steer to get the maximum steer in the direction you want. This is after us8ng counter steer to get you into the desired lean angle. Unfortunately this video only tells half the story which is why it is so simple to understand. I was going to make a digital protractor attached to a bike so we could see the actual amount of steer and in which direction throughout a turn to finally put this subject to bed. I am amazed that no one has done it yet.

[@mildyproductive9726]

@@steve24822 It depends on the bike, though. If the bike has a taller center of gravity and less aggressive steering geometry, it is as you say. You countertweak the bar, momentarily, then you relax (or even help whip the bars into the turn if you did a super aggro counter tweak), then once on your arc/radius, you generally have to reapply and hold a bit of counter force to maintain that arc under any bit of throttle. But on the more modern super sport crotch rockets, the steering can be so quick that you never have to "let go" of the countersteer. The bike instantly rolls and achieves a new equilibrium throughout the entire process. It's all happening at once. As soon as you start to apply counterpressure, the bike instantly leans and changes arc (taking the fork with it, into the turn) and you continue this continual process degree by degree (very rapidly, mind you) until you reach the radius you want. Instead of dialing in one big bite at a time, you are ordering and eating and digesting tiny nibbles of your turn, a la carte, until you're there... cuz it happens that fast. On this quick-steering crotch rocket, the only time you will feel any separation between the different parts of the process is maybe in a very tight switchback at around 30 mph. Depending on your motorcycle's geometry, you can have a very different experience from another rider. This super quick steering doesn't mean the bike can turn any harder or tighter or go any faster. Or avoid a pothole any better. But is does allow for a bit more gradual and continous course corrections mid-turn and is generally regarded as enabling potentially better lap times. It is no fun to ride, though. Distinctly feeling the different parts of the turn is very rewarding.

[@Highupp]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZWte4uenJxsoJo this video right here is long but it’s the only video you will ever have to watch to teach you how to ride. It’s older and corny but the facts and knowledge involved is amazing I always refer back to this video and watch sections of it all the time after rides because you have to build that muscle memory and perfect all these basic skills and I guess advanced as well but perfecting the skills taught in this video will make you an amazing rider if you take the time to actually properly learn and practice this stuff. Anyone can become a good rider practicing bad habits. Make sure you are practicing the right thing and you will be amazed on how good will become.

[@Highupp]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZWte4uenJxsoJo this video right here is long but it’s the only video you will ever have to watch on how to ride. I recommend watching the first few parts and practicing that then move on with the other stuff. I always refer back to this video to help make sure I’m riding and practicing proper technique to the best of my ability. Please take the time to watch this I promise you won’t regret it. Let me know what you think if you end up checking it out.

[@dwayne4887]

This is by far the BEST explanation ever!! All everyone ever says is to turn in the opposite way that you want to go, and that just did not make sense to me. What this has explained is that turning your wheel in the opposite direction "is only a momentary event" to get the bike to lean. Once you are in the turn your wheel is no longer being turned away, it's now following that path of the direction you are going, please do not overlook that part of what was said. Bravo .. I now get it.

[@Lehmann108]

Yes, it is the lean created by the centripetal force of the counter-steer the turns you in that direction. This is why if you start a turn by a hard lean followed by turning in that direction there is no counter steer effect. Counter-steer is most powerful when you are completely upright. It is the only way to avoid suddenly appearing obstacles.

[@Ducati_Dude]

Dwayne Washington --> You are Wrong Sir... When you are in a turn/corner, the rider Must 'maintain' that push on the grip (wheel turned slightly in the opposite direction) to keep the bike in the lean... if you let up pushing on the grip, the gyroscopic effect of the spinning wheels will then pull the bike upright. Not good in the middle of a turn...

[@SeraphinoII]

You are partially right Ducati dude. The thing is if you are in a corner you can just lean with your body in the corner and make your weight to create the counter steer you need without pressing the handlebar. Of course if you have to tighten the corner just press on the inside handlebar some more and adjust your position accordingly .

[@omega5040]

Your tire is still turned the opposite direction lightly while leaning towards the turn.

