Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: my first time hasnt happened yet, countersteering, center of gravity

Question
i understand everything you are saying  but i think im going to be a little scared when my first curve comes up ahead  counter-steering or not.   any advise to relieve my being paranoid

Answer
Trick is to not think about it too much at first.

Try this: take your bike (trailer it or have a friend ride it if need be) to a big, open space like a parking lot. Make sure you have lots of room ahead and to the sides, as much as possible. Ride the bike in a straight line, get it up to 15-20 mph, then try pressing forward on the left handlebar and see what happens. Be careful not to let your body interfere: sit straight up, don't move any other control, maintain a steady speed, and press forward on the handlbar, just to see what the bike does. (The bike will lean in that direction.)

Thing is, everybody does this without thinking about it, most people just don't realize they're doing it. On a bicycle, it works the same way, except bicycles are so light and the center of gravity is so high you can't really feel it.

It is important to remember (all you doubting Thomases!) that countersteering does not TURN the bike, it only LEANS the bike. A bike needs to lean to turn, countersteering leans it quickly, and once it's leaned over, the front tire naturally "falls" in that direction. It will actually feel like you're countersteering the whole time (which you are...kinda) because you first give it a press to lean the bike, then the tire falls into the turn and the handlebars fall into the turn--in the direction you think it should--and you actually have to keep pressure on the bar in order to keep the tire from falling in farther!

Again, just don't think about it too much at first. Find a big open space and experiment and see what happens, when no other traffic or curbs are around to distract you from learning your bike.

Pat