Navy and Marines requiring Sportbike training

[ScottyUSN]

Dept of the Navy issued the fatality numbers in an all hands email which included an online survey to be filled out by active duty as well as DoD employees.

It's a DoN multiphase effort. MSF/Sport rider course/Command bike clubs "mentoring".

Requirments for MSF and the Sport rider courses are not being met by our host Air Force base. Navy personnel as well as civilians

such as myself are organizing to take care of our own. We will have Navy teach Navy, not relying on the host base for the course and dates needed to met DON standards.

The CNO as directed commander to allow and support command endorsed bike clubs to met and ride to including during working hours.

The intent is something of a mentoring program. I'm a contractor so I have not taken part in that "yet"

Many factors are being looked at for the increase in fatalities, some of which include. More interest in bikes due to fuel cost.

Bike owners becoming infectious "my friends have bikes, I want one to".

Dealing with a high stress enviroment while deployed requires adjustments when returning state side.

The additional income from being tax free, added pro pay, etc. More toys are being purchased.

Finding an adrenaline fix in a calmer Conus enviroment being found on a bike?

And of course, the same traits that make a good war fighter... The fear factor is just not the same as general population.

Pushing the envelope is the norm, and without the proper training this can/will be deadly.

I have a less than adernaline rushing ride. My Wee-strom 650 serves it's purpose. Yesterday I took a short test ride on an FJR.

That was the first time I've ever been on a sports bike. I was grinning ear to ear, and can easily see myself in my 20's.. "hell today in my 40's"

cracking the throttle to get my fix, or put a few cars in my rearview.

 

[dhalen32]

There is no pratical with this course as with the MSF. SO, they get nothing but classroom instruction about late apexing, front brake control, low speed handling.
A friend of mine is going through the MSF instructor Cert process right now and told me about this class last week. He doesn't know if or how they will implement a practical for this course. Hard to teach some one proper cornering/leaning on a piece of paper.

BUT, this a step in the right direction I guess. Next step will be to reserve a track somewhere for the day and give them a good Lvl 1&2 Kieth Code condenced course on how to handle, corner and brake these machines.

Mojave:

You or your friend must have misunderstood. The MSRC has both a classroom and a practical component. Three hours in the classroom and four hours on the range.

MSF's classroom-only courses include: Group Riding, Riding Straight, Seasoned Rider.

MSF's classroom/practical courses include: Basic Rider Course, Military Sportbike Rider Course

MSF's practical-only courses include: Experienced Rider Course Suite (Three variations with some classroom-like discussions during break times)

MSF courses in development: On Road Course (Guided ride on the street, about 4 hours in increasingly complex/dense traffic mix) and a civilian version of the MSRC currently being called ERC II

Dave

 

[MojaveFJR]

Mojave:You or your friend must have misunderstood. The MSRC has both a classroom and a practical component. Three hours in the classroom and four hours on the range.

MSF's classroom-only courses include: Group Riding, Riding Straight, Seasoned Rider.

MSF's classroom/practical courses include: Basic Rider Course, Military Sportbike Rider Course

MSF's practical-only courses include: Experienced Rider Course Suite (Three variations with some classroom-like discussions during break times)

MSF courses in development: On Road Course (Guided ride on the street, about 4 hours in increasingly complex/dense traffic mix) and a civilian version of the MSRC currently being called ERC II

Dave

He told me they just taught the sport bike section a couple of weeks ago, all classroom, no range time. I straight up asked him how they were going to teach late apexing in a parking lot. Answer was, "they weren't. all classroom". You would need some serious range space in order to teach someone how to ride a sportbike properly in cornering as well as brake and throttle control. Working those items in a parking lot or one of the smaller MSF ranges just isn't going to fly. You would actually, IMO, need to take them to a track. How else are you really suppose to watch/train them on how to corner/brake/accelerate these machines.

