Almost since the time motorcycles were first made, enthusiasts have pondered the question–what action actually turns a motorcycle? Some say it’s leaning your body, while others contend it’s turning the handlebars. Finally, someone has a definitive answer:

This long-debated topic is a serious matter, says a recent article in Popular Mechanics. Investigations that reconstruct accidents found that in incidents involving obstacles, most riders do not even try to steer away–an action that could have been life-saving. According to the article, this is largely because many riders are getting downright contradictory information about their bike’s steering function and are thus more likely to get confused and panic in emergency situations.

Keith Code, a prominent motorcycle riding instructor and founder of the well-regarded California Superbike School, has finally provided a clear answer to his long-debated question. He recently built a No Body Steering Bike (No B.S. Bike) which shows that only steering (yup, steering, NOT body steering or leaning) actually causes a motorcycle to turn.

Code first delved into the basics of counter steering, studying a wide range of material from the Wright brothers’ work on counter steering and tandem-wheel vehicles to studies conducted by Honda Motor Co. in the 1970s. He then built the No B.S. Bike based on the midsize ZX 6R Kawasaki. He firmly affixed an extra set of handlebars to the frame above the standard bars. Then he mounted a second, working throttle to the extra bar assembly, thereby enabling riders to keep speed constant while holding the bars.

Every single one of the more than 100 riders who have tried their body steering or leaning methods on the bike have reached the same undeniable conclusion–body steering/leaning does NOT turn a motorcycle. To steer a bike, you actually have to steer it.

Source:

Steer Gear
Cliff Gromer
Popular Mechanics, February 24, 2005
www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/motor_cycles/1268501.html