Motorcycle safety courses offered at Kirtland

  • Published
  • By Ryan Stark
  • Nucleus writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  With the warmer weather comes the return of riding season for Kirtland motorcycle enthusiasts, which is why Kirtland Air Force Base Riders program is offering Motorcycle Safety Foundation-certified classes.

The MSF courses satisfy the Department of Defense requirements for driving a motorcycle at Kirtland. And the beginners' course fills a state requirement for riders to have a motorcycle endorsement on their drivers' licenses.

Steven Dobbs, traffic and motorcycle safety specialist at the 377th Air Base Wing's safety office, said the courses are important for new and experienced riders.

"You are always learning," he said. "Experienced riders might have picked up some bad habits that need to be corrected. Riders always come out of the refresher course commenting on how they learned something new or had forgotten something."

The courses are beginning, intermediate and advanced form and are free for anyone with base access. Active-duty Airmen have first priority and others are admitted on a space-available basis.

The courses have classroom instruction and exercises using the motorcycles on a closed driving range.

A basic rider course for beginners and those needing a refresher will be April 17-19. The classroom session on Friday, April 17, will go from noon to 4 p.m. and the weekend classes will be on the range and go from 7 a.m. to noon.

That course will also be offered in June, August, September and October.

The intermediate course, called Basic Rider Course II, is a one-day class. It will be offered on April 11 from noon to 5 p.m. The course will be offered again in May, July, September and October.

The Advanced Rider Course/Military Sport-bike Rider Course is for experienced riders. The one-day, eight-hour course will be this Saturday starting at 8 a.m.

It will be offered again in May, June, July, August and September.

"You can never totally get rid of the risk of riding a motorcycle," Dobbs said. "But by taking motorcycle safety courses, you can lessen the risk while riding."

While most participants probably have their own bikes, there are six "loaner" motorcycles available for riders in the beginners' class on a first-come, first-served basis.

Participants in the intermediate and advanced riding classes must have their own motorcycles.

For more information or to sign up for an upcoming course, visit sites.google.com/site/kafbriders/home or call 846-4227.