[@ziptimeandspace]

@@Ducati_Dude I guess you have a bike, so try your experiment; Don't blame me when you crash. Sorry, I don't mean that!. Honestly though I can go around a a corner (say a slip road to a motorway) and once at a set lean angle can take my hands off the bars (ok, assume const. throttle) and maintain a constant radius - no steering input needed.

[@skullybike7189]

my 15yr old want a motorcycle when he's older. today when he gets home he's gonna watch this video. good job on the video

[@nayanjyoti3012]

Skullybike now he is 18 Im also 18 years old

[@emirhan2447]

Nayan Jyoti he died

[@rahulvivek4872]

No one gives a f

[@Justcruzinn]

Did he end up getting one?

[@rishikkeshsuresh3692]

now he is 21

[@parkerheathiii4881]

What a terrific illustration of what counter steering is all about. All good from where I sit...except for the assertion at 1:03 that angular momentum "is what keeps a rolling bike upright". I would argue that trail, built into the front wheel/steering geometry, is what keeps a bike upright at any speed. Simply put, trail geometry self corrects steering angle to keep a bike balanced (keeps the wheels under the center of gravity) whether turning, or going in a straight line. Gyroscopic effect, which increases with speed, resists any change in axis (and thus change in direction) of a spinning wheel. Gyroscopic effect is why changes in lean angle occur far more slowly at high speed than they do when initiating slow speed corners.

[@basicweeb4272]

I've watched so many videos about counter steering trying to understand it and, unlike the other videos, this actually makes sense. All of the other videos just said, "oh it sounds but backwards but this is how it works trust me just do it," and they barely even explained how to do it. It's just a 2-3 minute video saying, "turn it left and it goes right"

[@dinhdatVN]

i second this.

[@PhilWollerman]

Here's an easy way to get you head around it. Get hold of a bicycle and walk it along steering only by holding the seat - you've probably already done this. To get it to turn, you exaggerate the lean until the handlebars flop down to the right position. You might be a bit naughty and ride your motorcycle with you hands of the bars using the same technique to steer. Countersteering is doing the same thing to the bars but by pushing.

[@cardiacpa]

Basic Weeb It is easier to understand like this for me. "Push right, go right. Push left go left". Then it is not opposite or counterintuitive. It is what I have been doing for years, but I didn't know I was doing it until I saw one of these videos. I wasn't sure I was doing it until I practiced it and it did exactly what I expected and I did it at speed and it felt natural. It is the only way to make turns at speed for me. It only takes a small push to get the bike to lean, but the harder the push, the tighter and more the lean you get. If you want a tight 'Laguna Seca' turn you push hard and slow, and get the knee out to take the turn.

[@WiseWik]

Phil Wollerman umm, no. Try again Phil.

[@miniwarrior7]

cardiacpa lean left push left, push right lean right

[@MikeWanDoe1]

It's nice to have a scientific explanation of this phenomenon that encompasses all facets. Most videos pertaining to the subject treat it like its paranormal or unexplainable.

[@adjbob56]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpi4gIKto7-Werc University video - short and best science explanation of how countersteering works. It supports what MotoJitsu is saying in this video

[@onetao8]

I have seen countless videos on countersteering and have heard many people try and explain it and most people struggle to get the idea across clearly. This was a very good explanation/demonstration.

[@freakvampire20]

Thank you for actually making sense of this concept. I've seen countless videos on this topic that don't seem to get pass vaguely explaining the topic as "Push left to go right. Push right to go left".

[@Ducati_Dude]

Jorge M. --> It's... Push Left to go Left, push Right to go Right... ✔

[@ericc.206]

FINALLY... someone made it simpler to understand. I've watched clips from 5 - 9 FRIGGIN minutes on countersteering, and this man has made it easy to understand in less than THREE (3) minutes!!! Wow!!!

[@vyjk]

There are probably as many Countersteering videos as there are moto-vloggers/youtubers with motorcycles. Most of those videos are more... practical in nature- guy/girl on a bike showing how it's done. This video explains the physics of it the best. To a lot of people motorcycling is about being part of and feeling the world around them. I think knowing how it all works adds to the experience measurably. Thank you for the video.

