RE: [ST] Steering Article

["Peckham ." <peckhammer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>In fact a track day I attended (billed as an Advanced Street Riding
>class) taught using the lower body to influence steering.  Hard for me to 
>put
>into words but it went something like "doing the twist" with only your 
>lower
>body while in the saddle.

Influence is not the same as control.

Depending on speed and objective (street vs. racing), you can be quite 
effective with countersteering as your only input.  Remaining very neutral 
(body-wise) with good countersteering will suffice in amost all street 
situations.

Other input, such as peg pressure, does have some effect.  Some of these 
inputs are just round-about ways of countersteering.  Leaning causes the 
frame and front end to move like a hinge -- which is the same action as 
countersteering if you think about it -- although it is not as direct.  If 
you want to have quick and precise results, then countersteering with the 
bars is the best route. IOW, the quickest way to change direction is with 
countersteering.

Arguments can be made for peg pressure.  I am a trials rider and a lot of 
the steering is done with peg pressure.  OTOH, while moving down a track on 
an RS, which I have done, peg pressure with shifting of weight seems to make 
abrupt counter steering less of a need.  I have attended Codes School, as 
well as CLASS (Reg Pridmore). Code is more pure countersteering and Reg is 
more body input.  I have found that a combination of the two approaches is 
actually quite effective depending on the line you choose.

Code and Pridmore have very different lines.  Code likes to go deep into 
corners and give some serious countersteering input.  It works.  I've done 
it like a Code Robot.

Pridmore likes to take shallower lines -- almost like race cars.  This also 
works, and I have done it.  The interesting thing to me was that strong 
countersteering inputs on Pridmore's lines are not effective.  And, I would 
assume that body inputs, sans strong countersteering inputs, on Code's lines 
would be equally ineffective.

>--
Peckham



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