Avoid This Common STEERING Mistake 

Push a little quicker!!!! Slow steering is a big cause of riders having to make corrections past the midway point of the turn and crash. MotoJitsu.com

80mph in a 45, through a curve, one handed, while having an eloquent conversation. The man is an animal.

I always like learning, and I admit that when I clicked on your video I didn't think I had this issue...then I went riding today, and even though it was sometimes and subtle I'm guilty as charged! Thanks for what you do, constant and never ending improvement!

I was an MSF Instructor for 10 years and have been riding for 50 years and I can't tell you how much I enjoy your educational process. 👍

I have actually done that when I had started and I knew I had been to slow on the counter steering. I always review my mistakes. I use what I've learned in my courses and your vids, also by my driving experiences with standards. I'll take the curve again and push harder and presto. 🤨

Love your videos. Watching that brings back a lot of memories of mistakes, bad habits and long lessons learned. I'm starting back riding again after a 24yr absence, I'm not a newbie but need advanced training. You're vids are spot on, excellent and really help, thank you for all the time and effort you put into your work to help, encourage and inspire all riders at all stages, very much appreciated!

Just took advantage of our great weather and practiced in my favorite parking lots and put 33miles on my Vespa! Need to get my GoPro so I can share my slowwwwwww raccccceeeee. 😄 Thanks, Greg!

Thanks man ! I have your app and I do the practices in a parking lot every Sunday . This video made me think a lot about my own counter-steering , so much so , that I had to comment . Thanks for all the content . I have taken a basic rider course this season and I am going to take advanced course next season . Thanks so much for everything !!

One of THE most useful videos for me, and I expect for many other older returning riders who never even heard of counter steering and never even thought about how exactly they do steer the bike. The video on not going to fast into a corner was great, but this should be titled "What do if if you DO end up going too fast" and I think is just as important for someone like me. Going deeper into how the controls affect motorcyling makes us all safer, and your videos are doing a great job in that regard. Thank you for posting, and I will get your app for sure.

I feel like I do this fine until speeds get faster. I don’t know wtf is wrong with me but I’m always going slower in turns than I would in a car. I just struggle with knowing how fast I can safely enter a turn I guess idk. Like I know this is the opposite of most people but I have no issue with super tight parking lot Slow speed turns and lean etc but at higher speeds suddenly I find it harder or I’m less sure of my capability

Most of what I know about riding comes from you, your books and the books you suggested Greg... ofcourse, I read more and took a course, but I leant so much from you. Thank you Sensei

When I first starting riding (k1200 LT, crazy right?) I didnt understand counter steering; I'd shift my weight, alter my butt position and it was never enjoyable. Actually frightining. One day, a motorcycle instructor told me ti imagine balancing a broom on my hand. If I wanted to move it left, I'd first have to move my hand to the right. A light bulb went off and now I understood. Riding was much more enjoyable and fun!

I've just finished the chapter about line selection in "Total control" and you made this video - perfect 👌

One of your best explanations yet Jarhead. Keep it up Greg

I was scared for a while learning my sportbike through the corners, your channel helped alot. This particular video nailed exactly what mistake I was doing and now I steer counter steer more at the start and find myself smoothly entering and exiting the corners. Thank you!

Any videos or tips about night riding? I don't ride at night usually, but it would be a good skill to have.

Cheers for the tips, remember doing this a lot when I was new to riding. Also bro that fog looked so sick, love riding through areas like that.

I just picked up a xr650l and this is the first thing I started working on. It's a tall, top heavy bike, counter steering is the most important thing , and knowing a 50/50 tire is not into the asphalt like a sport bike tire. The tires are the big learning curve

When you use the term "corner" I always think of a 90 degree turn in town, at a stop sign or light. That would be the corner of a city block. Most of the time you mean a turn or a curve in the road.

I’ve noticed I make this mistake. I’m very new to riding (< 2months) and I think it is due to my unfamiliarity with how the bike is supposed to handle a turn. Trust the physics. If I take the turn too shallow, better to trail brake than jerkingly apply more lean angle anyway.

Dear sir, I do exactly the mistake you just explained. And I don't know why I ride better on the right turn than the left. On left turn, I always need to correct my trajectories and feel unsafe because I start to go internally. I fear to accelerate and the bike stand up. I've just ride 2500km in 8 days in Morocco (mountains road , I'd many opportunities to improve that weakness without success) . For the moment I only achieved the white belt. I will try the blue one once I'm back home. And will definitely needs tracks courses.

