What are the six posture Points motorcycle?

To avoid pain in your neck, arms, and back during your motorcycle ride, it is important to have proper body posture.  As a chiropractor in St George UT, I get to ride my motorcycle to work almost year around, and I am concerned about fellow riders and their posture.

Three Basic Postures

There are three basic postures while riding a motorcycle.  Each posture has variability based on the bike design and size of the operator.  The basic postures are Standard, Sport, and Cruiser.  Each has it’s pros and cons.  Rather than getting into a debate on which is best, let’s focus on how to avoid posture fatigue in each.  Our images come from Susan Rzepka Orion, certified MSF rider coach, who wrote an article for www.womenridersnow.com.

Standard Riding Posture

Notice how Susan has a neutral upright position to her lower back and pelvis. Her arms and shoulders are relaxed and she can reach all the controls.

This posture is very neutral.  It keeps the back straight and the neck in a more neutral posture.  The shoulders and elbows are held comfortably on the grips without over reaching or over-extending the elbows.  Elbow are flexed, and forearms are parallel to the ground.

It is important that the shoulders be neutral.  If you have a small frame or you are riding a bike that is too big, the controls may be slightly out of reach for you.  This will cause you to lean forward or, worse, over-reach in order to gain access to the controls.  Prolonged over-reached posture can lead to shoulder injuries such as trigger points, thoracic outlet syndrome, and shoulder impingement syndrome.

Sport Riding Posture

Susan’s sport bike posture shows us the forward lean and forward tilt of the pelvis. Notice how the head is in slight extension.

Sport posture looks fun and exciting but it can have the trauma on the body. In the sport posture, the body is in a forward lean, the feet are typically behind the knees, head is in extension. The forearms ought to be parallel to the ground. The wrists should be close to neutral.

At higher speeds, the weight of the body is supported by air pressure rushing onto the torso.  But at low speeds there is not enough pressure and the operator is supporting his upper body weight on the wrists, and by extending the lower spinal posture muscles.  Also the muscles in the top of the neck are supporting the head, which can lead to suboccipital headaches.  This posture can lead to injury in the wrists, creating ligament inflammation and nerve compression, like carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as strain to the muscles in the neck and lower back.  The nice thing is, the wind pressure keeps the upper body well balanced and the spinal muscles are less likely to fatigue.

The streets in St George UT are not built for sport bike posture.  Our speed limits are quite low (30-40mph), and it is tough to get enough air pressure to support the upper body.  Thankfully, the roads are well maintained so the bike operator does not have to deal with additional pressure injury on the wrists from bouncing through pot-holes.

This posture has the pelvis in extension, which can aggravate certain types of disc injuries.

Cruiser Riding Posture

Cruiser posture has the feet forward, low-slung seat, and slightly higher grips and controls.

This posture has the operator is a slightly reclined position.  The feet are often forward relative to the knee.  The grips and controls are slightly higher.  The head is upright and neutral.  The hips and pelvis are relaxed, with the legs held close to the fuel tank.

This posture looks and feels comfortable, especially for older riders, and at lower speeds.  With the pelvis in a minimal flexed posture, there is decreased sacral base angle pressure on the L5-S1 intervertebral disc.

At higher speeds, riding without a fairing causes a huge increase in air pressure on the riders chest.  As a result, the rider must lean slightly forward to maintain appropriate grip on the controls.  This can cause some fatigue issues for the muscles on the front of the neck and abdomen.

Choose Wisely, Ride Wisely

Whatever your preferred riding posture might be, make sure you are taking appropriate steps to stay healthy as well as safe.  Remember to hold the wrists, shoulders, neck and low-back in proper alignment.  Doing so will not only reduce your risk of muscle fatigue, but it makes you a safer rider.

If you are having pain associated with your ride, then stop by our St George UT chiropractic office and let us fix you up so you can enjoy those summer days.

Dr. Andrew White
Motorcycle Chiropractor St George UT

My ride: 2005 Yamaha Virago 250

Emergency braking is the most important control skill needed to avoid a crash. Braking too hard can destabilise a motorcycle, leading to the front or rear wheel locking and causing the bike to overturn or slide, particularly on wet or gravel roads. Alternatively, not braking hard enough can result in failing to avoid a crash.

Correct braking is done in two stages:

1. Put light pressure on the brake levers and pause (this is called ‘setting up the brakes’)
2. Progressively apply the necessary braking pressure (this is called ‘squeezing the brakes’).

Two-stage braking reduces the likelihood of skidding and gives you better control.

If the front wheel begins to skid due to incorrect braking, quickly release the front brake and reapply gently. If the rear wheel skids, release the rear brake gently and reapply gently.When releasing the brakes, ease them off gently to maintain the stability of the motorcycle. This is particularly important when entering curves.The key to avoiding a crash is anticipation and motorcycle control skills. Anticipation will develop with time and experience. Invest time in practising the correct braking technique.

Applying the front brake in a curve can make the motorcycle run wide.

ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS)

Motorcycles equipped with ABS have important safety benefits and are highly recommended. The ABS prevents a motorcycle’s wheels from locking due to hard braking or slippery conditions, by momentarily reducing the brake pressure applied by the rider and allowing the wheels to continue rotating.

Research by the Centre of Automotive Safety Research, University of Adelaide showed that ABS could reduce the overall stopping distance of a motorcycle by up to 17 percent.

Motorcycle safety technology features such as Anti-lock Braking Systems, Motorcycle Stability Control and Traction Control systems can all help the rider maintain control in potentially high crash risk situations.

Riding posture

When you first get a motorcycle take the time to adjust the controls to suit your height and build. Correct riding posture reduces fatigue and improves control.

To control a motorcycle well, your body must be in the correct position:

Remember the five key points of posture

Sit well forward.
Keep your head up and point your chin in your direction of travel.
Relax your arms and place minimal weight on your wrists.
Keep your back relaxed and support your weight with your stomach muscles.
Grip the motorcycle firmly with your legs and knees.

The five key points of riding posture apply to all types of motorcycles

Steering technique

A motorcycle can be steered using a number of different inputs. Handle bar pressure, body weight and changes in speed all have an effect on a motorcycle's direction of travel. Good riders use a combination of these inputs to achieve smooth and precise turns.

Handle bar pressure
A motorcycle can be steered by direct steering or counter steering. With direct steering the motorcycle goes in the direction to which the handle bars are turned. With counter steering the motorcycle goes in the opposite direction to which the handle bars are turned, for example a slight forward pressure on the left handle bar will make the motorcycle turn left. Direct steering is only used for very low speed turns, U-turns, turns at intersections, etc. Counter steering has more effect as speed increases.

Body weight
How the rider uses their body weight will have a significant effect on a turning motorcycle. Leaning with the motorcycle in a curve allows the motorcycle to be more upright thereby giving the tyres better grip and the motorcycle greater ground clearance. With low speed turns leaning out from the turn can help balance the motorcycle.

Effect of speed
The faster a motorcycle is travelling the harder it is to turn. Reducing speed before turning is essential. Wait until the motorcycle begins to straighten before accelerating. Accelerating will stand a motorcycle up and too much will make the motorcycle run wide.

During very low speed turns, for example U-turns, a gentle use of the throttle, clutch and rear brake can be used to control speed.

Leaning with the motorcycle in a curve