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MyFitnessPal Community

Calories burned riding a MOTORCYCLE...

PixiePerry

I've searched google and found several articles supporting the fact that you are indeed burning calories riding a motorcycle.
However, there is no option for "riding a motorcycle" in the diary choices on this site. So I wanted to share this website with other bikers, so you could enter your "riding" into your daily dairy.

> Go to this website: http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.html
> fill in your weight, and the amount of time spent riding (hrs/minutes)
> click on "ACTIVITY CALCULATOR"
> in the search area, type in "MOTORCYCLE"
> click on where it says, "RIDING SCOOTER OR MOTORCYCLE"
> click "CALCULATE"
** For a person of my weight, I burn 272 calories per HOUR!

Using this calculator, I found out that I actually burned 3,266 calories this weekend on a 2 day trip to the mountains (over 500 miles on the bike). I sweated my rear off in near 90 degree temps, drank tons of water, and "manhandled" a 600 pound bike through the mountains and on the interstate. Yes, I was "riding and sitting" the entire time, but the fact that I was out on the bike and not sitting on the couch makes my weight loss goals much more FUN.

Here's a few articles that lay out the ways that you are burning calories:

http://www.weightlossblogger.org/2010/02/riding-motorcycle-can-burn-calories.html
http://blog.leatherup.com/2010/05/11/motorcycle-riding-burns-calories/
http://www.google.com/search?q=burning+calories+riding+a+motocycle&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Hope this helps some other avid bikers out there!!

Pixie

Replies

Alwayssohungry

I've seen some strange stuff on this forum, but this takes the cake. Those are burned calories I will not be logging....

cmsmj1

I have a trackday coming up in August and I will wear my HRM for it. I would say that riding on track, or racing will elevate the heart rate and will certainly count as exercise.. Each track session is 20 mins, of which I'll guess 15 minutes will see a HR over 120 as riding a bike fast is a physical job.

Riding off road is also a strenuous effort and so is easily able to be counted as proper work.

Riding on the roads/street is nowhere near intense enough to count.

@ the chap who has ridden 1500 miles a day - I struggle to believe this. Including fuel stops and piss breaks then you are needing to be averaging approx 90mph...for 24hrs? or for 20hrs? Sorry..that is a blag, but good effort nonetheless

glovepuppet

So, you all get slightly out of breath while riding?

Much as a dig bikes, this thread has the aroma of wishful thinking.

phjorg1

I checked that website, I'd say it would be about accurate to the basic riding I measured my calories while in my motorcycle class during the five hour riding portion. Nearly 200 calories per hour. Not like running, but who cares. Its pretty close

you do understand about 75% of that number would have been burned anyway right?? its nothing like running because that burn is all bmr....

as for your bodyparts being sore, hey heres a thought. stand still and bend over for an hour. zomg, bet your body will be killing you. all that standing still not moving must be exercise because everything is so sore!!!!

seriously, youre in denial. riding is not exercise, but by all means, keep dreaming that it is.

phjorg1

I have a trackday coming up in August and I will wear my HRM for it. I would say that riding on track, or racing will elevate the heart rate and will certainly count as exercise.. Each track session is 20 mins, of which I'll guess 15 minutes will see a HR over 120 as riding a bike fast is a physical job.

Riding off road is also a strenuous effort and so is easily able to be counted as proper work.

Riding on the roads/street is nowhere near intense enough to count.

@ the chap who has ridden 1500 miles a day - I struggle to believe this. Including fuel stops and piss breaks then you are needing to be averaging approx 90mph...for 24hrs? or for 20hrs? Sorry..that is a blag, but good effort nonetheless

hrms do not work for activity like this. any number it gives will laughably be inflated....

OnceAgain2013

I'd equate riding my Harley to light stretching. Is it strenuous? No. Do you raise your heart rate? I do when I'm riding on the interstate in heavy traffic where people aren't paying attention. It's much better than sitting at work indoors or at home on the couch. Everyone should ride a bike and get some vitamin D and fresh air and enjoy the freedom every day. Should you track the calories? Hell no.

austinhealth

All I know is, that riding a 750 pound two wheel streak of lightening through hair pin turns and up and down hills and through twisties more crooked than a rattlesnake, at a speed 30 to 40 mph over the "suggested" speed for a particular turn can not only get your heart rate up but is also a lot of work. Keeping the Bike on the road and upright, whilst fighting the effects of the force of the wind on your upper torso and all the other maneuvers involved definitely is burning some calories. Would I consider it a workout probably not. To say that riding a motorcycle is about like sitting on the couch IMHO would be a naive statement made by someone that has never experienced the thrill, exhilaration, and freedom of riding a motorcycle!

dbmata

Oh man, I took a 17 minute dump this morning and burned 118 calories!

I'm owning that one.

cmsmj1

I have a trackday coming up in August and I will wear my HRM for it. I would say that riding on track, or racing will elevate the heart rate and will certainly count as exercise.. Each track session is 20 mins, of which I'll guess 15 minutes will see a HR over 120 as riding a bike fast is a physical job.

Riding off road is also a strenuous effort and so is easily able to be counted as proper work.

Riding on the roads/street is nowhere near intense enough to count.

@ the chap who has ridden 1500 miles a day - I struggle to believe this. Including fuel stops and piss breaks then you are needing to be averaging approx 90mph...for 24hrs? or for 20hrs? Sorry..that is a blag, but good effort nonetheless

hrms do not work for activity like this. any number it gives will laughably be inflated....

