USAG-Miami/USSOUTHCOM Motorcycle Safety Training October 2, 2020

On October 2nd, 2020, a group of 16 active duty military motorcycle enthusiasts took on the challenge of learning to take their two-wheeled machines beyond their normal riding experience and limits at the Homestead Air Reserve Base. They learned new skills to complement their riding abilities by learning the proper techniques for slow speed maneuvering, u-turns and much more building their confidence to ride their motorcycles the way they were designed to be ridden.

The first part of the class taught the group how to use the Friction Zone by executing an exercise called Slow Race. The exercise consists in going in a straight line by using the friction zone while maintaining proper rider/motorcycle coordination.

Next, the Ride Like Pro Miami team coached the riders on the Slow Cone Weave. This exercise required the riders to weave through the cones placed at 14 and 12 feet apart while using what they learned from the first exercise, the use of the friction zone and rear brake and added vision related techniques. The tendency most riders have, as most do, is to look down at the cones as they weave through them. After several runs, the riders were weaving through the cones like pros!

The exercise increased in difficulty by adding a u-turn within a 30 foot squared section of the course. Here, the riders start to combine techniques learned from the previous exercises where friction zone, eye and head coordination and rear brake are key to perform the turn.

Next, the riders were challenged by learning to weave through two sets of cones, parallel with 30 feet separation between cones and offset by 12 feet. This exercise is called the Offset Cone Weave. This exercise is a great way to increase their confidence to lean the motorcycle at slow speeds with proper counter balancing technique, eye/head coordination, rear brake use and overall lose the fear of leaning the motorcycle.

From there, the group went on to practice other exercises using the same techniques. The feedback from the team was great, the skills improvement was very noticeable but even more important, the riders walked away with new skills that are key for surviving the mean streets of South Florida.

We would like to extend a special thanks to the sponsors of the event (and we hope we got all the names and ranks correct!):

• USAG-Miami Safety and Occupational Health Manager:  Mr. Jose R. Melendez
• USAG-Miami – Directorate of Emergency Service (DES):  Mr. Andes Garcia (SUPV. Security Spec.)
• USSOUTHCOM Motorcycle Mentor:  SFC John R. Gutierrez (folks, thank his wonderful wife for the delicious pretzels!!)
• Green Knight Military Motorcycle Club, Chapter 95:  Mr. Todd A. Peach, Mr. Oscar L. Ortiz, Mr. Eddie L. Richardson, & Mr. Jose L. Torres-Cruz
• USSOUTHCOM Commandants Office (COL Alexander C. Murray & 1SG Moises Sotomayor)
• SOCSOUTH Safety Specialist Mr. William “Jody” Baker

Congratulations to all participants: PO2 Sonia Lopez, MAJ Carlos Calderon, SGT Antonio Escandon, CDR Eric Pare, SSG Guillermo Oeding, CW4 Teflon Wint, SFC Norman Vickers, MAJ Craig Zoellner, PO2 Remus Cristobal, LTC Andres Munera, SFC Tracy Zimmerman, MAJ Jesus Raimundi III, SPC David Kesicki, Mr. David Paul, SFC Robert Grubaugh, SFC John R. Gutierrez.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

Couples Therapy – with care…Happy Valentine’s Day!

So you decided on a romantic motorcycle ride with your partner to one of those awesome destinations we enjoy in South Florida. Most motorcycle enthusiasts will opt for that special ride down to the Keys, a cruise up north to West Palm Beach, a quick trip along US27 to Café 27 or some other popular biker restaurant/bar destination. What a great feeling! You grab something to eat with your partner you decide to have a beer or two. Hmm, is that the best choice of beverage to wash down that great burger?

Fact: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes are 2.5 times more likely to have consumed alcohol than passenger vehicle drivers.

Here is where you need to weigh your options and think what 1 or 2 beers can translate to. Some riders think that because of their size, height, or college experience in drinking, they can handle alcohol without a problem and ride a motorcycle. Now, If you want to experience drinking and riding, you don’t even have to drink. Just try this experiment:

– Spin around 10-15 times as fast as you can with your arms out as you probably did when you were a kid. This is guaranteed to get you dizzy!
– Immediately, put your arms out as if you are riding and try to walk a straight line.

How did that feel? Your head and arms lack basic coordination with your body in addition to experiencing difficulties trying to walk straight. Drinking and riding gives you a similar experience. Remember, the motorcycle will go in the direction of your eyesight or where you are looking. So imagine feeling like this riding a motorcycle?

It is also true that everyone’s tolerance for alcohol is different but riding is not the best time to test how much you can drink before feeling tipsy. Remember, not only are you putting yourself at risk but also that special person that is sitting behind you and trusts in your riding skills to get them home safe.

Ride smart, safe and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Setting the tone for 2020: It is all about enhancing your skills

The picture speaks a thousand words. Tim took this picture right before the class started. Any rider that sees this picture can actually guess the weather this time of the year: in the 70’s, sunny and a great day to ride!

This is exactly what Artem, David, Devin, Gilberto, JC, Julian, Martin and Neil experienced on Saturday, January 18. The day could not have been better to learn and enhance your skills without humidity and heat. Many of them have been riding for years but lacked advanced training past their initial motorcycle endorsement class.

Lots of the techniques required for effective and safe motorcycle riding can be perceived as counter intuitive, the reason many students struggle at the beginning. However, practice might or might not make perfection but it sure does enhance your skills.

The Slow Cone Weave is the simplest of exercises in the class and it allows us to assess rider skills:

• Use of friction zone
• Ability to perform full lock turns
• Level of fear to lean the motorcycle
• Proper braking technique for maneuvers (rear brake feathering)
• Head/eye coordination (the motorcycle goes where you are looking!)

As the class progresses throughout the day, you can see how rider skills and confidence increase after 3-4 hours of twisting and turning on their motorcycles.

One of the biggest rewards for us as instructors is to see our students excel in these exercises, knowing that they are going back out to the mean streets of South Florida with skills that can get them out of trouble and avoid injury.

Remember, these skills are perishable. If you don’t practice them you will lose them. Try to practice at least once a month and as a recommendation, take the class at least twice per year, not because you have to learn something new but because we can easily assess if you are using the proper technique and to continue to polish up your motorcycle skills even further.