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5.4 Countersteering:

5.4.1 Contribution:

- For a 2-Wheeler (bicycle or motorcycle) to be steered to one side, the front wheel must absolutely be steered to the other side or 'counter steered'.

- In emergency situations, the countersteering technique can help start turning fast.

5.4.2 Limits:

- But how can we explain the major difference in steering ease and precision, between the cases with and without hands on the handlebars. More precisely, the countersteering theory does not explain why at slow speed a rider has a perfect control of his 2-Wheeler without jerky push-pull actions on the handlebar to steer it according to the countersteering technique. At such speeds, steering is easy and smooth as long as at least one hand is put on the handlebar.

- In emergency situations, the countersteering technique can slow down turning to avoid an obstacle, because of the time lost thinking which side, or opposite side, the front wheel should be oriented. Worse, there is a risk of not reacting correctly and orienting the front wheel in the wrong direction. And there is a risk of over-reacting and hitting the handlebar too hard.

5.4.3 Better understanding of the Countersteering 'principle' and technique:

a) The countersteering basic physical 'principle':

A broom balanced vertically on a finger can only fall right if the finger is moved in the opposite direction, or to the left. It's exactly the same for 2-Wheelers: The tire-to-ground contact points must go left to have the 2-Wheeler lean right. So the front wheel must be oriented towards the left or 'counter steered' so the 2-Wheeler can lean right and initiate a turn in that direction.

The front wheel orientation in the opposite direction can be verified by simply going through a water puddle at slow speed and then start turning. Examination of the tire trails then shows the front wheel had to go in the opposite direction to start turning in the intended direction.

Knowledge of countersteering has been around for many years, as witnessed by Wilbur Wright’s citation dating early 1900’s and reported on page 131 of: « The Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Guide to MOTORCYCLING EXCELLENCE ».

Countersteering is required to steer not only bicycles and motorcycles, but all single track vehicles such as 2-Skates, 2-Skis, 2-Floats, 2-Hydrofoils..., or 1-Ski-1-Track like the HAWK snowmobile-motorcycle from AD Boivin Inc. 

b) The countersteering 'technique':

Based on the countersteering 'principle', this steering technique is the main steering technique taught in motorcycle riding courses.

Its teaching can be summarized as follows:

- Below 30-40 Km/h, the technique is not used because there’s a risk of suddenly falling. Some even pretend that the handlebar must be oriented towards where we want to go like in a car. This is false, it directly contradicts the basic countersteering 'principle' itself.

- Above 30-40 Km/h, the technique consists in pushing on the handlebar side where we want to go, in order to initiate a 'countersteering' that can push the 2-Wheeler to lean on the same side to start turning in the intended direction.

Note that the 30-40 Km/h range is a 'gray zone'. It varies from one instructor to another. Some rather put it at 25 Km/h and what it depends on seems unclear.

c) The Countersteering 'Technique' is a marriage of the countersteering 'Principle' with the gyroscopic reactions and the front fork geometry:

At first sight and without having given it much though, the countersteering technique is surprising for a non-initiated. Nonetheless, many motorcyclists learn by themselves through thinking and/or reflex to apply it at speeds in the order of 100 Km/h. It's understandable since at such speeds, a slight push on one side of the handlebar, like to the right, makes the motorcycle start leaning and going in that direction.

In such a case, the front wheel generates counter-reactions that hold back the rider from pushing too hard on the handlebar and give him a feeling that there is some resistance and stability.

But at the same time, these gyroscopic counter-reactions are such that the handlebar orientation towards (3) generates a leaning torque of the front wheel towards (4). Also, the handlebar orientation towards (3) is such that the ground contact patch of the front wheel is oriented towards (5). So a centrifugal force leans the 2-Wheeler towards (4). It can also be reasoned that the tire contact points on the ground run away towards (5), so that the 2-Wheeler leans towards (4).

Thus around 100 Km/h, the countersteering technique explains that the gyroscopic reactions combine with the centrifugal forces to start turning.

Once turning has started, the rider stops pushing on the handlebar. Once again with the help of the gyroscopic reactions and the front fork geometry that both stabilize it, the 2-Wheeler remains stable in the curve engaged in. When time comes to bring the 2-Wheeler back up, the rider pushes on the handlebar in the opposite direction to bring it back to the vertical.

Around 100 Km/h, the countersteering technique thus explains how a 2-Wheeler starts going into a turn. But it’s the gyroscopic reactions and the front fork geometry that explain the stability in the curve once turning has started.

d) Different interpretations of the countersteering technique:

The 30-40 Km/h range is a variable 'gray zone'. Moreover and since many motorcyclists learn it by themselves, by reflex and without any motorcycle steering courses, they do not necessarily learn it the same way. Many rather learn to pull on the side of the handlebar, opposite from where they want to go. It obviously gives about the same result and it's possible that they unknowingly also push on the side where they want to go.

