I've been at your caffeine intake level. Graveyard shift for over a decade and too many 13 hour shifts to count. Advil helped me on the weekend days to offset the withdrawal. I could go to sleep after a quad espresso from Starbucks. (never wasted money on that again)
In terms of mental fatigue, fine motor skill movements can help offset this, like digging something out of your tank bag or putting a couple M&Ms on top of the tank bag and moving them around with the clutch hand. Even tapping out a rhythm with your fingers on the bars as you move along. Anything that requires a secondary focus to repeat or maintain.
In terms of boredom, math works for me. I'm always thinking about time, speed, where should I be, and when, at points ahead on my ride. How many miles I've ridden, Vs the time that has passed, figure that out mentally to come up with my average miles per hour. Then work out when I should be at my next gas stop based on that average, break that down to a known distance up ahead, (like some city on a sign I just passed that says XXX miles ahead), so when should I be there to stay on target or be ahead of target, etc.
You're moving, so you can work on things you need to get done for the move. Mental list making keeps your brain at a higher level.
In regards to comm, yeah, it's not going to last the entire trip. Your plan of shutting it off may meet your needs well. As a back up, consider a short hand list of your route turns taped to the tank in a zip lock bag if you don't have a tank bag w/a map window. Just a simple thing like:
I-64W (96.9 mi)
Merge I-64W/I-81S (30.6)
Exit 191 I-64W (116)
R 2 lanes merge I-64W/I-77N (61.4) Toll
Follow I-64W (500)
Exit 3B I-70W (232)
Exit 20 MO-7 (keep left onto MO-7S/NW Hwy-7) 2.0
In terms of mental fatigue, fine motor skill movements can help offset this, like digging something out of your tank bag or putting a couple M&Ms on top of the tank bag and moving them around with the clutch hand. Even tapping out a rhythm with your fingers on the bars as you move along. Anything that requires a secondary focus to repeat or maintain.
In terms of boredom, math works for me. I'm always thinking about time, speed, where should I be, and when, at points ahead on my ride. How many miles I've ridden, Vs the time that has passed, figure that out mentally to come up with my average miles per hour. Then work out when I should be at my next gas stop based on that average, break that down to a known distance up ahead, (like some city on a sign I just passed that says XXX miles ahead), so when should I be there to stay on target or be ahead of target, etc.
You're moving, so you can work on things you need to get done for the move. Mental list making keeps your brain at a higher level.
In regards to comm, yeah, it's not going to last the entire trip. Your plan of shutting it off may meet your needs well. As a back up, consider a short hand list of your route turns taped to the tank in a zip lock bag if you don't have a tank bag w/a map window. Just a simple thing like:
I-64W (96.9 mi)
Merge I-64W/I-81S (30.6)
Exit 191 I-64W (116)
R 2 lanes merge I-64W/I-77N (61.4) Toll
Follow I-64W (500)
Exit 3B I-70W (232)
Exit 20 MO-7 (keep left onto MO-7S/NW Hwy-7) 2.0
That is basically the correct map lol... I can, without directions get to Missouri from VA without any issue.
Turn left on Richmond
Turn left on Liberia
Turn west on i66
Turn south in i81
turn west on i64 and ride for 5 states (give or take)... bout the time I see IL, I have about 6 hours left. My comms will probably get turned on as I approach MO on i64, since St. Louis is where I'll be changing roads.
I will have my gps (google maps) floating just above my fork stem and thats powered by a pigtail off the battery... I'll have visible route confirmation the whole way. My plan is to start early in the day.. round 3AM so I've got a full night in before and I'm fresh when it's dark out, and I wont fall asleep with the sun out. This will put me making MO about 5PM.. and leaving me with just about 3 hours left of sunlight and about that much to drive...
The last step in the move is this ride.. its all done.