Modern Vespa

Hey anybody have any tips on how to do the cone weave on the Motorcycle Driving test.

In my state its 5 cones 10 feet apart. I keep practicing but man is it hard. Am I missing something?? I do this and feel like a dork. I have a pretty good handle on all the other stuff on the test but; those cones are just hard...

Tips please!!!!!!!!!!!!

Three things.

One:Look at where you want to be, not the cone.

Two, Throttle control: too fast or too slow and you will not make it.

Three, Countersteer: If you try and turn the handlebars, you will not turn fast enough.

Four: Fanatical devotion to the Pope

Four! Four things!

Apply throttle against the rear brake and that will allow you to control your slow speed better, instead of depending on the automatic clutch. Ditto on look ahead at where you want to go, not at the cones.

when i use to ski race we always had to look to our path ahead. this works in just about anything like this, with cars, bikes, etc. just make sure you are planning your path, you shouldn't be looking at what you're doing or will have done, but what you are going to do.

From "Ride like a pro" click here for help with the "slow cone weave"
Http://www.ridelikeapro.com/html/practice/Slow_Cone_Weave.htm Click on the practice guide tab at top once you're there.
You might want to check his other practice guides while you're there.
Good luck....the weave I personally love!

I didn't expect that

Practice ...find a construction zone and have a go at it.

(Come on, I know everyone here has had the urge to do it before, it is as fun as it looks)

When accessing "Ride Like a Pro" the diagram has 6 cones...you'll be facing the 5 cone set up. By the way, I "killed" a cone during my Test...but still passed.

1. You're suppose to align yourself with the first offset cone (2nd cone).
2. Focus on the last cone (this may be difficult)...at least focus on third cone...~ 4' above the cone...do not look down!
3. Do not use your front brake...use your rear brake and throttle...this is called "dragging the rear brake" and will keep you upright and undercontrol. I usually keep my right hand off the right brake lever in a turn and as soon as the wheel is straight I cover.
4. When you start off "dip" (tear drop) slightly away from the first cone (I believe your first dip will start left) and enter the slot early...don't go midline and enter...you'll shorten your turn radius and have a harder time on the come back. Go on to next slot and dip and turn handle bar...repeat. This is a slow directional turn /rhytmic exercise.

Note:

This is not a speed exercise...controlled throttle / brake control.

If it helps, practice with cones that are slightly further apart and not offset.

Get someone to stand at the end of the cone weave and focus on their chest / eyes..make sure they're a safe distance from the last cone.

In reality you're actually thru three slots...the last one is simply the exit slot.

Good Luck!

We have something similar in OZ with the cone weave. Our cones have 4m spacing with a 0.6m offset and the instructors make you do it going 5-10km/h - well mine did anyway.

The best advice I got was the 'high idle' like what TB and NightWing described. I also cut tennis balls in half instead of cones (cheaper and easier to carry) to practice on in an empty car park. Also if you have the patience sitting in traffic going to work every day doing 5km/h really helped my slow speed manoeuvring.

Don't look down. Look LONG.

Apply rear brake and keep the throttle out of the dead zone.

Countersteer.

Practice, practice, practice.

I hate cones. I either rock them, or I totally suck. There's no in-between.

The Maryland riding test cone weave is pretty easy compared to many others... the cones are arrayed in a straight line instead of being offset, and they use short cones that you don't need to worry about hitting when you lean.

Just do as others have suggested here (looking through rather than down, countersteering rather than turning the handlebars, etc.) while practicing in a parking lot with tennis balls cut in half or the orange plastic sports field markers (low cones) that you can buy a stack of for less than $10 at a sporting goods store. It will very quickly become intuitive and reduced to "muscle memory".

In the Cailf circle test, same thing, countersteer?

I found the only thing that gave me confidence was alot of practising. I went to empty parking lots and put down markers to practise driving around. I just used lids from water bottles since i dont own cones... but I did do teh dork thing and measure them apart the right amount.

I did this for a couple hours the night before my test and it helped alot.

Yes, and it is a lot of throttle control, too fast and you spin out of the circle, and too slow you will dive into the center of the circle.

I went to the DMV parking lot to practice on the exact course and brought my own cones.

That site has good advice. Three peices of advice. 1) Practice by finding a parking lot and going as slow as you can without having to put your feet down. 2.) Once you have that, then slalom the bike more and more. 3.) Relax, enjoy it and find the groove. Once you do those, you'll find out you can go much slower than you ever thought you could with complete control in a small space.

