Long Distance Riding - Dealing With Fatigue

[Twigg]

Nah, it's okay Fred. The key is recognising when you are tired, too hot, dehydrated, etc.

If you know the signs you can avoid the potential problems. "Safe Long Distance Motorcycling" is about not putting yourself in any more danger than is inherent in motorcycling.

That said, not everyone enjoys that aspect of the sport, and that's fine too.

 

[Bounce]

The secondary key is understanding that personal limits aren't universal truths. This seems to be a major hurdle for a lot of people.

 

[Mossyrocks13k]

Thanks to everyone for very informative posts. I don't have anything to as my longest ride was just over 10 hours.

 

[Fred W]

Nah, it's okay Fred. The key is recognising when you are tired, too hot, dehydrated, etc.
If you know the signs you can avoid the potential problems. "Safe Long Distance Motorcycling" is about not putting yourself in any more danger than is inherent in motorcycling.

Safety is not a black and white thing. It is not a situation where you are either safe or you are unsafe.

Pushing yourself to the point of experiencing fatigue (the point of this thread), even if you can recognize your own warning signs, will absolutely result of an increase in danger over not doing that. It's just an added risk that many LD folks are quite willing to accept, either consciously or otherwise.

I wonder how many that regularly engage in pushing their fatigue limits on two wheels have ever considered it from the added personal risk standpoint? Or is it more a case of whisting past the graveyard?

 

[101stpathfinder]

Fred,

I understand your concerns, but I would love to see statistics of cycle accidents do to fatigue of long distances riding vs. say... FJR gatherings and group rides and riders pushing themselves (For whatever reasons) in twisties.

Not preaching here, but partying in the night and hitting the twisties the next day with a group of riders... (To me) THAT spells trouble. I have felt fatigued on short rides that I did not get propper sleep prior to. I am also guilty of ATGATT

violations on local riding more often.

Long distance riders tend to be more aware of fatigue and dealing with it than others riders. Perhaps that is why LD riders have fewer accident per mile than other riders.

SPEED adds to fatigue, and roads with turns fatigue this Florida rider also. To each, his own.

Motorcycling is dangerous...

 

[Twigg]

There has been a long debate about the accident stats of LD Riders. The picture is not clear, and the pool of stats is relatively small so it's hard to determine if there is much significance.

In our favor is that as a group we are older than average, better prepared, more experienced, better protected and ride quality machines. Much of the mileage is on limited access highways, which are the safest roads. All of that should put us in the lower risk group, which it probably does, but then we go out and take more risks.

We ride further, for longer and in conditions that most riders would not be on a motorcycle. And yes, we ride when tired, let's not deny it even if we still seek to mitigate the effects of that.

Even a cursory look at the incidents during rallies suggests that "get-offs" are not infrequent. Probable that injuries are minimized due to good gear and decent skills, but still they happen. What is more, far too many of those incidents are "single-vehicle" events suggesting that the rider bears at least some of the responsibility.

During the last Iron Butt Rally there were a number of accidents ranging from a deer strike to a 30 mph low-side in traffic (no explanation of how that happened to one of the most experienced riders on a well-sorted Gold Wing). Yet another rider hydro-planed his nice BMW out of the rally on Interstate 95, at normal speeds. .... Still, add them up and the rate per 100 000 miles is not dissimilar to the population as a whole. While that is just one rally, and on its own proves nothing, the pattern is repeated across the sport.

It may be that attempts to compare stats is a pretty useless exercise, because what we really need to do is minimize our own risk, on our next ride. However skillful, well protected and well prepared we might be, accidents still happen and like as not they always will.

Grim as these discussions are, if they raise awareness they help. Tony is right, there may be an element of "whistling past the graveyard". But if we are going to do that, at least let us keep our eyes open.

 

[Fred W]

Tony. Unfortunately what you say is absolutely valid. It all comes down to risks vs rewards and which ones we are willing to accept.

edit - Twigg posted as I was typing. That post summarizes the situation perfectly. Having our "eyes wide open" is the entire key (bad pun intended)

 

[Geezer]

Motorcycling is a sport that comes with unique hazards and serious consequences. For people who enjoy the challenge of long distance riding, or, as in my case, the opportunity to experience a lot more things by travelling longer and farther in a given amount of time, the risk is there and must be accepted. It is up to each of us, individually, to determine how much risk we are willing to accept to do the riding that we enjoy.

The real issue as I see it is that a rider can increase his risk beyond what he would normally accept because he is not aware how much his ability to ride safely has deteriorated due to fatigue. The hard part is to know where to draw the line. I know I have crossed that line on several occasions, but did not know it until after the fact.

Physical conditioning plays a part. I could ride a lot farther when I was younger, thinner, and more physically fit from exercise than I can today.

 

[erixun]

Question about the hydration packs, I have seen the kits that put a gallon jug in front of the saddle bag on the side of the bike, anyone here have one of those installed and can tell me if you can still use the rear peg? Not for a passenger but for the rider, sometimes I like to place my 'toe' on the foot peg and my heel on the passenger peg. But from what I have seen in pictures this placement of a insulated jug would preclude me from doing this.

 

[Twigg]

Question about the hydration packs, I have seen the kits that put a gallon jug in front of the saddle bag on the side of the bike, anyone here have one of those installed and can tell me if you can still use the rear peg? Not for a passenger but for the rider, sometimes I like to place my 'toe' on the foot peg and my heel on the passenger peg. But from what I have seen in pictures this placement of a insulated jug would preclude me from doing this.

Me too ... and you give up the rear peg if you mount the cooler like that.

Mine is mounted right behind me, alongside the aux gas tank.

 

[erixun]

Question about the hydration packs, I have seen the kits that put a gallon jug in front of the saddle bag on the side of the bike, anyone here have one of those installed and can tell me if you can still use the rear peg? Not for a passenger but for the rider, sometimes I like to place my 'toe' on the foot peg and my heel on the passenger peg. But from what I have seen in pictures this placement of a insulated jug would preclude me from doing this.

Me too ... and you give up the rear peg if you mount the cooler like that.

Mine is mounted right behind me, alongside the aux gas tank.

I guess I am going to have to get creative...

Thanks