So far, I've been very lucky.  Several times I have almost dozed off on the freeway, at 70mph.  The morning commute is no problem; the air is cool, I'm pretty alert from 6 or 7 hours of sleep.  But the ride home is something else.  The droning of the engine, the heat, the boredom of following countless carsall combine to put me to sleep.  Sometimes it's hard to pull off the road right away for a rest stop.  At 28 miles, the commute's not that long, but I guess it takes a while for the caffeine to kick in.  Sometimes it doesn't .  I wonder if any of you guys and gals have strategies for staying awake; at least long enough to pull off the freeway.

yea, twist the throttle hard and hang on.  That usually jolts me back to my senses for a little while 

-M

Make it more interesting, im not sure about you but there maybe other ways home, alternate them. Also if youv'e gota sit on the highway, change lanes over take things vary your speed. All things which require you to be alert. I am in no way conding this but do stretches of higher speed then slower speeds.

My grandpa used really spicy hot candy to stay awake while driving. I sing 

Quote from: Queso on June 01, 2006, 08:00:07 AM
My grandpa used really spicy hot candy to stay awake while driving. I sing 

Candy might work.  When I sing, it puts me to sleep.

Wasp in your helmet. 

wow, i can't relate to that at all... my senses go thru the roof when I put on the helmet.  

maybe drink/eat your caffen a little before you leave so that it has time to kick in ? maybe get you a mp3 player and use that i do ( dont no one go about ohh thats a bad idea bla bla bla . i put mine on everytime i go to work or even ride and its low enough for me to hear the things around me i.e. cops,fire trucks ect.  and screcthing tires all the above . you just have to watch out a little more ) put you some songs on it that really get your blood pumping and your ride home will be enjoyed more and you might make it faster 

I had the same problem a couple years ago.  I beat it by
finding an interesting route home that does not include bumper to bumper traffic
taking a few minutes at the end of the day to catch my breath before getting on the bike.  sometimes I read a web page, other times I veg for a few minutes util I'm ready to go
cutting sugar out of my diet.  There is a big energy slump for me about 2 hours after eating a cookie and that was part of the problem

Good luck.  If you become good at riding while dozing, perhaps an Iron Butt competition is your cup of tea

Man...i was notorious for dozing while driving the cage. i tried everything from loud music, candy, windows and sunroof open, even a bag of ice on the crotch The only thing that seemed to work consistently was eating sunflower seeds. i felt like white trash with a "spit cup"...but, hey, it worked. i guess not gonna be the best option to spit shells inside your helmet though.  

Are you coming home really late or something?  We're talking 28 miles here.... if you can't stay awake for 28 miles at 70mph, then you're not getting enough sleep or you need to talk to your doctor.   

Seriously man.... falling asleep on a bike is likely fatal.   

Keep a few Habanero peppers in your tank bag.  When you feel yourself start to get drowsy, pop one in your mouth and enjoy the boost of adrenalin you receive instantly.  You should then be wide awake for the rest of your ride.  Also, on a hot day the tears provide a nice cooling sensation on the face.
If that doesn't work then just run an aligator clip from one of the ignition coils to your balls... then try to fall asleep 

Quote from: daneilah on June 01, 2006, 10:26:44 AM
Are you coming home really late or something?  We're talking 28 miles here.... if you can't stay awake for 28 miles at 70mph, then you're not getting enough sleep or you need to talk to your doctor.   

Seriously man.... falling asleep on a bike is likely fatal.   

+1
You are either not sleeping anough or need to see a doctor.

The cage I can see. But on the bike I haven't heard of before, esp experienced it myself.. ideas to keep you awake are good but just hope they don't take more of your focus/energy away from the little that's there.

I agree and say see a doc.. 6 hours sleep is a good rest IMO

when i had sleep apnea and i didnt know i had it, i used to fall asleep and stuff.

now i dont.. but atleast back tehn i recognised when my reflexes were going down.. so i would pull over and sleep or whatever..

get more sleep or get checked out.

I seriously just figured out what bars had to do with this. I thought the thread was gonna be about me every weekend.

Seriously.

Quote from: daneilah on June 01, 2006, 10:26:44 AM
Are you coming home really late or something?  We're talking 28 miles here.... if you can't stay awake for 28 miles at 70mph, then you're not getting enough sleep or you need to talk to your doctor.   

Seriously man.... falling asleep on a bike is likely fatal.   

Yeah, it's probably a combination of sleep deprivation and boredom. 

Maybe that last one would be a good excuse for buying an SV.  Or a Hayabusa.

A few years ago, some Japanese guy invented an alarm for narcoleptic cagers;  a sensor detects a driver's nodding head, and a buzzer goes off.  Maybe I'll check out that new Gold Wing that comes with an airbag 

Maybe you're hypoglycemic and need a snack. When my blood sugar gets low...i get sleepy.

I'm too lazy to read ALL the posts in this thread, but how about just opening your visor?  The wind on your face will feel good too

Quote from: pandy on June 01, 2006, 09:33:44 AM
Wasp in your helmet. 

oh jesus like no one caught this! 

One time a paper wasp smacked right under my shield and wedged in...didn't kill him but he was hurt and mad...his head and legs were inside and I could see him going at the shield with his stinger.  It was a little unsettling.

Another good way to wake up is to see a spider crawl across the inside of your shield.  It was a little fuzzy wolf spider...wasn't any harm...but he still nearly killed me.  Now at night half the time I think I see the little fucker crawling around the sides of my vision.  That keeps me awake.

And lastly, aim for birds.  After you get one at 70 or 80 mph you'll be alert and ready and looking for the bastards all the time...