[@youzuko]

I watch at least 5 7minutes++ videos from top youtubers using their high end bike to explain this thing, but this 3mins video with toy bike actually enough for me to understand.

[@enematwatson1357]

youzuko This is also (mostly) correct physics which usually cannot be said of the kind of videos you're alluding to.

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

Still the BEST coutersteering explanation in existence. Concise, comprehensive, clear... perfect!

[@sugatravalia1401]

Watching this video was one of the most satisfying thing I've done. I was stuck on the 'why' of counter steering. You are the only one who has given a perfect answer. Thank you, thank you for making this amazing and simple video otherwise I would have stayed up all night just to make a connect between people telling everyone to memories 'turn left to go right, turn right to go left' and actual physics behind it.

[@stephenkholer4873]

I have been trying to get my ahead around the physics of counter steering for a dozen videos now, and this is the first and ONLY one that helped me actually understand the physics involved and why it works. Thank you!!

[@MikeKemp]

This should be required viewing for anyone learning to ride. Great explanation!

[@jonnydarke]

On my bike training years ago my instructor (Ex RAF, superb bloke) took me on a straight road and told me to "Gently" push on the right and then the left handlebar while he explained the principle through my earpiece. It was a good introduction method weaving opposite to my inputs down the road, then he took me through the corners to slowly build my confidence. We do it without thinking on a pushbike but as the weight is so low we don't notice we are doing it. Great video, it was a very good example to show my son who's getting ready for his first bike. Happy riding folks!

[@AST4EVER]

Been a student of physics and this must clear all queries regarding County Steering and all stuffs related to it. And if you still can't understand it.... May God bless you....

[@Manuellaborer]

After many confusing videos about countersteering, particularly from the video with the guy who kept saying "i'm not a science rocket", I'm so relieved to have found this video!

[@mrmotonut2465]

I watched way too many videos before seeing this one. I finally get it. Your 3 minute video did a better job than the dozens of minutes of other videos that I watched. That's amazing

[@neilsbaker9790]

Brilliant video, I have listened to many attempted explanations but this is the first one that has explained the science in simple to understand logic.

[@carlos1308]

I’ve been wanting to get into motorcycling and I’ve struggled at understanding countersteer but this video has been the only one that allows me to understand why and how it works. THANK YOU!

[@SirSpinalColumn]

Im a new rider, got my first bike this week, and while riding last night it finally clicked with me how to corner more fluidly. Still a lot to learn but these videos help so much!

[@KLP99]

I've known this principal for years, but this is the first video I've ever seen that demonstrates the physics of turning well.

[@Toschmannn]

Thanks so much for this! Finally a video, where the countersteering is actually explained! After watching this i think half the people in other videos don't even understand what it means in the first place and the other half just suck at explaining...

[@graemesydney38]

You were going great until 2:12 - it is gyroscopic procession that causes the front wheel to lean and it is the gyroscopic force working with frame geometry and frame integrity that cause the rear of the bike to follow and thus steer the bike.

[@edwardtupper6374]

At the beginning of my riding in the 80's I was instructed to push in the direction you don't want to go and look where you want to go not at the things you don't want to ride into.... but the best explanation for counter steering I've ever seen up to now used a concept similar to a differential

[@inox1ck]

Looks like a very effective technique for quick turning I don't remember trying it before. The explanation is easy to follow. I can imagine now doing this and understanding each step what happens to the bike. So basically it allows you to lean fast, but you need to make sure you have enough grip at the wheels.

[@helphelpimbeingrepressed9347]

Hands down the easiest to understand explanation I've seen!

[@CaffeineDogg]

This video is by far the easiest to understand and thoroughly explained, cheers.

[@MyFilippo94]

BEAUTIFUL explenation, it's simple, not annoingly detailed, clear to understand, and really nicely represented. Very good video

[@enoxosr1]

Brilliant video. Understanding of physics is required to appreciate this video.

[@SuperdiptoC]

I absolutely loved this video! Although i have been riding bikes (on the roads as well as tracks) for many many years, i have never been able to clearly explain "countersteering" without going into needless exposition... Wow...just wow!

