Motorcyclist's Riding Discomfort in Malaysia: Comparison of BMI, Riding Experience, Riding Duration and Riding Posture

Abstract

AbstractThere is very little (or no) information about the riding discomfort of motorcyclists in Malaysia. Therefore, this study was done with the intention of highlighting the relationship of the discomfort on the motorcyclist's body parts during the riding process concerning factors such as body mass index (BMI), riding experience, riding hours, and preferred riding posture. This study (questionnaire survey) was done by using 957 respondents (481 males and 476 females) with an age range from 18 years to 24 years, which was collected from a previous study. The results indicate that the majority of motorcyclists who participated in this study are in the normal BMI category. However, the majority of these motorcyclists suffer discomfort in their body parts during the riding process. It is noticeable that the majority of female motorcyclists started with higher discomfort symptoms concerning the corresponding factors (BMI, riding hours, and riding experience) compared with male motorcyclists. Most male discomfort symptoms were focused on the buttock and upper body parts, whereas the female motorcyclists experienced discomfort in all of their body parts (lower, buttocks, and upper body parts). Furthermore, the results also highlight that the motorcyclists' discomfort was correlated with riding posture. Therefore, this study clearly identified that motorcyclists experience discomfort in their body parts during the riding process. The findings also highlight that the current interaction of humans (motorcyclists) and machine (motorcycle) is not an ideal ergonomic philosophy. However, further detailed study (laboratory and field study) needs to be done to uncover fully the parameters or factors that constrain the ergonomic comfortability in the motorcycle riding process. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.