The situation is also different on a bicycle where speeds and wheel masses are clearly less than with most motorcycles. The gyroscopic reactions that depend on both of these factors are also clearly less. Thus on a bicycle, these gyroscopic reactions participate less in holding back the rider’s push-pull actions and insuring stability of the bicycle. This may explain that the countersteering technique is less self-discovered, less known, less taught, less appreciated and less applied in the bicycle world then it is in the motorcycle world.

e) The countersteering technique does not explain clearly and completely the steering of a 2-Wheeler:

Around 100 Km/h, the countersteering technique suggests pushing-pulling on the handlebars on the side we want to go. But under 30-40 Km/h and although the basic countersteering 'principle' stays irrefutable, we do not exert jerky push-pull actions on the handlebar of 2-Wheelers accordingly to the countersteering technique, whether they be bicycles or motorcycles. Steering is easy and smooth as long as at least one hand is put on the handlebar. Some instructors even teach that at such low speeds, countersteering should not be applied because jerky handlebar actions can be fast enough to throw the 2-Wheeler on the ground.

Thus, the countersteering technique does not explain clearly and completely how a 2-Wheeler holds up and steers so well at such low speeds below 30-40 Km/h, as long as at least one hand is put on the handlebar.

f) The countersteering technique is confusing:

Obviously, the countersteering technique is confusing because:

- It’s not the same thing that is taught below and above a certain speed, with a gray zone in between the two.

- Some learn to push on one side while others learn to pull on the other side of the handlebar.

- In conformity with the basic countersteering 'principle', we must in all cases orient the handlebar in the wrong direction in order to initiate a turn.

- And once having started to turn, the handlebar must absolutely at a certain time be oriented in the right direction to go in that direction, without us knowing at what time or why it happens, especially at slow speeds.

g) The countersteering technique can be dangerous:

In emergency situations where an object has to be avoided, a rider may be surprised. Because of the right-left inversion of the countersteering, he may then lose time thinking about the right way to act on the handlebar to go in the right direction. This time delay can be dramatic. Even worse, the rider under stress may orient the handlebar in the wrong direction towards where he wants to go, as he does in a car, with potentially fatal consequences.

Still more, the unknown and uncertainties linked to the conflicting nature of the countersteering technique may increase the fears leading to freezing against the imminence of a collision. The reaction time may then be further increased.

Still more, the countersteering technique suggests pushing on the handlebar and then letting the 2-Wheeler go into the curve. This technique thus promotes a state of mind of observation of the 2-Wheeler and its reactions. If the rider freezes in front of a danger and forgets the teachings of the countersteering technique, this state of observation and the urgency to act may drive him to orient the handlebar towards where he wants to go as he does in a car. Since he is then particularly alert as he is stressed and observant, he may then stop turning the handlebar when seeing its negative effects. The even greater imminence of an accident may drive him to attempt his maneuver again without any more success. The rider is then trapped and he cannot do anything to avoid the accident.

The rider could then be considered to have done 'Target Fixation', like someone walking on the edge of a high building rooftop: Being frightened, he could stumble and fall. The truth is he will have been trapped by the countersteering technique that will have disoriented him and placed him in an observation state of mind, so that he will have been prevented from acting correctly to get out of the tight situation. So it's as though he was on the edge of a high building rooftop, but rather walking on a slide sloping downwards.

h) The countersteering technique is fast but imprecise:

In emergency situations like on a highway when an object has fallen from a vehicle in front of a motorcycle, the countersteering technique can be applied real fast to avoid the object. A slight push-pull of the wrists can get the motorcycle out of trouble. The countersteering technique can therefore be faster than the simple application of the Torso-Arms-Handlebar theory.

But this swiftness is exactly the reason why the countersteering technique should be avoided at speeds below 30-40 Km/h, when the motorcycle can fall too fast to the ground. This swiftness also has another disadvantage above 30-40 Km/h: The sudden push-pull on the handlebar insures turning fast to avoid the obstacle, but nothing guaranties the motorcycle will go in the right direction and will turn enough without overshooting. On the road, it's often vital not to overreact in order to avoid hitting oncoming traffic. The motorcycle only has to avoid the object and get oriented correctly in a side lane.

The countersteering technique’s swiftness also does not guarantee steering precision when going fast in a narrow curve with concrete walls on each side, such as in a highway exit.

i) The countersteering technique has proved useful but can be perfected:

The countersteering technique certainly does not only have weaknesses.

It has the merit of being applicable in a large number of cases above 30-40 Km/h and of being taught and transmitted to a large number of motorcyclists. It can thus participate in reducing the chances that they inadvertently orient the handlebar in the wrong direction like in a car. Also, it can be combined with the Torso-Arms-Handlebar theory to accelerate it in emergency situations.

It can simply be considered that the countersteering technique is not perfect and it can be improved by the contributions of the Torso-Arms-Handlebar theory.

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