I don’t spend any time riding cone weave courses. I’ll bet you don’t either beyond the basic cones set up for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s training programs. So when Sargent Wayne Davis, one of the founders of the training program at Countersteer, invited me to attended police motorcycle training in Shelton, Washington at the Washington State Patrol Training Academy’s track, I jumped at the chance.
Wayne got me to try my luck with the cones that were set up to qualify the new motorcycle officers being trained that day. I kept bumping cones, getting too close to them and knocking them over. Wayne watched my ineptitude for a while to see if I could figure out the answer to the puzzle of riding cones cleanly. When he got tired of watching me flail, he pointed out the relationship between the tracks of the front and rear tires and the need to be aware of each tire’s location on the ground when turning or maneuvering and the width of the back end of the bike.
Whoi’s Afraid of Some Little Cones
When maneuvering at slow speeds, the bike will take up more space laterally. Wayne’s pointer was to use the space I had available in the course. To place the front tire at the extreme edges of that space thereby allowing the rear tire to track clear of the obstacle, normally the cone I was required to go around.
Using his advice made riding the cones much easier. It didn’t take long for me to adapt the both ends of the bike. So how does the training apply to the real world?
Recognize you have more space to position the bike than you think. Realize you can maneuver within the entire lane, but be careful not to have the bike lean into the opposite lane. You can also think about where the tires will track over the surface of best traction. Be aware of where your rear tire is on the ground and how wide the back of your bike is. The tire’s not directly under where you sit. It’s a little behind you.
Try bringing the concept of each tires’ ground track to your riding. It may help you avoid hitting something or losing traction.