Cannot Turn On Bike

[mootchambers]

Have you tried putting on something sexy yet?

 

OK, seriously, you don't "turn" the handlebars when riding a motorcycle (unless you are negotiating a sharp turn or U-turn at excruciating slow speeds) - you lean the bike to turn. And how do you lean? You countersteer the handlebars. And how do you countersteer the handlebar? You push the handles - Push the right handle, and the bike will lean right; Conversely push the left handle, and guess what - the bike leans left.

 

Hey presto. Before you know it, your bike is turned on.

[Jehuty]

When negotiating a corner, you don't turn your handlebar, you lean into the corner, to adjust your lining, you counter steer accordingly, countersteering means you turn your handlebar to opposite to the direction you wanna go, wanna turn into a right corner more, turn your handlebar slightly left. And leaning, you shift your body to the direction you wanna corner into, literally hang to the left if you're cornering left.

 

Remember, before you corner, brake and use engine braking at the last moment before you enter a corner, you judge your speed and when and where you need to brake, then you lean with your body hanging out and knee scraping the road, countersteer accordingly...and that's how you bloody negotiate a corner theory wise.

[gwzc_mk2]

actually for all the riders here suggestion countersteering, bad idea

theres a reason why they do not teach countersteering in driving centres

cos testers can penalize ppl using countersteering on 2b

they are more lenient on 2a and 2 testees on this

 

anyway, the speed inside the circuits are too slow to use countersteering effectively

[Andre]

Countersteering? Don't know what is that. Never heard of it in my 3 decades of riding experience. Non with street bike, sports bike or touring bike.

However, in my younger days, I used to play scrambler, trail bike in the track. Entering a corner with high speed, sit forward closer to handle bar (sit on top of the oil tank for the older model scrambler) lean to left if need to turn left, turn steering to the right, open up the throttle, rear wheel will spin and the bike will slide to left. Uses the throttle to control how much you wants to turn and never apply brake or you'll fly. We call this "Slide" or now for car, they call it "drift" or "initial D". lol.

[XxPJYxX]

Ya lo, I thought counter steering only for drift? Hmm... Twist of the wrist said something about it... But I'm not sure if its called counter steering or reflex steering...

[XxPJYxX]

http://youtu.be/_pocXYyHCuw

 

8:50 into the video... About counter steering and its uses

[XxPJYxX]

actually for all the riders here suggestion countersteering, bad idea

theres a reason why they do not teach countersteering in driving centres

cos testers can penalize ppl using countersteering on 2b

they are more lenient on 2a and 2 testees on this

 

anyway, the speed inside the circuits are too slow to use countersteering effectively

 

True that... They'll penalize... But it saves lives on the road...

[Jehuty]

Countersteering? Don't know what is that. Never heard of it in my 3 decades of riding experience. Non with street bike, sports bike or touring bike.

However, in my younger days, I used to play scrambler, trail bike in the track. Entering a corner with high speed, sit forward closer to handle bar (sit on top of the oil tank for the older model scrambler) lean to left if need to turn left, turn steering to the right, open up the throttle, rear wheel will spin and the bike will slide to left. Uses the throttle to control how much you wants to turn and never apply brake or you'll fly. We call this "Slide" or now for car, they call it "drift" or "initial D". lol.

 

Whaaattt?? Ride for 3 decades and never heard of it? Usually its reflex la, in a corner at normal road speeds, did you notice you're turning the handle ever so slightly opposite to the direction you're going. I didn't know until I came across the vid, likewise my track seniors say if you wanna flip the bike to the other direction or fine tune your cornering, you countersteer consciously.

[Jehuty]

actually for all the riders here suggestion countersteering, bad idea

theres a reason why they do not teach countersteering in driving centres

cos testers can penalize ppl using countersteering on 2b

they are more lenient on 2a and 2 testees on this

 

anyway, the speed inside the circuits are too slow to use countersteering effectively

 

Actually in the circuit, its so slow, the countersteering is so slight you'll never notice it.

