Originally Posted by
unterhausen
It's interesting that this thread concerns motorcycles so much. They are heavy and steering is changed significantly by that. You don't need to consciously countersteer with a bike because it does it itself. I will go so far as to wonder if doing it consciously is counterproductive.
I'm pretty convinced the physics of turning motorcycles is identical to that of turning bicycles, be they crit geometry, stage race, loaded tourers, MTBs, audax or whatever. Same for teeny kid bikes.
I think (and in my experience commuting 10 mo/year on a 550 cc while a Chicagoan), it is rather hard to steer a motorcycle routinely without countersteering.. For one thing, the throttle is spring-loaded and snaps shut when you try to no-hand it. For another, you weigh between 20% and 50% of a 1970s Japanese motorcycle, and you weigh between 10 times and 25 times what your bicycle does. Your weight shifting for curve initiation has that much more leverage on a bicycle that on a motorcycle. Hand counter steering is about the only practical way to turn a motorcycle - with a deliberate counter steer for a smooth corner, or a sharp forceful countersteer for an emergency situation.