Motorcycle videos

[GTR1400MAN]

I'm often asked what my everyday riding is like when I'm not observing or making videos. Well here's a refresher ride for myself on a mix of town, dual carriageway and country B roads. This is your chance to see the ride, warts and all, from the view of a mentor, and observe what my positioning and riding looks like from behind. I hope it is useful to anyone taking an advanced course/test, of whatever flavour. I realise it's a long video so there's lots of chapters so you can jump about and/or watch it in chunks.

The practice paid of. Pleased to report that my 5 year re-test with Richard Gladman - IAM Roadsmart's Head of Driving and Riding Standards went well and I got clean sheet of 1s for a Distinction.

[jcochrane]

I only watched for 15 minutes but in that time I did not see a single case of counter steer to negotiate curves, bends or turns. I saw bike lean in every case however. Perhaps I need to visit the optician. lol

[GTR1400MAN]

Not sure where countersteering popped up from, or if you comment is tounge in cheek. However, each turn would have been initiated by countersteering (other than walking pace maneuvers where the bike is kept upright and you actually steer 'normally'.)

[Horse]

other than walking pace maneuvers where the bike is kept upright and you actually steer 'normally'

This could become an involved derail ...

About 4.10, when he's riding towards the camera.

[Horse]

[Horse]

When a particular trainee was on the point of giving up riding because of difficulty getting out of their 'home' side road onto a major road. This sorted it.

Surely it was the small amount of angling the bike (which I coach riders to do) that made the difference, not the foot choice?

If all put together as a full combo, it's really effective.

The angling will help, yes, but bar turn and leaning (not something to do with the other foot down!) means the bike is already turning - not just 'pointing'. Big difference.

From the same video

[GTR1400MAN]

other than walking pace maneuvers where the bike is kept upright and you actually steer 'normally'

This could become an involved derail ...

About 4.10, when he's riding towards the camera.

I did say "where the bike is kept upright". So at gravelly car parks/junctions where you can't do that leaning style of turn.

[Horse]

other than walking pace maneuvers where the bike is kept upright and you actually steer 'normally'

This could become an involved derail ...

About 4.10, when he's riding towards the camera.

I did say "where the bike is kept upright". So at gravelly car parks/junctions where you can't do that leaning style of turn.

I'd be interested to know whether anyone has actually researched this. My suspicions are that what feels like direct steering is actually a second stage after imperceptible countersteering.

Particularly with 'born agains', we worked hard to make steering as intuitive (or counter-intuitive ) as we could. That included slaloms at 20-25mph. At those speeds, on the spacings we used (and offsets), the bike would be leaning, so have the front wheel pointing in the direction of turn. So initiating the next turn, to the opposite direction, meant steering further into the 'current' turn.

Slower speed could well be similar. The bike, at slow speed, is weaving. The rider subconsciously 'enhances' that.

After all, what would happen otherwise at 'that' speed where direct steer altered to counter-steer? Would the bike become momentarily unsteerable?

I appreciate your ' ', but ...

[GTR1400MAN]

I did do some searching and have come to the conclusion that at very slow speeds people are split on whether direct steering really exists or not.
In fact the arguments/debates regarding very low speeds are much more tribal, than higher speed counter-steering where 'non-believers' are becoming less and less in number.

This one is cited by many who are in the "you have to counter steer even at very low speed" camp.


I'm still not convinced.

What about pulling away from the kerb to u-turn with the bars already turned?

[Horse]

Re already turned, whatever the location, if the front wheel is turned in the intended direction of travel and you already have lean (see the 'from stopped' image, #3), then further 'initiation' steering won't be required.

I think - much like countersteering at higher speed - people who are adamantly 'direct steer' at slow speed haven't actually experimented.

Simply, if the bike is moving at any sort of speed above inching along then it will have to lean. So the discussion is 'how is that lean initiated?'