Quote:
Originally Posted by redyaris
How does the bike know how much to counter steer?
How does the bike know how hard the wind is pushing it?
At what point does the bike stop countersteering? |
I think Sendler's answers here are already quite good. This might be simpler... maybe:
The bike, of course "knows" nothing, but the whole system functions as a feedback loop.
The bike knowing how much to countersteer and knowing how hard the wind is pushing are interrelated: the sideward component of the crosswind causes a countersteering force: the more the wind force, the greater the countersteering effect. (The bike is designed to do what a rider would otherwise have to do.)
The bike stops countersteering when equilibrium is established. A cross wind from the left causes countersteering to bank the bike to the left. The bank to the left, however causes countersteering (from gravitational effects)* to tend to lift the bike back up to vertical. Equilibrium is established when the two tendencies are balanced.
Obviously, for this to work, the bike has to be well-designed (from this perspective), and the rider has to avoid tensing up and applying a white knuckle grip. There have been bikes that will oscillate (all the way up to tank slappers) at the slightest provocation, so motorcycling handling dynamics are not as simple as they might appear.
* You can see this effect if you straddle a bike and tilt it to the right. The handlebars steer to the right without your input.