This actually saved my life once, i was going very fast then suddenly a car popped up without checking the road and i countersteered and almost crashed to it by some centimeters!

Glad to see him wearing a cap, safety first.

Pixar's Cars taught me all I need about counter steering.

Literally everybody does this wether riding a bike or a motorcycle. Our sense of balance is just so good we always do it without thinking about it.

I’ve never seen a more complex explanation to counter-steering than this.

Counter steering is basically a natural way to turn a bike, too natural that a lot of riders doesn't realized they were using it all the time. It's the only way to turn while speeding. There is no such thing as "normal steering". Direct input steering is only used when the bike is slow enough that the torque it produce isn't enough to lean the bike, you use it at extremley low turtle speed. But once you start to gain some speed it will always be counter steering, no other way. The front wheels will always follow where the bike is leaning not where the rider turns the handlebars.

3:48 ".. the driver cleverly adjust the angle.." Decided to hit the sidewalk

This guy has never rode a motorcycle. You always countersteer going over ~20mph. You can't just lean a motorcycle like he points out, the gyroscopic motion of the wheels prevents this.

Actually, the "falling down" in the countersteering example is a bit "BS" - if you stop applying force to the handlebars, the bike will not keep leaning further down, as it is already balanced. Also - you always countersteer on a 2-wheeled vehicle, even if you do not think you do.

This give the false impression that a rider can choose between direct input steering and counter steering, as if it were a matter of personal preference. That advice can get someone killed. You cannot steer a motorcycle at public road traveling speed with direct input steering. You’ll go the opposite direction of your intentions, either off the road or in to oncoming traffic.

Based on the level of understanding expressed by the authors of this video, I think I am qualified to do a video on quantum theory.

As many people have pointed out, there aren't 2 ways to turn. There is one way to turn, countersteering. What matters is whether you are doing it consciously and knowingly or if you're just doing it because it's what feels right. But everybody does it all the time period

He’s not wearing a helmet, how unsafe!

"A technique used by many riders"?!?... It's used by ALL riders.

So to make this really simple: When you pick up speed you get gyroscopic stabillity and you need to countersteer to the left to make the bike tip over to the right, and when the bike starts to tip over to the right your front wheel will naturally catch the bike under itself and you turn the handle bars more to the right under itself to stand it back up again "making it start tipping in the left direction to stand up from faliing to the right" after the turn or if you want to hold the angle for longer. In a high speed right hand corner you countersteer left to make the bike fall to the right and through the entire corner you are turning to the right "holding the lean" to counteract the bike from falling over more towards the right until you stand it upright again. The slower you go the less you need to countersteer to make it fall because the bike is less gyroscopically stable so it will tip over more easily but you need to counterhold the lean by turning the wheel into the direction you want to go more accurately and faster becasue the bike will want to fall over faster and this is why slow speed u-turns are much harder than high speed cornering. When you are going slow when the bike starts falling in whatever direction ,you turn the tire into that direction it is falling to catch itself and to make the bike start tipping in the opposite direction to make it stand up straight simple as that. You can't choose how to turn a 2 wheel vehicle it only works like this at any speed. When it falls at low speed you countersteer to catch yourself back up. When you countersteer at speed it starts to fall and then you countersteer to get it back up straight again simple as that. Should be easy to grasp.