[Silent Hunter]

I actually turn the handle bars to the direction I wanted to go and 1/2 clutch when doing U-turn in the circuit. No counter steering.

[Spheda]

it is different from bicycle. U can dun pedal when turning at low speed.

 

For motorcycle, use the half clutch method lo. most important thing is: maintain throttle. when u get used to it le clutch in and turn also can. but not advisable.

[XxPJYxX]

I actually turn the handle bars to the direction I wanted to go and 1/2 clutch when doing U-turn in the circuit. No counter steering.

 

Because the speed is not fast enough to feel the counter steer...

[and1slacker]

Countersteering? Don't know what is that. Never heard of it in my 3 decades of riding experience. Non with street bike, sports bike or touring bike.

However, in my younger days, I used to play scrambler, trail bike in the track. Entering a corner with high speed, sit forward closer to handle bar (sit on top of the oil tank for the older model scrambler) lean to left if need to turn left, turn steering to the right, open up the throttle, rear wheel will spin and the bike will slide to left. Uses the throttle to control how much you wants to turn and never apply brake or you'll fly. We call this "Slide" or now for car, they call it "drift" or "initial D". lol.

like a seriously? wow.

[and1slacker]

Best thing for u to do now is stop learning to ride. Safer for u and other road users. U don't know what it's like to ride on public roads. If u can't even do this in a controlled learning driving centre, how do u expect to ride in Singapore's roads? Seriously. U need to learn faster or don't learn at all. Because Singapore's roads are not safe at all. Hope u have watched the videos from TP in the theory lesson. Please don't add to the statistics of fatalities. With your riding technique now, it's either u bang into someone because u reacted slowly to the person crossing the road. Reacted slowly because u were preoccupied in looking at where u were going to turn into. Or u get banged by a car or lorry because u reacted slowly also. Preoccupied by things a rider should not be thinking about. Being a rider, u have to be fast. Look fast, react fast. Do whatever it takes to not hit the object on the road. Do whatever it takes to prevent yourself from getting into an accident. Cars not signalling their intention to change lane, construction materials falling out from lorries, cars beating red lights, pedestrians jay-walking, stones and sand on the road, wet roads, uneven surfaced roads, poorly lit roads, vehicles that do not switch on their headlights at night. All hazardous. U have to look fast and react fast. Think of how you're gonna avoid the hazard. Think if it's safe for u to do the avoiding. Think of all possible sh!t that might happen in the case of u managing to avoid it and u not managing to avoid it. Hope this helps.

 

Btw, just think of the plastic cones as bombs. The timer is 6 seconds till they explode and if u touch them, they will explode instantly too. then the tester will say, "Please try again." lol. But I still prefer u taking public transport though. I wouldn't like being hit by flying objects if an accident happens anywhere near me. I have enough problems of my own without that happening to me. Example, biker at a traffic light. The lights just turned green and the biker started going across, this car doesn't realize that the biker has the right of way and beats the red light on his side. Biker didn't see that coming. Boom. Box from his bike flew across the road into oncoming traffic. Just imagine if some other rider was going at 60 speed limit and the box suddenly flew into his lane. that's when look fast, react fast comes into play. The box in your path now, u saw it. Estimated time to impact, 1-2seconds. Going at 60, is it possible to brake in time? No. What if I close throttle to slow down and try going around it, is it possible? Yes. If I go around it, will I get into accident? Maybe. Must check mirrors first. Check right blind spot if going around it by the right side, check left blind spot if going around by the left. There might be another rider going faster and trying to overtake. Check will be safer. U have to do all this within 1-2 seconds. Ask yourself. CAN YOU DO IT??? If u can't, then I seriously suggest BMW. Bus, Mrt, Walk. Or cab.

