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Interesting thread...
My Super Tenere is the first bike I have used a GPS mounted on it to any great extent. I fooled around a bit with a little Magellan handheld on my BMW R1150R back in 2004 & '05, but never really liked using it, and stuck to maps. I bought a Garmin 2630 to mount on my 2006 Yamaha FJR1300, but never mounted it and used it in my Suburban and truck instead. Ended up giving my 2630 to my son, but later got a Garmin 765T Nuvi to replace it.
And that's what I decided to experiment with on the Super Tenere...
I have it mounted with a simple RAM ball replacing one of the handlebar pinch bolts and a RAM Nuvi bracket. It's wired up so I can plug and unplug it easily, and it's a snap to take it on and off. It's great to use when you're tired and just want the shortest, quickest route home and don't want to think about it too much, but it is hard to see in certain light.
But I *ALWAYS* carry maps. Much like a few others, I think it's just I grew up using regular maps, and it's what I'm used to. That said, the GPS and the maps do compliment each other well.
One thing I haven't heard anyone mention though is old-fashioned route sheets...
I did a fair amount of enduro riding in between MX seasons "back in the day", and one thing we used was "roll charts". For those of you that are not familiar with 'em a roll chart is a pretty simple set-up. Off-road the chart would tell you how many miles from one checkpoint to another, mileages to the next turn in the trail, some hazards, etc., and you used these to navigate with. Decades ago we started using something similar on street bike rides, and called them "route sheets"...
Again, the concept is pretty simple. Sit down the night before your ride with maybe a good map, a state road atlas, a computer... Whatever. All or one of the above... And you take a look at your route. Take a small legal pad, and start jotting down something simple like:
- I-37 to Edroy
- Exit #22 - TX-234/FM-796
- FM-796 to Tynan
- Continue on FM-796 to Olmos
- FM-796 to FM-797 - RIGHT
- FM-797 to FM-888 - LEFT
And so on. You write the instructions large enough they are easily legible at near arm's length, and you continue writing up pages - each marked clearly with a "1", "2", etc. at the top of each page - until you've got your route for that day. Tear the pages off the little legal pad, and staple them together in order (numbering the pages is in case they get torn apart), and then fold the pages in half. You'll find that folded like this they easily fit in most jacket pockets, and if you use the right ink they won't run or smudge if they don't get *too* wet. If you use a jacket pocket you can access with your left hand you can easily pull the sheets out and look at one side of the fold or the other for your next turn, etc., or you can simply stop at some of the intersections and note your next course deviation, stop, etc. These sheets are also easy to use in a tank bag map holder, etc., and if the route is short or simple enough you can even just tape it to the top of your tank. I did that for years.
Even if you have to deviate from a route sheet you only need a pen or pencil to make a quick alteration, so they are pretty flexible, too.
If you've got a longer route you can do four or five pages for the trip out, and then do the route back home on the back of the pages, simply flipping your little "booklet" over and folding the other way.
And if you're riding off-road, and you have an odometer you're used to and trust, then you can simply plan mileages to turns, etc.
These days I travel on most trips with all three - the GPS, my maps, and route sheets packed away for each day. And one of the great things about the route sheets is that once you've made one you have it forever. I store 'em away and use 'em for reference for future trips, and even years later I have pulled out a really great one and used it again and again. I keep all my old ones filed away with all my maps, atlases, and ride guide books, and some weekends, when I don't know where I want to go riding, I simply pull my route sheets out and one will remind me of a great ride or a cool place to go.
Anyway, sorry for the semi-hi-jack of a GPS, but I thought some of you might find the idea of route sheets useful.
Dallara
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