It's helpful to break down a turn into two stages, as follows: 1. the initiation of a turn 2. being in the state of a constant radius turn. The physics and principles involved are identical for any two wheeled vehicle, from a bicycle all the way through to a heavy cruiser style motorcycle, the only differences being the level of forces (rotational, gyroscopic etc.) involved - i.e. the heavier the machine and/or the faster the speed then the higher the forces. The principles also apply to any speed where your feet are not in contact with the ground (and so are not able to apply vertical forces to alter the dynamics in this way). There is no magical speed threshold where things change - you don't suddenly apply a different technique above a certain speed. Firstly let's deal with stage 2 from above - i.e. being in a state of a constant radius turn (ignoring for the time being how we got there). If we are turning left then the bike will be leaning to the left and the front wheel will be turned left [I am assuming we are talking here about regular road riding, not specialized forms of riding such as speedway/flat track riding etc.]. At higher speeds the lean will be greater and the turn of the front wheel will be less (and imperceptible at very high speed, but turned nonetheless). At slow speeds the lean will be less and the turn of the front wheel will be greater. There is no other way for the bike to be in a state of turning. There have been some comments in this thread that the bike is turned by "leaning". Whilst this is true (together with the front wheel turning in the same direction as the turn, however slight and imperceptible it might be) it only addresses stage 2 of the turn. In order to initiate a turn (and therefore make the bike lean in the first place) you have to do something, because a bike travelling in a straight line is stable and wants to remain in that state, the higher the speed the more stable it is. There is only one way to do this and it is counter-steering. If you want to lean the bike to the left (in order to turn left) then you have to counter-steer to the right. This is only for a brief moment to initiate the lean (and hence the turn). You can try to lean the bike by a shift in your bodyweight (by pushing down on a foot peg, pushing down on a handle bar (down, not forward) or shifting your arse to one side) but it will be fairly ineffective (and the higher your speed and/or the heavier your machine the less effective it will be). Even if you think you are initiating the lean by a shift of bodyweight (which some comments on here have described simply as "leaning" - which can really only mean moving your body and hoping the bike will follow) you are still counter-steering. If you were to test that theory by removing your hands from the handlebars (please don't) and shifted your bodyweight in an attempt to create a lean, then the bike will AUTOMATICALLY counter steer itself in order to try and balance the forces. A safer way to demonstrate that is to push a bicycle from the side holding the saddle, at walking speed. Make sure it is level and going in a straight line. Pull the saddle towards you to make the bike lean to the left (in my example I am walking to the left side of the bicycle). The steering will automatically go right initially before then automatically falling left into the direction of the lean. If your feet are off the ground then you cannot turn, at any speed, without counter-steering. You will do it subconsciously and do not need to think about it. Most children learn to ride a bicycle very easily at a young age simply through experimentation. They don't need to be taught anything, and certainly not the theory of counter-steering! Despite that, they are counter-steering. We would normally call it "balancing". Balancing is nothing more than a succession of very small counter-steers to stay upright on a bicycle, particularly noticeable at lower speeds. The human brain learns it, along with millions of other things, intuitively and instinctively. To quote Top Gun Maverick, "Don't think, just do". You will instinctively know how to turn after a little practice. You don't need to be taught it or give it a name. Did anybody teach you how to turn when walking? no, didn't think so. Most new motorcycle riders can likely ride a bicycle and have been counter-steering all their life without giving it a name, without knowing it even had a name and without knowing all the underlying physics, because it's all unnecessary. Conscious and deliberate counter-steering however is likely to make you a more proficient rider with better bike control. There's nothing different about it to subconscious counter-steering but you are likely to be able to induce greater lean, quicker turns and feel more in control (once you have got used to it).

This is especially important when you are traveling at a high rate of speed and the gyroscopic forces of the wheels fight your ability to lean the bike with only your weight shifting.

You lost me with your opening statement. "Counter steering is used by many bike riders"? I think you mean counter steering is used by all bike riders, they just may not be aware of it. You don't get to choose whether you use physics.

Great video I got my first motorcycle when I was 18 I rode it for three years I just got two more motorcycles and I’m 67. I never realized how much easier it is to turn if you talk on the handlebars with the opposite hand. If you want to turn let you tug right It makes driving so much easier and safer I’ve been practicing it all day now going around curves I don’t have to Lean the bike I’ll let my steering lean it. I took physics for non-physics majors and college but this is a lesson I will not forget

this is a way more in depth that I needed exactly, I've looked at several videos, but this one helped me more with the counter steer method, didn't make sense until I needed an animation and way more in dept concept of counter steer, thank you so much!

I couple of clarifications: Counter steering isn't really a "technique" as much as it is a law of physics. You don't really get to "choose" how to steer a motorcycle. Which way you turn the handlebars depends primarily on how fast you are moving. At low speed (and pretty much how you steer a bicycle), yes you can lean into the turn and pull the handlebar in the direction of the turn. It is the angle of attack of the front wheel that turns the bike at low speed. At high speed this never works and you ALWAYS counter steer. The reason is the counter steer moves the bike out from under you and causes the necessary lean. At that point it is the lean and the DEFLECTION of the tire (not the angle of attack) that causes the bike to turn in the direction of the lean. It is impossible to turn a bike at high speed by moving the handlebars in the direction of the turn, thus counter steering is NOT a technique one chooses, but rather is the only way to turn a bike at speed. Don't believe me, tape a paint stick to your handlebars and go try some low speed turns vs high speed turns, and see if you have more than one option in how to turn your bike at a given speed.

and stay off the painted lines or you are going down anyway , especially if wet.

As an old biker,67 this year, riding my 1400 intruder for the past 16 years, just saying when you know your bike and don't do anything stupid you'll be ok, just always be aware of your surroundings, and don't ever assume that the guy in the van or car is aware of your presence on the road.

