[GreyZephyr]

Counter steering tips the bike into a corner. Some form of lateral force from the front tire and gravity from the lean angle are responsible for the bike turning. In modern racing the limit on the speed you can carry through a corner is the force between the tire and the road surface. This is proportional to the size of the contact patch between the tire and the road.

Modern traction control systems have recently surpassed humans in being able to maintain a maximum amount of power to the rear wheel without making it spin out. Previously more lean usually ment a shorter line through a corner but was balanced by the need for accurate throttle control, leading to the rider being tucked in close to the bike with one knee down. With the new systems the aim has become to stand the bike up again as quickly as possible to maximize the contact patch allowing the traction control to put more power through the back wheel and accelerate the bike faster. This has changed the entire style of riding for professional racers, leading them to hang further out from the bike often touching both elbow and knee to the ground, to try and maintain the same center of gravity of the bike and rider but with the bike in a more upright position creating a larger contact patch and allowing the traction control to accelerate harder.

[LandR]

I wasn't aware motorbike racing allowed the use of traction control.

I know as a fan of F1, that fans generally look down on traction control, is that the same in motorbike racing?

Does MotoGp use traction control systems?

[vr46]

Until the last couple of years, the manufacturers all used their own electronics, but now all the bikes must use Magneti Marelli electronics and must figure out how to use those APIs to control spin and throttle. Last season, Yamaha couldn't get this right with its chassis, and its riders couldn't make the tyres last the race with decent grip.

[GreyZephyr]

Yes, MotoGP allows traction control. Like all technical innovations it has led to a change in riders priorities and skills. Some people dislike it, but overall it's not accepted I'd say. Personally I've found it interesting to watch riders adapt there riding style to the new technology.

[jeroen]

Yes, MotoGP uses traction control. I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't really care. Like F1, it's a prototype class, so results are a combination of the rider and the machine.