| Author | Message | ||
     Cityxslicker |
With all the resources and GPS out there you would think that there would be a decent route planner. Looking for a site that will allow cut copy and paste of map, email of map capability. And a way to use way points as roll throughs rather than STOP points. It really should be as easy as connect the dots, but I guarantee you several of the sites just dont perform well. And if the road is unpaved???? Most sites wont recognize the back woods bendy and dirty. Any help would be appreciated. Other than that, I will be forced to highlight a map and take a pic of it. ( I feel so 80s) | ||
| Jackbequick |
There are some of them out there, a couple of examples: http://www.freetrip.com/ http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?bCTset tings=1 Try them on trips you know a good route for and they are not likely to use the same roads unless there is really only one major route. Some people think the GPS thing is a waste of time but I don't. You have to have a unit that will allow you to add a number of via points to a route and then you'll find that you can take complete control of routing. The GPS by itself knows little or nothing about local roads, peak loads, good roads, bad roads, twisty roads, etc. Add to that the the biker thing about wanting to see some back roads and it can be not that good a deal. Even if you just do planning at home on a PC (without a GPS on the bike) you can print out good driving instruction lists for complex routes. One of those in a clear map case is great. I love some of the numbers it generates too, total distances, estimated driving times, fuel stop intervals, etc. Drop me an email at jacker at midmaine dot com, I'll send you an older copy of a route planning software for Garmins that will let you get an idea how it works. A real fun ride is to get a hundred miles or two from home, then tell your GPS to take you home by the shortest route. That will introduce you to a bunch of new roads (some good, some bad) that you might never see otherwise. Its addictive, once you get started on it you see the light. Remember when the Internet was dumb thing for weirdos? Jack (Message edited by jackbequick on February 12, 2007) | ||
| Cityxslicker |
ummm actually I remember bbs on compunet when baud rate was lightning fast at 14.4 . I lost patience for my geek back then, never really got it back, I can't make the new cell phones work, but my 5 yo nephew is a texting fool. I will send a PM tomorrow, when I am fully caffinated ~o) | ||
| Rams |
i like to use www.mapsonus.com, like any other is not perfect, i plan my route with it, you can log up to 5 stops + start and finish point, i usually print the maps with 300 - 400 miles each so usually i have 3+ maps for each trip, then keep all in the tank bag, i print the directions just for info but usually i don't look at them | ||
| Hughlysses |
There's actually a decent route planner at www.harleydavidson.com | ||
| Jackbequick |
The MoCo one is called the Ride Planner, not real obvious from the U.S. home page but I found it. It actually works very good. I did a route from Ellsworth, ME to Carlisle, PA and it took me too close to New York City. I told it to route me via Worcester, MA and Scranton, PA and it picked exactly the route I prefer and have taken several times. It was all slab work for the most point which is fine getting there. I pretended I wanted to see more scenery and used the Change Roads tab, picked the Worcester to Scranton leg, picked off a couple of US highways that angled west and then south and it came up with what looks like a nice scenic route. If I were a fully endentured H-D doo dah, I could hide my helmet, put on a dew rag, don about $1,700 worth of leather with various H-D bangles, get a wallet that is chained to my belt, add a ride bell to my FXD, and start looking for bars and smorgasbords. The ride details show that as a 702 mile, 12 hour and 40 minute ride at posted speed limits. I'd plan that for a longish one day ride in my "the person I really am mode". I figure I could make it in 3 to 5 days in the MoCo Doo Dah mode. :>  Please, don't take any offense my words and lash out at me. This is all light hearted repartee intended in good humor. I don't have a mean bone in my body. Jack (Message edited by jackbequick on February 13, 2007) | ||
| Reepicheep |
Delorme Mapquest does a fairly decent job, but you have to buy it. It lets you draw new roads as well. It won't play very well with a Garmin GPS though, so before spending $100 on Delorme Mapquest, I would look hard at spending something like $300 on a Quest, or some other Garmin unit that includes Garmin mapping software as part of the price. Jack may know which Garmin GPS is the cheapest that includes the PC Mapping software. | ||
| Jackbequick |
Honoring the criteria that it has to do multiple destination routing to satisfy a biker's routing needs, I would say that the following models refurbished: Quest ($249 +/-), StreetPilot 2610 ($319 +/-) Quest II ($399 +/-) are the best buys and they all either come with a DVD with the mapping or you can ask for one and they will give it to you. Prices approximate and you have to go find it (but check eBay and Amazon). :> I recently heard that Costco stores are closing out their StreetPilot 2730's at $399 but that it is hard to find one in stock anywhere. The 2730 was recently discontinued by Garmin and the last MSRP on it was about $1292 so $399 is a killer deal if you can find one. The 2730 looks like the 2610 but has more bells and whistles check the 2610 and 2730 boxes here for a product comparison. You can compare the features on the Quest, Quest II, and 2610 at that last link also. Jack | ||
| Cityxslicker |
The H-d one doesnt work on rural roads, will not allow you to go on a round trip route unless you make something a "stop" Fine if you are driving across kansas, but we have twisties here and it cant cope. And forget about the rural dirty twisties. I know they are there, I have been on them, the H-D site wont let me add them to the route even with the name of the road ! Going to get some coffee and check the Garmin Site | ||
| Jackbequick |
The Garmin mapping generally will show every paved road and street that is more than a few years old. I stress "generally". But they don't have an online routing thing (they want you to buy a GPS to use their data). You can go on the City Navigator North America page and click on the MapSource Map Viewer to check out the mapping and see if it has the roads you like or want to use on it. Zoom in close and set it for maximum detail to see the most detail. Anybody that drops me an mailing address by email to "jacker at midmaine dot com" can have a DVD with some older Garmin mapping software that has some details (roads, railroads, etc.) that will probably never appear on Garmins mapping again since they changed from Tele-Atlas to NavTeq data. You don't have to have a Garmin GPS to use the mapping, just a PC. I think it should be in the public domain in the interest of the general public and bikers in particular. Jack | ||
| Reepicheep |
My Garmin software also routes me along a couple of roads around me that don't even exist yet. I know of three errors, one is a road that used to be there but was chopped in half by I-71 and has no overpass. The second is one that is going to be built, and has the trees cut, but is not there today. The third is just weird... don't know why NavTeq thinks they are connected. Interestingly, all these errors are within 5 miles of me. I have not found any other errors further away. Whoever had my sector must have been hitting the juice again  Because the GPS will reroute so quickly and accurately (without meddling with the rest of my route much) I don't worry about it. I just keep riding and the GPS sorts it out. | ||
| Stevenknapp |
For route/trip planning I use MS Streets and Trips. It's by far the best for "what if" type route questions. The maps it prints are OK. But I tend to build the final routes in Garmin's SW for my GPS. |
