Military sport bike course available on post

By Fort Campbell Safety OfficeMarch 5, 2010

Military sport bike course available on post
Capt. Nicholas Manghelli, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, and Sgt. 1st Class Willie Nettles, Clarksville, Tenn. Army recruiter, take to the multiple curves course at Fort Campbell. They were part of the inaugural Military Sports Bike Course, ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

The Military Sport Bike Rider Course (MSRC) hosted by the Installation Safety Office, Fort Campbell is offered to Soldiers and DA civilians.

The daylong course is currently offered every other Wednesday at 6470 53rd St. and Wickham Avenue. The next class is slated for March 10.

Participants must register for the course in advance. Registration for the training is through the Army IMCOM Registration System, (AIRS) at https://airs.lmi.org/default.aspx.

The first MSRC was conducted on post April 15, 2009. Since that time there have been 270 seats offered and 31 Soldiers that have completed the training.

The one-day MSRC provides specialized training dedicated to military sport bike riders and focused on critical skill sets and decision making, both critical when riding high-powered sport motorcycles.

"This course is the next level for riders who have high performance motorcycles," said Lonnie Scott, manager of the Army Traffic Safety Training Program. "The training gives riders an understanding of what they have, how to ride it and reminds them that a lot of self-assessment and skill reserve is required when they're out there on the streets."

According to Scott, the course is for riders who have already completed the Basic (BRC) or Experienced Rider Course (ERC), have some 'time in the saddle' and are comfortable with their sport bike.

"We're asking them to work a little harder on the range as far as the skills they have to demonstrate," said Scott. "Generally, the speeds are going to be 5 to 10 mph higher on the range and the lean angles are going to be a little bit steeper."

Students who attended the MSRC spent approximately three hours conducting classroom training and interactive exercises that covered several topics including body positioning, cornering, braking and swerving and reinforcing issues such as risk assessment, offsetting risks and executing good judgment.

Following the classroom portion of the course, students complete four hours of range riding to hone their skills and assess their abilities.

"The biggest thing the course teaches is to be critical about the way you ride and continually self-assess your skills," said Scott.

Students will be challenged on the range with a variety of exercises including performing quick-stops and evading, learning curve control and adjustments, braking while leaned over, cornering and swerving and negotiating multiple and decreasing radius curves.

"Some of the scenarios are different from what riders have seen before," said Scott. "Instead of just teaching them how to brake, we have an exercise where we brake and evade. Instead of just a curve, we do a decreasing radius curve, which is beyond the scope of a BRC/ERC and is the next step up."

The course provides learning activities that directly address the unique operational characteristics of sport bikes and improves the safety awareness of riders.

"If you want knowledge about something you read about it. If you want to understand something, then you experience it," said Scott. "That's what this course is - having the experience under the control and guidelines of instructors who have the background and the same shared interest."

The MSRC is not mandatory for all Soldiers who ride sport bikes, but is currently being offered through the Army Traffic Safety Training Program with Cape Fox Professional Service providing the contracted instructors.

Related Links:

IMCOM news on army.mil

Army Traffic Safety Training Program