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What kind of rider are you?

5K views 34 replies 23 participants last post by  Pop 
#1 ·
And how do you plan your trips? Aside from the day to day rides to work, the store, and such, how do you plan your trips? Do you just head out the door and see where you'll end up, or do you pour over maps for hours? Do you use books, travel guides, or magazines for reference?
 
#4 ·
Not unless they've improved immensely over the last several years.

I have a few year old Garmin Zumo 550. The trip planning map software that came with it is garbage. And it was the only thing marketed for motorcyclists at the time.

GPS is great if you're in a car and want to get somewhere quickly and accurately, but if you like to plan trips along your own back road routes, I'd suggest printing out your route on Google maps and using the GPS as a back up navigator for those times you accidently make a wrong turn.

To be fair, the Garmin does have a function for taking the "shortest" route. In populated regions, this means you'll take the surface streets and spend a lot of time at traffic lights. In the boondocks, it means you'll be taking gravel roads and goat paths.
 
#5 ·
My wife and I started riding the corner area of our state 30 yrs ago.

So our day trips and overnights are to destinations we know well.

As the weekend approaches I mention a few ride destinations and she picks one. Have about 10 named rides to pick from.

If going further afield... break out the paper maps first and fine tune with Google or Nearmap.

We have a book here "Best Motorcycle roads of Australia" which has just been released. Not sure of exact title but trying to purchase it.

As we are the size of the USA in land area we cant ride it all!!! Can try to get a big chunk of it done!!

I have about 6-7 mini rides which are 1-2 hrs... all destinations in my city.

Hey! I have a Victory and like to show it off!! (ShinySmile)

Mags
 
#7 ·
I did 32k in the last year. Ride to work every day, shopping, errands etc. I have many 2 or 3 hour rides, several all day rides, and I've made 2 2,200 mile round trips to Boston and a few 350 milers to Savannah.
For planning, if I don't know the way, I'll use Google maps to remmember the route and suppliment with GPS.
 
#8 ·
if i'm by myself i usually roam aimlessly. but the group i usually ride with has one guy that carries maps, knows every road in tn. and likes to lead. makes it so easy to just ride.
 
#9 ·
Planning trips

I plan for 1/2 a year for longer trips. I look at a handful of things.

I usually have a destination- e.g. Sturgis, Yellowstone Park, The Ozarks, etc. I then use a map to check things out- google maps also helps for distance, paper maps for the 'big picture.'

I then consult websites like Motorcycleroads.us and other motorcycle rider's forums about good places to ride both where I plan to go and on the way there. I also have a handful of books and magazines with 'best rides in...' sections. It is all about the trip.

I then pull out maps and mark them up, so I know where I plan on going. I do not use GPS because getting lost is half the fun. If I just followed GPS, I'd never found the double letter roads in Iowa, the side roads in South Dakota, or the crazy switchback road just outside of Eureka Springs. And the fear of an almost empty tank is fun if you actually find a gas station in time.

For my wife and I, we are all about the trips. I hardly take my bike to work because of parking issues, well that and I have to fight really hard not to keep riding in the a.m..
 
#11 ·
I ride year round minus Ice/Snow.

Depending on who is riding with me or I am riding with. I use the Garmin 550 also, good lil GPS but the map software sucks. have stuck with loading basic route and way points for any ride over a couple hours especially if were in a group even if I am not leading... (Leader has missed a turn on me at least once.... lol).

Just got this site recommended to me to build maps and download the GPX to my 550. Havent used it yet but here it is:

http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/...nner/Ride_Planner.jsp?request_key=-1410969111

Now that I picked up a Vision, I have noticed which bike I want to ride is now a factor as to what I want to do.. lol...

Longer rides, planned out weeks or months in advance and fined tuned, also down to a gas stop I may like and I try to take into account who I will be riding with and any limitations such as an 1100 Vtwin only getting 29mpg or worse at 75-80. So I try to pick good way points based on milage and what our average speed for that leg will be. I like the planning.

Shorter rides 2-6 hours, try to take recommendations from folks and keep the GPS as a guide. I have plenty of long ways to get about anywhere within 4 hours of home so those are just plug and play with who ever wants to come or go solo.

I do not mind riding to SOMEWHERE for a ride either. 1 hour or 4 and then we make the ride from there. I have found that there are not many that ride with me when I do this.

Now back to my map for next weekends trip.... lol...
 
#13 ·
Just got this site recommended to me to build maps and download the GPX to my 550. Havent used it yet but here it is:

http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/...nner/Ride_Planner.jsp?request_key=-1410969111
Now that's how MC mapping SW should work! God Bless Harley for making it and making it free and to you for finding and posting it. This little gem probably deserves it's own space on the forum somewhere for easy access. As for me, it's now loaded in my favorites. thumb up
 
#17 ·
For any of you who may happen to be subscribers, there's also a Tour explorer on our website
Thanks for the info. I checked it out and like it. I do have one observation though. When I clicked the "View Tour on Map" button I just get a map of the area. Downloading the pdf shows the route info that I'd expect. I guess my point is that I would call that button "Area Map" rather than "View Tour on Map."
 
