A hand-held Wii remote controller for a video game system is adapted to simulating motion control for a motorcycle, jet skis, or other vehicle steered by handlebars. The player holds the remote horizontally with one hand on each end, parallel to a TV display screen, and can control simulated motorcycle operations using inertial sensing. For example, rotating the handheld remote about its orthogonal X/Y/Z axes as pitch (throttle accelerate/decelerate), yaw (steering left/right), and roll (leaning left/right into a turn) can be used as control inputs. In addition, the player can emulate a more aggressive, real-world lean into turns by rocking side-to-side on an optional balance board.