Try riding in Maine with all the potholes, 1-3” wide spider cracks in the road, pounded out and rutted pavement by big trucks, many bridges, railroad crossings, random corners out of nowhere, hilly… Pretty much need a dual sport bike just to traverse our back roads. Not to mention all the sand from winter and trails of dirt, mud, and rocks at gravel pit entrances/exits. You don’t want to lean much in many of the roads I ride. I treat most paved roads like dirt or gravel roads up here. In the cities I can have more fun as the roads are better and usually cleaner.

Thanks, I think it would have been more obvious if you would have shown it in narrow curves. Those curves are too wide. I wanted also to ask you if you could make a video about the importance of the tire pressure to lean the bike. Maybe with demonstration. In my opinion, this is under estimated topic.

That was a very important tip to remember, which also helps a lot to have your hands relaxed in the turn!!!

I often find myself over-leaning thru a turn. I guess I'm overzealous and pushing too quickly and too much.

GPS..Nice to Have That Heads Up!!

While I've been riding for years and I like your content. I just heard you say the first half of the turn is when you should have your bike leaned and quickly I might add. But last night it was you should be turning in late into the turn and that people are turning too early out of fear of going wide but this makes them go wide ... I dunno. Seems confusing.

The goal goal is to get off the edge of the tire you get through coutersteering leaning so you can accelerate out of there. That's the whole point. Set up for exist, if your entry or mid point hurt your exit, then you're messed up.

Hey Moto, this has been one of the 3 Motorcycle riding Technics I have had a Dickens of a time trying understand, and, impliment. 1.) Counter steering. 2.) Rev matching. 3.) Trail braking. I have tried to "get them", yet, no success to the mess!🥺😵🤐🏍️. Is there some other way, or, place I can get some help with this matter? Doug

never owned a street bike but kinda want to. had a mini bike but that was ..... 30 yrs ago. any way this broke my brain a bit. so i assume its gyroscopic effects from the front wheel that make it lean opposite. i kinda get that but what if the rear end steps out? wouldn't you need to counter steer, but that would make it lean more, and turn harder making it worse? but if you turn in to stand up the bike wouldn't that make the front end turn harder and also make it worse?

I'm loving these short specific instructional vids 👍🤘😁

I came to educate myself yet I can't take my eyes of how beautiful nature is... Damn. Gotta rewatch the video.

I took a left in a two lane intersection / road, passed the half way point leaning hard while taking a wide turn as not to cut the corner and hit the vehicle next to me. I leaned too much like a dirt biker and hit my cage on the GS-A and it slid out from under me. I probably would of been okay if I was on a narrower liter bike or naked bike.

Ok here is a question on counter-steering vs parking lot steering. In the transition speed where speed ,I think over 20mph, if you are close to that speed say 25, a car turns left….and you need to swerve, if you don’t look at your speedometer, how do you know which steering method to choose? If I were to push right, with my right hand and pull with my left hand a bit hard and jerky like to “quickly” steer left, I could move the bike to the right and drive into the vehicle vs steer away from them. How do I know when nearing the transition speed between car steering vs counter steering, which method is correct BEFORE moving the handle bars? That’s something I don’t see ANY INSTRUCTOR addressing, for that matter at any speed. Is there a point where at say highway speeds and you swerve to avoid an animal darting out in front of you where emergency steering requires car steering logic with hard effort against inertia vs hard counter steering ? Say deer (yeah the Tali-Bambi suicide deer again) darts right to left and I can swerve right to cut behind deer, say 60mph on a 2 lane straightaway, to swerve quickly requires fast possibly considerable strength to quickly swerve the bike right, again, at speed, which steering instinct do I choose? Car steering or counter steering? Basically for emergency avoidance where steering the bike at slow or freeway speeds avoids a collision, which steering method or logic should a rider choose when below counter steering speed vs above it? Car steering for all emergency swerves or counter steering?

Damn so much great advice thanks man keep up the great videos subbed!

Would the same apply to a scooter? I find countersteering difficult while holding onto the handlebars and keeping the throttle open.

I haven't started riding but Greg is my idol.

At the middle of the corner to lean more you need to counter steer? Arent you gona lose controll of front wheel?

Hi! We can say that's a combination of steering + leaning the bike together at a specific speed. You will learn by experience how much you can turn the bike at the specific speed with that specific bike. And beginners doesn't know that yet. That's why they must slow way down to their comfort level at the each corner if they don't wanna crash. Peace! 😎

Learn trail braking and delayed apexes and you won't have to compensate past the half way point in a turn.

I always get scared leaning, i never got over it ever, ever since my first riding days.

Outstanding content. Thanks very much

Unless, unless!, it’s a decreasing radius turn. Usually you will see chevron signs indicating you’re in this kind of turn.

thanks for the video 😎 just bough your app and can't wait to start practice ♥

Thank you for helping me improve every day i ride

so counter steer until required lean angle achieved then let off most of the bar pressure and let the front wheel do its thing, or actively hold pressure the entire time you're leaned? which way is correct?