 

Hope i helped u somewhere. Videos u want, go to YouTube and search TWIST OF THE WRIST. shows u all the factors that affect the handling of a bike. Shows u all the kinds of different road surfaces. Shows u what kinds of turns there are. But seriously, u have to learn faster than this. Follow your instinct. Don't care whether its an immediate failure or not. Would u rather fall down and hurt your right leg than to put it out to prevent yourself from falling? Either way, both seems like an immediate failure to me. Right leg touch ground, failure to u from the TP. Right leg stuck to footrest because u scared of immediate failure by the TP, end up fall down and injure yourself, this is an immediate failure to yourself from yourself. Because u failed to protect yourself from getting injured when u could have done something to prevent yourself from getting injured. I rather someone fail me than I fail myself. At least my legs are not broken, I still can go try it again. Get it? Omg. Btw, a tip to counter balance, the falling right but turn handlebar to the left I'm not too sure about that cos I've never tried it before. Mostly I do is using body weight to counter it. If u feel like the bike is falling right, u shift your weight to the left. Use your footrest, step on it, move your body weight to the left without standing on the footrest, not sure if TP will accept standing on the footrest. WAIT!

 

U said the bike feel like falling to the right? Is it when you're turning to the right or going on a straight road? Answer me this and everything will make sense to me.

you've a very good help here, TS.

[Andre]

Whaaattt?? Ride for 3 decades and never heard of it? Usually its reflex la, in a corner at normal road speeds, did you notice you're turning the handle ever so slightly opposite to the direction you're going. I didn't know until I came across the vid, likewise my track seniors say if you wanna flip the bike to the other direction or fine tune your cornering, you countersteer consciously.

 

LOL, ya, I think probably need to go back to school to learn my riding again. Or may be I'd done it but without noticing it..

[Silent Hunter]

I actually turn the handle bars to the direction I wanted to go and 1/2 clutch when doing U-turn in the circuit. No counter steering.

 

Because the speed is not fast enough to feel the counter steer...

 

Your head lah.

 

From carpark turn handlebar towards the direction you want to go, 1/2 clutch, move off slowly.

Don't believe it works you try lah.

 

Or better yet, you try to U-turn from a stationary position using countersteer and see what happens.

[Jehuty]

Your head lah.

 

From carpark turn handlebar towards the direction you want to go, 1/2 clutch, move off slowly.

Don't believe it works you try lah.

 

Or better yet, you try to U-turn from a stationary position using countersteer and see what happens.

 

Try turning ur handlebar by force while U-turning from maybe 30km/h, confirm flip forward hahahah. Slow speed of course like that, what matters when you're going at speed what, if he can't even handle the bike when it handles more like a bicycle, for example, turn left, go left, turn right go right, how to handle the bike when its at normal road speed, for example, turn left = lean left or even better, at high speed for example shifting your body out.

[Silent Hunter]

Aiyo! People in the circuit straight road max speed also travel 30-40 km/hr, don't teach them counter steering to do U-turn leh.

Sure scared, slow down or brake then crash low side one.

 

At very very slow speeds, (eg: moving off 1st gear 1/2 clutch) just use the handle bars to "aim" the direction can already.

 

But later, when you get confident and start cornering at higher speeds, (eg: gear 3) cannot steer by turning handle bars! That will be counter steering!

[guangwei]

if u slow and wanna turn, (gear 1 half clutch) turn the steering more. if u fast already, then dont turn the steering too much, lean ur body more.

Either way, if u look straight far enough, ur body will react accordingly if u noe how to cycle. the prob with most starters is usually always lacking of confidence to look straight far enough.

 

instead of focusing on correcting all ur mistakes here and there, try to learn to be comfortable riding a 90 kg bike as well, try to look far as u build up ur confidence and comfort level as well. everythin will be alright. many of the things are actually quite simple and similar to cycling, if u look far ur body will react better. there shouldnt be too much thinking processes.

Edited May 11, 2013 by guangwei