Those effing offset cones

[aimee]

Hello all

So, learning to ride a motorcycle is a little trickier than I had thought (it must be my advanced age, heh).

Primarily, I'm having problems with the offset cones bit of the Basic Handling Skills. You know, where one has a range of cones which are quite close together, and one has to weave through them at low speeds?

What strategies have you found worked for getting around them successfully? How did you learn to do them?

I'm hoping the answers will be useful not only for me, but for other n00bs too, so please go into detail where you can :P

[oneofsix]

This seems flippant but without details on your issue I feel the reply should be counter steering.

[Maha]

Use your head...by that I mean....by turning your head the way you want/need the bike to go, it will help correct the wrong doing.
Learners and newbies alike, should exaggerate this method through every corner/bend...soon enough, it will become second nature and the effects will be noticed rather quickly.
You will be amazed at how smooth you and your bike can actually go through a corner.
Counter steering (I personally believe) happens naturally when leaning/looking through the corner/bend.
Its called Geometry.

[aimee]

This seems flippant but without details on your issue I feel the reply should be counter steering.

Thanks, oneofsix. I didn't go into too much detail as I thought it might be useful for people to offer a range of advice, so that the thread is then useful to people with a range of cone-related issues

Could you go into a bit more detail, please? My understanding of countersteering is that it doesn't really work with very tight cornering at very low speeds, which is what the offset cones in the BHS test are all about.

[oneofsix]

Thanks, oneofsix. I didn't go into too much detail as I thought it might be useful for people to offer a range of advice, so that the thread is then useful to people with a range of cone-related issues

Could you go into a bit more detail, please? My understanding of countersteering is that it doesn't really work with very tight cornering at very low speeds, which is what the offset cones in the BHS test are all about.

I can understand why you would get that impression but really counter-steering will lean the bike in at any speed. I too have trouble at low speed where it would seem more 'normal' to steer through the corner. Also dragging the rear brake will pull you into the corner. One of the hard things is not to panic as the bike leans and don't grab too much throttle on the exit.

I know some people have posted blogs on this sort of stuff whereas I am working from memory of my own BHS days, when the cones were T-Rex legs and a basic ACC course I did last year.

Did you take one of the BHS training courses or are you self training?

When you get your 6L keep an eye out for the Wellington slow paced rides which have been aimed at the novice rider to gain some road experienced.

[bogan]

Start on a pushbike?

[Gremlin]

Yeah, if the cones are tight, then it's likely counter steering won't be useful, given that it comes into effect around 30-40kph.

Essentially, you need practise on the core skills (and what the BHS is). Riding in a straight line at walking speed or less, learning to control and balance the bike at low speeds. The skills also stay with you and are useful in every day riding.

Do remember that you go where you look, so don't look at the cone, look at where you want to be. If doing a tight u-turn, head up, looking through the turn.

[george formby]

Sounds like you should talk to my girlfriend... She has just got on the road & we ride cones a lot.

Slow, tight turns require you to keep the engine revs up but at the same time control the speed of the bike. You can keep the revs up by slipping the clutch a little, a better way is to use the rear brake. A little braking will keep the bike at a constant speed or slow the acceleration but with enough revs to avoid stalling. Initially it may be easier to use the clutch & rear brake when you practice until you develop the feel for it. Through your series of turns you can ride at fairly constant revs, increasing rear brake pressure to help you turn- the bike will start to tip as you slow- releasing brake pressure to allow the bike to accelerate & stand up out of the turn. You can still roll on & off the throttle but you need to stop the bike from stalling.
As mentioned, look where you want to go, not just your eyes, your whole head. The moment you look into the turn the bike will start too turn.
Do not look at the front wheel, keep your head up.
Practice the rear brake & clutch control in a straight line. Adjust your speed using the rear brake to get a feel for it. Same as the slow ride in the test.
Stay relaxed in the turn, let your hips move around. At slow speeds counter steering loses it effect but weighting the inside footrest can help turn the bike too, inside footrest to enter the turn, outside footrest to stand it up again. You can combine this with your head turn & moving left or right slightly in the seat, hence the loose hips
Think where you want to be in the slalom, you need to make each turn the same & control your speed so that you do not end up running out of space or going to slowly.
Cut some tennis balls in half & go find an empty car park to practice in.

