Elgin Airforce Base Motorcycle Instructor?

[loud et]

My buddy and I just went and picked up a couple GS's. A 77' 550E rolling chassis w/engine and an 81' 650G that was used for military motorcycle training courses.
IIRC, is there a member on here that was an instructor at Eglin Airforce Base in Florida, it looks like the sticker says... or similar facility?
Dept. of Defense will give you the shaft!
Here is the bike-

Maybe one of you guys rode this one.

 

[hampshirehog]

That sticker says Eglin not Elgin. The Elgin I know is in Scotland and I don't know of an Eglin (I presume it's your side).

 

[loud et]

That sticker says Eglin not Elgin. The Elgin I know is in Scotland and I don't know of an Eglin (I presume it's your side).

My bad, will go edit now. thx


edit-Oh yeah, cannot edit titles. ha ha.
I am sure everyone will figure it out.

 

[loud et]

Were these training bikes or just stickers that an on base rider had to have?

 

[earlfor]

That sticker says Eglin not Elgin. The Elgin I know is in Scotland and I don't know of an Eglin (I presume it's your side).

Yeah, Eglin AFB is about 60 miles east of Pensacola, Fl and not very close to Scotland at all.

 

[Guest]

In the 1970s, to get permission to drive on an AF base (except for visitors), a person had to pass a driving course, and demonstrate understanding of particular safety rules for AF bases.

The sticker looks as if it means that the motorcycle has been registered with base MPs and can be ridden and parked on base.

Not certain about everything, and probably doesn't apply to all bases. I only spent 6 weeks on one, but I took the training.

 

[loud et]

In the 1970s, to get permission to drive on an AF base (except for visitors), a person had to pass a driving course, and demonstrate understanding of particular safety rules for AF bases.

The sticker looks as if it means that the motorcycle has been registered with base MPs and can be ridden and parked on base.

Not certain about everything, and probably doesn't apply to all bases. I only spent 6 weeks on one, but I took the training.

Agree, thanks. Definaltely seems to be an on base training cert./approval/permission. My first thought was it was a training bike. Does not seem to be the case.

 

[Guest]

Were these training bikes or just stickers that an on base rider had to have?

Ah, those were just stickers you needed to gain access to the base along with a bright red vest we were forced to wear. I really didn't like the idea of sticking those stickers on my forks, you have to use a razor scraper to get them off, takes the clear coat right off with the stickers. So........... I took and old visor, cut, painted, and heated it so I could make some bends and attached it to the left side of my Skunks headlight.
You can see the end result here. Now after I've was retired from the Air Force for 10 years I pick up my 1100 and it has stickers from some Air Force base in Texas, go figure. Had to scrape them off with a razor!

 

[koolaid_kid]

My bad, will go edit now. thx


edit-Oh yeah, cannot edit titles. ha ha.
I am sure everyone will figure it out.

You can edit titles if you go to advanced.

 

[loud et]

You can edit titles if you go to advanced.

Eureka. Thanks KK, got it.

 

[Chris]

According to the stickers on the fork leg that bike was registered by an airman (red sticker, not NCO or Officer who would have had blue or gold) at Eglin AFB, Florida in 1987 and he / she had also passed the on base safety course.

Parethetically, I always hated putting stickers on my bikes and always fabricated aluminum brackets that I usually mounted to the brake caliper mounts to put the stickers on. The Sheet Metal shop was a good source of materials as they always had lots of scraps of aircraft grade aluminum sheet to scrounge from.

I was a military MSF Instructor for the USAF during the 80s and in the US we used small bore loaner bikes from local dealers which weren't registered for the street at all. Once a year or so we'd swap them out for new ones from the dealers and they'd sell the ex-class bikes as used demo bikes. At least once that I know of a student was so taken with the little Suzuki 250 she was riding in the course that she made a point of buying it when it was taken back to the dealership. Overseas the servicemembers would ride their own bikes in the courses.

 

[Guest]

I had a "Gold" sticker on my bike, no safety course sticker was offered then, they gave us a card for the wallet. We actually had to show pieces of the stickers to outprocess from the base when we left, and I only attended one MSF course where we rode bikes and we rode our own. Each base was different though. I believe the Air Force discouraged members from riding bikes as they lost too many airmen from accidents. I knew several.

 

[Guest]

... I believe the Air Force discouraged members from riding bikes as they lost too many airmen from accidents. I knew several.

One of the few scenes from Top Gun that rang true to me, was the pilots doing stupid things on motorcycles. The Kawasaki Mach III was once a popular instrument of unintentional suicide among trainee military pilots.

 

[loud et]

According to the stickers on the fork leg that bike was registered by an airman (red sticker, not NCO or Officer who would have had blue or gold) at Eglin AFB, Florida in 1987 and he / she had also passed the on base safety course.

