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Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2020, Special Volume 1: 231-237
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
PRELIMINARY STUDY ON THE ERGONOMIC DESIGN OF MOTORCYCLE SEAT
FOR COMFORT USAGE
Eida Nadirah R1, Badrulhisyam AJ1, Nurhayati MN2, Rifqi Irzuan AJ1, Mohamad Asmidzam A1 and Nor
Syazwani AA1
1Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia France Institute, Seksyen 14, Jalan Teras Jernang, 43650 Bandar Baru Bangi,
Selangor, Malaysia
2Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian of Aviation Technology, Jalan Jenderam Hulu, 43900 Sepang Selangor, Malaysia
* Corresponding author: Eida Nadirah R
Email: eidanadirah@unikl.edu.my
ABSTRACT
Motorcycle seats undeniably provides good comfort to motorcyclists but there are some that offers less affirmation on
ushering comfort, whilst some even results in harm to users, resulting in back pains, neck, shoulders, and other parts
of the body over prolonged riding periods. This research aims to investigate the discomforts faced by motorcyclist and
the best seat concept based on an ergonomic design, fit for the masses through a subjective evaluation. A study that
includes a survey was conducted to study the subjective assessment against the motorcycle seat comfort. The study is
divided into two parts, where in part 1, the anthropometric data were collected from a total of 100 respondents,
representing 88 males and 12 females. Mean from the anthropometric data was used for two new seat redesigns,
designated Seat A and Seat B. For part 2, sets of questionnaire were distributed to 130 respondents to measure their
perception of seat design A and design B. Based on the results produced, 86.2% respondents suffered discomforts while
riding a motorcycle. Most suffered discomforts at particular body areas: lower back, buttock and shoulder, while no
discomfort reported around leg, feet and thigh. Results also proved that current seat designs needed an improvement
with a majority of respondents opting an added backrest and to increase surface around buttock area. Based on the
evaluation of designs, Seat B was selected as a better option as compared to seat A in terms of comfort usage.
Keywords: Motorcycle seat, ergonomic design, anthropometric, comfort, lumbar support
INTRODUCTION
Ergonomics is the process of designing or
arranging workplaces, products and systems so
that if fits the need of people who are directly
involved with it. Ergonomics covers all aspects of
a job, from the physical stresses it places on
joints, muscles, nerves, tendons, bones and the
like, which also includes environmental factors
that could also affect hearing, vision, and general
comfort and health 1-2. The importance of studies
into Ergonomics is about ensuring a good fit
between people and what they interact with.
Ergonomics should be considered in the design of
every product, system and environment.
Automotive ergonomics is the study of how the
automotive industry has the technical ability to
conjure up better designs for human comfort and
ease of use. Motorcycles undeniably provides an
important aspect towards the mobility of humans,
the vehicle market as well as being one of the
most important transportation mode among users
worldwide. It is justifiably more useful to low-
income earners as it has a lower cost advantage
as compared to a car, but it is also a very
hazardous vehicle type 3. When riding a
motorcycle, a motorcyclist typically wants the
best comfort they could get with the motorcycle
seat 4-5.
When it comes to ergonomics within motorcycles,
there is a preconceived notion to increase efforts
towards comfort and safety level for the
motorcyclist, but there exist the inability of
motorcycles to provide constant comfortability
and shielded safety during the riding process, as
compared to a car 3.
The motorcycle seat is the main provider of
comfort to all motorcyclist. However, over long
extended periods, the motorcycle seat would
eventually introduce discomfort, fatigue and
could also cause lower back pains to the rider as
well as to the passenger 6. Comfort sitting is one
important element that has to be given serious
consideration. Due to increase exposures to
seated postures, sitting comfort has become an
important issue that demands adequate
ergonomic inventions 7.
Alleviating lower back pain is crucial in order for
the motorcyclists to feel comfortable during the
riding process. Sitting within a prolonged duration
of time on top of a vehicle can cause great
intradiscal pressure unto the lumbar region and
consequent low back pain 6,8. The lumbar region
is also one of the most vulnerable parts of the
spine, as this part is suspended between the upper
heavy parts of the body including the rib cage and
the lower and the lighter part starting from the
hip bone 6,9. So, this lumbar region needs a
supporting backrest in order for the motorcyclist’s
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2020, Special Volume 1: 231-237
body to feel comfortable during the riding
process. Based on a study 10-11 which claims that
having seats with lumbar support, is beneficial in
reducing tensions in back muscle groups, buttocks
and legs resulting from prolonged sitting
activities.
This research aims to determine the best seat
design judged and based from an ergonomic
perspective, in order to prevent any bodily harms
occurring towards a motorcyclist. Hence, this
study is to evaluate the parameters of currently
available motorcycle seats and to develop an
updated or improved design based on the
produced analysis.
