Annual Motorcycle Safety Ride opens doors for mentorship

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kyle Johnson
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The Green Knights Military Motorcycle Club hosted the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Motorcycle Safety Ride May 26.

As part of resiliency day, the ride provides an opportunity for new and experienced riders alike to hone their skills and develop mentoring relationships.

"It's a whole [crowd] of different riders," said Senior Airman Anthony "Rocky" Burton, 3rd Maintenance Squadron, aircraft structural maintenance technician, and president of the Green Knights. "We've got guys who've been on bikes for 30-plus years and guys who've been on bikes for a week and a half. That's the whole point of the event, to make sure the guy with 30 plus years of experience helps the guy that just got his license last week - and vice versa, there's something that the guy who got his license last week can teach the more experienced riders too."

For some, this would be their first major ride ever.

"I think it's a great way to bring the community together," said Danielle Pineiro. Pineiro and her husband - who's in the Air Force - just got their motorcycle licenses and purchased their bikes the day before the ride. "My husband just met someone from the off-roading group so we might be able to go out and do what these dual-sports are designed to do."

Learning to ride a motorcycle can feel like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire - and can be just as dangerous. By establishing mentor-relationships, the Green Knights - and base leadership - hope to reduce these risks.

"Our goal of the Green Knights is to educate and mentor young and seasoned writers so they have a safe and effective season wherever they go," Burton said. "So the purpose of this event is to make sure these riders know the dangers of riding in Alaska. Beyond that, we're making sure they have the skills they need and know how to react in certain situations. We want to prevent as many accidents as possible for military riders because we like to go out and enjoy our weekends like anybody else. If a military rider goes down, that's more than them not being able to go to work. That affects the mission."

By 8 a.m. more than 100 motorcycles had gathered in a JBER-Richardson parking lot and riders began the process of registration and vehicle inspection.

"During registration we'll identify who each rider is and what unit they're with," Burton said. "We'll also be inspecting each individual rider's bike very thoroughly to make sure the bike itself is mechanically sound. We're putting very strong focus on the pre-ride inspection this year."

The pre-ride inspection was nothing short of extensive. Riders didn't check their own bikes but their neighbor's, and the checklist covered virtually every functional part of the motorcycle, from hoses to tires, Burton said.

After everyone's bikes checked out, riders spent about two hours performing a skill assessment for licensed motorcycle safety representatives who had offered to help.

"A lot of people have new motorcycles so they don't know how quickly they can stop," said Dan "Havoc" Coffey, Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor and member of the Alaska Veterans Motorcycle Club. "That's a life-saving skill and we're going to practice it. Also, single-vehicle motorcycle accidents happen in corners because we don't know how to take corners. It's not intuitive; you have to be taught how to take a proper corner. We're going to practice that today as well."

After the skills assessment and meeting other riders, the group headed out to Palmer for lunch, courtesy of the Black Sheep Harley Davidsons for Christ motorcycle club.

"The road to Palmer takes the Old Glenn. The Old Glenn is a beautiful ride," Burton said. "It also offers a lot of opportunity to put to work what you've learned and test your skills."

A large number of motorcycle groups turned up to support the event. They understand a passion for motorcycles, but they also understand the risks involved. Contact your unit motorcycle safety representative, find a mentor, and ride safe.