Parethetically, I always hated putting stickers on my bikes and always fabricated aluminum brackets that I usually mounted to the brake caliper mounts to put the stickers on. The Sheet Metal shop was a good source of materials as they always had lots of scraps of aircraft grade aluminum sheet to scrounge from.

I was a military MSF Instructor for the USAF during the 80s and in the US we used small bore loaner bikes from local dealers which weren't registered for the street at all. Once a year or so we'd swap them out for new ones from the dealers and they'd sell the ex-class bikes as used demo bikes. At least once that I know of a student was so taken with the little Suzuki 250 she was riding in the course that she made a point of buying it when it was taken back to the dealership. Overseas the servicemembers would ride their own bikes in the courses.

Thx Chris. I was at Camp Hohenfels from 92-94. I was corp or engineers. Carpentry/masonry 51 B. We travelled to a lot of camps , Graf included doing on base construction projects. Big tank turn pads out in the training areas, pop up target ranges, urban training buildings, on and on.
Germany was the time of my life. I came home and used to have to go to specialty beer/wine stores to find the brews I became accustomed to drinking there every day. I dont drink anymore, but a few of those beers were the best I ever had. I became a big fan of the sharp pilsners but my favorite was Hefeweissen (sp). Sweet, creamy, smooth, and had lots of sediment in it. Ahh, the good old days. Hope your time there is good also.

 

[GS ace]

I worked at George AFB in '81-'82 and all I did to acquire a sticker for my 1100E was to produce my I.D. card and driver's license, without any hoops to jump through.

 

[Guest]

I worked at George AFB in '81-'82 and all I did to acquire a sticker for my 1100E was to produce my I.D. card and driver's license, without any hoops to jump through.

Every base had their own program, or lack of. I lost count of all the courses I had to attend. Two at Keesler, one in Elmendorf, at least two at Homestead, and each one I went to they all said it would be the last one I would have to attend, really?

 

[duaneage]

Elgin AFB is the largest base in the US by area, only Clark AB in the PI was bigger ,alas it's no longer ours.

I have fond memories of riding bikes from Keesler to Ft Walton Beach for the weekend, staying on base for free with friends, and rocketing back on I 10 at triple digits.

Those were the days.

 

[Guest]

I worked at George AFB in '81-'82 and all I did to acquire a sticker for my 1100E was to produce my I.D. card and driver's license, without any hoops to jump through.

A friend's first assignment was at George. I visited there briefly in 77, I think. It seemed pretty relaxed for a military base.

 

[Guest]

Elgin AFB is the largest base in the US by area, only Clark AB in the PI was bigger ,alas it's no longer ours.

I have fond memories of riding bikes from Keesler to Ft Walton Beach for the weekend, staying on base for free with friends, and rocketing back on I 10 at triple digits.

Those were the days.

I made numerous trips from Keesler AFB to Titusville, Orlando, and Homestead Florida. I-10, I-75, I-95, and the Florida Turnpike were all frequently traveled. I-10 was a really nice road to travel, triple digits at night was the norm, whatever vehicle I could find going the fastest I'd be 1/4 behind it. My only concern was the armadillos, racoons, and deer crossing the road. Once I was following this pick-up that was going 110, straight through the tunnel in Mobile, Alabama, trying to make it back to get to class on time. That was many, many years ago. I was young and
crazy I guess. 110mph would be a rare occaison now, never mind sustained.
Pic of my Skunk and friend at Keesler, cira 1979.

 

[DanTheMan]

According to the stickers on the fork leg that bike was registered by an airman (red sticker, not NCO or Officer who would have had blue or gold) at Eglin AFB, Florida in 1987 and he / she had also passed the on base safety course.

Parethetically, I always hated putting stickers on my bikes and always fabricated aluminum brackets that I usually mounted to the brake caliper mounts to put the stickers on. The Sheet Metal shop was a good source of materials as they always had lots of scraps of aircraft grade aluminum sheet to scrounge from.

I was a military MSF Instructor for the USAF during the 80s and in the US we used small bore loaner bikes from local dealers which weren't registered for the street at all. Once a year or so we'd swap them out for new ones from the dealers and they'd sell the ex-class bikes as used demo bikes. At least once that I know of a student was so taken with the little Suzuki 250 she was riding in the course that she made a point of buying it when it was taken back to the dealership. Overseas the servicemembers would ride their own bikes in the courses.

My son-in-law is Air Force, he has his MSF card, but my daughter wanted to get her m/c license too. At March RAFB in CA, there are no program bikes, they had to provide their own. She was riding her hubby's Rebel 250, and on the final day, about excercise 11 or so, the fork seals let go, handling went down the tubes. One of the rider coaches had a rather new KLR 650, she finished up riding his bike, (she's never ridden a motorcycle before), and was even able to successfully do the u-turns in the 20' box. My daughter is real smart, catches on quick, and good at everything she does. She made me proud, she almost aced the skills test on an unfamiliar big bike.