[@SuperdiptoC]

Showed this video to my 3 year old nephew The ease with which this video explains countersteering, he understood it... And i'm now watching him try it out with his bicycle in the front yard :-)

[@russellparratt9859]

I've never found all the discussion about "countersteering" to be of any use at all. I rode bikes for years. One develops a natural feel for what is necessary. Intellectualizing about something that has become intuitive is counterproductive. The mind works far quicker than words.

[@davidjones-vx9ju]

yes very true

[@stevenc8140]

Russell Parratt KZbin is bigger than life now. Agree? If not there just how many videos have all of us seen on maybe just steering? Gear? Bikes? It is ENDLESS...!. And as you mentioned you haven’t given it much thought because you naturally did this when you and I learned way back...when? For me it was 1968. Today’s young men or woman have to draw on this menagerie of info. And THEN take it back too school/work for example, where their peers chastise part of what they talk about. Then they may told. Just follow us. We’ll teach you (possibly wrong) the way. When I started riding there was no motorcycle safety class. There wasn’t even a class M motorcycle DL!. All you needed was the car license. My how our world has gotten so precise and full of itself!

[@davidjones-vx9ju]

@@stevenc8140 youtube is only bigger than life for those with nothing better to do..... where are you? in 1968 motorcycle endorsement was required in Pennsylvania....maybe your world is full of itself

[@stevenc8140]

david jones that’s because while we are riding with shorts and no helmets with a great looking woman on the back. In the California sunshine with 80 degrees after going to the beach in December. You guys in Penn are doing your imitation dance like Eskimos and riding snow mobiles with ice fishing. That or trying to break down and then get lost in one of the Penn turnpike (exactly what is a turnpike?) tunnels that one goes in and two come out! NEXT!

[@davidjones-vx9ju]

@@stevenc8140 have any more?

[@md_clarkhicks]

Great, short, and makes so much sense, after failing sciences at school, I now get it, brilliant explanation for the masses.

[@gtrguy17]

Finally, i understand countersterring! You guys prpbably just saved my life.

[@j.thetallguy]

Hands down best explanation I’ve ever seen. Thank you!

[@dardobartoli]

Finally I understand it .... I just need blu tack. Seriously, thank you so much. You are the Richard Feynman of Motor Cycling

[@vivekakaviv]

Excellent video! i was confused by watching other 'gyroscopic' videos until i saw this. thank you for clearing my head. cheers.

[@sopadecreme]

The best video I ever seen.... You deserve an award from youtube

[@Boxerjake77]

Jesus F'n Christ, this was brilliant!! I've wasted so much time watching videos on counter steering, everyone had basically been a waste. This explained it so much better. Today I learned something, thank you.

[@hamstersniffer]

I'm a think-in-pictures person, always good in physics. This is the most helpful video on countersteering I've seen. I would love to have a bike but feel kinda old to start (51) and some aspects scare the shit out of me, like "countersteering". At least after this vid I understand it a bit better, though it's still intimidating.

[@doubleja]

Bravo! Outstanding presentation giving way to a crystal clear explanation of the physics. I had about 80-90% of the ideas in mind - including the "counter-steer causing the friction-torque to roll the bike in the direction you want to turn" - however watching a host of other KZbin videos took a toll on my intuition. Using the two circles to explain counter-steering should really be the standard. What I didn't quite articulate to myself was that changing the angular momentum of the tires *is the compensatory torque* to balance any differences between the other two torques, when changing the lean-angle. Amazing.

[@bertsimpsan]

Everything you said is wrong

[@rihohiiepuu]

I'v watched so many videos about it, how counter steering works.... THIS one explained it to me why it works. THANK YOU

[@CloudyGirl]

After months of searching I finally found a video that explains it better..

