


IMHO = in my humble opinion!!







I didn't say there was no value - all I said was that it is very confusing
to newbies. 


Bill, you are kidding yourself here. Firstly, motorcycles do not steer
themselves - only the rider can do that. Secondly, it is the adhesion of the
tyre on the road, the suspension geometry  and the ground clearance of the
 motorcycle which dictate how quickly you can swerve to avoid obstacles, and
not the knowledge of physics between the rider's ears. Are you seriously
suggesting that countersteering knowledge enables you to corner faster
or more competentlY than you could manage otherwise??



Formal training in this country (as far as I am aware) does not include
countersteering theory.  I found out about countersteering about six years ago,
from a physics lecturer who was also a motorcyclist. I didn't believe him
at first when he said I steered my bike to the right to make it turn left,
but I went out and analysed closely what I was doing, and realized he was 
right! It's an interesting bit of knowledge, and I've had a lot of fun since
then telling others about it, who were at first as sceptical as I was. But
that's all it is - an interesting bit of knowledge, and to claim that
it is essential for all bikers to know it, or that you can corner faster
or better as a result, is absurd.

Formal training is in my view absolutely essential if you're going to
be able to ride a bike properly and safely. But by including countersteering
theory in newbie courses we are confusing people unnecessarily, right at
the time when there are *far* more important matters for them to learn.
And that was my original point.