Research issues in motorcycle ergonomics and rider human factors

Motorcycles are complex high performance machines and riding them is a very skilled task. The motorcycle and rider combine to make an interactive system operating within a very demanding safety critical environment. Understanding this system interaction is what underpins motorcycle ergonomics and rider human factors. Motorcycle ergonomics and rider human factors is an exciting new research area which is being developed in the UK at the University of Nottingham. This paper will explore key research questions in the domain and also provide a practical overview of conducting research with the arguments for and against the feasibility of real road research and simulations, and the importance of publishing more research findings, gaining industry support from manufacturers, road safety organisations, motorcycle media and more fundamentally, the riders themselves.