Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Riding Technique Riding under the influence...

...of fatigue.
It is amazing how sleep deprivation or even just a couple of lousy night's sleep in a row can affect our abilities.
Yesterday I woke up exhausted. Went for a short run and then leathered up for a ride. I was fine while moving along the interstate. But coming to stops I really felt the weight of the bike in a way I haven't before. Actually, I felt wobbly. My throttle action leaving stops was not so precise and the twisties proved to be more of a challenge than a thrill.After about 20 miles of this I headed for home. Even backing the bike into the garage was a project.
The only reason I ramble on about this is that symtoms of sleep deprivation can have adverse affects on ability to handle our bikes and our response time. Not much similar to alcohol, I suppose.I really thought the ride would whip the fatigue from my body. Instead it only compounded the feelings.
Please be careful out there.

mert(shari)

Hi Sheri,

I know exactly what you are talking about. At the end of a long days ride, especially those 500 milers, Vera is heavy and I am clumsy. Last July I wanted to nod off while on the Blue Ridge Prky in NC! That was a first for me in well over 30K miles. (Foggy conditions and feeling as cold as dinqua when he stood outside in his frozen yard, dressed like yota, this past December didn’t help.) OK it was only 40 degrees! (Hypothermia kills)

When I first started riding, I wouldn’t ride unless I felt like a million bucks. Call it what you may, but complacency, the attitude of, “I can do it”, or “It’ll make me feel better” are exactly the times when we need to really 'think about' the ride we are contemplating. Whereas in the beginning I had no edge, I do now. Which is at times, even more tricky a thing to manage than being an outright newbie. At least being new to something your given state can be one of caution. Yet being in tune with Vera can work in a bad way. As set forth above. Remember always that you are the command center. When the command center is running on backup power, be careful merthopper, very careful! We all want you around for a LONG TIME!

Always good to be reminded of these things Shari. It's kind of like the guy who takes the MSF course even tho he's been riding for a couple years and thinks he doesn't need it. Even if he didn't learn anything brand new I garuntee there's some things he got reminded of that he will remember from then on! The basics!

When it gets really cold here in WNY, (October-September) it does get pretty dangerous as the hypothermia sets in and you don't even realize it. This has been the cause of many a crash I am sure. I remember times back when I was actually so cold I could not get my foot down in time at a stoplight and just fell right over. Looked kind of like the old pervert on the tricycle on Rowan and Martin. (for all the old farts). It was funny, but could have been a lot worse. I went home right after stopping for some hot coffee.

Hiya Pat
I remember reading an article about 18 months ago.
A Brit bike mag tried to see what effected riders the most (worst?).
Using a non-public section of road, they messed around with drink, 'a smoke' and leaving a guy in ice water (to simulate cold, obviously) and I seem to rememeber the cold guy had the worst reactions etc.

Everyone should forget trying to look cool or hard and make sure they keep warm while riding.

Unfortunately, all of these things compound the effects. When you are fatigued you tend to get cold faster and stay cold longer. When you are cold you tend to get fatigued rather quickly as well.
Not to raise the helmet issue again, but a great deal of body heat is lost from a person's head. So riding without a helmet is going to wear you down that much faster.

I've already been so cold and tired on a ride that I had to make a conscious effort to concentrate on every aspect of riding til I could get to a place where I could pull over and recover. That is a scary feeling.......

I agree 100%, I think it's critical that you're well rested and your concentration and awareness are sharp. My new TBA is my first bike in over 20 years and I know my reaction time and skills have greatly diminished since I was 23. I finally got my dates for the 3 day Motorcycle Safety Course here in NH. I'm going April 29, 30 and May 1. I've been riding with my brothers and friends who have given me a lot of pointers but I really need to work on my technique. One of the reasons I bought the TBA was because it fit me perfect. I'm short and when I sat on the TBA it fit like a glove. I felt really comfortable.

Amen on that Don. On the ride up to Daytona it rained hard most of the way. By the time I got to about Cocoa, I was chilled to the bone and continuing would have been hazardous and stupid.

Thanks to Moe, I was able to stop at his house and recover.

Good timing on this post. Only been riding for about a month now and spent yesterday afternoon washing and waxing the new speedy for a long ride this morning. Didnt sleep worth a darn last night a woke up tired and feeling like crap, determined to still go I jumped on the bike and left.From the git go things just didnt feel right, it was kinda cool for our standards down here (58) and only wearing jeans and a sweat shirt I got cold quick. After about 10 miles I'd had enough, after some yardwork and a nap I had a nice afternoon ride. Lot to be said for being well rested before riding, especially for newer riders. Craig

Cold, hot and fatigue. Last year on a long weekend, a friend and I spent the last 90 miles or so of day 3 on I-90/94 facing the afternoon sun. Temperatures were hovering around 100F. We approached the exit ramp at Livingston, MT and I motioned to him "I'd had enough". Heat turns my brain to mush after awhile. The previous gas stop I nearly filled the tank with diesel. I was having visions of air conditioning and a cold glass of Moosedrool.

Have a good hypothermia story too, but it's mid April and I'm tired of cold stories (for this year). It snowed in the higher elevations again last night!!!!!!!!!!! Ride Safe all.

john

Hey Sis, don't be doing anything crazy!! You still owe me a hug!!! Be careful out there! Done that a couple times, and afterwards asked myself why I did it. Others are right, got to use our brains ALL the time on these things.

Being uncomfortable will fatigue you very fast.
Yesterday was a gorgeous and what seemed like a warm day here in the North East so I started out on a 200 mile ride. I put on the summer gloves and after about 10 miles my hands were getting chilled. So I turned back and got the heavier gloves. Keeping warm and wearing earplugs made it for an enjoyable ride.

There is a reason why they teach you this stuff at MSF. Wear layers of clothing to keep you comfortable. Remove as needed.

Don't worry Bro,
your hug is in the bank.It's funny.Ironic really;I was wearing several layers(3 shirts + a super fitted patagonia fleece under my leather),chaps,and my lid.It just wasn't enough.I was not fit for the road.

mert(shari)sis, etc.

It was a gorgeous day yesterday here in Western N.C., but the combination of a cold plus working a couple extra days made me decide to stay home and clean and polish the bike instead of going for that ride I wanted so bad...thanked myself later in the day after the America looked so good.....and I felt well rested.

Lee

This is what scares me most about Bike Week. 100,000 drunk Harley riders.

ride safe on that blue beauty Shari.

Ryan

this thread has kept me off my bike since i went down almost two weeks ago. i can't sneeze without doubling over from the pain in my bruised ribs so whenever i think its nice enough and i feel ok enough for a quick jaunt i remeber this thread. one bump the wrong way and i'd be less than 100% at the controls. it sucks but i'm biting the bullet and biding my time til i'm 100% healed. should be another week.

Probably a good idea!! Not being 100% isn't even the worst, imagine if you had a sharp pain and jerked on the handlebars?