What tips for complex trips?

wildspirit97

A GPS does a lot more than give you directions. They tell you whats around you and where it is. If you wanna find a cheap hotel all you have to do is push a couple of buttons and you get a list of hotels that has phone numbers and directions.
Most importantly mine tells you where the nearest bar or tavern is.

I let a friend of mine borrow mine one time when he had to go out of town to work, and he wasn't sure how to get there. He was like you, in fact it took quite a bit of persuading to get him to borrow it. Now he wants one.

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smitty901

[QUOTE=Breeze3at;189025] If you want to get fancy with it you mark right turns and left with different colors

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srf506

I don't like the grease pencil on the windshield approach. Have to take focus off the road to read the map, most grease pencils, being a waxy type compound sooner or later picks up a piece of debris and then you've etched your windshield and finally I didn't work that hard cleaning and detailing all the crummy chrome a Harley has on it to have everybody trying to figure out what's on my windshield.

My GPS "talks" through a Blue tooth receiver in my right ear. Let's me here the iPod or radio just fine. Usually on a long trip you're not making that many turns it needs to tell you about anyway, so its not really bothering you.

I used the tank bag and route slip on my old Softail. The little magnets and the bag never really scratched my tank, but they took the gloss off the clearcoat. So I don't put anything on the tank anymore.

fin_676

As I'm fairly well travelled i can find my way round most of the UK without maps or guidance
on longer trips usually with wife she always is the lead bike and she has a developed a good knowledge of half Europe as she is a touring coach driver
i dont see much of her from march to November as she is on tour somewhere
if going on roads I'm a bit unsure of i write the road numbers down on the speedo glass using a wax pencil and at every stop check map and adjust route card as necessary

Brian

smitty901

I understand I have used many GPS in my life back to the first ones that were not even in public hands. What a monster they were.
I have just never found them to be all that nessary or usefull in normal life.
You can not call of CAS because some clown cuts you off in down town LA.

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The Infantry leads the way

Knotwillig

I used a road book for many years. You could write on a paper what ever route you want to drive and the road book was there to give you directions, for example Welkom bij

But I am also spoiled with navigation systems. The best part is the tracking possibilities from some vendors. This makes it possible to look back where you have been. An example you can find:
Untitled Document
There ae many routes you can visualize on Google Earth. Another interestin option is f.e.
Federal Road from Mongolia border to Vladivostok - Offroading - Everytrail
or
H-D Toerweekend 2009 groep2 - Motorcycling - Everytrail

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Knotwillig

biglew55

There is simply no tool like a GPS. I frequently use mine without loading a destination. I just start riding, and if I want to know where I'm at, I can look at it. Point and shoot. If I get low on gas, just look for gas stations on my route. Fear of GPS? Fine, but 10 years ago, would you have thought you would be discussing riding issues on the internet? Pen and ink worked fine for correspondence.

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glw22041

I normaly plan my main route on Google Maps to get the mileage, points of interest and route planned out. Then I view it in Google Earth and 'Fly' the route several times so I learn it and alternates. If its a real complicate route I print out the genreal directions - routes, turns and landmarks and then laminate it so it survives living in my pocket. Isn't necessary most of the time.

Sounds complicated but learning the like this has paid off several times when an accident has blocked the road and I've had to make a quick decision on which way to turn.

Gary

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jaceddie

eglidegoodies.com. It's item #MTD-2 and it's $44.99.

NEWHD74FAN

Keithhu, I do two things, I do my homework if doing a complex trip...

#1 Using a Thomas Guide (it is issued annually) commonly used by the trucking industry...cost of a book is about $18. If you want cheaper and are a member of AAA they offer their "free" Travel Tix service...if you have decent lead time they can "plan your trip" with flip map precision, your complex trip from start to finish. It has everything, highlighted rec areas, hotels, mileage analysis the works. You can attach it to your tank in a clear pouch as RetiredJake pointed out, and his method has plenty of road tested miles there

#2 On the road, do not discount a portable GPS because of cost. Pricing has dropped down to around $130 for Tom-Tom that is portable and easily transfered from vehicle to vehicle, and easily programmed. It is self powered and holds a charge for couple hours of travel, and if you go on unplanned sorties, can plot out a map on the fly and do turn by turn by voice directions (or text if you are using the window method)

Either way, go out an enjoy the ride, the more planning you put it, the better your journey!

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