Key takeaways:
- Motorcycles can only be steered through countersteering, not by turning the handlebars like a car.
- Body steering and weight shifting are ineffective for initiating turns.
- Leaning causes motorcycles to turn by creating a cone shape with the tires.
- Countersteering harder and using tires with a steeper shoulder profile can enable tighter turns.
# Myth 1: Normal Steering
You cannot normal steer a motorcycle because such a thing doesn't exist. There is only one type of steering and that's counter steering - slow, fast, at every speed a motorcycle must first steer one way to turn the other.
The video demonstrates through a handlebar lock experiment that trying to steer a motorcycle like a car by turning the bars in the desired direction is impossible. Countersteering, where the bars are briefly turned opposite the desired direction to initiate a lean, is the only way to change direction.
# Myth 2: Body Steering
I'm not saying you can't body steer, I'm saying you shouldn't because by physical necessity it's slow.
While minor weight shifts and body positioning can make small steering adjustments at low speeds, significant body steering is ineffective and self-cancelling due to the conservation of momentum. The video shows that exaggerated body movements have little impact on turning.
# The Real Reason Motorcycles Turn
Leaning is not turning. The real reason motorcycles turn is that they come onto the sloped area of their tires...a leaned motorcycle is Rolling On A Cone and we all know a rolled cone will trace a corner.
When countersteered into a lean, the motorcycle tires form a cone shape due to their rounded profile. This cone shape causes the motorcycle to naturally trace a curved path, with the shorter inside radius traveling a tighter circle than the longer outside radius.
# Increasing Cornering Ability
Don't worry about normal steering, don't worry about body steering, just counter steer harder. It's not unheard of for Racers to bend their handle bars counter steering into a turn.
To corner tighter and faster, countersteering harder is key. The video also recommends tires with a steeper shoulder profile like the Pirelli Diablo Rosso 4 for sportbikes or Dunlop Mutant for adventure bikes, as this creates a sharper cone angle for tighter turning.
Summary for: Youtube