Motorcycling and Leisure Understanding the Recreational PTW Rider

Despite the fact that there are around 1.2 million powered two wheelers (PTWs) within the United Kingdom, riders are often misconceived as living at the edge of society; however, this is often far from the truth. Riding a PTW is a high-risk activity and those who ride are often perceived as being 'risk junkies', but through an in-depth exploration of this leisure activity, Motorcycling and Leisure explains that riders ride because they enjoy it and do not necessarily enjoy the risk involved. The book presents a range of contemporary research on riders and how they find enjoyment. The book further explores the rider goal of enjoyment and utilises Fuller's task homeostasis theory along with Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow to develop an understanding of the interaction between risk and goals. In conclusion it develops principles of interventions with the aim of guiding intervention design and reducing the number of motorcycle crashes.

Contents: Forewords; Preface; An introduction to motorcycles; Motorcycle safety; Task homestasis theory; Risk and sensation seeking; Who rides?; Why do people choose to ride?; Enjoyment and risk; Bike riders and car drivers; Task capability, task demand and motorcycle riding; Group riding; Improving motorcycle safety; References; Index.

Paul Broughton completed his PhD while based at the Transport Research Institute at Napier University in Edinburgh where his research was into the risk and enjoyment factors of powered two wheeler use. Since completing his PhD he has gone on to form a research company, Owl Research Ltd, which works on road safety projects. Linda Walker is a lecturer in Leisure, Tourism and Marketing at the University of Stirling. Linda's key area of research is visitor health and safety including the impact of crime and road traffic crashes on the visitor experience