Turning a motorcycle.

Turning left to go right? If that doesn't sit right in the 'ol noggin, it's time to head out to your favorite parking lot for a little practice. At very low speeds (think walking) if you turn the motorcycles handlebars to the left, your bike will turn to the left. Seems reasonable. However, once you start moving (even as little as 5mph) centrifugal forces begin acting on you and your bike. You may not realize that you are counter steering at this point, but you are, and the purpose of this page is to explain what counter-steering is, how to accomplish it, and ultimately, to bring this vital piece of riding safety from the depths of your subconscious to the forefront of your riding mind. Knowing why counter steering works can save your life.

Excerpt From: 
Steering in bicycles and motorcycles
by J. Fajans, Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley.

"One method of establishing the proper lean is counter-steering, i.e., explicitly turning the handlebars counter to the desired turn, thereby generating a centrifugal torque which leans the bike appropriately. Counter-steering is employed by both motorcyclists and bicyclists, though most bicyclists counter-steer unconsciously. You may have noticed, how-ever, that while on a bicycle, it is surprisingly difficult to ride clear of a nearby high curb or sharp drop. This is because you must steer towards the edge to get away from the edge. It is easy to directly demonstrate counter-steering on a bi-cycle. While riding at a brisk pace possibly downhill to avoid the complications of peddling, let go with your left hand while pushing the right handlebar with the open palm of your right hand. Since your hand is open, you can only turn the handlebar left, but the bike will turn right."

Lets roll back a little, and think about what he's saying. To turn, you must introduce a force in the opposite direction relative to the turn. Meaning, to turn left, you must initially turn right to begin the turn.

We will begin by turning left.

In our parking lot, begin riding at approximately five miles an hour. Using your left hand, place it on your left hand grip with the fingers open and only the palm of your hand on the handle bar. Now, the only way you can turn your handle bars with your left hand is by pushing away from yourself - which will turn the handle bars to the right... opposite from the direction you wish to turn.

The motion that you left had needs to do is "Down and Away", you push down on the handle bar, with the force directed away from yourself - towards the front of the bike. If it helps to initially think of moving your hand along the same line that is produced by your forks, do so. Let your hand travel as if it's following the front forks... down, and away.

The first thing you will notice is that the bike is not turning right! At these low speeds, one can easily observe what is happening with the bike. As soon as you introduce the force (down and away) your handle bars turn right, but just as soon as they do, you'll notice your left handle bar pops back up and into your left hand.. and by this time, you are turning left. 

Another time to practice (and please only do this once your are comfortable with counter steering) is on long highway commutes. At highway speeds, the usefulness of counter steering is highly evident . Riding in the right most third of your lane, place the index finger of your left hand at the end of your hand grip, right next to the bar end. Apply minimal pressure, and notice that you have now moved into the center third of your lane. You can also introduce force through your foot pegs at this point. Experiment, learn, and be safe.