#18 ·
I usually try and find new roads and roam aimlessley around the north east, from my house in Boston my brothersin Conway NH. Traveling 500 mile a day, one day when I arived at my bros resturant the bar tender ask how my ride was I said great just over 400 miles from Boston, the woman next to me said "its not that far" , I replied with "it is if you get lost, she ask "why woudl you get lost?" those gaged drivers dont have a clue
 
#21 ·
I decide on a direction and start riding... sometimes I ride in circles just to see the area and visit out of the way places. When I have gone as far as I want in one direction I pick another.

Last big adventure was my desire to ride around each of the Great Lakes... so my plan was to ride in BIG circles. Had a blast... I even ran out of fuel crossing the border at Sault Ste Marie and had to be pushed out of the way by the border guard. After circling the Lakes, I headed northeast to Maine... and crisscrossed the coastal areas headed south for a while... crossed back to the Skyway to the Tail and then on south from there to home. About 32 days of riding... and 2 days of hiding from the weather.
 
#23 ·
The majority of my rides are to a specific destination by whatever route I feel like going, or i'll turn my GPS on to that address/location and if I see some interesting looking road head down that and let me GPS reroute me after I am done exploring it. When my wife and I just want to go out for an hour or three for a ride though we just meander around, and if I dont know my way back from wherever we end up I just hit home on the GPS until I am somewhere I recognize (The GPS option on the XCT is excellent, slightly antequated compared to google maps on my phone but the way its integrated into the bike and the motorcycle glove friendly screen makes it awesome. It even shows up who's calling my phone so I know if I need to stop and answer or if I can call back in a couple hours, unless I am wearing my FF helmet with built in bluetooth then I can answer while I ride :D)
 
#24 ·
I'm 55 years old and have been riding since early teens. Got a motorcycle before I owned a car. My friends and I ride every Wednesday night, and every Sunday. We may ride 100 - 150 miles on a Wed. and 200 - 300 on Sundays. Mostly on the backroads of RI, MA, and CT. I also ride to work every day, ( weather permiting) 60 mile round trip. We also usually do one big trip in the spring. usually 2500 - 3500 miles in 8 days. I have a compass mounted on my dash and maps in the saddlebag. I plan my routes ahead of time and write the routes in sequence on long trips. regular day riding I use my compass and just do lefts and rights paying attention to my direction. Then just reverse directions and do the same going home. We find more great roads like this!!! My friends always make me lead.....it sucks sometimes when I just feel like following and listening to the tunes. But, the good part is when I lead, I ride where and how I like. If they follow fine, if not? ......they always follow!!!!!!
 
#25 ·
I enjoy the planning. The last 4 years have been eppic vacation rides. About 6 or 8 months out I will figure out where we are going and do some rough route planning. I will look at different interesting thing to do on the route on the internet via either mc chat boards or just direct searching.
Then I'll take a break for a month or so, before I plan some more. Most of the planning is just rough planning. Not too many things will ever get set in stone unless there might be a possible of a not available status, such as staying at Grand Canyon campgrounds (which fill up early). I try not to lock in a reservation unless it is unavoidable.
I like using paper maps, google maps and mapsource with the Garmin 60CSX.
We will wonder off the route in a moments notice for something interesting. We very rarely travel via the interstate unless it is not possible or practical.
Local rides are just navigated by memory anywhere inside Oregon. I'm running out of roads here that I have not been on before. But I keep looking!
 
#27 ·
Ya you have.
Did you ever get all that calsum carbonate off your bike. My old road king after the 2 years still has some of that crap here and there.
 
#34 · (Edited)
Planning next summers trips are what these long hard winters are for.

My rides are planned around 3 weeks vacation alloted to me by the wife,so have to make the best of them.The other 3 are used for family events although I may still ride to them.

I've reserved 2 weeks each of the last 3 summers for riding coast to coast.It's taken me 6 weeks to ride solo across all lower 48.The 3rd week's used for a casual type group ride with 4 friends although we average 3k mi. or better that week.

The Iron Butt rides are the 1st 24-36 hrs out on the flat slab across the flat lands or over some stretch of road I've been on several times.I make it a point to put on 10k mi. or better those 3 weeks.

2010: I40-I70 corridors out to Smokey Mt. Natl Park,NC coast then across to the Oregon coast.

2011: I80-I90 corridors out to Laconia NH Bikeweek, Maine,down the Eastern Sea Board to DC,Kentucky, Minn.,across to Seattle.

2012: I70,I40,I10, corridors out to Helen Ga.Victory Rally,SC coast,Fla,across to So. Cal.

2013: Alaska to Mexico,Lord willing

I use a trip planner,550 Zumo GPS(but just ordered the 350LM for improved route and map planning,my xmas gift from the kids) and have found the Harley Davidson Atlas which I used to get free but worth the $30 for mapping the best motorcycle back roads.
 

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#35 ·
Today I took the bike to Lowes to get some more zip ties. That rats nest in the fairing is going to be brought under control directly.

It's 3.2 miles one way.
I exceeded 100 mph twice on the way there and once on the way back, for better than a mile each instance.
It took me three hours to get home with them zip ties.

Good question.
What kind of rider am I? Apparently the kind that can't even do a milk run in a respectable amount of time.
 
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