METHODS
This study identified the parameters of currently
available seat designs and then redesigned the
current seat based on the ergonomic ‘concept’ to
increase the user comfortability. In this study, the
anthropometric data of Malaysian motorcyclist
were measured and collected from 100
respondents. After collecting the anthropometric
data, the mean and standard deviation of the
anthropometric data were calculated. Two
conceptual designs were proposed according to
the mean of the anthropometric data. Then, a set
of developed questionnaire were distributed in
order to determine the more superior design of
the two that was proposed.
List below are the anthropometric data that was
taken into consideration when making these
crucial measurements. Figure 1 shows the
measurement that had to be identified on body
parts of the respondent. The anthropometric data
are:
• Shoulder height, sitting (number 6)
• Hip breath, sitting (number 5)
• Elbow height, sitting (number 7)
• Buttock-popliteal length (seat depth) (number
8)
Figure 1. The anthropometric measurement for
this study 3
These seat redesigned illustrations were
developed using the latest Solidwork software
which is the SOLIDWORKS® 2018 software. The
result from the development of the redesigned
seat will have two new designs which is labelled
as Seat A and Seat B. The dimension of the
redesign seats is based on the dimension of
current motorcycle seats available in the
Malaysian market.
RESULTS
I. Anthropometric Data
Prior to creating the new designs, creating a
collection of the correct measurements of the
human the body is important. Anthropometric
data is important in this study in order to create
a seat design which will be more suitable for the
rider and towards reducing the feeling of
discomfort when riding a motorcycle. These
measurements involve four parts on the human
body. These measurements are connected to the
parameter of the motorcycle seat design, which
goes toward improving the design based on shape
and design criteria. The four anthropometric data
are; (Shoulder height, sitting), (hip breadth,
sitting), (Elbow height, sitting) and (Buttock-
popliteal length). As a requirement to obtain
these four anthropometric data, we had targeted
at least 100 respondents 16-17 representing 88
males and 12 females starting from ages of 18 – 34
years old with different figures to measure their
anthropometric data. The mean and standard
deviation of the anthropometric data is shown in
Table 1. This data was used to redesign the
motorcycle seats in order to improve the comfort
level based on an ergonomic interpretation.
Table 1. Mean and standard deviation
anthropometrics data measurement
II. Improvement of the Seat Designs
There is a need for a concerted effort towards
redesigning a particular seat that can prevent and
be able to decrease problems in relation to
discomfort and lumbar pain (lower back pain). It
should also be able to provide more comfort to
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2020, Special Volume 1: 231-237
riders for short or longer journeys fitted onto
current models available to the mass market and
being useable to all desiring riders.
Thus, two designs, Seat A and Seat B were
proposed based on the anthropometric data
collected.
Design 1: Seat A
Figure 2. Two-dimensional design of Seat A
Figure 3. Three-dimensional design of Seat A
Figure 2 and Figure 3 show the two-dimensional
design and three-dimensional design for seat A.
The base dimension of the seat A is taken from the
current seat design dimensions from Honda Ex5
Dream model motorcycle. The full length of the
seat manually measured is 80cm and the length is
maintained at 80cm. The length is divided into
three parts; the front part being 45cm in length
which is for the rider. 10cm is for the height
increase and 25cm is for the passenger. The front
length for rider is based on the anthropometric
data, Buttock-popliteal length mean. The width of
the seat is increased around the buttock area of
the rider at 36cm and this also increases the
cushioning around the buttock cushion area of the
rider seat, after a noticeable lack of cushion
volume was found of the current motorcycle seat.
The width increase area is based on the mean of
the anthropometric data collected which is the
hip breath measurement during sitting. Other
improvements of the Seat A, were the height of
the seat had been increased to 12cm around the
rider buttock area in order to provide support to
the lumbar part. The seat then will be installed
with a back rest which is of 12cm in size, which
would also be able to be pulled out, and pushed
in depending on the needs of a particular rider. So
the total height will now be 24cm, which should
support the back area of the rider, thus will
decrease the back pain during prolonged riding
periods. However, there will be no back rest
provided for the passenger. The dimension change
of the seat height is following the anthropometric
data mean, elbow height, sitting.
Design 2: Seat B
Figure 4 and Figure 5 show the two-dimensional
design and three-dimensional design of Seat B.
The base dimension of Seat B follows the current
seat which is at 80cm. The rider length is 45cm
and the increased height is 10cm, while the
passenger length is set at 25cm. The front length
for rider is based on the anthropometric data,
Buttock-popliteal length mean. The buttock
cushion area of the rider is increased to 36cm
which is based on the anthropometric data, hip
breath, sitting mean. This is due to the finding
that current seat design has less cushion area
around the rider’s buttock.
