Push-lt-Under Solution
So what about the push-it-under-you problem? Pivot steering
solves it. When pushing off from the outside peg, you rather automatically
go with the bike. Pivot steering answers the reason behind push-it-understeering
as well. In the push-it-under scenario, the rider simply didn't have
a stable pivot point and was attempting to use his own body mass for
stability. Steering the bike in this fashion is like trying to push something
away from you while in the water: You have no pivot point, so you move
away from the object as much as making it move away from you: which is
a great description of the push-it-under style. The push-it-under style also
makes riders visibly tense-up different muscles in an attempt to become
more stable, and they get more tired as a result. Do you see this?
Steering Advantages
Even if you have your knees firmly clamped on the tank, your legs
pressed tightly to the side-panels, your gut and forearms on the tank, your
butt up against the seat-back and seat base, both feet solidly on the pegs
and a death grip on the bars, you can't get nearly the stability or the power
of using only the outside peg and pivot steering. Pivot steering puts you in
complete harmony with machine design and dynamics and adds a stability
to steering you never had before. Take some time working this out: It
seems a little strange at first.
Note: Choppers and cruisers, or any other motorcycles with
footpegs located far forward of the seat, will not respond to this steering
technique. The peg location makes it impossible to use the outside peg as
an efficient pivot point.
When and Where
You have to retrain yourself to steer this way. I found that in two
street rides, about two-and-a-half hours time, it became "automatically" the
way I steered the bike. On the other hand, I tested this out on a street rider
who is about a three (on a scale of 1-10) and we rode for 90 minutes,
generally working on steering and this as well. He was just beginning to
get it right, although still in an awkward way. in about one turn out of 20!
I had trouble understanding why he couldn't do it until I realized
that pivot steering is actually, for lack of a better term, double
backwards. Not only is it counter-steering, but pivoted from the opposite
side of the bike as well. In addition to this, the fact that you can put so
much more power into the bars made him nervous: He was simply afraid to
turn the bike that quickly. You really do have to abandon all of the "I lean to
turn" habits and thinking to make this work.
All The Points
Each of the 13 pivot points and their combinations are useful. The
undersides of most 500cc GP riders* sleeves are dirty from contacting the
tanks, during and after steering. Often, aluminum parts are shiny from
heavy contact with the inside of the rider's boots. Knee and thigh contact
points are routinely smudged and the sticky-backed foam padding on
racing seats takes abuse from this same process of holding on to the bike
both for relaxing on it (as covered before) and for steering (as covered
here). Gloves stretch, palms blister, etc., etc. Using pivot steering will free
you up to use the other pivot points efficiently and correctly.
Drill
Before practicing this, first go out and find what pivot points you are
now using. Then, while mastering pivot steering, go back now and then
to the pivot points you were using before and compare the two results.
You might also notice that steering the bike to the right is different than to
the left and it's because of the throttle action. You may find yourself both
pulling and pushing to go right whereas you'll only need to push for the
left-handers. But it doesn't make any difference; this steering technology
still works better.
What do you think we should call it? Criss-Cross-Steering? You are
going across the body like an X for the pivot/steer action. Center-Steering?
You do steer more from the Center-of-Mass of the bike. New Steering? It is
a new technique. I call it pivot steering because you move from a definite
and stable pivot point. But call it what you like, it's the missing link in crisp,
efficient, high performance counter-steering, and it works