Wednesday, April 4, 2012



Other than just a really bitchin' picture the above is a good example of counter-steering.
Counter-steering you say; isn't that when you turn into a slide when you're driving in the snow?
Yes it's that too, but on 2 wheels it's a little different.

Back when I was going through my first midlife crisis I got a motorcycle.  I also got a book by David Hough about motorcycle safety.
He spent a great deal of time explaining how two wheel vehicles don't turn like cars.  You don't turn left to go left you actually are turning right.
When you turn left, you put pressure on the left side of the handlebar, leaning left and your front wheel will be pointed to the right.

Yeah, okay at 2 mph, with the bike totally upright you would turn the bar in the direction you want to go, but  at even  moderately slow speed, you turn by leaning.  That's why toe overlap really isn't that big a deal, unless you just like to be uptight about stuff.

The real beauty thing about it is you do it without even thinking about it.
But you do it.

I learned a lot from that book, a lot that transfers over to the bicycle quite nicely.
I also learned for a motorcycle to be half as fun as a bicycle to me I had to ride at speeds way faster than the State of Connecticut deemed reasonable.


2 comments:

ThirdGear said...

Which midlife crisis are you on now? :=)

CB2 said...

I think I'm on my third