Steering a motorcycle?

saphena

IBAUK Webmaster
Staff member
Premier Member
IBA Member
#1
Steering a motorcycle requires a combination of countersteering, body position, and proper speed management.

Countersteering is the fundamental technique for initiating a turn on a motorcycle. It involves pushing the handlebars in the opposite direction of the turn. This may seem counter-intuitive, but it's essential for generating the lean angle that allows the motorcycle to turn.

Body Position plays a crucial role in maintaining balance and control during turns. As you initiate a turn, you should shift your weight toward the inside of the turn. This will help to counteract the centrifugal force that wants to throw you off the motorcycle.

Speed Management is essential for ensuring that you have enough control over the motorcycle to execute the turn safely. If you're going too slow, you may not have enough momentum to maintain a stable lean angle. If you're going too fast, you may lose control of the motorcycle and crash.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to steer a motorcycle:

1. Choose the Right Speed: The speed you choose will depend on the type of turn, the angle of the turn, and the weight of your motorcycle. Generally, you'll want to be going faster for a sharper turn and slower for a wider turn.

2. Initiate the Turn: To initiate a turn, push the handlebars in the opposite direction of the turn. For example, if you want to turn right, push the left handlebar forward slightly. This will cause the motorcycle to lean slightly to the left.

3. Shift Your Weight: As you initiate the turn, shift your weight towards the inside of the turn. This will help to counteract the centrifugal force that wants to throw you off the motorcycle.

4. Add Countersteering: As you enter the turn, continue to apply countersteering to maintain the motorcycle's lean angle. You should feel the handlebars turning slightly in the direction of the turn.

5. Adjust Your Speed: If you feel the motorcycle starting to lean too far, slightly reduce your speed. If the motorcycle feels unstable, slightly increase your speed.

6. Exit the Turn: When you're approaching the end of the turn, start to straighten the handlebars. This will cause the motorcycle to begin leaning back upright.

7. Accelerate: Once the motorcycle is upright, you can accelerate to maintain your desired speed.

Practice is essential for developing the skills and muscle memory required to steer a motorcycle safely. Take lessons from a qualified instructor and practice in a controlled environment before venturing onto public roads.
 

Firstpeke

Well-Known Member
#3
Well... I always preferred to teach people to ride slowly first, as in life you need to learn to walk before you can run....

I kind of stopped reading at item two, which says to turn right, push the left handlebar forward slightly.... well that will make you turn left if travelling fast enough for counter steering to be effective, so.... not going to be trying that... that's why it's called counter steering!

Always amazed that articles about riding generally talk about what to do when going at speed... should we talk about teaching children to run, or sit first?

I got some strange looks when I was an IAM Senior Observer for making associates ride around cones in a car park... until most of them couldn't.
At that point I reminded them all that they could be asked to do slow riding on their observed rides and indeed on their "test"!
Some of our group's observers couldn't ride around the cones and were reminded they were supposed to be ADVANCED riders already...

Sigh.
 

HACKLE

Well-Known Member
#4
saphena, what confused you, was it step 2. I'm pretty sure (after riding for 60 odd years) that that's not right. But then I might be confused, I am getting older.
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#6
There are several things wrong with that list. Telling a new rider that if they feel they are leaning too far to reduce speed is a recipe for a drop. Increasing throttle in a turn will stand the bike up.

Also, telling them to "start to straighten the handlebars" as they come out of a turn shows a distinct lack of understanding how to ride a motorcycle. It wants to go strait, just relax your pressure and it will straiten out.

#7 makes me cringe. And is contrary to #1's opening line, the rest of #1 is garbage. Set your speed for a turn and maintain it all the way through the turn. These are beginners, not advanced riders. No one learning to ride on the street should be told to throttle out of a turn, or "you'll want to be going faster for a sharper turn and slower for a wider turn." That doesn't make any sense to begin with.

Sounds like you found some very old manual or article written by a non-rider.
 

2linby

Premier Member
#8
Virtually all of this is hogwash with the exception of the last paragraph.

Practice is essential for developing the skills and muscle memory required to steer a motorcycle safely. Take lessons from a qualified instructor and practice in a controlled environment before venturing onto public roads.
 

Stephen!

Flivver Flyer
Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
#9
Take lessons from a qualified instructor and practice in a controlled environment before venturing onto public roads.
So you are saying for my first street bike I should not have bought a 1976 Goldwing in Stockton, CA and taught myself how to ride on the streets for six months before I rode it to Montana to get my MC endorsement?

:D
 

owl*

Rally Bonus checker
IBA Member
#13
So you are saying for my first street bike I should not have bought a 1976 Goldwing in Stockton, CA and taught myself how to ride on the streets for six months before I rode it to Montana to get my MC endorsement?

:D
Don't forget that this is the UK section, and we don't have your perspectives - that would not be possible to do in the UK, even in the heady days of the 60's. We have to start on little bikes :)
 

Stephen!

Flivver Flyer
Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
#14
Don't forget that this is the UK section, and we don't have your perspectives - that would not be possible to do in the UK, even in the heady days of the 60's. We have to start on little bikes :)
You have to start on little bikes legally. Nobody said what I did was anywhere near legal. ;)
 
#15
having read the first statements i was rather despondent on people putting stuff they dont really understand up. many years ago i designed and built my own forks i was hoping to achiecve centre hub steering for sidecars unfortunatley i ran out of money on the centre hub project and had to settle for leading links. but to cut a long story short i had to quickly learn motorcyle frame / steering design which involces how a solo motorcycle works. adding a sidecar really isnt in there.

first basically a motorcycle is inherently balanced once moving above a relativly low speed the wheels create the balance not the rider. someone may have mentioned gyroscopic effect? So it will always want to return to an upright straight line position

turning involes leaning he got that right but doesnt understand how it works its all to do with centifrugal force if you attempt to turn whilst upright good old centrifugal force will throw the bike out from the turn
So you lean, the amount of lean thats required is when equilibriam is achieved i.e. when centrifugal force and gravitational force both acting through the centre mass pass through the contact passes of the tyres.
but dont worry you sort of find that equiuilibriam without thinking to much and a bit of practice
to initiate maintain the turn you apply countersteering and lean (been riding for 50 + years and i couldnt tell you if i did one of these actions before the other) this is a subconscouis action and it comes pretty naturally but you dont as stated turn the bar so much as apply preasure to the inner handle bar in a forward and downward movement the relative amount of input relates directly to the speed and sharpness of turn.

i've tried to keep this straight forward but its more complecated, motorcycle steering design is fairly complex and there is no magic configration racing bikes are shorter than touring bikes etc theres reasons and it isnt because the pillion need somewhere to sit. each bike requires a slighty different amount of input.

looks like what you posted Bob was from some motorcycle istructor / company promoting thier business. just being a qulified instructor doesnt really count some ar a lot better than others.
 

GSears

Dambuster... Bouncing panniers...
Premier Member
IBA Member
#17
So, as a person in authority on the website, you post a spurious article and add the codicil 'I didn't write that. Decide for yourself whether it's good advice'.

If anyone gets to the disclaimer.

Mmmmm...........
 

saphena

IBAUK Webmaster
Staff member
Premier Member
IBA Member
#18
In "chat & banter" - not that anyone using this site would be daft enough to rely on authority, or might need lessons in motorcycle steering.
 
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