Staying awake

[chairhead]

On recent trips to Europe this year or infact every year for the last 12 years,ive always tried to find the cheapest possible ferry crossing,
this more times than not will envolve a night crossing,
and usually i will have to work a full day before i begin my trip,
this year we(me and my dear wife) decided to go to the South of France,a distance of just over 1,000 miles, and as always i wanted to do it in one hit,i stopped twice to rest my eyes but for no more than an hour at a time,it took me 18 hours but i did it,and using only Pro plus and coffee.

So the Question Guy's,is what do you use to keep you awake on long trips,legal or not :D

[Sin_Tiger]

I am sleepless most nights as the Steamer strip down progresses  :shock:

and manage to stay awake the whole 14 hr flight back to the UK thinking about the 1050 in the garage that I am soon to be re-united with   that's my pet name for the wife just to save confusion in case I blurt it out in my sleep  :lol:

[oxnsox]

I've done these kinda long trips a couple of times in 4 wheelers, and worked a few 36hour shifts (for want of a better description).  For me I've found I get to a point, around 3am, where I feel my eyes are spending more time trying to shut than open so I have a power nap... 20 - 30min and back at it, feels like you just woke a bit early but otherwise you're good to go.
Worst part is getting your night vision back when you're driving...especially if the U-haul doesn't have working headlights... but thats another story.

[John Stenhouse]

I don't understand that mentality, this is stupid and dangerous.
I wont add any more as it will make me too angry

[coachgeo]

I don't understand that mentality, this is stupid and dangerous.
I wont add any more as it will make me too angry

That's how I took it too.  

I lost my finance to an idiot move in 2000. Yeah it was her stupid move and thank god it only took her. I was out of town.  Pain is still there !!

How you going to feel when your stupid moves takes your dear wife!

[Stretch]

Be safe.  Stop and sleep when you're tired.

[GWL]

There are many signs on the motorways here warning of the dangers of driving when tired. As the signs say, TIREDNESS KILLS!.  Pull over and have a sleep or at least a rest even if you just get off your bike and walk  about for a bit.Rather get there a bit later than not at all!!

[chairhead]

Well if the text was read you would have seen this

i stopped twice to rest my eyes but for no more than an hour at a time

yes thats right,i stopped because i was tired,i dident feel it was safe to ride on ,power napping as its known,understand now

[TigerTrax]

I just did 22 hours....

When I got home... I felt great.
I slept for 3 hours got up and went to work.

I think the key is that for some folks their adrenaline or attentiveness allows them to keep going for long periods of time.

[abruzzi]

With caveats, I have found that provogil/modofinil can combat the droopy eyelids, with minimal side effects.  The caveats: test how it effects you in a non critical situation before using it in a critical one so you know how it effects you, and don't abuse the stuff--i.e. use it once in a while, and get it properly proscribed.

Geof

[Buffalo]

I used to drive from N MD to south FL straight thru a couple times a year, an 18 hr trip. I usually slept the day before and left late eve to get through the MD/VA conjestion around DC and Richmond when traffic was light. I would find myself getting real sleepy around sunrise and found that a Coke Classic and a Snickers bar would perk me right up till the next 300 mile gas stop. BUT, as others have posted, no substitute for a nap.

[Chris Canning]

On recent trips to Europe this year or infact every year for the last 12 years,ive always tried to find the cheapest possible ferry crossing,
this more times than not will envolve a night crossing,
and usually i will have to work a full day before i begin my trip,
this year we(me and my dear wife) decided to go to the South of France,a distance of just over 1,000 miles, and as always i wanted to do it in one hit,i stopped twice to rest my eyes but for no more than an hour at a time,it took me 18 hours but i did it,and using only Pro plus and coffee.

So the Question Guy's,is what do you use to keep you awake on long trips,legal or not :D

Well i do understand that mentality!!,having spent a life time perfecting it,at the risk of digressing,i get angry when i speak to folk about how good their bikes are when their idea of a long day is 2/300 miles they don't know!!.

In my younger days i struggled,i'd hit the wall around the 500 mile mark,trick was knowing it, stopping and getting my head straight,which ranged from a coffee and 15 minute rest,to me having a kip while my other half stayed awake,in some back and beyond place from eastern Europe to central Spain.

As i've got older,i need less sleep,having less brain cells!!,but the biggest influence is what time of year it is,and how much riding i've(we've) done,i ride two up 99% of the time,resulting in one trip we did 3 years ago,down to Mugello for the Italian GP and then Barcelona for the Spanish GP,having been on the road for two weeks,my head was well into gear,and on the monday left Barcelona in the early hours and arrrived back in Birmingham the same day,including the ferry trip took 16 hours,i've been asked what happened when we got home,had a cuppa and watched a film.

Going off at another tangent,when the P+O ferry stopped from Portsmouth/ Le-Havre i couldn't be done with LD ferries and went Portsmouths/St Malo,miles better,boat goes earlier and doesn't dock till 8am,a decent kip and non of this getting turfed off at 6.30 in morning

Complete opposite,we always go to Le-Mans in april to the 24 hours,the first 100 miles after not doing many in the winter,i'm knackered thinking what the hell am i doing here,by the time were in Portsmouth i'm rocking and rolling :D