Early on when someone tryed to explain this to me I was afraid to try it but when I finally did I understood and have mastered it

FYI, everyone who rides properly ALWAYS countersteers. Unless you want to die, you don't steer the first way. Counter steering is the ONLY way to corner safely.

It is not even a technique *IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO TURN ON A MOTORCYCLE*

Excellent video. This is a must-know for all riders. Thanks!

Been countersteering since I rode a bike as a kid for having better turns, and I didn't know about this at all. Now starting to ride a motorbike, thanks for the info!

Video brought to you by someone who never rode a bicycle or motorcycle. Theres so much misinformation.

Don't watch this, Twist of the Wrist does a far better explanation, and is right

“Normal” steering which is handle bar steering, is used for very slow speeds like under 10mph in a parking lot for example. Counter steering is for faster speeds like actually on the road.

Sometimes I find it amazing that we do this so instinctively and naturally. I remember watching a video awhile ago that you cant really your direction with just turning the handlebar your bike always had to lean slightly to the direction you're turning. I remember when I was learning to ride I never knew any of this, the co Capt o had in my mine was you just have to turn the handle bars, even when learning the first time I never fall, somehow the body knows the bike needs to lean a little for it to work.

not just motorcycle, all 2 wheels applied

ah, it’s used by ALL riders, not many. Even if they don’t realize that’s what they are doing. You cant destabilize a moving motorbike enough to go around a corner without counter-steering. It’s how they are designed.

This video and its narrator was far more fascinating than I expected. Well done!

I was taught to turn the handlebars opposite direction for sharper turns with more lean. I lived in mountains, I noticed the amount of space I have between ground and bike in turns and how much I had to slow down. A buddy of mine followed me home and said, "try turning the opposite direction" I looked at him like he was an idiot... he further explained it but still sounded a bit out there.. I trusted him he used to ride till his son died on a bike. I tried it and man I was blown away. I started getting used to 40mph turns in 25mph zones (not school zones lol the turns with the recommended speed yellow sign) scraping the kickstand on the ground. I learned on a moped lol I'm still amazed I never slid out or laid it down. Then again, the moped is wider at the bottom compared to a motorcycle. Couldn't lean as far on a motorcycle, I almost lost my foot.

This was explained better in an Australian motorcycle magazine in the 90's by mentioning the inside and outside diameter of the wheels; happy new year.

I only ride bike, but is amazing how i ve been doing this all my life and never thought about that. The brain can develop a technique to avoid objects without knowing in fact what's going on hahaha. Great video!!

If you try to normally turn a motorcycle into a turn at speed, you will have a very bad day.

It took this video to get complete understanding of this trick. Thank you so much for showing this in a computer-animated form. Now I know how it works

As far as I know it is NOT even possible to turn a motorcycle above 10-15 mph without counter-steering. Every rider uses this technique whether they realize it or not.

This should be pulled down due to the errors in it. There is no such thing as 'normal steering". There are only two way to lean a motorcycle, counter-steering and pushing off an object like the road or a car. Once a motorcycle is leaning angular momentum causes the front wheel to turn in the direction the motorcycle is leaning. This is the same thing that causes a hula hoop to turn if it leans while rolling across a yard. Admittedly at walking speed this doesn't work and the rider needs to turn the handle bars. Body steering is a form of counter-steering. See Keith Codes "Twist of the Wrist" video and his No BS motorcycle.

Watching this is making me question getting on my bike again until I’ve fully forgotten this video lmao

I noticed this strange phenomenon in my riding days, thats 38 plus years ago on a Yamaha FJ 600. Mighty interesting.

Should be removed per any "dangerous false information" policy KZfaq may have.

its badly taught, you dont turn the handle bars left to go right, you lean on the right grip which pushes the right grip forward and causes the bike to lean right.

this video is soooo good. I teach physics to high school kids and this will soon be in my classes haha. Thanks for posting this.

I figured this out a long time ago, riding my Norton on the L.A. Freeway late at night - push on the right bar, the bike quickly begins a quick right turn, and vice-versa.

Counter-steering is not a "technique" it's the way every two-wheeled cycle initiates a turn at speed, *every time*. It's just that the initial countersteering movement usually goes unnoticed when you leanimg your body causes pressure on one side of the handle bars. Then you end the countersteering movement by consciously turning the handlebars into the corner the "normal" way. It's always the handle bars that actually steer the bike, not your body position, even though it may appear so. Everybody countersteers all the time, if you're aware of it or not, it's just the physics of riding. Knowing this and experimenting with it consciously (even on a bicycle) will enable you to make quick swerves in emergency situations and always point your bike precisely where you want it to go. You won't waste your time trying to make body movements, a quick and short push on the correct side of the handlebar will instantly turn your bike, no matter its weight or size.

