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If You Haven't Already, Get Comfortable with Counter-Steering

Counter-steering requires pushing the bar in the direction you want to turn. It sounds like it doesn't make sense, but try it when you're going down the road around 35-40 mph or so and you will see that the slightest push will cause your bike to start to lean in that same direction, but you won't be leaning at all. By using counter-steering, you can maintain your center of gravity on the bike and can stay in a more upright position -- you don't have to rely on leaning to switch lanes or go through curves. Let the arm inside the turn do the work. If you do this right, you will have much more control of the bike on bends and curves than you would by simply leaning. After you get comfortable with this method, you will see how using a combination of counter-steering AND leaning will allow you to make the bike go exactly where you want it to, and will take a lot of the jitters out of maneuvering through traffic and turns.

Oh, and don't be afraid to throw your ass into it. Women are built for subtle (and not so subtle) hip movements that are excellent for quick maneuvers. You should be using all parts of your body to control your bike at different times and in different situations, not just your hands and feet.

Comments for If You Haven't Already, Get Comfortable with Counter-Steering

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Aug 21, 2009
Get Comfortable with Counter Steering
by: michelle

Hey, when I took my motorcycle course they told me it wasn't so much as called counter steering but more push steering and that made more sense to me.

Aug 17, 2009
Great Post
by: Bridgett

It's true! In the MSF class they touch on this. They want you to practice it, but in the small lot where as a beginner, I didn't have the ducks in a row to really "feel" the move,I just didn't get it and it made no sense to me at all "push left go left, push right go right, WHATEVER! that seemed wierd. My hubby took me out on a local windy (but not to windy) road and it allowed me to counter steer, I REALLY felt it, got it and it felt good! Now practice practice! It's hard to let go of car driving thinking where you "turn" your steering wheel and the car goes where you want it, bike, not so much!

Thanks again for the great info.

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