Best Way To Create Motorcycle Routes

[epconde]

This is the best way to create motorcycle routes that I know of - by far. This 6:18 may profoundly change your riding for the better:

[RandyO]

the best way to make good motorcycle routes in not software, get out there and ride and explore, get off the secondary state highways on to town roads, get a good paper map like a Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer, mark the good roads, where the good eateries are and other attractions worthy of being a destination, also mark the unworthy places, use different color highlighters for good, mediocre and routes to avoid and the reason, remember we are in northern New England, frost action can rip a road apart, but once repaved, its good again, development however increases traffic and curb cuts that generally don't go away

at the end of the day, you will have documented a better ride than any software can create, and also learn where to avoid

[epconde]

the best way to make good motorcycle routes in not software, get out there and ride and explore, get off the secondary state highways on to town roads, get a good paper map like a Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer, mark the good roads, where the good eateries are and other attractions worthy of being a destination, also mark the unworthy places, use different color highlighters for good, mediocre and routes to avoid and the reason, remember we are in northern New England, frost action can rip a road apart, but once repaved, its good again, development however increases traffic and curb cuts that generally don't go away

at the end of the day, you will have documented a better ride than any software can create, and also learn where to avoid

Disagree vehemently. I did it exactly as you described for many years. Did you look at the website? If you have anything to add then I would be grateful.

[RandyO]

Disagree vehemently. I did it exactly as you described for many years. Did you look at the website? If you have anything to add then I would be grateful.

the
yes I have seen your website, while many are routes that I have explored and marked in my atlases, there are even more that you are missing by not exploring, and some that I just recommend avoiding due to congestion

[sandman]

the best way to make good motorcycle routes in not software, get out there and ride and explore, get off the secondary state highways on to town roads, get a good paper map like a Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer, mark the good roads, where the good eateries are and other attractions worthy of being a destination, also mark the unworthy places, use different color highlighters for good, mediocre and routes to avoid and the reason, remember we are in northern New England, frost action can rip a road apart, but once repaved, its good again, development however increases traffic and curb cuts that generally don't go away at the end of the day, you will have documented a better ride than any software can create, and also learn where to avoid

you got that right.

ride then ride some more.

before you know it you have some really nice loops.

[epconde]

the
yes I have seen your website, while many are routes that I have explored and marked in my atlases, there are even more that you are missing by not exploring, and some that I just recommend avoiding due to congestion

I know many, many great roads that are not on the website. I have over 100 maps marked in highlighter from exploring over many years. The website is not intended to be a list of good roads. You can get those many places. It is intended to be the favorites. To add one I would first have to delete one.

[markbvt]

the best way to make good motorcycle routes in not software, get out there and ride and explore, get off the secondary state highways on to town roads, get a good paper map like a Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer, mark the good roads, where the good eateries are and other attractions worthy of being a destination, also mark the unworthy places, use different color highlighters for good, mediocre and routes to avoid and the reason, remember we are in northern New England, frost action can rip a road apart, but once repaved, its good again, development however increases traffic and curb cuts that generally don't go away

at the end of the day, you will have documented a better ride than any software can create, and also learn where to avoid

The process you're talking about works just as well with electronic maps as it does with paper maps. Basecamp is a powerful tool for exactly this purpose.

Furthermore, studying maps of areas you've never been (whether paper or electronic) and stringing together as many of the squiggly lines as possible can lead you to some phenomenal roads that you'd probably never find otherwise. Putting the resulting route into a GPS unit simply makes it a whole lot easier to follow than having to repeatedly consult paper maps.

You can feel free to stick with paper maps if you like, but I for one prefer to have all the maps contained in one small device instead of carrying a pile of them in my tank bag.

It almost sounds like you're assuming that the GPS is doing all the routing and decisionmaking, when in fact it's basically a scrolling map display device with a highlighted line on it that you, not the GPS, came up with in advance. And if you're just out exploring, the GPS can record a track of your ride that you can reference later. It's a useful tool that simply automates many of the things you like to do with paper maps.

Ed, I'm with you, Basecamp is a powerful tool for ride planning, and I think it's a pretty intuitive one. I've never understood why so many people bitch and moan about it.