What bike is this?

Nice bike. Which one you are riding?

What we are witnessing is a master at work.

Thank you sir. 🎉

It's hard just thinking about doing it .

Them are hardly corners !!!😮

This is extremely common with my friends and they don't know they are steering too slow

I feel attacked 😂 seriously though I catch myself slow steering from time to time

Your eye line is higher than that perspex world warping wind shield, I hope.

Ahah! Maybe that’s my problem. Thanks

A other great tip. Found myself doing needing to lean more on the turn now I know why . Thanks

For the spyder model bikes, does the counter steering work? I don't have one and anyone who has one please make a comment, thanks

Would you look at footage of me taking a turn if I post it on here and give feedback or is that not something you have time for? I get it if not

This fcuks me up every time, I noticed.. gonna practice this! Thought it would come naturally after 2 months of riding.. guess it does not. 😒

just like jazz smoooth is good

Anyone else watching for the speed limit signs while watching his speedometer?😂 I want to get this good,where I can take a turn going 20 mph above the speed limit😁

This is not rocket science, anybody that has ridden even a bicycle over 20 mph has figured this out.

Sometimes you can't see the whole turn. You think it's shallow but it's actually a horseshoe. Bad news.

I kinda disagree with how this is being presented. Counter steering is really unnecessary if you are riding faster than 10-12 mph. What most are doing is banking or body steering meaning they are just leaning into the curve matching the angle of the bike to achieve a turn maneuver. Counter steering is pushing the handle bars to achieve a turn such as a left or right turn at slow speed or from a stop at a light. You can also counter steer by leaning away from the angle of the bike and thereby pushing down on the handle bar towards the lean to achieve the same thing which is a bit more stable at slower speeds. This can also be done at higher speeds as well but is not really necessary if you bank properly. I actually prefer banking / body steering on curves as the preferred maneuver. It’s more smooth and fluid. Counter steering can be choppy and erratic as you are pushing down on the handle bars (either left or right) which puts extra weight on the front end and therefore you feel the bumps and potholes in more dramatic fashion. Sports bike riders often wreck at high-speeds because they get in the bad habit of relying exclusively on counter steering when they should be banking especially in long drawn out curves because they place too much weight on the front end and forget to bank before it’s too late. This is often misdiagnosed as target fixation but they can go hand in hand as well. Sport bikes are much more responsive and touchy to steering maneuvers and it’s easy to fall into that habit. My brother-in-law drag raced professionally for years at Watkins Glenn and Merritville and explained this when I first started riding. MSF courses place a great deal of emphasis on counter steering at slower speeds because many times the riders are newbies all together.

How do I turn this video off, what do you know about common errors......I hope you don't hurt somebody with your confusing lessons....if you can even call them that.

seven minutes of lean lean lean lean lean lean lean you do not lean a motorcycle, you STEER it by pushing on the grip - paying attention to how much you are leaning is nothing but a distraction - if your pegs scrape you were TURNING too fast/hard for your speed leaning is the result of steering, the bike leans just as much as it needs for your STEERING input - not more - not less focus on what is important, taking curves on the outside - inside - outside line and STEER your bike to keep it on the line always LOOK where you want the motorbike to go and hold your line smoothly, that is the only thing that matters

Another typical motojitsu video that makes no sense. Going wide and having to make a correction in the middle of a turn doesn't necessarily mean you didn't turn quickly enough. It doesn't matter how quickly you turn if you don't have the right lean angle. Obviously, you need to turn in quickly enough to be able to get to the right lean angle but how quickly that is is dependent on the turn and speed. Just saying "turn quicker" is stupid.

This is what I do. I'm a new rider, only about 200 miles under my belt. I rode with friends last weekend and they said that I was very "upright" through my turns and taking them cautiously slow. I knew about the slow part, but I didn't know what that actually looked like from their perspective! So thinking back to this ride, now I understand that I am just "getting away with" a turn being cautious, making multiple small "corrections" and not leaning the bike. Thanks for this! I hope to work on this this weekend!

This is where the term "deliberate" on the inputs is actually more useful (in many cases) than "smooth"... Lots of people get the idea that "smooth" means gently, and that simply isn't the case. You've got to get those inputs where you want them fairly quickly, but it can still be done smoothly. What you don't want is shoving it way too much and then yanking it back to over-compensate, and all kinds of littler adjustments back and forth until you're input forces on a graphic display is just all over the place... You WANT nice smooth, slightly slanted "square waves"... SO be "deliberate" in your actions. Time the push for engaging counter-steer appropriately, and then get the bike over to the appropriate angle to make the turn at the speed you've selected, and your eyes and nose pointed where you want to go, looking as far through the corner as you can. Scanning back is okay a LITTLE for surface hazards and holes and what-not, but the FOCUS should be through the turn... AND yes, it is important that you WORK YOUR WAY UP in pace, getting braver in small manageable measures as you get comfortable with the controls and settle into trusting your bike over time. ANYWAYS, just my two cents... I hope it helps make sense of things. I hope it helps SOMEBODY, anybody... ;o)

Bardzo fajne, wartościowe filmy instruktażowe. Miło się słucha i ogląda.

