Can someone please explain this...

[CajunBass]

Can someone please explain this statement to me? I saw it in another thread, and not wanting to hi-jack the thread, I thought I'd show my stupidity on my own.

...for example turn the bars right to make a right turn at 20 mph...most bikes will surprize you with a left turn. That would be a mild example.

I'm not disputing the truth of the statement. I've only been riding a bike a few months so I don't know enough to dispute anyone's statement, but simply do not even understand the logic in it. I've made a few thousand turns, and gone around a few thousand more curves, and I have never had either of the two bikes I've riden go in any direction other than the one I told them too.

I have a thought that he is refering to actually turning the handlebars perhaps? As opposed to simply pushing on them? Or heck it doesn't even seem to me that I push them, it's almost like I think "left turn", the bike goes left, I think think "right turn," the bike goes right. I would imagine that if I actually turned the handlebars like I was steering an ATV I'd end up as a long greasy spot on the highway.

[Kal]

Its called counter steering... You are probably doing it without knowing you are.

As I understand it when you lean your bike through a corner part of it is to push the bars with the hand closest to the floor. So if you are leaning her round a right hander you will be pushing the front wheel left.

As I understand it the wider your bars, faster your turn and deeper your lean the more likely you are to notice.

One of the guys on the forum is a physicist type person and posted the Physics behind it on here a while ago. I'm not a physicist so it completely lost me, I just know its weird but it works.

[ronboskz650sr]

I was referring to steering the bike like a tricycle, or lawn mower, or car...turning the bars to the right, not pushing on the right bar. On a 750 cc sport bike, ther may not be time for a brand new rider to think about this on that first throttle application...many videos bear this out .

[CajunBass]

Thanks Ron and Kal. I guess I understood it after all, just seening it written like that confused me.

[ronboskz650sr]

Sorry, I was trying to put it in total layman's terms for the new rider that wouldn't know the concept of countersteering at all. Great signature, BTW .

[Jacine]

WHen you turn right the bike leans left, that why you see riders hanging off the side of the turn, especially if fast. Turn left bike leans right.

The easiest way is to imagin a car coming towards you that is making a left turn. As the turn is initiated the weight goes on the right set of wheels. If the turn is too fast ask you self which way the car will flip? Same applies for a bike but this happens on two wheels.

I undersand the mechanics but have trouble figuring out which end is for the screwdriver. Lol.

[TechTMW]

you don't even need to be moving to understand this.

Take a bicycle or a bike that's standing still on two wheels and turn the handlebars (front wheel) left - the bike will tip over to the right

Shock and Awe your friends w/ that little trick...