I have a MSF lead instructor in my building for the AF. Will track him down today and pose these questions to him. Will attend the sportbike course and eval for myself. Guess that will be the only way to truly judge this. Of course people will wonder what an FJR is doing at the sportbike course until they see the mother of all sportbikes draggin pegs.

Either way it is nice the Military is doing something in the education way instead attempting to get their people off motorcycles period.

 

[dhalen32]

Mojave:You or your friend must have misunderstood. The MSRC has both a classroom and a practical component. Three hours in the classroom and four hours on the range.

MSF's classroom-only courses include: Group Riding, Riding Straight, Seasoned Rider.

MSF's classroom/practical courses include: Basic Rider Course, Military Sportbike Rider Course

MSF's practical-only courses include: Experienced Rider Course Suite (Three variations with some classroom-like discussions during break times)

MSF courses in development: On Road Course (Guided ride on the street, about 4 hours in increasingly complex/dense traffic mix) and a civilian version of the MSRC currently being called ERC II

Dave

He told me they just taught the sport bike section a couple of weeks ago, all classroom, no range time. I straight up asked him how they were going to teach late apexing in a parking lot. Answer was, "they weren't. all classroom". You would need some serious range space in order to teach someone how to ride a sportbike properly in cornering as well as brake and throttle control. Working those items in a parking lot or one of the smaller MSF ranges just isn't going to fly. You would actually, IMO, need to take them to a track. How else are you really suppose to watch/train them on how to corner/brake/accelerate these machines.

I have a MSF lead instructor in my building for the AF. Will track him down today and pose these questions to him. Will attend the sportbike course and eval for myself. Guess that will be the only way to truly judge this. Of course people will wonder what an FJR is doing at the sportbike course until they see the mother of all sportbikes draggin pegs.

Either way it is nice the Military is doing something in the education way instead attempting to get their people off motorcycles period.

Mojave:

The AF has not yet signed up for this new MSF course. I heard they had their own from Frank Kelley at the Safety Center in Albuquerque. Perhaps that is what your friend is being trained in.

Since I have not been trained yet I cannot comment intelligently on your comments about space. As I have said before I was trained on the SERC course that was killed by the Lee Parks' threat of a suit. We were able to get up a fair amount of speed on a full sized range during that training and were told that no smaller "adjusted" ranges could be used. The class also was limited to no more than 8 students. I imagine this new course is similar.

I agree that it is good that the military has taken this approach to the sportbike fatalities rather than an outright ban. Let us know what you find out after talking to the MSF Lead Instructor. Thanks!

Dave

 

[Ordrock]

There was a requirement for us Marines back in the early 80’s to take the Motorcycle Rider Safety Course, back in the 70's we didn't need the course. This all came about after a Grunt was killed back on the east coast. It seems as though this Marine was riding a crotch rocket at an excessive speed, when a June bug went through his eye killing him before he hit the ground. We had to start wearing full face with shield or open helmets with goggles or ASME approved safety glasses. The bulls eye target super reflective vests came later. I think that part was just a way for the "powers to be" on the base could identify a Marine while off the base.

The course was paid for by the Corps. After 12 years with the Marine Corps, I transferred over to the Air Farce after a few years seperation. It seems when the Air Farce goes to the field they stay in the Hilton, the field in the “Suck” means that you’ll be sleeping on a rubber bitch, and not feather pillows.

Anywho, while training up for a forward deployment to the desert in 2006 I was stationed at Travis AFB. While there the safety department offered a Motorcycle safety course for those of us who rode motorcycles. In order to ride on base it was a requirement. I was just at the DMV here in Oregon to register a classic 1976 Honda CB750F Supersport for my son; I was told that if a rider takes the class, then the rider wouldn’t have to take the written or riding test in order to get his endorsement.

So some good things come out of the course. I work for the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Army offers this class free of charge to our civilian employees. All the offered classes from basic to advanced.

Semper Fi

Oh yeah Happy Birthday

 

[dragonchef]

....and us civilian pukes get to take the MSF courses on the clock....no better day than riding my bike and gettin paid.....