{"id":232409,"date":"2024-07-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=232409"},"modified":"2024-07-23T02:49:31","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T02:49:31","slug":"usag-japan-revives-motorcycle-safety-program-to-train-more-riders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=232409","title":{"rendered":"USAG Japan revives motorcycle safety program to train more riders"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Spc. Jim Xiong, assigned to the 311th Military Intelligence Battalion, practices a maneuver during the Basic Rider Course 1 at Yokohama North Dock, Japan, July 19, 2024. U.S. Army Garrison Japan recently restarted its motorcycle safety courses after a yearslong hiatus to train more riders.
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\n Student bikers wait to conduct an exercise during the Basic Rider Course 1 at Yokohama North Dock, Japan, July 19, 2024. U.S. Army Garrison Japan recently restarted its motorcycle safety courses after a yearslong hiatus to train more riders.
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\n Sgt. Michael Barnes, assigned to the 78th Signal Battalion, practices a maneuver during the Basic Rider Course 1 at Yokohama North Dock, Japan, July 19, 2024. U.S. Army Garrison Japan recently restarted its motorcycle safety courses after a yearslong hiatus to train more riders.
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\n Pfc. Dylan Lepper, center, assigned to the 311th Military Intelligence Battalion, goes over hand signals while instructing students during the Basic Rider Course 1 at Yokohama North Dock, Japan, July 19, 2024. U.S. Army Garrison Japan recently restarted its motorcycle safety courses after a yearslong hiatus to train more riders.
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YOKOHAMA NORTH DOCK, Japan \u2013 U.S. Army Garrison Japan recently restarted its motorcycle safety courses here to make it easier for Army personnel to obtain a license and be prepared for when they hit the road in Japan.<\/p>\n

New instructors Staff Sgt. Austin Dennis and Pfc. Dylan Lepper taught nearly 10 riders last week during the two-day Basic Rider Course 1, which also required some online training beforehand.<\/p>\n

Riders must then attend BRC 2, a separate one-day course that provides more complex maneuvering exercises, before they can qualify for a motorcycle license. Both courses are now slated to be held monthly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe teach them everything \u2013 where the clutch is, where the throttle is and how to use them both properly,\u201d Lepper said. \u201cWe make sure that they understand the basics and the physics behind moving the motorcycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, the goal is safety,\u201d he added. \u201cWe want to make sure whoever is on the road follows everything they have to, and they go home safe after every ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dennis and Lepper, assigned to the 78th Signal and 311th Military Intelligence Battalions, respectively, recently graduated from the Rider Coach Course to become certified instructors.<\/p>\n

After a yearslong hiatus, USAG Japan currently has four new instructors to teach Army personnel, who were previously only offered limited slots in courses at Yokohama North Dock that were led by Navy instructors.<\/p>\n

Dennis, who has been riding for about a decade, said he jumped at the chance to help his fellow Army personnel gain confidence in their riding skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people want to learn how to ride but they don\u2019t know how,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a scary thing at first, so it\u2019s nice to be out here and help them learn and get them out there on the roads where they can be safe and have fun at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the final day of BRC 1, both instructors took turns demonstrating maneuvers, such as handling curves, merging into traffic and low-speed techniques, in a vacant lot while the students replicated them.<\/p>\n

\u201cJapan has a lot of tight turns, a lot of very [narrow] roads,\u201d Dennis said, \u201cso these skills are very important in order to make sure that they\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Army spouse Grace Fernandez and other riders practice an exercise during the Basic Rider Course 1 at Yokohama North Dock, Japan, July 19, 2024. U.S. Army Garrison Japan recently restarted its motorcycle safety courses after a yearslong hiatus to train more riders.
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\n Staff Sgt. Austin Dennis, left, assigned to the 78th Signal Battalion, provides instruction to Spc. Jim Xiong, assigned to the 311th Military Intelligence Battalion, during the Basic Rider Course 1 at Yokohama North Dock, Japan, July 19, 2024. U.S. Army Garrison Japan recently restarted its motorcycle safety courses after a yearslong hiatus to train more riders.
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\n Wayne Knutson, who works for the Department of Defense Education Activity, practices a maneuver during the Basic Rider Course 1 at Yokohama North Dock, Japan, July 19, 2024. U.S. Army Garrison Japan recently restarted its motorcycle safety courses after a yearslong hiatus to train more riders.
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Grace Fernandez, an Army spouse, was one of the students during the course. Since she hasn\u2019t ridden a motorcycle for a long time, she said she joined the course to hone her skills so she can ride in Japan.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people should take it,\u201d she said of the course. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to be scared of. I was nervous coming here, but the instructors are really helpful, and they\u2019ll make sure that you\u2019re good [to ride safely].\u201d<\/p>\n

Once Fernandez gets her license, she said she looks forward to riding her bike in Tokyo while enjoying the sensation of wind rushing by her as she drives along the city streets.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know when you\u2019re driving a car and the windows are down and you have the air in your face,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of how it feels like.\u201d<\/p>\n

The course was the first time for Sgt. Michael Barnes, another student who is assigned to the 78th Signal Bn., to ever ride a motorcycle.<\/p>\n

After completing some exercises on a loaner bike, Barnes said the training, along with the required protective gear such as a helmet, gloves, pants and long-sleeved clothing, made him feel more comfortable with riding.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the beginning I was really skeptical about it because it can be a dangerous type of thing,\u201d he said of riding. \u201cBut I can see that the Army is making sure that we can enjoy this hobby as safely as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike with anything in life, there\u2019s a danger to it,\u201d he added. \u201cYou just got to learn how to enjoy life while also being safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lepper, an avid rider for almost 10 years, said motorcycles can also open people up to another lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to always think of it as a different mode of transportation,\u201d he said. \u201cNot a lot of people I know that ride like to be stuck in a car all the time. The freedom of the road and the wind hitting them \u2026 it just opens the sense of being.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lepper said he hopes the courses will attract more students who share a similar interest in riding.<\/p>\n

And while the roads and rules may be a little different from in the United States, Lepper said Japan is a great environment for those new to the hobby.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best place to learn how to ride a motorcycle is Japan,\u201d he said. \u201cThe rules for off-base [driving] are more in favor of motorcyclists and bicyclists.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I would have been able to restart, I would have loved to learn here first because it\u2019s a lot safer and a lot of my anxiety would have gone away.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Editor\u2019s Note: For more information on joining a motorcycle safety course, contact the USAG Japan Safety Office at 263-3768\/5611 or email <\/em>usarmy.zama.id-pacific.mbx.usagj-safety-office@army.mil<\/a><\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Class dates are also posted on the USAG Japan SharePoint, for those with access, at <\/em>https:\/\/armyeitaas.sharepoint-mil.us\/sites\/IMCOM-ID-P-USAG-Japan\/SitePages\/Safety.aspx<\/a><\/em>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Related links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. Army Garrison Japan news<\/a><\/p>\n

USAG Japan official website<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Spc. Jim Xiong, assigned to the 311th Military Intelligence Battalion, practices a maneuver during the Basic Rider Course 1 at Yokohama North Dock, Japan, July 19, 2024. U.S. Army Garrison Japan recently restarted its motorcycle safety courses after a yearslong hiatus to train more riders. (Photo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232411,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-232409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=232409"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":232419,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232409\/revisions\/232419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/232411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=232409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=232409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=232409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}