[@acinonyx6333]

Gyroscopic precession is what you actually feel when you press on the bars. It's why there is such an instantaneous and direct response, regardless of suspension, tyre bend, pressure and any other 'soft' components; the torque on the bars acts on the wheel/gyro hub without going through soft connections It's also why you can slide both wheels and still maintain a bank angle without immediately crashing. Centripetal force turns the bike but gyroscopic precession steers it, if that makes sense

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

Justin Esdaile What do you think what would happen when you change wheel to a ski? How much gyro effect you feel after that? The bike still turn like before.

[@SmokeDogNY420]

The fact that it takes a video like this to correctly explain the concept, though many motorcyclists have tried, says a lot about the motorcycle community, unfortunately.

[@Sheoha]

best video explaining counterstearing. It finally makes sense

[@da40128]

Thank you, this just proves my theory ^^ I'm so proud of my self, I've been doing some work on "the back of the envelope" how to calculate the angle of the motorcycle to the horizontal and came up with a formula tan(theta)=rg/v^2 which seems to work, but doesnt take into account any air resistance, or anything complex as that, thank you for posting this video

[@conortobin6180]

I've been looking everywhere for an explanation of this that I could get my head around And now I've found it. Thank you

[@namelessformlesscosmichorr620]

OUTSTANDING demonstration! From a novice rider, I thank you. :)

[@ridewithgnr2116]

This video explains several of the factors of physics regarding what is happening in a turn on a motorcycle. What is missing is the physics of pushing the bar the direction you want to go. How does that pressure affect the Motorcycle to force it to lean in the proper direction. Action/reaction from hand force forward on the bars intrigues me as Keith Code demonstrates for a moment in time the bars turn the “wrong” way and then “counter-steer” to turn, dive into, or lean the proper direction kicks in. “Splain it to me, Lucy!”

[@wmgthilgen]

Counter steering becomes a natural process with experience. Only by practicing, can one learn the muscle memory required in cornering a bike properly on any turn at high or liw speed. That's the problem, the vast number of of bike owners, don't ride often enough to warrent the practice they need to establish previous let alone the new muscle memory required in any turning conditions they may face. On average, a new bike owners will buy a bike, opt in on a group ride and while riding two up, attempt to keep up to vetern riders. A very bad idea. I was an avid rider in my youth, got involved with raising a family and quit for 20 years. Although I had hundreds of hours and thousands of mikes of riding experience in the past, under my belt. My first ride home from the dealer, frightened me the most. The muscle memory required in turning regardless of speed and or conditions was all but gone. It took longer than I would like to admit riding like a complete newbie on lonely curvy roads and empty parking lots at slow speeds before my regaining the muscle memory I once had.

[@sleepyjessie]

William Guy Thilgen Jr. I think because of how fun the whole experience of riding is (especially for a new rider) it's easy to forget how much time we spent practicing when we first started. I've been riding two years now and just got my full unrestricted license (UK) so we were itching to get my girlfriend on pillion and go on a ride together. On our first ride we only went around the estate (or block), but we spent ages doing it, getting used to how it handles (and for her, learning how to ride pillion and getting comfortable with it). Only then did I remember how many countless hours I'd spent in the saddle before being confident and well versed in the motions/controls enough to leave for more busy and faster roads! Like you say, it's all muscle memory, and once you have it it's very easy to forget how long it took to obtain the skills that you use in controlling the bike. Glad you've got back into it and are enjoying it again, ride free and stay safe.

[@RhinoDan]

William Guy Thilgen Jr. I don't think it was just the muscle memory also you haven't been on a bike for 20 years and speed on a motorcycle is totally different than a car. On a motorcycle we have so many more sensory overloads than driving a car which causes fear too. So I can see how riding home from the dealership would cause trouble if you haven't experience motorcycle speed in 20 years.

[@InsanityHere]

Please, you must tell the little lady that she needs to get her own motorcycle. Tell her you can still be friends, but that you think it's important for her to learn riding skills, indepentently. Tell her how much fun you have riding. Then, tell her of the inherent dangers of riding double. Please don't ride double. If the little lady wants to ride, please tell her to get her own bike. It's imperative you do so. I've been driving for many years. Please, don't crash while doubling.

