Counter Leaning & Counter Steering 

What’s the difference between counter leaning and counter steering? 

Welcome to the controversial world of counter leaning, and counter steering – a.k.a. two very different techniques that, for some reason, confuse even the most seasoned of riders. Specifically for road racing however, the two are very different techniques with very different purposes. One is how you make the bike turn, while the other is how you position your body.  

So, what’s the difference? Let’s start with counter steering 

Counter steering is how you start to turn at speed. Let's explain: to turn left, you will (automatically and most likely without noticing) gently push forward on the left handlebar. Now, many folks will have no clue they do this and, in your brain, you’ll want to say you push the other way. However, by pushing left... you actually cause the front wheel to momentarily steer slightly right (yep, the opposite direction), which makes the motorcycle lean left. Once the bike leans, it naturally turns left. 

One of the biggest misconceptions in motorcycling is that you simply turn the handlebars in the direction you want to go. If we turn right, we go right... right? Sure, at walking pace, but, once you're travelling at speed, motorcycles don't work that way. 

It sounds backwards because, technically, it is; hence, why it's called counter steering. Every road racer uses counter steering, whether they're consciously thinking about it or not. The faster and firmer the steering input, the quicker the bike reaches the desired lean angle.  

Without counter steering, a motorcycle simply won't turn efficiently at speed. 

Right, so what’s counter leaning? 

Counter leaning refers to keeping your upper body more upright or even leaning slightly to the outside of the bike, while the motorcycle leans underneath you. In road racing, this is not what you’d traditionally do. If you’ve ever heard of the terms “crossed up” body position, it’s most likely referring to this. 

Example of "crossed up" body position

Road racers or track day goers need to move their body to the inside of the corner (often called hanging off, knee down, or otherwise) in order to shift the combined centre of gravity inward, allowing the bike to achieve the same cornering speed with less lean angle, preserving tyre grip and ground clearance.  

TL;DR? Leaning the same direction that the bike is to maximise grip at speed. 

Counter leaning is generally only seen in racing during specific situations like standing the bike up earlier on corner exit to maximise drive, managing grip in wet or slippery conditions, making small balance adjustments during low-speed corners or, recovering from an unexpected slide or instability. 

It isn't used as a primary cornering technique because it requires the motorcycle itself to lean further for the same speed, leaving less tyre contact patch available and reducing the safety margin before hard parts touch the track. 

The easiest way to think about it is this: 

Counter steering tells the motorcycle where to go, while body position helps the motorcycle get there as efficiently as possible. 

Why racers usually lean with the bike 

By moving your body to the inside of the corner, you can achieve the same cornering speed while requiring less lean angle - which leaves more tyre contact patch available and more ground clearance. 

The techniques actually work together, not against each other. It's easy to think of counter steering and body position as competing techniques, but they're solving different problems. Counter steering initiates the lean, while body position influences how much lean angle the motorcycle ultimately needs and how effectively the tyres can generate grip. 

Conclusion

Every corner on a race track begins with counter steering. Once the bike is leaning, the body position helps fine-tune balance, grip and speed through the corner. Counter steering is what initiated the turn, while leaning your body to the inside helps the bike corner with less lean angle, more grip and greater ground clearance. Understanding this is a key step in becoming a smoother, faster, and more confident rider. 

April - Track Start Training

Girls On Track Tip:
If you're asking whether you're ready for slicks, you're probably better off spending that money on coaching first. The biggest gains come from the rider, not the tyre.