4:20 I too want to be on such an ascended level that if I ever fall I go into a perfect t-pose and spin and tumble in that pose without snapping out it

Above ~20mph a bike turns by leaning, not by turning the handlebar, if you just lean a bike into a corner, you are fighting the centrifugal/centripetal force, whatever you want to call it, you are trying to push your weight and that of the bike against this force that wants the bike to stay straight, to get a lean & make the turn. Countersteering works by using this force in your favour, by pushing (not steering, because almost no movement of the bars will occur) the bars to the left whilst leaning to the right, causes the lower part of the bike/rider unit to swing to the left, immediately causing the bike/rider to lean to the right & consequently turn to the right. Counter steering works with centrifugal force to cause the bottom of the bike/rider to move out of the corner to get the lean rather than fighting the force to get the top of the bike/rider to lean into the corner.

Most people who drive a motorcycle do not understand counter steering, even people who race motorcycles know that they must hit the apex of a turn "before" entering the turn. Like in motor cross, a rider will lift their rear from the seat and lean the bike just before the turn... simply because when they get back on the throttle in the turn the rear tire produces a force that pushes & bends the front-end of that motorcycle and that front tire will try to push out. If the front tire slips-out, the rider has that option to lean the motor cycle back up right to momentarily regain front wheel traction. This video shows some very important facts about riding a motorcycle, clearly those forces that push & bend are quite different from the force that pulls-straight! Thank you for this video!🙂

Every rider use this technique subconsciously.Countersteering is little bit hard when you use it consiously.I don't know why?🤔

Truly astounding how even so called experts can be so completely wrong. Who ever did this has no clue about the physics involved in balancing and steering a motorcycle.

One of the best video I have ever seen about counter steering

I'm always doing that but i didn't know its called like that... glad that I got it in my recommandation

I really like your videos, but this video contains many errors

Time to practice this at mountainous road at 4 am while delivering tofu

Talk about explaining something so simple in the most complicated way possible

This helped so much. Thank you.

I challenge anyone to try this. As you are driving down the highway on an open road with no traffic around you, move toward the center of the road, slowly push your right hand grip forward 1/4 inch. You are steering left, but you will go right. Most people don't realize they are making this slight countersteering motion before they turn.

sometimes when i want to turn at sharp corner, i do this unconsciously, and for normal turn i just lean my body, but after watching this video, now everytime i do it, probably i'm gonna conscious about it

This video provides an excellent explanation of both concepts and the mechanisms behind each (counter and regular steering).

the best explanation i have watched about counter steering !

All turns are always initiated by slight counter-steering. We don't notice it because we do it subconsciously. We learned that trick as kids by trial-and-error until it became an automatic reflex. And now, some academic is trying to teach us how to use counter-steering ?

Great video! Could you in the future make a video in the which you explain how a logical gate NOT type woks? And how operational amplificators works? (I LOVED YOUR VIDEO ABOUT HOW A INVERTER WORKS (2017), and ll'be very cool than you explain the complete internal work in those components!!! Please, excuse my english!! I continue learning!

The answer I was looking from decades, thanks

This is the single greatest thing any rider can learn no matter what your experience level. Although correct this video is way over complicated for the average Rider. You're going into a right hand turn push on the right side handle bar, not pull.. very little effort is needed and very little or no body movement is necessary. When pushing on the right hand side as you are leaning to the right into the turn, this counter steer will want to make the motorcycle lay down on its side. It will do that very thing if you push too hard or stay on it too long. Just push on it a little as the bike drops down ease up and let the bike stand back up as you're coming out of the turn. You will never trailbreak a street bike again. You will always have major confidence when entering into sharp curves under power. Once you try it you'll get it immediately.if you do not know this technique, it will be a game changer.

I cringed so hard watching the model ride straight through the corner perfectly aligned on the paint

This is a dangerous way to illustrate in a video, I can only think new riders will take that video as a direct relation what to do in real life.

4:15 depends on the speed. At higher speeds you can counter steer all the way through a turn.

When I learned counter steering it was awesome, I don't understand it, I learned it as an evasive maneuver, push right, go right, I practice it all the time, its just plain fascinating

Never heard something so wrong... countersteering is the ONLY way a motorcycle, bicycle turns.

You should warn that this technique is only valid you you drive slow (less than 20mph). From this speed the only way to steer the motorcycle is through counter steering, what means you cannot lean the bike in the same direction you are steering the handle bar.