Figure 4. Two-dimensional design of Seat B
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2020, Special Volume 1: 231-237
Figure 5. Three-dimensional design of Seat B
By increasing the buttock cushion area, it should
prevent any discomforts to the rider during long
distance riding. The height of the seat is then
increased by around 7cm. Seat B is also designed
with a back rest, but is now being fitted for both
passenger and rider. The height of the back rest
is 17cm for the rider and 19cm for the passenger.
The seat height adjustment is based on the elbow
height, sitting mean from the anthropometric
data collected. Additionally, the back rest is
portable; it can be assembled or dissembled
according to the rider’s intention. The rider can
assemble the back rest when riding for long
journeys or be removed for shorter rides.
Table 2 shows the summary of seat design features
in comparison between the original seat, Seat A
and Seat B. The table shows the characteristic of
all seat designs.
Table 2. Comparison of Design Features
I. Survey Analysis
In this survey, we gather data on the respondent’s
experience, discomfort level and the design
chosen based on two designs provided in this
study. 130 respondents were chosen to answer
this survey questions.
a. Respondents Discomfort during Riding
Motorcycle
In figure 6, it is found that 112 respondents chose
“Agree” with the percentage of 86.2% having said
that they felt discomfort during rides on their
motorcycle as compared to 18 respondents whom
had chosen “Disagree” with a percentage being
13.8%. Based on the data analysis, most
respondents are experiencing discomfort levels on
their body during rides. This proves that current
seat design gives discomfort to the riders and
needs an improvement 12.
Figure 6. Respondent Opinion Regarding
Motorcycle Seat Comfort
b. Part of Body that Feel Discomfort during
Riding Motorcycle
Figure 7. Respondent’s body parts that feel
discomfort first during riding process
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2020, Special Volume 1: 231-237
In figure 7, above, a majority of the respondents
suffered discomfort at both the Lower back
(29.5%) and Bottom areas (17.8%). The Lower back
area also showed a higher percentage of
discomfort level at 15.5%. Based on the data
analysis, the results showed that a majority of
respondents would initially suffer discomfort on
their Lower back and Buttock during rides on their
motorcycle. Then the pain will eventually
reverberate at other parts like the Shoulder,
Elbow and Hips as these parts also suffers
discomfort, as mentioned by respondents of their
riding experience. This result proves that current
motorcycle seats does not offer adequate
comfortability levels to its user. The respondents
pointed that main areas that discomfort occurs
are strongest at the Lower Back and Buttock area.
This can be proved by the result of past studies 12,
which had stated that majority of motorcyclist
mainly experienced discomfort at upper body
parts such as low back, buttock and shoulder.
Motorcyclist experienced no discomfort at the
lower body parts such as leg, thigh and feet.
c. Respondent Opinion on the Improvement
of Seat Design
Referring to Figure 8, majority of the respondent
choose “Both” (bigger seat dimension and add
back rest) rather than choosing the options of
bigger seat dimension only and add back rest only.
The data recorded that 56.9% for the answer
“Both”, 28.5% of respondents chose ‘Added Back
Rest Only” and 14.6% chose “Bigger Seat
Dimension only”.
Figure 8. Respondent Opinion on What to Improve
on Seat Design
The question required the respondent to state
reason on why they had chosen the answer.
Majority of respondents who selected “Both” as
their answer stated that when improving both
(added back rest and bigger seat dimension), they
felt strongly that the seat will be more
comfortable. Respondents also opined that if it is
applied during a motorcycle riding session, it
should provide a hindrance towards having any
back pain and pain to the buttock area. Other
reasons stated, were to avoid any possible MSD
issues and to provide better posture while riding
motorcycles. This finding collaborates with past
studies by [10] which claimed that seats with
lumbar support is beneficial in reducing tensions
in back muscle groups, buttocks and legs resulting
from prolonged sitting activities.
Based on the two designs proposed in this study,
96% of the respondents agreed that a redesign of
the current seat will give greater effect towards
the comfortability level during rides on the
motorcycle especially for longer durations of
travelling. Referring to Figure 9, design of seat B
(77%) showing higher preferences from the
respondents as compared to design A (23%).
Figure 9. Preferable Seat Design
DISCUSSION
Based on the study of seat dimensions, it has been
identified that the surface area under the rider’s
buttock is fitted with a lower cushion height. The
front seat cushion is also often rounded in shape
and offers a negative effect to the rider, mainly
due to the awful conditions of Malaysian roads.
Thus, a typical motorcyclist will unwittingly
experience mechanical vibration from the seat.
