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Now that the riding season is coming to an end for many of us in the North East, (except for those hard core, crazy canuks!) I hope to spend the winter months this year talking about things that many riders already know, but some may not. I fully realize that I will NEVER have the panache that Cowpuc had, (but I also will never have the beak that man had) I will do my best to impart the wisdom I have gained from over 50 years of riding in the dirt and on the street. I also must give credit to an article I read in of all places a woman's motorcycle enthusiast forum called MOTORESS. Here is a link to the actual article which goes into great depth about the physics of counter steering a motorcycle. I have also attached a pic of the actual movements to counter steer a motorcycle from another article. Here is the link: https://www.motoress.com/ride/rider/push-steering-a-motorcycle/ Now that I have given credit to MOTORESS and insulted the once Patriarch of our forum, let's move on to the "meat and potatoes" of my topic! Because I started riding dirt bikes at a fairly early age, I learned about counter steering on the dirt track. I learned very early on that if you rode your dirt bike like you were on the street, you would never be able to make the tight turns that you need to ride on the track. It just can't be done. I practiced "Push Left to go Left" and "Push Right to go Right" for hours on end until it was muscle memory to me. When I became old enough to ride on the street, (which was 15 years and 8 months old in my state) I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this same element that worked on the track also works on the pavement as well. At this time I would like to mention that this technique only works on two wheeled vehicles. It WILL NOT work on a trike, a bike with a side car or a Can Am Spider or a Slingshot. Two wheeled motorcycles, (and bicycles oddly enough) are the only vehicles that can be counter steered. To cut to the chase, so to speak, and skip all of the techno babble about why it works, counter steering basically interrupts the gyroscopic inertia that makes your bike want to "stand up" even in a turn because of the spinning front wheel, like a gyroscope. My suggestion is to take your bike to a deserted parking lot and practice the push right to go right, push left to go left technique. You can start out at a relatively low speed and try to "swerve" your bike as if you were dodging a ball that has rolled out into the street. After a day or two of this practice, and once you have FELT the reaction of your bike when you use this technique, find a sweeper right or left turn road in the 35mph to 45mph range and apply the push right to go right, push left to go left technique. (I personally find it harder to do a left turn than a right turn for some reason, but that's just me! So I started with the right turn first, Just an FYI here) The object is to set up the speed of your bike and the attack angle in advance of the turn just like you would if you were going to use the "Leaning Method" of turning, but instead use the "Push Method". By the way, many riders refer to Counter Steering as "Push Steering". In the "Old Days" we called it Counter Steering. You can call it anything you like. I would also like to mention that this technique takes some time to acquire. You will need to Teach yourself to Push the handle bars to make a turn instead of Pulling on the handle bars to make a turn. It takes some practice. One of the benefits of counter steering through a turn is it reduces the chances of the rear tire loosing it's grip on the pavement, and wiping out the bike and rider. Not to mention your turns will come much easier with a reduced amount of effort, and it reduces your reaction time in case you need to swerve right then left to avoid multiple obstacles! As with ALL things NEW, there will be an element of FEAR involved! This is natural. (And some of us thrive on the fear!) If you are the kind of rider that does not like to get out of their comfort zone while riding, then I highly suggest that you start out in the parking lot environment for an extended period of time until you feel comfortable with the Push Steering method. There is no set time for you to master this advanced riding skill. The rewards you will gain from having this valuable riding skill will serve you well, and may just save your life in the future! As always, questions and comments are welcome, if you have used the Counter Steering technique to avoid some trouble while riding in the past, please feel free to share your experience. If you would rather ask me a question about this topic in private, please feel free to PM me. And finally, Puckster, I hope I did you proud buddy, we all miss you a bunch! (And YOU know what they say about a guy with a BIG nose!) This pic is the proper Counter Steering Method. Earl

When I was working I got up at 03:00. I guess 06:30 is sleeping in. Getting old doesn't bother me. Not everyone gets to experience it. 👨‍🦯