Well - I wore the HRM on track and the end result.. I am obviously too fit as my rate peaked at 96bpm.

So, I would say that you do not burn bugger all extra calories while riding a a road bike.

Evilmuffin666

This is funny. Regardless of what anyone believe, I wont be telling my spouse. Otherwise he will use it as an excuse to go out riding all day and call it exercising instead of what it really is..... fun times.

wordfreak

Here's my 2 cents worth...While wearing my body media device it recorded 805 calories burned in 90 minutes while riding through the foothills. My resting MET is .85 and while riding it was 3.59. This netted about a 735 calories adjustment on myfitnesspal daily log. My wife burned 471 calories with an avg MET of 3.53. Her resting MET is .79.

jtshahan

My two cents worth on this subject: I compared to the "mowing lawn - riding mower" in the exercise database. It showed 247 calories per hour for me. I reduced that to 200 per hour, just to allow for some difference, and saved as my own exercise in my database. Since I am the driver, working arms and legs during entire drive, this seem like a reasonable comparison.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

You can also burn calories sitting on the couch and watching tv, it doesn't mean it's necessarily a good idea to try to log it.

Just consider it an extra calorie bonus, without logging it. The amount burned would most likely be negligible, anyway.

amberbrownale

Anyone who says riding a motorcycle doesn't burn extra calories:

Doesn't ride.

'Nuff said.

dbmata

1000 calories per half hour.

h7463

amberbrownale wrote: »

Anyone who says riding a motorcycle doesn't burn extra calories:

Doesn't ride.

'Nuff said.

^^ This! Ninja ZX6R...we have twisties around here that make 'The Dragon' blush....lol .
I get half a workout, taking the bike grocery shopping to Walmart, just by dodging cars and coal trucks....
Ride safe!

rainbowbow

This should be included in your daily activity level. Eating these back will undoubtedly undo a calorie deficit.

metstertrish

Ever gone down the interstate on a motorcycle, streetfighter without most of its fairings, going 80 mph for an hour.. going to a destination and then do the same thing going back for an hour against the wind? That is a long time to hold your body in one position and maintain balance, especially if you're tucking behind a windshield. The first time I did that... I was so sore I could hardly move the next day. More sore than if i had just did a very intense work out at the gym for the same amount of time.That might not be proof of calories burnt or how much, but that's proof of strength and resistance training if nothing else.

fitbethlin

AllTehBeers wrote: »

dawnna76

BURNS CALORIES. all the more reason to get out and ride my VFR more

Pretzelcoatal

I totally believe this burns calories, but there should be more of a distinction made between styles of riding, what bike you are on etc. I have a Honda Magna(cruiser), and a Yamaha FZ-09 (naked/sportbike). I'm quite certain riding the Yamaha burns quite a few more calories, as you are hanging off the bike in the corners, shifting body position forward to (try to) keep the front wheel down, constantly fighting against windblast. They call em streetfighters for a reason... The Magna however, might as well be a Laz-E-Boy on wheels.

TimothyFish

Several years ago a friend told me about how he started gaining weight because when he rode his motorcycle he always felt like he was putting in a lot of effort. I'm certain that riding a motorcycle burns more calories than riding in a car (or a lawn mower), but I suspect that most people grossly overestimate the work involved. On straight roads, I suspect the calorie burn is similar to a person who is standing versus sitting. On a winding road or on a dirt bike I could see that increasing.

Chieflrg

Best exercise ever...

I burn 9267884016 for 5 minutes, but I rarely log it.

Dacknanimous

LOL!!! I hope NO ONE actually believes this!
Riding a motorcycle, unless you are doing extreme, off-road/motocross, burns a bit more than driving a car.
At BEST (Very high estimate), about 100-105 calories per hour and that INCLUDES the 50-60 BMR calories you would have burned, anyway, in the same period of time sitting on your couch.

STOP LOOKING FOR SHORTCUTS!
If you're not working, neither is your exercise.

Mr_Knight

PixiePerry wrote: »

Using this calculator, I found out that I actually burned 3,266 calories this weekend on a 2 day trip to the mountains (over 500 miles on the bike).

It's double counting your BMR etc calorie burn.

Eat back at your own peril...

rdix333

I ran out of gas a few weeks ago and had to push the beast 4 miles to the nearest gas station in 110-degree temperatures. I can assure everyone, I burned some calories that day.

- True story

But seriously, who cares? Just ride if it makes you happy. And if it burns extra calories, then that's a bonus.

NorthCascades

How many calories do I burn grating cheese?

sgt1372

I use to ride (a lot). Started at 26 and stopoed at 66. Did many solo long distance road trips thru the US, Canada and Mexico.

It is NOT just like driving a car.

More energy burn obviouly riding off-road but just keeping a 600# bike (that's what most of mine weighed) upright and on roadway requires strength and energy and the faster you go (or the worse the weather or road conditions) the more that is needed.

I won't overstate the energy burn but I've seen very few FAT long distance or enduro riders.

Weekend riders on Harleys and other cruisers are another matter.

lokihen

While I don't log my motorcycle rides, some of them can be hard work. Cold day, thirty miles fighting a strong crosswind and when I pulled over to take a breather, my leg collapsed. I wore those bruises for two months.

rdix333

NorthCascades wrote: »

How many calories do I burn grating cheese?

How many calories did I burn texting this responds? I'm thinking 653.5