What's your preferred way of navigation?

r2c9y

Joined
Nov 19, 2024
Messages
7
Location
Europe
Bike
06 ST1300A
I'm having both a Garmin XT and my iPhone with Google Maps and Calimoto installed. But now, when I'm looking at a new season and another month long tour down through Europe, I'm thinking that I don't need multiple choices.

So, besides always carry a "good old map" (if you do). What is your preferred way of navigation?
 
I use a Fodsport traditional GPS and it works just fine for a lot less than a Garmin ... ;)
And the nice thing is when I head across the pond to your side, I just plug in the European micro SD card and I am ready to roll.
But I still like to have an atlas in the saddlebag so I can get the 'big' picture if I need it.
 
I went to a Garmin XT and a Sena headset a couple of years ago. I don't do anything fancy with it, just let it get me there, which it does. In that two years it's only tried to kill me once. I forgave it after a stern talking to.
A big map too just in case and for assisting on longer ride day planning.
In my mind the perfect set up.
Good luck.
Upt.
 
When it was two up I had the wife and she had the phone and intercom.
Now I just point the wheel where I know the roads, when I get to where I don't, blunder and go the direction I think is right ..... until it isn't. Then the map that I printed and put in tank bag, then the old Garmin that says it is to old now.
Funny story, I was using a print out for a location and spent about 20 miles riding roads that didn't match, turned map over and it worked just fine. head was on upside down.
Always being sure I have a full tank too
 
Garmin GPS but I use the iPhone more and more - it's so easy to use on the fly for food, gas, lodging. I still carry maps in the top box.
 
Actually, I use all of the above. Paper maps live in my top case or panniers, XT GPS on the dash, phone in my pocket. When I do club rides, often the route is on the website for downloading and I use the XT for the ride. When we arrive at the destination, I've used either the paper maps or my phone (google maps) to plot a route home. And I often will write out instructions (north on OH11, west on OH615...etc) on a strip of paper, tape it to my tank and use that to navigate home.

It is easier to rough plot using a big paper map in conjunction with my phone or XT to plot a route. Unless I am going to create a gpx file for the XT, a strip of paper (or two or three) taped to the tank does it for me. If i am going to ride on the interstate, I find a gpx file in the XT most useful - lane instructions cannot be beat.
 
I plan the route on my laptop using Google Maps. Then enter in my waypoints on the Garmin XT.

If my Garmin should die or get stolen, the bike has a built-in navigation function.

Chris
 
SMSW said:
And I often will write out instructions (north on OH11, west on OH615...etc) on a strip of paper, tape it to my tank and use that to navigate home.
Click to expand...

You mean like this? ;)

dUoc63G.jpg



I've also gone "high tech" at times

Bii6dES.jpg
 
One day i'll mount my smart phone to the handlebar and have a USB charging port to keep it powered up --then I'll have live navigation on the fly.


But right now I don't have any of that.

I keep my smart phone in my pocket.

I try to memorize all the turns that I need to make for the next hour or the next three turns or changes of my road.

Then I will stop and memorize the next three turns.

If I get lost (and I regularly do) I stop somewhere --usually a church parking lot --shut the bike off, take off my gloves, and check the smartphone's map app.
 
P.S. if I anticipate I'll be needing to check my phone for directions in an area where there might not be cell phone service,

then I try to have screen-shots of different views of the map of my route on the phone, since I don't need an Internet connection for viewing "pictures."
 
gunsmoker said:
I don't need an Internet connection for viewing "pictures."
Click to expand...
You don't need an internet connection, or cell data, to use most of the GPS apps that run on smart phones. You just download the maps of the area to use them offline. The phone I use does not have a Sim card in it.

I use either Osmand or Myrouteapp for Navigation, (Gaia for off road) running on a rugged smartphone. I link the phone to my Cardo headset and get voiced turn by turn instructions. I mount the phone on the handlebar. With the apps you just download the countries where you are going. The maps are constantly updated for no cost.

I plot routes on my PC, using the MyRouteapp, and then load the routes into the phone.
 
gunsmoker said:
One day i'll mount my smart phone to the handlebar and have a USB charging port to keep it powered up --then I'll have live navigation on the fly.
Click to expand...
I had planned to do that several years ago. Prior to retiring, I decided to buy a smart phone. My intention was to use it as my GPS. I decided not to.

First, my new cell phone, a Note 4, wasn't waterproof. That was an issue. So I bought a Garmin 590.

Then I started learning a few things. Something about iPhone cameras getting destroyed by the handlebar vibrations. My Note 4 cost me about $800 (I'm guessing...it's been awhile). I wasn't interested in finding out if a Note 4 could suffer the same fate as an iPhone.

After many years of using that Garmin 590...it departed my motorcycle. I thought I had it in the holder just fine. It went about 5 ft into the air on the first bounce. I'm glad it wasn't my phone. The Zumo XT I replaced it with cost me about half as much as the phone I could've lost.

And then the software...sucks. Most GPS programs are made for a car, and cars go from Point A to Point B. They don't want to take you on secondary roads. They really don't like to take you from Pt A to B, to C, to L on the twistiest roads around.

I can leave my Note 9 in my pocket or tank bag and it is safe and secure. The Garmin Zumo XT allows me to answer phone calls, listen to music...and most importantly direct me along the route I put into it. And if I need to find a gas station on the way, it'll do that without needing to stop and take off my gloves.

I decided long ago that if I was going to spend a large amount of the summer on the road, the last thing I wanted to do was to be stopped on the side of the road in 95F temps, trying to peer into a sun-washed out screen. It isn't just navigation, but the safety of having a dedicated GPS unit that is the issue here.

Chris
 
For the last 10 or so years, I've been just doing iPhone with Google Maps or Apple's map app and their voice in my head (no visual) but that has troubles.

1. Going into out-of-service areas can have the voice die. A needed turn isn't announced. Only caused one problem when going down to Phoenix from Minneapolis/St. Paul. There was a section where I needed to note "stay on XXX for YYY miles" and stop after YYY+2 miles and look at a physical map when my router didn't speak up when needed.
2. Wanted to run St. Paul to Marquette, MI and use some back roads in search of twisty tarmac. To get the route to go where I wanted, I added a bunch of extra "stops" so it would route as desired. Problem happened when I crossed the 3rd "stop" which was a 1/2 mile off the route. After that the voice started directing me back to the missed stop. Took me 10 miles to realize she was running me in a loop back to the missed stop. Had to just abandon the designed route for a "best non-highway" between gas stops.

I'm ok with non-visual routing through a voice in my head but need to look out for the 2 items above.
Someone suggested an iPhone app I could use to route out a specific path but I don't remember what it was and haven't needed it as all my twisted travel for the last few years has been over memorized routes. I'll get the better routing app once I find a need.

Later,
Kent Larson in Minnesota
 
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