Countersteer is the term used to describe the initial input required to turn a motorcycle. Though logic would seem to dictate that one turns the handlebars in the direction one wants to go, physics requires that the turn actually begin by pushing in the opposite direction in order to lean the bike first. A motorcycle or any two-wheeled vehicle must lean in order to turn.

Trained motorcyclists think of the concept as "push left--go left" or "push right--go right." The faster the bike is traveling, the more essential countersteering becomes.

A panicked turn of the handlebars in an unexpectedly deep curve, or to dodge an object in the rider's path, is probably responsible for more serious motorcyle accidents than any other mistake.

Countersteer is a counter-intuitive but essential concept for safe motorcycling.