A: It's turning the bars in the opposite direction of the direction you want to turn/lean. Simple as that. Turn left to go right! (and vice versa) It's not hanging off the bike or turning into a slide. You don't need to know why it works
Example: Your riding on a straight away next to the white line. Keeping your body straight and using only your arms apply the slightest of pressure to the bars as if turning right. The bike will immediately start leaning to the left and moving accross the lane. When you get to where you want in the lane stop applying pressure/turning bars, correct with left pressure as needed. How much pressure(turning) you use will determine how fast things happenand how long you apply it will detirmed how far it leans over. Baby steps please.
Mostly you'll here. Press the side of the bars you want to turn to forward. Press right to go right. Press left to go left. I guess it's suppose to be easier to remember this way but I like teaching the turning left to go right because in fact that's what they are both doing but if it's in the back of your head that all you need to do is turn them, you can do that by any means of pushing/pulling and from any angle. Alot of stuff happens when day dreaming and you might just be out of the optimum "press" position.
It won't take long before you realize how much control you have over putting your bike where you want it in your lane at anytime and as fast as you want it there. And once you can turn in a straight away turning in a turn is nothing. Just keep practicing it until it's a reaction.
If you've ever heard someone say they went into the corner too fast and the bike wouldn't turn so they went straight doesn't know what to do when the bike won't do what they want it to. Countersteering was their answer and it's been around since the wright brothers(google).
I hope that all makes sense. I kept it simple as it truely is. You don't need to master countersteering to survive on the street but you do need to use it. It's how a motorcycle turns. No ifs, ands or buts.
My story: I grew up on mini bikes and such but never wanted a road bike after I borrowed my friends yamaha 175 enduro when I was 15. I took it down the road and did great until the bike wouldn't lean for me and I wasn't making my sweeping left hand corner. The harder I tried to turn the bars left the worse it got. The bike slowed in the grass and turned eventually. About 20 years later I'm talking with a bud at work about it and he explains "countersteering" to me. I trusted him (and google) and tried it on his dr350. It all made sense after that. Trying to turn left to go left was all wrong. On a bike you turn the bars right to go left. That was in the year 2000 and I've put over 100,000 miles on since. I preach countersteering to everyone now. It's amazing how many don't know about it (and are riding).
Big Al
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