[@Plague_Doc22]

It's for just htis reason that I believe people should have to re-do their drivers license test either every five years or every ten years. Simply because if you get a license and then dont drive for 30 years and you are going to drive...do you really know how to drive?

[@Cruz474]

I learned how to ride with a bicycle. I always went as fast as possible as a kid and learned counter steering on accident. I remember being so confused at the msf then realizing ive been doing it the whole time😂😂

[@anirudha1984]

It can't be explained easier than this.....great work!

[@wardout5695]

Many videos on counter steering only resulted in confusion, add British a accent and the results where complete clarity and understanding.

[@SahilSharma-xh9jv]

Just hit a pothole bigger than the one shown in the video. Thank you for the explanation. Will practice counter steering more effectively

[@benjustben5746]

Thank-you so much for taking the time to explain this, it has been a great help for me as a beginner rider.

[@srikantpradhan9132]

The best suggestion by youtube for counter steering.

[@normanplombe2889]

Just watched a great video from some guys at Cornell. Couldn't find it on youtube. They determined that you can remove gyroscopic effect with counter rotating wheels above rolling wheels and the bike still turns into a lean... This is REALLY some heavy physics, but practically the only thing needed is for the bike to have a tendency to turn into a fall, and turn in MORE the greater the lean angle. Yes the leaning IS required as this vid states AND the gyroscopic effect does help because it does contribute to the turning into a fall behavior.

[@stopwhy482]

i dont understand the science much, i just do it naturally. not every person is born to drive a motorcycle, i thank god for giving me such ability.

[@cesartejeida506]

Excellent and very didactic explanation, the laws of physics are unbreakable, but, what is broken is the bones.

[@SupernovaSpence]

This explains it better than he motorcycle handbook. I've known the this for a while but it's good for new riders to see why it happens. I recommend new riders find a long straight road with not potholes and practice this before they actually have to use it. It has saved me lots of wipe outs and accidents cause utahs roads aren't the greatest.

[@IAMDIMITRI]

This is like something you do since you where like 4 years old and learned to bicycle. Then you are doing the same when you are riding your motorbike. Then somebody sais that you need to know how to counter steer. WHAT NOW? I have do what now? Coutersteering is counter intuitive if you have always been steering by counter steering. Good video explaining how it works. Now I can explain it to people who never tried a motorbike before.

[@andygreat423]

Thank you ! This is very informative! What will happen if I push the handle bar to one side too hard? Will I lowside if I counter steer abruptly?

[@Brancovtn65]

Best video for understanding the concept of countersteering.

[@tigerseye73]

Think about this; When you first learn to walk as a toddler, you learn how to balance yourself on two legs standing upright. Cool. Then when you are about 4 years old, Dad comes along and puts you on a small 2 wheel bicycle and gives you a gentle shove forward. The damn machine doesn't want to cooperate. After crashing 10 or 20 times, your young brain finally puts the problem into perspective and you begin to shift your body weight and handlebar in the proper direction to remain upright ( more or less ). Voila! You can ride a 2 wheeler without those pesky training wheels.Its somewhat counter intuitive to our sense of balance, which is why we have some trouble mastering it, but It stays with you the rest of your life.

[@wakilahmed2704]

The best explanation so far!

[@Bongo_Fury]

Best video to explain why counter steering works.

[@robertomariscal]

liked the video, on 2:19 it is not the centripetal force who causes the bike to tip to the other side it has more to do with the grip and the direction of the forces and the bike geometry.

[@yossi4652]

FINALLYAFTER LIKE 20 VIDEOS this one made me understand how to and what is it thank u

[@Hexthrill]

02:28 So basically a weight shift? Kinda like the car technique for getting into a drift/slide called the scandinavian flick, turn one direction and then aggressively turn to the other to shift the weight of the car to make it lose grip/traction. Except with motorcycles it's not an aggressive move, because unlike cars, motorcycles have that natural force behavior due to being on 2 wheels. Great video, really well explained. I understood everything I was meant to, I just wrote this comment because this counter-steering technique reminded me of the drifting technique. :)

[@avikbose2629]

Finally a video properly explaining counter steering, its effects and caused and how to avoid it.

