[Goatlocker95]

In case you haven't see it yet...

OPNAVINST 5200.12J was released 26 June 2012.

Civilians are no longer required to have an MSF course to ride on base. You do have to have a motorcycle license, endorsement or permit however. "Sailors" still have the same 3 year training requirement. I'm not sure why they used the term "Sailors" instead of "military personnel" (used other places and in the previous instruction). My guess would be so that the Marines and other services that ride on a Navy base are still covered by their respective service but that is just a guess.

The other big change is in the area of protective gear. The previous instruction recommended that you wear bright colors during the day and required reflective garments at night. The new instruction states

Riders and passengers shall wear a long sleeved shirt or jacket, long trousers, and full-fingered gloves or mittens designed for use on a motorcycle. Motorcycle jackets constructed of abrasion resistant materials such as leather, kevlar, and or cordura and containing impact-absorbing padding are highly recommended. To enhance the ability of other vehicle operators to see and avoid motorcyclists, outer garments constructed of brightly colored, fluorescent or reflective materials are highly recommended.

Also helmets can be ECE Standard 22-05 or British Standard 6658 as well as DOT FMVSS 218 and Snell Standard M2005.

 

[Tims_04V92TC]

I was glad to see the change conforming to other branches for us retiree's making sticker replacement less hassle now and was also glad to see that they did leave the BRC/ERC courses available to us on a standby base should we wish to take them.

I actually had the gate gaurd tell me it's no longer mandatory to wear my reflective vest coming on base at night. I thanked him for being up to speed on changes in the instruction but I will continue to use my vest after dark and on the ride home in the A.M. during rush traffic. Just seen a cager push a bike into the next lane not seeing him passing on the right and I really believe visability had alot to do with it since blue NWU's can reduce your visability even more. Of course had the cager did a PROPER lane change, it wouldnt have happend either....

Anyway, thanks for posting Goatlocker!cheers

 

[ammo_umb]

Hey Goat,
They made the same change for AF Civs too. It's kind of good because it gets more riders on the base and open a lot of parking spots. When full rules were in effect many of the people that are riding on base now refused to ride because they didn't like the rules.

 

[Goatlocker95]

Yeah I know a couple of people who don't ride on base because of the DoD Nazis. Some ride with skid lids so I'm not sure if they will try to pass them off as DOT. But enforcement seems to be more lax as well. I've seen several leaving at the end of the day in short sleeve shirts.

I have a feeling that this is due to budget cut backs so the MSF class availability will be reduced. FY13 & 14 are looking mighty lean. A letter came out over a year ago stating Navy bases can get rid of base stickers like the Air Force and Army did. All the bases I know of still require them.

 

[pat0021]

As ex Navy and current Civy. I was just on NAS Pensacola visiting the air museum and I had to have my helmet, long sleeves, gloves, and boots. Didn't see it as a big deal.