New motorcycle course being evaluated here

Commander, Navy Installation Command traffic and recreation safety specialists from BMT Designers and Planners, who were instrumental in the course development, held the first SERC class last Wednesday and Thursday here. The new course is currently in the evaluation stage and the results of each SERC class will be carefully analyzed by MSF as the last step of validation before its official release later this year.

"This new course takes riders who have had some practical riding experience, are endorsed and ride a motorcycle on a frequent basis and brings them in to give them another set of tools to use. The initial training and experienced courses we offer are really about low speed maneuverability, basic turning and general braking principles,"

explained Carl Bennett, traffic and recreational safety specialist for BMT Designers and Planners. "SERC takes it to another level where you start separating each piece of a riding skill, working it individually. Participants focus on one task, put it back together and get a different feel of it. Then we break into discussions about some of the dynamics of motorcycling."

"This course shows riders there is so much more to learn. After riding for a long time, you get really comfortable with it. But when you take a different look at what you are doing, the clarification of how much more there is to learn becomes so clear," he added. "Sometimes you don't get a second chance on the road. This course gives riders the chance to look for other options and ways to avoid a situation, increase safety margins and gives them a better understanding of the risks around them and how to manage that risk."

The new course was developed for motorcyclists who have completed a MSF Basic Rider Course (BRC) or Experienced Rider Course (ERC). The SERC was developed as a step towards fulfilling the MSF vision of lifelong learning. It is designed to enhance riders' existing skills in braking and cornering through an increased awareness of traction, as well as risk awareness, acceptance and management, providing an excellent "tool box" for all riders.

This goes well beyond the BRC and ERC rudimentary concepts of simple progressive braking and outside-inside-outside corners. Braking exercises in the new course are developed to help the rider see exactly how each brake contributes to stopping the motorcycle singularly and then in tandem, and other exercises develop skills for braking in emergency situations. Cornering exercises build cornering proficiency using advanced techniques that will become indispensable to riders by giving them choices that will ultimately make their cornering safer and more efficient.

Riding a motorcycle is all about traction management. The better a rider understands how technique affects the physics and dynamics of the motorcycle, the better that rider can manage traction. The SERC contributes to that understanding through a series of "roadside discussions" and on-bike exercises held on the motorcycle training range. Participants can expect to do a lot of riding during the course, somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20 miles. That's a lot of time in motion on a training range. All that riding time gives participants the opportunity to become comfortable in the techniques presented in the course.

"I'm really enjoying this new course. It's very informative," stated AEC(AW) George Kondos Jr. of Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, who has been riding motorcycles for 22 years. "I've always wanted to learn how to take corners while riding my bike and this class is giving me the skills to be able to do that. It's a great class overall. I'm learning how to take curves and it's teaching us the braking skills we need."

If you are interested in participating in the SERC, you must meet several prerequisites. You must hold a valid state motorcycle endorsement, as well as having a base decal on your bike. The SERC is not a license waiver course, meaning that if you need a motorcycle endorsement, you must first get your endorsement through testing at the Department of Motor Vehicles or successfully complete the BRC or ERC. The bike you use in the course must also be your own.

The SERC is well suited for any style of bike, from sport bikes to touring bikes. Individual coaching will be directed to riders of each style of motorcycle to ensure everyone comes away with a useable array of tools. The most important thing to bring to the course is a desire to vastly improve your riding skills and be ready to have a challenging, fun day on your bike.

If you are interested in participating in the SERC or have questions about it, please call Carl Bennett at 542-6406 or Glenn Picklesimer at 542-5722. Safety officers or motorcycle coordinators from individual commands who would like to schedule the course as a command training event or safety stand down, are also welcome to call. To sign-up for a BRC or ERC, call the base safety office at 542-3082.