--mark

[RandyO]

The website is not intended to be a list of good roads. You can get those many places. It is intended to be the favorites. To add one I would first have to delete one.

if those are favorites/best, I feel sorry for ya, or you have a strange sense of "best"

takes no time at all to input to a GPS once ya know where you want to go

[epconde]

if those are favorites/best, I feel sorry for ya, or you have a strange sense of "best"

takes no time at all to input to a GPS once ya know where you want to go

It sounds like you are a good guy to know. The way the site works is that you submit a road (it is appreciated) and then I will ride it and take video next time I am in the area. I will post the video and then ask a bunch of riders on different sites if they agree that the posted road shoul replace one on the list. What State(s) will you be helping with? Thanks again.

[nt650hawk]

out of state trips i love preplanning my routes usually on google then map them out on the GPS. I need to get into bacecamp. It seems like i'll be able to easily transfer it to the Zumo. Thanks Ed!

[epconde]

out of state trips i love preplanning my routes usually on google then map them out on the GPS. I need to get into bacecamp. It seems like i'll be able to easily transfer it to the Zumo. Thanks Ed!

Use the Agenda to save yourself a lot of time and aggravation.

[nt650hawk]

Use the Agenda to save yourself a lot of time and aggravation.

I am . thank you for the time and link

[SRTie4k]

Now that I rely primarily on Locus Pro for my nav, I think I'll need to start getting into Basecamp. I previously used Google Maps custom maps (and you can import KML/KMZ into Locus), but there are severe limitations like total number of waypoints or custom reroutes. GPX seems far better suited to long rides with hundreds of waypoints and reroutes.

As far as "getting out there and not relying on GPS", well I've been doing that for almost 7 years. I know the paved roads of Vermont like the back of my hand, but there are 100x as many dirt roads that I don't know anything about. There are simply just too many roads out there to map it all by merely exploring. Just like I'm not going to scoff at ABS on bikes, I similarly won't scoff at using technology as an assistant to help make for better rides.

[epconde]

Now that I rely primarily on Locus Pro for my nav, I think I'll need to start getting into Basecamp. I previously used Google Maps custom maps (and you can import KML/KMZ into Locus), but there are severe limitations like total number of waypoints or custom reroutes. GPX seems far better suited to long rides with hundreds of waypoints and reroutes.

As far as "getting out there and not relying on GPS", well I've been doing that for almost 7 years. I know the paved roads of Vermont like the back of my hand, but there are 100x as many dirt roads that I don't know anything about. There are simply just too many roads out there to map it all by merely exploring. Just like I'm not going to scoff at ABS on bikes, I similarly won't scoff at using technology as an assistant to help make for better rides.

The track function of a GPS is a great way to save good trails and store them for future use.

[Speed serpent]

I ride with the local bicycle club and use many of the same routes on my motorcycle. When I go into areas I'm not sure of I look to the bicycle club routes in that area. Cyclists look for the same thing motorcycles do- fun less congested roads in some what good shape.

It's not perfect but it's a good start.

[epconde]

I do that as well. Great tip.

[Tekime]

I use Gaia GPS + iPhone for MTB and hiking and have some great routes logged. GPS is especially useful when maps don't have trails marked.

For street riding I kind of like "winging it" I've gotten to know a lot of roads by getting lost, stumbling upon new routes, seeing new places & finding my way back. Been thinking about getting the Garmin mounted up on my bike just to try it, but honestly I've never liked using it.

One of my favorite things with Gaia is that I can track myself, save unlimited routes, they automatically sync with my account and I can view them on my iPad or computer, and then create high-res maps with custom layers (street/topography/trail from multiple sources). Then print them out on some waterproof map paper and stick them in my pocket if I want a physical map. I'm sure the Garmin has some features I haven't discovered, but I don't see the appeal yet compared to a phone (which I already carry) and Gaia (which exports GPX, etc)

[markbvt]

I'm sure the Garmin has some features I haven't discovered, but I don't see the appeal yet compared to a phone (which I already carry) and Gaia (which exports GPX, etc)

Depends on which Garmin you have. The Nuvi and Zumo series are intended for basic road routing, but the Montana, Oregon, and several other series are far more feature-rich. I continue to use my Montana on the bike because so far there are no apps for my phone or iPad that have the full feature set I want.

--mark

[Mikesalt13]

Has anyone used rever yet?
Http://rever.co