Riding a motorcycle and enjoying it is a situation that can arise as machine and human harmony increases. While walking to a café after a short drive, I witnessed the distorted facial expressions of limping, holding back his waist, or removing gloves from his numb hand.
In my opinion, if we are committed to this business, first of all, driving has to be a part of life and the motorcycle has to be like a part of our body. Although our fit varies according to our motorcycle style, the seat height must necessarily match our leg length, our distance should neither be close to nor far from the handlebar. This situation is much more important for touring or long-distance drivers.
Human-machine harmony, that is “ergonomics”, which I briefly mentioned above, is of vital importance in motorcycle riding. Misuse can make our spine vulnerable to direct strain, with joints stretched, muscles ruptured, or even injured. For this reason, ergonomics is indispensable for effortless traveling, especially on long rides.
How to Increase Motorcycle Ride Comfort?
More or less seat height causes deterioration of posture and pain and fatigue after a while as a result of unbalanced sitting. In racing engines, the handlebars and grips are relatively far away, and reach is required. This situation causes stress on the shoulder joint and strains as a result of excessive bending in the elbow. This type of motor is therefore not used for long rides. It is a very wrong choice to use racing engines for street excursions as well.
The opposite of this situation poses a problem in terms of ergonomics. The close distance of the handlebars causes excessive bending of the elbows and the distance (Chopper; monkey sling style handlebars) causes the shoulder to hang, impairing control and causing chronic shoulder disorders.
On the ideal handlebar; The wrist angle should be parallel and straight to the ground, the handlebar height should be kept below the shoulder level and the distance to the elbows should be 95-100 degrees. Shoulders should not come forward too much, the spine should be able to reach a relatively upright position and all pedals and grips to be able to control the machine should be easily accessible.
At the correct handlebar distance and seat height;
Remember that when the maximum turning limits of the handlebars are reached, your elbow should never be in line with the shoulder. Correct adjustment of the handlebar and seat will give you maximum control, as well as fatigue-free and safe driving.
Handlebars are tubular in some engine types and can be easily adjusted. Here, a straight wrist will maximize your grip strength. Make sure that the handles are suitable for the size of your hand and that they are thick enough to make a full grip. Do not forget that the throttle, gear and brake synchronization, and therefore the pleasant ride, depends on your grip and full control. If you do not have heated grips for cold weather, you can also use rubber covers that do not transmit cold.
Motorcycle Riding Comfort; Although the seat and handlebar body’s participation in upright or reclining driving depends on the type of engine, in some cases, we see that the tour or city motors are leaning forward under the spoiler, especially at high speeds. In addition, lying in a model designed for an upright sitting will overload the spine, making it susceptible to injury during torsion and stress. A windbreaker designed at the right height is also very important in this respect.
Vibrations from the Road;
The position of the foot steps should be parallel to the ground in order for the driver to counteract the vibrations from the road and reduce the load on the body and spine. Chopper-style pegs, which are unusually arranged, prepared for the feet to balance the body that is tilted back rather than to meet the load, can cause the load to spread directly to the discs between the vertebrae and even cause hernias. In racing type engines, the foot position is designed to direct the vehicle like a crowbar while the driver is lying down, so it is not enough to meet the load on the spine. Using such motors with strong body muscles in an athletic structure, avoiding long rides and non-racing uses will prevent injuries.
The position of the aftershock or passenger seat also changes according to the engine type. The engines most suitable for the passenger are enduro, touring style or cruiser engines. In sporty models, the passenger stays quite high and the handles are not suitable and the seating area is very narrow. This type of driving can be quite dangerous for aftershocks, and because it is a light engine, it can create moments that affect stable driving. For long rides, if possible, there should be ergonomic foot rests and handles for the passenger. In addition, in some engine types, precautions have been taken in such a way that the passenger will rest (sissybar).
So, as a result, we can say that the rider must determine a motorcycle suitable for his height and weight. Remember, there is always a motorcycle suitable for your height and weight.
In the second stage, you have to define your style: long ride, track, city use … Remember that each engine has a different ergonomics according to its area of use.
Enjoyable Rides.