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Motorcycle Ergonomics

cycle-ergo.com

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Re: Motorcycle Ergonomics

#21

Post by d1l »

paddy_m wrote: post #2

The app is interesting. Who here rides? Dirtbikes in particular? I have a trials bike (Gas Gas TXT 250), and an enduro (husqvarna TE 150). I couldn't find a trials bike in the app, but it doesn't matter since trials bikes don't really have seats. I would like to see a measure of standing at a stoplight. (interesting for high seat heights). Also it would be neat to see a more aggressive dirtbike style arm position wit…

24 zx6r to replace my clapped r6, which had nearly 50k miles. Love it even though the rev limit kicks in at 14k (as opposed to the 17k on the r6). Now that it’s cold I’ll be sending it off for a flash to get that raised to 14.5… Love the ninja, though. That bike only wants to go fast.

Site calculates a 40deg forward lean but the best is full tuck behind the windscreen with the throttle pinned.

Re: Motorcycle Ergonomics

#22

Post by randlet »

pingou wrote: post #20
i_am_proteus wrote: post #18

I demoed bikes based on data from this site last time I bought a new motorcycle and found that it was spot on. 7 years later, and a R1200GS with a little bit of a bar rise has been a fantastic, comfortable long-range ride (consecutive 500+ mile days on tours) for this 193cm rider.

How do you manage to ride that long? My ass is sore after a few hundreds of km. Did you put a special seat? If anyone can recommend something you could put on a seat and that really helps I'd be glad. Have a BMW r1100r.

It's like anything, you just need to practice and build up to it. If you go out day 1 and try to ride 800km you're going to have a bad time. Being physically fit also helps a lot imo. The r1100r also doesn't have much in the way of wind protection which is tiring. An 800km day on an RS or RT would likely feel significantly easier.

Re: Motorcycle Ergonomics

#23

Post by nonninz »

I didn't know this existed and as someone who is in the process of buying a new ride this is great! I can now have a pretty good idea how my position will be on any bike.

However, I have no idea of what I should strive for when looking at the angles? Are there some well-known ideal values I should look into?

Re: Motorcycle Ergonomics

#24

Post by onetimeuse92304 »

randlet wrote: post #22
pingou wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you manage to ride that long? My ass is sore after a few hundreds of km. Did you put a special seat? If anyone can recommend something you could put on a seat and that really helps I'd be glad. Have a BMW r1100r.

It's like anything, you just need to practice and build up to it. If you go out day 1 and try to ride 800km you're going to have a bad time. Being physically fit also helps a lot imo. The r1100r also doesn't have much in the way of wind protection which is tiring. An 800km day on an RS or RT would likely feel significantly easier.

Yes, riding long rides regularly makes it much easier if you also make sure your ride is comfy.

The same is with a car. When I first learned to drive I would get exhausted after an hour. Now I can drive 1000km in one go and still be fine. Over time, your brain learns to do things on autopilot which unloads your brain, you learn to set yourself up in a comfortable position, you learn to not be tense all the time, you learn to predict more things more time in advance which means you can handle them with more ease. And the body itself just learns the new position and things shorten/lengthen to make that position a little bit more comfortable.

The main difference between bikes and cars is that people rarely spend so much time on a bike as regularly as in car. So we get accustomed to driving quickly but it takes time to do the same on a bike.

Re: Motorcycle Ergonomics

#26

Post by i_am_proteus »

pingou wrote: post #20
i_am_proteus wrote: post #18

I demoed bikes based on data from this site last time I bought a new motorcycle and found that it was spot on. 7 years later, and a R1200GS with a little bit of a bar rise has been a fantastic, comfortable long-range ride (consecutive 500+ mile days on tours) for this 193cm rider.

How do you manage to ride that long? My ass is sore after a few hundreds of km. Did you put a special seat? If anyone can recommend something you could put on a seat and that really helps I'd be glad. Have a BMW r1100r.

- A good helmet to cut down on noise.

- Good riding posture.

- Stretching and walking around for a few minutes at gas stations.

- Stretching on the bike: standing on the pegs for a few minutes every so often, switching riding positions, putting your feet on the passenger pegs.

- Walking, standing up, lying down... anything that isn't sitting when not on the bike.

Re: Motorcycle Ergonomics

#27

Post by markbnj »

nonninz wrote: post #23

I didn't know this existed and as someone who is in the process of buying a new ride this is great! I can now have a pretty good idea how my position will be on any bike. However, I have no idea of what I should strive for when looking at the angles? Are there some well-known ideal values I should look into?

I don't know if anyone can prescribe "ideal" hip/knee/lean angles for you. In general you can lay bike ergonomics out on a spectrum from sport bikes on the one end, with aggressive, crouched, forward leaning rider positioning, to cruisers on the other, with laid-back, feet-forward ergonomics that relax the hips and knees but, I would argue, make for a less active riding position. In the middle you have "naked bikes," "sport tourers," "adventure tourers," "adventure bikes" and "touring bikes" all of which feature more or less upright seating positions (or at least more upright than sport bikes and less laid back than cruisers. I prefer a sporty, active riding posture but at my age I cannot sit a sport bike for very long, so I ride a Suzuki v-strom 650 which is relaxed enough that my knees and hips can take it for a couple of hours straight.

Re: Motorcycle Ergonomics

#28

Post by helsinki »

I have been riding my ducati monster for years, but I still do not understand what the purpose of this site is. How is this helpful to people? It's cool, nonetheless, but how would I use it to improve my ergo?

Re: Motorcycle Ergonomics

#29

Post by pingou »

i_am_proteus wrote: post #26
pingou wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you manage to ride that long? My ass is sore after a few hundreds of km. Did you put a special seat? If anyone can recommend something you could put on a seat and that really helps I'd be glad. Have a BMW r1100r.

- A good helmet to cut down on noise. - Good riding posture. - Stretching and walking around for a few minutes at gas stations. - Stretching on the bike: standing on the pegs for a few minutes every so often, switching riding positions, putting your feet on the passenger pegs. - Walking, standing up, lying down... anything that isn't sitting when not on the bike.

Yes I do all that but still it's very uncomfortable after a few hours. But I am not used to sitting in my daily life so I guess that doesn't help.

Re: Motorcycle Ergonomics

#30

Post by pingou »

randlet wrote: post #22
pingou wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you manage to ride that long? My ass is sore after a few hundreds of km. Did you put a special seat? If anyone can recommend something you could put on a seat and that really helps I'd be glad. Have a BMW r1100r.

It's like anything, you just need to practice and build up to it. If you go out day 1 and try to ride 800km you're going to have a bad time. Being physically fit also helps a lot imo. The r1100r also doesn't have much in the way of wind protection which is tiring. An 800km day on an RS or RT would likely feel significantly easier.

Fortunately I have a high windshield so it's not so bad in terms of wind. And if anything the wind pressure on the rest of my body makes me forget how sore my bottom is, so I'm not sure that's really linked to the wind.
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