Counter-steering is used by ALL motorcyclists on turns faster than about 10 mph. It's the only way to turn a bike. There are many that don't realize they are doing this. They are at risk of turning into trouble when faced with a scary situation because their instinct tells them to turn away from the dangerous spot. In doing so they steer into the trouble. Every year you read about riders who crossed the center line and ran head onto a vehicle going the opposite way. A lot of them likely didn't understand counter-steering. It nearly happened to me on the day I bought my first bike back in the mid-eighties.

Glad to see no other vehicles coming towards him on the opposite side when he made that wide ass turn

I learned how to do this on a bicycle before I was 10 years old. I just took a motorcycle safety course and counter steering was so natural to me that I didn’t even realize I was doing it. It was actually harder to think through the maneuver than to actually do it.

A Harley Davidson Street with no helmet, what a badass.

Learned to ride a bicycle at 5 Years old, this counter steerings comes so natural. I didnt even realise i did it all along

I use to lay my rocket into a right hand corner and pull my bars to the left while it dropped into the corner. Amatuer riding buddies were so confused.

Counter steering is THE ONLY safe way to turn the motorcycle above 10km/h or so. Counter weight turning is NOT a NORMAL way of turning.

Never ridden a motorcycle only interested in the physics.

Been using this for last 10 year while riding my bike, never knew this had a name

While countersteering is intuitive, it does help to know the physics behind it. However, you left out why there are two different kinds of steering and when they are used, and how the Bike actually turns once CS is initiated (wheels follow different tracks). Bonus points for showing a rider with no safety gear!

Woah... I'm more confused and fascinated now.

For those who are still confused. Counter steering enables vehicle to leaning on the other side, which helps in take quick turn. You can see this yourself on a standstill vehicle, if you turn the handle the vehicle tends to fall in the other direction.

Counter steering is a must if you are serious about riding it should come natural even if the technique doesnt make sense. The best way to describe is turning the wheel produces leaning forces in the opposite direction. This makes it far easier on the highway as being straight up balanced going 60mph or faster your barely gonna be able to turn unless you use counter steer leaning is for large slight angles and countersteering is for the unpredicted situations you need more response out of your motorcycle the better you get the more agile you become

Interesting KZfaq recommendation, just a few days ago when me and my friend just talk about this while riding a bike

Countersteering is great to understand, agreed. If a 4 wheel car somehow was able to drive while balanced & tilted on only two wheels, it would also counter steer like a motorcycle. Anything above about 3 mph turns into counter-steering. One reason so many had trouble once the training wheels were removed from their bicycles as kids learning to ride.

When I was a kid playing with hot wheels, I remember I started doing that with my cars. It's one of the few things that boggles me: the fact that even at a young age the understanding of physics is almost instinctual.

I just love how people can do it instinctively

This comes natural by intuitive logic.

You don't need to turn the handlebars in after you counter steer, above low speed (when you would counter steer) a motorcycle's rounded tyres provide the zero-slip condition required to for the motorcycle to corner as the motorcycle leans and the contact patch moves closer to the edge of the tyre.

just so you know the whole readjusting after countersteering thing happens naturally. The bike does it itself. In fact motorcycles do a lot of things by themselves because of gyroscopic motion

A lot of people talk about doing this "intuitively" when riding. The problem is when people think it is leaning their body weight that does the steering, and every time they lean their weight they happen to push forward on the bars, and it steers, so they are convinced it is their body weight lean that causes the steering, and then next time they go into a turn and it tightens up and they try leaning their body weight more without pushing forward on the handlebars more, and the bike doesn't turn tighter and they go off the road and die. It is better to know what causes effective steering directly rather than indirectly so they can have the most effective response in emergency situations.

Finally. I've watched several vids on counter steer & could not make any sense of it. Now I get it.

Ahh yes, a physics video on riding forces by somebody who has clearly never ridden a motorcycle before. Of you turn your bars in the driction you want to go at an speed over around 12mph, you're going the opposite way. Further, you don't necessarily "turn" the bars to turn the bike when going at speed. Usually pushing one end of the bar, or even just leaving can produce the desired effect.

Once the graphic showed a wheel spinning and he said the velocity is 0, I knew this video wasn't for me.

It's amazing how many people ride and have never heard kf counter steering. One of my favorite things about riding, especially on a nice sweeper turn

Here's the simple explanation...at slower speeds counter steering is not necessary as the bike's momentum is not enough to tip bike over/outward, whereas at higher speeds the forces will tip the bike unless you "lean" the bike into the curve using counter steering.