Wanted to thank you for this video. I've been riding now about 2 years and maybe about 11,000 miles roughly. I think you nailed one of the issues I've been trying to figure out. I'm simply not pushing hard or fast enough in curves. I also find I have a very tough time with things I think should be easy, like turning right from one road onto another road at a slow speed. Also, the "pulling" technique on the handlebar to turn is also eye-opening for me. I went out riding today and played around with that as well.

Damn, he is speeding at 125KM all the while taking risky curves with one hand and giving tutorial! Respect!

30 years of experience and just got back to it after a 10 year hiatus... Just realized how much I've forgotten or how much I've never really understood about riding! The internet can be a powerful tool if used wisely ;-) Thanks Eddy!

All this comes down to one simple rule: If you want to go fast in the twisties, you need to know them. If you need to know them, you must have ridden them before. Ride sensible your first go-around, if you want to party, do it on a route you know by heart, at least. Never try to max a corner on your first rodeo. D'uh!

Great video man, really rewarding applying correct techniques to one's riding and being aware of the improvements. Makes you a safer, confident and faster rider. Top work, keep it up!!

Thanks again for all the visual instruction. I learn something every time I watch your videos and then I learn more when I re-watch. The proof is in the doing though. Gotta practice.

Excellent Videos and advices as always. Could you please make a video with 180 degrees twistees? Hill up or Hill down, like the famous passes (Stelvio, Gotthard etc)

After watching the vid 3 times I'm still confused... i must be a different breed of stupid

I'm from Germany and don't speek englisch so well. As I understood you want to correct the leaning angle with counter steering but recognize, that you get in trouble if you counter more. Then you have to reduce the speed with the back break.

My BMW connected app reads that I lean 23%. Is that because I'm "chicken"?

It feels scary though when you lean more… so therefore I make correction during corners… it super difficult for me to lean more as it scares me…

Once again a Great teaching! Thanks

I know this road... when I was learning I came out there to practice

so weird question, do you continue to counter-steer all the way through the turn or just into the turn to just get the lean angle?

Having had to correct mid-corner adding lean just this morning on my commute this is a well timed video! Granted, I was deliberately wide due to avoiding a bunch of leaves, but I still messed up.

Hey your awesome thanks

I do it without thinking about it

i swear he is at 80 kmh

How can i push assertively if i ride a road i ve never riden before? What if there is a blind turn that tightens in the exit? I am not being judgemental....i just want to learn.

These roads look fun

If you come upon an unexpected pothole you better know how to aggressively push left or right because if you're just leaning, you will hit the pothole. It's also necessary once you've avoided the pothole, to push left or right to resume your previous line of travel .Be quick.

I just wonder what the guy in the car behind is thinking…

just bought a 24' mt07 and without your videos, id probably be down 9k right about now.

Great video as usual. Dont let canyonchasers see this one haha. Think He's made a couple of videos slagging off 'Keith Code california superbike school' for their 'Quick flick turn' giving the impression their saying...blast down the strait then jab...yank...snap the bars super fast to make the turn. Their not saying that. Their just saying like you...that you have to turn the bars quicker when going deeper in to faster sharper turns. & they do say in their book to time it with the brakes to the slowest point in the turn...& that fast longer turns don't need it.

recently i've been looking at more and more vids regarding countersteering and realised the next time out on my bike i've been doing it all my life naturally since my days cycling and cycle racing, lol, but what i did get here is the importance to start earlier in the corner, and looking back, when i have got into the odd spot of trouble it was due to improper planning and late reactions, or going too fast & occasionally braking late when i shouldnt have, luckily i havent been spat off in such situation yet. when you do it right it makes the job so much easier, so thanks for the vid, and i need to get this into my psyche. GL

Great content thank you. Here in thhe UK we have some funky roads that don't follow expected lines. If you enter a corner where it requires minor input and then suddenly curves faster then of course you need to adjust don't you? Or am I just not that good in corners!

Love it. My bikes apart now for upgrades. But I’ll practice my moves on my bicycle. Actively lean on entry!

This was the best explanation on countersteering I have seen so far

Thank you so much ,very useful.I’m not a good rider,but I keep learning for becoming better .Peace and love 🙏