- Kate Benson
- November 23, 2008
SUFFER in your jocks, bikers. Yes, that means you, you wussy Hell's Angel. And you, Bandido boy. The secret's out. You aren't just overweight, smelly, middle-aged drug dealers with more tattoos than teeth. You are soft in the pants department - and quite probably bedwetters, as well.
And guess what? These afflictions are caused by riding motorcycles.
That's right, a new study has found that men who ride them risk impotence and urinary problems because the engine vibration damages nerves in their penises.
A survey of more than 230 motorcyclists who ride for about three hours every weekend found that almost 70 per cent had problems getting an erection or emptying their bladders.
The news is alarming for Victorian men who have turned to motorcycles and scooters in the past few years to beat rising fuel prices and growing traffic congestion.
Doctors in Japan, who published two studies on the dangers in the Inter-national Journal of Impotence Research, said most motorcycle seats put undue pressure on the area between the anus and the scrotum, cutting blood flow to the penis.
Vibrations from the engine also caused a decrease in two growth hormones in the bladder and prostate related to bladder relaxation.
Impotence affects most males during their lives and can be caused by emotional issues, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking or alcohol.
But all men should avoid sitting too long on hard bicycle or motorcycle seats, particularly ones with thin, pointed ends, to prevent compression of pelvic floor muscles, Impotence Australia chief executive Brett McCann said yesterday.
About 76 per cent of riders aged 40 to 49, and 93 per cent of those aged 50 to 59, reported severe erectile dysfunction, compared with 37 per cent and 42 per cent respectively among those who did not ride motorcycles.
John Sbrocchi has been riding a scooter to work for 2 years. His sex life had not suffered.
Scooters normally have wider, softer seats than motorcycles, but vibrations can still affect the genitals.
"I do have urinary flow issues, but I'm not putting it down to the scooter," Mr Sbrocchi said.
"I'm a man of 62 and when you get to that age you get prostate problems.
"I think scooters are one of life's greatest innovations - so it would take more than that to put me off."
Most seats are too hard
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