From Tom Cruise to Bear Grylls and even Ewan McGregor (who made a few handy documentaries on the subject), top celebs have long picked motorcycles as their chosen way to travel. From the idea of the wind in our hair to the thrill of the open road beneath two wheels, many of us wish to follow in those footsteps with a motorcycle trip of our own. After all, while it isn’t exactly family-friendly, a motorcycle-based road trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the grownups to enjoy. And, according to a Harley Davidson-funded UCLA study back in 2017, it might even have a fair few science-backed health benefits to recommend it.
Luckily, trips like these can be far easier to arrange than you might expect, especially if you take tips from the top. Of course, you’ll want to get your bike in order with plenty of checks beforehand and even a few crucial part replacements from a local ATV junkyard or dealer to ensure your safety on the road. You’ll also need to get all of your travel documents in order before you even consider heading off. But, once these surprisingly simple tasks are out of the way, you can quickly enjoy the following science-backed benefits of traveling by motorcycle just like the greats.
# 1 - The plus-point of fresh air for the body
Unlike car-based trips or even flying, motorcycles see you out in the fresh air across the entirety of your trip. And, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that fresh air has a fair few benefits for our bodies. In fact, by increasing the amount of oxygen in our body, plenty of fresh air can even ensure our white blood cells are better able to function and thus less likely to fall foul to illness or infection. That’s great news all around.
As was discovered in the aforementioned UCLA study, first-hand exposure to fresh air and beautiful scenery up-close also brings further bodily benefits for bikers, including a 28% decrease in cortisol (the stress hormone), and an increase in alertness that could be compared with drinking a cup of coffee. In other words, the fresh air and open road can quite literally help you to stay healthier, less stressed, and more tuned in for longer. And, those findings come from just 20 minutes on the road – imagine what a whole trip could do!
# 2 - Strength-training in action
Unlike bicycles, motorbikes aren’t always recommended for their fitness training capabilities. Still, that’s not to say that motorcycles don’t still bring a fair few strength training benefits worth noting here, especially when they’re used for traveling long distances.
In fact, as a low-impact form of exercise, long periods riding a bike of this nature can provide various strength-based benefits, including stronger knees that experience fewer problems, stronger core muscles thanks to all of that on-bike balancing, and even the ability to burn as many as 600 calories per hour. That’s a win-win, meaning that not only can you see some of the best sites in the world this way, but you can significantly increase your health, strength, and stamina as you do.
# 3 - The social element
Isolation is thought to shorten our life spans by as much as 15 years. That’s the equivalent of smoking around 15 cigarettes a day, and it’s something that even a generally social activity like travel can’t offset if we’re locked in our cars or hotels for an entire trip.
By comparison, motorcycles that are generally famed for their social benefits provide a far better way for even solo travelers to ensure plenty of interactions. For one thing, biking provides a strong community in countries across the world, meaning that traveling bikers can attend meetups, group rides, and even join local groups with common ground regardless of where they’re traveling.
Further, even, to this is the fact that being out and about on a motorcycle makes it way more likely that locals will stop and chat, and that you’re generally immersed in the communities you pass through, instead of viewing them through a screen. The interactions and experiences that this leads to can then keep you healthier, and more satisfied during the entirety of every trip you take.
Road trips generally offer a fantastic way to see the world, but with science very much championing the benefits of motorcycles as your vehicle of choice, it might be past time that you ditch the car the next time you start planning a trip itinerary.
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