[@lhurst9550]

Avoid it? This is how you steer a bike, period.

[@chrisdemchalk3491]

Holy love of clarity! So thought experiment- if you had a weight on a pole that is perpendicular to the bike vertical axis and extended towards the center of a curve, would that allow a bike to corner without lean? One last favor - can you touch GP riders position as it relates to cornering. Body position effects on “hanging off “ the bike meaning closer to center of the curve and any effects getting their body CG lower towards the ground.

[@Elensar76]

This is the best video I've seen, explaining countersteering. I'd like to translate into Spanish, (Only Subtitles) so it can be understood for more people, and more useful. But I can't, because it's not allowed for the comunity to contribute. Would you allow me to do so? Tank you very much for the explanation, and in advance, if you let me do this.

[@2lbsTrigrPull]

Isn't it the centrifugal force that throws the bike out of the turn?

[@boothyofyick]

the best explanation by far

[@JohnPatrick58]

I agree with all the others that say this is the first time they actually understand how it works now and so simply explained, the watch word here must be "ask an expert"!

[@karl4563]

Been using an MTB and fatbike for a couple of years and learned that u can make a turn almost without steering the handles by leaning with proper speed(u may fall if u are too slow) like the 1st explanation but never comes to my mind about counter steering just thought of it before like leaning on 1 side to make a turn and it feels really cool though andeasier to do on fatbikes. One thing is for sure, riding will teach u more about counter steering. Sorry for my English not my native.

[@bradster1708]

Good video but I was hoping you would make some mention of gyroscopic precession being the reason why the front wheel tilts when you push on the handlebar.

[@GoodDeedsEveryday]

FINALLY an explanation that makes sense.

[@patthewoodboy]

also when you push right on a gyroscope (a wheel) it falls to the left. Try it by spinning a bike wheel held in your hand and push your left hand forward and right hand back to mimic a right turn , observe what the wheel does

[@AlexanderSeling]

From what I read, it is centrifugal force that makes the bike lean outward against the turn and it is centripetal force that keeps it from "flying out" of the turn. Not sure which expert is correct.

[@Lehmann108]

Best explanation of counter-steer.

[@Nisotovski]

i have hit so many bumps on the road not knowing this technique.... i'm just a beginner and i cant wait spring to come, to open the new riding season and try this on the streets :)

[@rcgldr]

In order of importance. Dodging a pothole: the fastest way to avoid that pot hole is to steer left so that both tires track to the left around that pothole. This will dodge the pothole very quickly, but it results with the bike in an unwanted lean to the right, which is corrected by steering right after passing the pot hole. A single tire turns due to camber effect, and the radius is a function of tilt angle and tire parameters. This doesn't apply to bikes since there are two wheels, and a bike turns when the front tire tracks inwards of the rear tire. Gyroscopic precession is a reaction to a torque, not a lean angle. The primary effect of angular momentum of the front tire is to resist any change in roll or yaw angle, and mostly acts as a damper to the self-righting steering geometry of a bike that cause the front tire to steer into direction of lean. If the speed is high enough the angular momentum prevents the self-righting reaction and bike will tend to hold a lean angle. If a bike had very thin tires, at high speed, the bike would fall inwards at a very slow speed, called capsize mode, but with normal size tires, the bike just holds the current lean angle and the rider has to steer more inwards to straighten up the bike. Counter-steering in a turn, steer inwards more to lean less, steer inwards less to lean more. For a normal turn at normal speeds, the rider can continuously exert an outwards torque onto the handlebars. Initially this causes the front tire to steer outwards and the bike to lean inwards. Once the bike leans inwards, the steering geometry (trail) exerts an inwards torque onto the front tire, steering it inwards. At some point the two opposing torques cancel, and the bike holds a steady lean angle. The key here is that some outwards torque has to be continuously applied in order to hold a lean angle. How much torque depends on how strong the tilt to steer response is. There is a tiny precession related effect: when a rider applies a counter-steering yaw torque on the handlebar, the front tire precession response would be to tilt inwards, but this is a small fraction of the inwards leaning torque compared to the torque caused by the tires steering outwards from under the center of mass of bike plus rider.

