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0 pointssliverstorm9y ago0 comments

I don't know why it's so much more important in motorcycles- even riders who have ridden bikes for many years like myself benefit from pointed instruction in "press right to go right".

Perhaps because the rake is so much greater, it's not a natural, immediate carryover from bicycles. Or perhaps because the motorcycle is much heavier, handlebar input becomes all the more important, relative to a bicycle you can steer with your body.

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2 comments · 2 top-level

draven9y ago

> even riders who have ridden bikes for many years like myself benefit from pointed instruction in "press right to go right".

I was taught that 2 hours into my training when I prepared for the exam to get my license. I remember my instructor telling me to ride in straight lines and try to gently push the handlebar to the left or right and "see what happens." Then he would make me try the slalom part of the exam.

I sometimes let go of the handlebar (when decelerating and when there's no traffic around me) and it takes a lot more effort to make minor adjustments to the trajectory by shifting my weight only.

CydeWeys9y ago

It's that the motorcycle is much heavier. You need to countersteer first to get the wheels out from under the center of mass of the motorcycle, in order to initiate the lean in the opposite direction. A bicycle is much lighter so you muscle it around more solely by moving your body, which significantly outmasses the bike.

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