Many times I've observed myself as closely as I can taking a turn. I can't observe any steering in the opposite direction. I start by leaning, then turn into it (if I turn the wheel at all, which I don't unless the turn is very sharp). Maybe I really do steer the other way some imperceptible yet vital amount? This summer I plan to weld a bicycle unsteerable and see what happens when I try to steer solely by leaning as it feels like I generally do.
The welding the bars experiment you are talking about is done in a motorcycle school I once took with Kieth Code (California Superbike School), in order to prove to riders that countersteering is real.
I held an American Pro Superbike racing license in my 20s and countersteering is the only way I ever steered. Here is an experiment - go into a flat and wide open space like a parking lot, ride straight, and then turn to the right hard while keeping straight up and down. Hold the pressure to the right and I promise you will turn left or will initiate a turn to the left. The harder you turn the bars right the quicker the bike will fall left and begin arcing left.
In chicanes on a circuit track you can flip the bike over from one side to the other extremely quickly doing this. I've done this on everything from mountain bike to superbike, the latter being a more pronounced effect.
The only time I don't countersteer is when doing a 180-ish degree turn on a dirtbike, like what is common on an SX course. Also, when doing an extremely slow turn on a sport motorcycle, like what's common in USA motorcycle safety courses. But when moving at speed I always countersteer.
Knowing this phenomenon and using it may save your life.
Countersteering helps initiate that lean more quickly than just organic falling over. It's possible you're exceptionally patient but it's also possible you're just countersteering a little bit to initiative the lean, without noticing it.
Interestingly, I read about this a long time ago and intentionally turn the handlebars the wrong way to initiate the lean. (Not because it's necessary, but because it's weird. Riding your bike can be boring at times.) Very smooth.
It's totally necessary to push the handlebars in the opposite direction to initiate the turn because bikes are not minimal phase systems (at least that's what i remember from control systems).
I've watched it multiple times and I'm not entirely convinced I don't tend to turn in some different way from the average person. One person managed the turn correctly by accident in the video because they'd happened to lean the right way beforehand.
It's easy to see countersteering in action if you have a quiet damp road. Try riding in a straight line and then turning to the right. Then dismount, walk back to where you started your turn, and have a look at your tyre tracks.
How thick are your tires? Initiating the turn requires just the tiniest bit of countersteer on very thin tires, in my unstudied experience. I did the same experiment as you and found it was so subtle as to be basically unnoticeable.
Yeah on a motorcycle leaning doesn’t do anything to engage a turn. “Push the direction you want to go” is what’s drilled into you and also just feels natural.