[@soon1429]

i get it. i’ve watched some videos but all they say for the most part is “it’s something you’ll feel” like idk how that’s suppose to help anyone but damn was this video very well done.

[@GerhardCombrink]

And on a slippery surface, such as gravel, it’s best to stand on the pegs and cause the lean by using the leverage of your increased body length (shifting your weight to the left peg) than to counter steer in which case the loss of grip from your front tyre will cause the bikes momentum to continue in a straight line.

[@softailfun]

Gerhard Combrink What rubbish!

[@0991ekul]

wow i've been told how that all works but your video finally made it clear for me. thankyou.

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

THIS is the power of intelligence. Well done!

[@3niknicholson]

1:06 "this is what keeps a moving bike upright" , no it's because when a bike starts to lean, the front wheel starts to steer into the turn, thus righting the bike. Check out Delft uni research.

[@SwapnilGawari]

A very easy explanation...much appreciated

[@themadman300113]

On the first point, you said if you don't lean enough you'll rotate out and fall, but if you lean too much presumably gravity will overcome the turning effect in the opposite direction, so you'll fall over / lowside your bike? It's surely not possible to have the turning effect completely balanced?

[@Lehmann108]

Counter-steering rapidly induces a lean from a neutral position by using the weight of the bike to overcome the gyroscopic effect of the wheels. The bike, at speed, doesn't want to turn. You can use your body weight to initiate a turn by leaning, but this is slow because it doesn't have enough force to quickly overcome the gyroscopic effect. But if you, from a neutral position, push the right handlebar, the bike will turn slightly left and rapidly lean the bike to the right. It's actually quite simple.

[@NoWayBiker]

CambridgeScienceCtr At 1:04, the narrator says that the gyroscopic effect keeps the bike upright. This is incorrect. The steering dynamics of the bike keeps it upright. When the bike falls over, the steering dynamics makes the front wheel turn in the direction of the lean, keeping the contact patch of the tires under the bikes center of gravity. The gyroscopic effect does help with keeping the bike stable, but a bike would never be rideable if you removed the steering dynamics. The whole consept of self balancing "safety bikes", which modern bicycles first was called, is the angled front fork which turns the wheel in the direction of the lean. Read this research about it: www.phys.lsu.edu/faculty/gonzalez/Teaching/Phys7221/vol59no9p51_56.pdf You should correct this in an annotation or in the description.

[@federicoromero6130]

NoWayBiker great article, thank you!

[@enematwatson1357]

NoWayBiker Great stuff! 👍 This video is still miles better than the usual nonsense but one might as well point out its minor flaws.

[@ridewithgnr2116]

When riding a bicycle or motorcycle at a slow pace, “turning” out the handlebars/wheel results in the vehicle moving in the direction you point the front tire. When turning a Motorcycle through tight cures and at a rapid rate of speed, the front tire does not hardly change direction at all, as fairing mounted cameras will attest to. All of your explanations I believe are correct. What I am most curious of, is the relationship physics of force action/reaction plays once your hand pushes on the bar the same side as you wish the direction of the Motorcycle to go in.

[@rogz1999]

Nice explaination on Dani pedrosa's bike!!

[@nathanrhodes4131]

I definitely agree this is the best video on counter steering, for its clarity, visuals and precision. I've always wondered about the value of emphasizing the mechanics of it so much, as it seems like something you just do, and if you rode a bicycle around 15 MPH as a kid, you've been counter steering your whole life. (I commuted by bike for 11 years every day before getting into motorcycles). Is it just a cultural thing? Are Americans just not riding bikes anymore as kids and teenagers? I've ridden motorcycles with people in Brazil and these convos never come up, but they all grew up riding bicycles everywhere, and then moved on to 125 and 250ccs (the latter being considered a full-sized bike there, and a small bike in the USA). Maybe it's that Americans and Anglos in general are suddenly in their 30s and 40s getting interested in powerful motorcycles and can't remember the last time they were on two wheels? Just some reflections/questions...any thoughts?

[@robertfindlay2325]

Correct.