This mechanical vibration will then transfer a
force directly to the vertebra (back side) and
lumbar parts of a motorcyclist, so it travels more
quickly from the seat due to the small area of
buttock cushioning that is available. There are
identifiable hazards coming from these
mechanical vibrations such as musculoskeletal
disorder, lower back pain and whole body
vibration (WBV). By increasing the buttock
cushion area, the problem can be alleviated and
diagnosed based upon the diameter of the hip
breath and sitting length; deduced upon the
collected anthropometric data from the
respondents. The redesigned seats with
alterations involving the buttock cushion area is
only slightly increase by about 6cm, thus it does
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2020, Special Volume 1: 231-237
not affect the motorcycle frame. When the
surface area at the bottom increases, the
vibration should reduce and the lower back will
have more comfort. The fatigue and stress levels
will decrease in the lumbar part. Hence, the
motorcyclist will feel a significant difference and
would be able to ride the motorcycle with
increased safety and higher comfort.
Another finding based on this study, a backrest
which supports the lumbar part of the
motorcyclist as well as the passenger is crucial for
long journey riding. Most small motorcycle does
not have a backrest; this can lead to variable
postures for the motorcyclist. Motorcyclist will be
naturally inclined to find the best posture to get
the best comfort. Without a back rest, the
motorcyclist will eventually experience fatigue
and tiredness and would also feel muscle
discomfort around the lumbar part. Thus, the new
designs must come with a back rest to support this
crucial part, which is the lumbar area. This should
help to greatly reduce the back pains or back
discomforts being faced by motorcyclist. They
would be able to ride longer journeys without
having to feel the pain around the lumbar part.
Based on the feedback received, “Seat design B”
was selected due to the reason that both
passenger and rider would experience heighten
comfort by having a back rest as a support
mechanism. They stated that rider and passenger
would be able to rest their backs while riding over
long periods of travelling. This finding also
supports past studies by [10] which claimed that
seat with lumbar support is beneficial in reducing
tensions in back muscle groups, buttocks and legs
resulting from prolonged sitting activities. They
also stated that Seat Design B should give more
comfort to the passenger and rider and many
respondents had chosen design B because it is
deemed being more suitable for longer journeys.
This statement satisfies claims by previous studies
that had been undertaken. [9,13] which stated
that by applying lumbar support it will reduce
levels of discomfort for motorcyclist during a
riding period. This shields rider and passenger
from feelings of numbness or discomfort of their
backs. The rider and passenger would also be able
to maintain a good posture while riding. In
addition to that, they stated that as the back rest
is portable, it provides convenience to the user to
either use or have it removed when not needed.
The respondent also stated that Seat Design B has
an increased comfort and provides better support.
CONCLUSION
There are many justifications in believing the
objectives had been met. The reasons can be
appropriated from the results of the data
collection. Based on the research findings and
using survey questionnaires, it can be concluded
that motorcyclist nowadays is suffering back pains
and discomforts during motorcycle rides.
Motorcyclist suffers pain at particular areas such
as the lumbar part and around the buttocks area.
Current seat built also needs an improvement in
order to provide good comfortability to the user
for shorter journeys as well as for longer planned
journeys.
Based on the research findings, it can be
concluded that by introducing a lumbar support or
a back rest, it should provide a protective
mechanism in which the seat enables for good
posture positioning of the lower back bone to the
motorcyclist. By applying a back rest and by
having this support, back pains will decrease due
to a lessor vibrational transfer towards the lumbar
area. Another advantage, an ideal riding posture
for the motorcyclist is best supported here and is
capable in providing a perfect posture as well as
enhancing the comfortability for a motorcyclist
during the riding process. Also, by increasing the
surface area around the buttock should increase
higher comfort to the motorcyclist during all
rides. This happens because by increasing the
surface size at the buttock area, the seat in turn
reduces vibrational impact flows to the lumbar
area, in which back pain or lower back pain should
decrease. Hence, this increases comfortability of
those seats when being heavily utilized by the
motorcyclist.
A majority of respondents choose Seat Design B
because they deemed that not only the rider but
the passenger too desires the advantages of
having a back rest. A back rest is crucial for the
passenger and the rider for short journey riding
and especially so for longer journeys. Respondents
also stated that by adding a back rest to the
motorcycle seat, a good posture would be
maintained and this will ensure the body having
the ability to feel higher comfortability during
rides. Nevertheless, it is recommended that
further research on enhanced seat designs should
be done, towards ensuring an optimum level of
comfort is achievable for motorcyclist. Future
seat designs should have the ability to offer a
more pleasant comfort and satisfaction level. So,
it is imperative that vehicle manufactures
proceed to develop more innovative seat designs
that caters to the interest of users and buyers. By
doing this, Malaysian motorcyclist can reap
substantiated benefits from these seating designs
and should enjoy lesser or minimum vibrational
transfers to their lumbar area during their rides
on Malaysian roads.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Authors would like to acknowledge financial
support Universiti Kuala Lumpur and wish to thank
the respondents for their supports in this study.
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2020, Special Volume 1: 231-237
COMPETING INTERESTS
There is no conflict of interest.
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