[Banditbandit]

Hi Amiee

The biggest hint I can give you for riding the tight cones slowly is to lean out - push the bike down to corner but lean your body slightly the other way - this will make the bike turn tighter around slow corners. (The angle of the bike plus the angle the other way of your body will equal the angle of a normal lean, but the bike will turn easily ...)

Practice this at lower speeds around a carpark where there are no cones ... once you get the hang of it have a go at the cones.

This is a bit like an extreme version of counter-steering in that you are pushing down on the handlebars to make the bike lean ...

[Maha]

Chicks dig corners....

[george formby]

Hi Amiee

The biggest hint I can give you for riding the tight cones slowly is to lean out - push the bike down to corner but lean your body slightly the other way - this will make the bike turn tighter around slow corners. (The angle of the bike plus gthe anglethe other way of your body will equal the angle of a normal lean, but the bike will turn easily ...

Practice this at lower speeds around a carpark where there are no cones ... once you get the hang of it have a go at the cones.

This is a bit like an extreme version of counter-steering in that you are pushing down on the handlebars to make the bike lean ...

T'is true, you push the bike down wit yer hips to increase the lean. Be aware of how the dynamics between you & the handle bars change as you lean further out. Leaning out acts as a counterbalance to the bike & it feels very stable. You must be nice & relaxed to do it smoothly.

[george formby]

Chicks dig corners....

Oh, thank you. That was very, um, hard to concentrate on. What was she talking about?

[rastuscat]

Hi Amiee

The biggest hint I can give you for riding the tight cones slowly is to lean out - push the bike down to corner but lean your body slightly the other way - this will make the bike turn tighter around slow corners. (The angle of the bike plus gthe anglethe other way of your body will equal the angle of a normal lean, but the bike will turn easily ...

Practice this at lower speeds around a carpark where there are no cones ... once you get the hang of it have a go at the cones.

This is a bit like an extreme version of counter-steering in that you are pushing down on the handlebars to make the bike lean ...

Press your inside knee hard against the bike, and it will tend to follow the opposite direction from which your knee is pressing. Its surprising how much your weight can control the bike. Try this.......ride along slowly while standing up, then lift one foot. The bike will react quite strongly, demonstrating how much effect your body position can have.

Dip the bike. Trail the rear brake, and remember to keep your head up. Remember to keep the revs up, coz nothing lies a bike down quite as well as a stalled motor.

DONT LOOK DOWN AT WHERE YOUR FRONT WHEEL IS.............keep your head up, and turned toward where you want to go.

We do this when we are doing our Popo motorcycle rodeo training. It sorts the men out from the boys. Anyone can point a bike in a straight line and do 200kmh/, it takes skill to do cone work at slow speed.

We do full lock figure eights on our heffer-lump troll bikes, coz each end of the figure eight reminds us of donuts.

[george formby]

While you are doing this, imagine your bike is a horse. Press your outside knee hard against the bike, and it will tend to follow the direction your knee is pressing.

Dip the bike. Trail the rear brake, and remember to keep your head up. Remember to keep the revs up, coz nothing lies a bike down quite as well as a stalled motor.

DONT LOOK DOWN AT WHERE YOUR FRONT WHEEL IS.............keep your head up, and turned toward where you want to go.

We do this when we are doing our Popo motorcycle rodeo training. It sorts the men out from the boys. Anyone can point a bike in a straight line and do 200kmh/, it takes skill to do cone work at slow speed.

We can do full lock figure eights, coz each end of the figure eight reminds us of donuts.

Strawberry cones with sprinkles?

Yer right about slow speed training, bloody hard work for something which is so slow.

[rastuscat]

Strawberry cones with sprinkles?

Yer right about slow speed training, bloody hard work for something which is so slow.

It toasts ya coz it's physically hard, but doing days of it on end is mentally draining. The concentration required is a bastard. Makes ya wanna drink beer.

Doh !!