freakin' freaks!

[chr|s sedition]

So I wrote this long-ass "open letter to knew sport bike riders" awhile back (has been posted on NESR a few times), which has found it's way all over the internet. Evert few weeks I get someone emailing me with questions or asking some advice. Tonight I got the freakiest one to-date. See below.

(names were removed)
_______________

Hi Chris,
My name is XXXX , i guess that i must of been the exception because my
first bike was a gixxer 750. I took the basic course with msf , then i took
the intermediate after 2yrs. with my bike . I dropped it once when i was
doing a uturn at a very slow speed. I started riding kind of late so i
figured let me get something nice before i get to old to ride sportbikes. I
feel very lucky that i have never gone down really bad. I took my time
with it for the first 3yrs. and now iam starting to get to know the bike.
So the advice you are giving is so true. I guess i been very lucky or wise
to take my time with it.confused. If you rather explain through the
computer that's fine, also. I want to learn how to countersteer before i
get my next 750 06. Hopefully iam not to old to still ride sportbikes.



My number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. On weekends it's free.
I figured with the breakdown you gave for the new riders you must know how
to ride good.
Ok laters . Senior Gixxer 750 Rider.
Still till this day i cannot understand the concept of countersteering
though. I know i must be doing it unconsciously but can you really explain
to me how it's done. I've seen some clips in short movies but it's hard to
follow. Can you elaborate on this.
Thank you in advance ! If you don't mind can i have your number so i could
call you , or i will give you my number if you don't mind calling me, cause
the countersteering thing has me alittle confused.
_______________

I gave him Petes number, and said call anytime

[a13x]

Originally posted by chr|s sedition
I gave him Petes number, and said call anytime [/B]

[OreoGaborio]

[JeffL]

Wow. I knew what countersteering was the first time I took my bike out on the road, and used that to steer myself from the get-go, instead of just "leaning to turn."

How hes ridden for 3 years and is almost completely clueless is a good sign, maybe you can meet him and get some money out of it. $250/hr sounds appropriate.

[bigred875]

you'd be amazed how many people do not understand counter steering

[neuthunder]

just to clearify this, the countersteer is pushing the side that you want to go, ie. push your right handle to turn right....

[Paul_E_D]

As an MSF instructor that teaches the Experienced Rider Course, I'd estimate that close to 50 percent of riders out there don't really understand countersteering. Scary, but it would explain the high number of single bike accidents in curves.

If I were sedition, I'd change my email address. I think that guy was trying to ask you out!

[Awesome]

Originally posted by Paul_E_D


If I were sedition, I'd change my email address. I think that guy was trying to ask you out!

something tells me Chris probably wouldn't mind that aspect of it. lol

[chr|s sedition]

Originally posted by hessogood
something tells me Chris probably wouldn't mind that aspect of it. lol

duh...he rides a gixxer. NO FUCKING WAY.

[MissTwisties]

Chris, gimme your phone number. I need advices on shifting gears. (I just want to call you and bother you, really...lol)

[snowborder]

my MSF instructor in NH didn't even know about countersteering... he argued with me... I think he just didn't want to confuse the newbies.

[Tabby]

Really. Just curious, but do you remember his name? That fellow needs to go back to school. Counter steering was one of the things we spent a good amount of time on. Remember "Press left, Go left. Press right, Go right!" Not very confusing to me.

[MissTwisties]

Ok, I'll make a fool of myself (yet again). I do understand that you have to counterstear (press left, go left, press right, go right) in order to ride a motorcycle. I know that if I don't, well I'll go down. But, I still try to "see" how the bike is not falling on the ground instead of rolling, when you basically push the handlebars opposite of the direction you want to go! It's just weird. (to me anyway....lol) But it's true, it seems counterstearing is happening naturally when you ride.

[snowborder]

yeah well Tabby you can't explain countersteering in a parking lot environment... If you press left in a parking lot at 5 mph or less you go right.

[Tabby]

Sorry Chris, this is a little off topic. Yeah, you can explain countersteering in a parking lot. I did it all the time. I also explained that the slower you go, the less the effect was. I also told them that it started to occur around 10 to 15 mph, and by 20 mph it was pretty much in full effect. To the students who "got it" I'd be all smiles. To those that didn't, I told them to have patience. That when they got their own bikes, to try it above 20 maybe 30 mph. All would be revealed. That instructor was doing his students a great disservice, by not trusting them with the information.

[MissTwisties]

I can't help myself but have a mental image of someone going 40 miles an hour on a road, and take a turn on a street by "turning" the handlebars as if it was a bicycle....ROFL!!

Actually....don't we also counterstear while riding a bicycle at higher speeds? (such as 30-40 miles an hour?) I can't remember, it's been soooo long since I've been on my mountain bike.

[Tabby]

Not being a physics engineer, I couldn't get into the subject too deeply. But I think it would occur with any inline 2 wheeled vehicle. The effect would be felt differently depending on all the variables of the vehicle. I've tried it on my bicycle, and it is tricky just because of the incredibly small amount of effort it takes to get a bicycle to do anything, compared to a motorcycle.

[sanfelice]

actually, you countersteer a bicycle at much slower speeds. think about riding your first bike when a kid and the accidents you had. most of those were probably attributable to not knowing how to balance and steer. with countersteering, you have to have a certain amount of innate balance in your body; you don't just push the bars left, go left, because your body is shifting weight while you do this, right? so, you balance that by adjusting your weight accordingly. anyway, on a bicycle, a much lighter machine, it's easier to manipulate and countersteering when at slower speeds is required. probably has something to do with the... hey, what's it called... physics geeks?? ah, can't think of the term. I always think of doing small diameter circles on a bicycle in a parking lot - a prime example of countersteering at work.

[union]

I took the MSF course and the guy I had spent a long time explining countersteering. Had us practice it for a while. I can understand how it could be a tough concept to trust in especially for someone new to bikes. Its quite obvious that when you press left you will turn right but you dont. Its one of those things I cant explain why it works but it works. Press left ot go left

[JeffL]

I had briefly ridden my bike in a parking lot before having taken the MSF class, and noticed it was MUCH more difficult to induce countersteer to a noticeable affect with the bikes we were using (Nighthawk 250's). I noted this to the instructor and he did actually say that yes, it will feel different, due to the likelihood the smaller, softer forks on the bike werent likely to give you as much feedback/feeling as if you were on a sportbike with larger diameter, stiffer forks. Made sense to me, I spent half the time steering the thing like a bicycle in the MSF anyways. I still managed to scrape a peg, I was all smiles after that. lol

[KB]

Originally posted by MissTwisties
Ok, I'll make a fool of myself (yet again). I do understand that you have to counterstear (press left, go left, press right, go right) in order to ride a motorcycle. I know that if I don't, well I'll go down. But, I still try to "see" how the bike is not falling on the ground instead of rolling, when you basically push the handlebars opposite of the direction you want to go! It's just weird. (to me anyway....lol) But it's true, it seems counterstearing is happening naturally when you ride.

DO YOU EVEN OWN A BIKE????