Counter Steering
There’s nothing new here in terms of basic dynamics. From the moment your parents removed the training wheels from your first bicycle with those tiny 8″ wheels, you’ve been counter-steering.
At four or five years old, we didn’t have time for physics — we were only focused on sticking a playing card in our spokes to give us our first “engine.” I think we can all remember that moment when our parents finally let go of the seat. That’s when we learned — and built the muscle memory for — counter-steering the little bicycle underneath our body weight to keep our balance on two wheels. Exhilarating — and yes, a pivotal moment in our lives.
Later that day, we probably figured out that instead of counter-steering the bicycle underneath our body to keep it going straight, we could counter-steer slightly and momentarily in the opposite direction. This allowed our body and bicycle to lean to one side, resulting in our first turn. Bicycles and motorcycles turn by first leaning in the direction of the turn.
Counter-steering — steering opposite to the direction of the intended turn — is what you used to temporarily shift your body and bicycle weight to the inside of the turn to create the turn. At that moment, you became a certified member of the counter-steerering club. Congratulations!
Why all the fuss? I learned this when I was five.
Well, this skill is one of the most important to master when entering the sport of motorcycling. It’s also one of our “Four Essential Skills” here at AMS.
We already have the foundation from our early bicycle experience and can likely handle a motorcycle at slower speeds without much trouble. The problem shows up at higher speeds. Motorcycles travel much faster and have tires and wheels that weigh eight to ten times more than bicycle wheels. This creates a significant amount of gyroscopic force and momentum as speed increases. Add in the geometry of rake and trail, along with a 500+ pound motorcycle that outweighs the rider, and challenges begin to appear. The faster a motorcycle travels, the stronger these forces become in keeping it upright and traveling straight. Many new riders have fallen victim to this unexpected force and have ridden straight off the road as a result. Our goal is to prepare you for this by gradually increasing speed and learning how much counter-steering input is required — both in terms of pressure and duration. This helps build that crucial muscle memory you’ll need to perform counter-steering instinctively, especially in emergency situations.
The following video is sourced from YouTube’s FortNine channel — a great source of entertaining and informative content: https://www.youtube.com/@FortNine
It clearly shows a new rider among experienced riders who hadn’t yet developed the muscle memory to counter-steer confidently at higher speeds. We’re not poking fun at this rider — every motorcyclist you see out there had to learn this skill. This rider’s only mistake was not practicing counter-steering at this speed before this ride.
Understanding Motorcycle Wheels and Tires
Let’s talk about motorcycle wheels and tires for a moment. If you roll an empty toilet paper tube across the floor, it’ll roll straight. But if you roll an ice-cream cone, it’ll turn in a circle (Left Picture Below). That’s because of the cone’s shape — one end is smaller than the other. Now, if we connect two ice-cream cones together at their larger ends, our newly formed “cone tire” will steer in one direction when leaned on one cone, and the opposite direction when leaned on the other (Center Picture Below). This is why motorcycle tires are shaped the way they are — to allow the motorcycle to carve turns (Right Picture Below).
As mentioned earlier, a few more geometric concepts come into play, like rake and trail, which have a big impact on steering and the leverage needed to counter-steer. We’ll look at those next.
Rake, Trail and their role in Steering
Along with the shape of the tires, rake and trail also play a major role in how a motorcycle naturally steers, without any counter-steering input.
To picture this, imagine a line drawn down the motorcycle’s front forks, extending all the way to the pavement (purple dot above). The point where the front tire touches the pavement would be the yellow dot. The distance between those two dots is what we call the “trail.” You can see that the rake angle of the forks and the diameter of the front tire determine how much trail a motorcycle has. This “trail” is an important factor in how a motorcycle “self-steers” when leaned.
If we stood behind this motorcycle, holding onto the rear passenger grab handles, and leaned the bike to its left side, the handlebars would naturally turn left because of the trail. Likewise, leaning the bike to the right would cause the handlebars to turn right. This is the geometry motorcycle engineers think about when designing bikes. Combined with the gyroscopic forces of the wheels, this is what makes a motorcycle stable and able to stay upright at speed — and naturally lean into turns at slower speeds. So, you could say a motorcycle “self-steers” based on the angle that it is leaned and the speed that it is traveling.
Putting it all together
To sum it all up, counter-steering (also called push steering) means momentarily pushing on the handlebar grip in the direction you want to turn. That push causes the motorcycle to steer slightly in the opposite direction, which creates the lean. That lean rolls the tire onto its side, and with the help of rake and trail, the motorcycle carves through the turn. We prefer the term counter-steering because the same steering effect can also be achieved by momentarily pulling the opposite handlebar. We like to remind riders that both hands should always be actively involved in controlling the motorcycle. Once the bike is leaned appropriately for the curve and moving at a steady speed, it will naturally self-steer without further counter-steering input — thanks to Mr. Rake and Trail. If the corner tightens mid-turn (a decreasing-radius curve), you’ll need a bit more counter-steering input to maintain your line.
How much Counter-Steering input is enough?
This is where many new riders get confused. Counter-steering input can be very brief. Remember, counter-steering is only needed to initiate the required level of lean for the turn. Once the motorcycle reaches the lean angle you want, you stop the input and let the bike do the rest. Depending on your speed and situation, that could mean just half a second of gentle pressure on the bars. This is the muscle memory every rider must build. Each motorcycle feels a little different and may require slightly different counter-steering input — but the principle is always the same.
Time to Practice
Now that you understand the why behind counter-steering, rake, and trail — it’s time to get out there and practice. Start slow, build confidence, and pay attention to how your bike responds. The more you ride, the more natural counter-steering becomes. Before long, it won’t even be something you think about — it’ll just happen.
Ride safe, and have fun out there.
