Japanese Shirobai Conduct Advanced Motorcycle Training
Story by Mark Elrod, CFAY Public Affairs
July 16, 2010

Japanese Shirobai (motorcycle police) White Angels and White Knights teamed up with Cape Fox professional services instructors to hold advanced motorcycle training at U.S. Army Garrison Yokomama North Dock July 2.

The White Angels and White Knights are a group of Japanese motorcycle police who, in addition to serving as law enforcement officers, travel throughout Japan teaching, or giving demonstrations of, advanced motorcycle riding techniques that they sometimes are required to use in the performance of their jobs.

Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) sponsored personnel are required to complete basic rider course (BRC), experienced rider course (ERC) motorcycle courses prior to being permitted to ride a motorcycle in Japan.

However, according to Motorcycle Safety Foundation RiderCoach Randy Mills, who works for Cape Fox corporation and teaches the BRC, ERC and sport-bike rider courses to SOFA status personnel, the techniques the Shirobai teach are a little different from the courses they teach to SOFA personnel.

“What we teach is governed by MSF, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, that’s the curriculum that we use,” said Mills. According to the MSF website, the “foundation is the internationally recognized developer of the comprehensive, research-based, Rider Education and Training System (MSF RETS). RETS curricula promotes lifelong-learning for motorcyclists and continuous professional development for certified “RiderCoaches” and other trainers.”

The techniques that the Shirobai teach help promote the “lifelong-learning” that “RiderCoaches” and motorcyclists undergo.

“We do [the course] to enhance some skills, said Mills, “They have some different techniques that they teach [from what] we teach in our BRC.”

According to Mills, the Shirobai employ different techniques for swerving, weaving and emergency stops.

“They do braking differently. When they need to do an emergency stop, they don’t pull the clutch in... they use both brakes and the engine to slow down and at the last second [before the engine dies] they pull the clutch in. That’s the technique that they use and you can stop a lot quicker [with that technique],” he said.

“It’s one of the techniques that they teach, but we don’t,” Mills added. “It’s something that doesn’t come easy because you’re used to doing it the other way and it takes a little bit of practice [to get it right].”

Another technique the Shirobai taught was “trail breaking,” which involves the use of the rear break to help control the bike in turns.

“Trail breaking really stabilizes the bike,” said MSF RiderCoach Wendel Dunn. “Using the rear brake, trail breaking, when you are going into a curve, leans the bike over more and puts it tighter into the curve.”

Participants also learned, highly important, cornering skills during the event.

“The cornering exercises help folks to develop their corner skills,” said Dunn. “That’s one of the biggest skills that riders need... with a lot of people involved in crashes, that’s one of the lacking skills.”

In addition to the cornering skills, participants learned to balance and control their bikes while navigating obstacle courses at extremely low speeds. “The slow speed exercises help them in [stop-and-go] traffic, because you are not always going 30, 40 or 50 clicks (kilometers per hour), and you are just kind of putting along,” said Dunn.

The Shirobai training for military personnel and Department of Defense civilians is held annually. Contact Cape Fox Professional Services at 243-2370 for more information about future Shirobai courses.

Great training, I learned some new techniques, highly recommended.