There is plenty of good advice here.

I believe you are talking about the slow cone weave.

My suggestion is to always look to the middle beyond the next cone.

You have to break and throttle at the same time

Try not to ride too close to the cones because you will hit it with the back wheel. At the same time, try not to be too far away from the cones because you won't be able to make the next turn.

Break and throttle at the same time and find the distance that works for you. Once you see it works at about 18 inches outside the cones, you can always measure with your eye

This exercise was the easiest for me for some reason after my instructor told me to break and give gas... causing slow controlled steering

Good luck!

btfan2...when all is said an done...you'll pass the Road Test.

If I may recommend, continue to practice the skills that you will need on the road:

1. Using your head and eyes on turns
2. Braking technique / throttle control for slow turns and sudden stops and stop and go's
3. Directional steering (slow tight turns) and counter steering (you can use at low speed turns but @ ~15 - 20 mph you'll feel the effect of countersteering)

We have a abandoned parking lot near a Community College that we use to practice and I try to go out routinely to practice.

Also pull down the Scooter specific manual "You and Your Scooter", lots of exercises in the back.

https://modernvespa.com/forum/topic3862

I bought my GTS 250 last Oct, got my learners permit and then went down 3 months later and passed it on the first try without having even seen the course before. The keys are:

Before you go, you want to feel like you have already mastered your scooter.
Practice slow speed riding and turning in an empty parking lot.
Learn how to quickly lean into a curve.
Get very familiar with throttle control and braking.

When you take the test:
Relax and take a couple of deep breaths. If you don't pass, nothing really bad is going to happen. It will be much harder if you are tense. If it feels like fun, you are in good shape.
Look where you want to go and don't get fixated on the cones.

I have been practicing for the test. I went out today did the cones again along with turning and u turns all the usual stuff. I think its is a matter of feeling comfortable with the scoot. I was much better today then yesterday. (I still couldn't pass) I will work on it for a couple weeks, then I'm going on vacation. i hope to try for my lic early Aug, so by then with the scooter gods and practice I may be ok.

Otherwise, just practice more and take it again.

Thanks for the tips..

1. Since you are teaching yourself, start with the cones 20 feet apart and get used to weaving. Then bring them to 15 feet and go through and then down to 10 feet. That will give you the feel for making the weaves.
2. Look where you want the scooter to go. Just before you get to the first cone you should already be looking past the second cone.
3. You need a little speed to get through the cones; not a lot, but you can't be going too slow either. You should be going fast enough where you have good balance on the scooter to control it comfortably.
4. Push with your left hand on the handlebars to go left. Push with your right hand on the handlebars to go right. I know it doesn't make sense, but it works.
5. Practice, practice, practice. Take your cones and your scooter to an empty parking lot and have some fun.

Like anything else in life, you should be able to master it with a little practice. Good luck!

the best way to learn all the mechanics of riding is to take a MSF class. they really do a good job and covers proper braking , corning, throttle control, street riding situations and , and , and . Then when you get out on the roads you'll have a much better time riding and not thinking so hard about what you are doing.

+eleventy billion on the MSF course. Nothing on the test will be at all difficult after taking the class. Come to think of it, you won't have to take the test (in most states)!

My wife and I both passed NH's test, which uses the offset cone weave, a few days after buying the scooter with no previous riding experience at all,* so it's really not that difficult at all.

In addition to the good advice above, I recommend getting comfortable with leaning and NOT trying to go through the cones too slowly. A bit of speed helps you get a rhythm going.

*note: I do NOT recommend this, which was foolish on our part. Once we took the MSF course we realized how terribly little we know and how poorly we were prepared.

A strong +1 on taking the MSF course.  It will not only help you get your license, but will make you a better, safer rider.  And that will let enjoy riding more. YMMV, but when I took the MSF course, I found getting a rhythm was key to getting through the cone weave.  With the excellent hands-on instruction I had gotten, though, it came easily. 

In Cali, if you take the MSF, you get your cert without the test. I hear you do it during the class, as well as more advanced maneuvers.

I would take the MSF if I could be sure I would not get called by work...

(which is why I am posting at 9:30 PM on a Friday... somebody broke a machine)

Yup, the rear brake application works like magic, avoids that jerky stop and go situation.
Good luck