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Ride Planning/GPS/Navigation apps?


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What apps are you all using for navigation these days? Finding apps to route from A to B seems easy enough but I'd like to find something that lets me mark out a pre-planned route and then get turn-by-turn navigation while moving. I haven't found anything decent yet, the closest thing I've found is this thing currently in beta called "Scenic" which looks like it could be pretty cool but who knows when it will launch.

 

If anyone has any other cool apps they'd like to recommend that aren't necessarily related to navigation, feel free. Just picked up a ram mount and I'm looking to get some good use out of it.

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The nav program I use is called Sygic.  It's like 25 bucks, available for Android and iPhones. It's cool, I have all of the maps for the US and Canada on my phone so it works just fine even without a cell connection.  You can just download the states you want.  All of them use about 5 Gigs of space on the phone You can use it by itself to make custom routes, you just plot in a start and end and then you can drag and drop the route to other roads just like google maps. But that can really suck on a small screen.

Better than that is some free software I found for Windows called ITN Converter.  Plan the whole route out on Google Maps, then copy the URL to it and it converts it to a file that Sygic uses..or most other Nav programs. You just have to put lots of way points in when you make it in google so it forces Sygic to follow your plan.  Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get enough way points in the right place to force it. Then copy the file to the phone. 

http://www.benichou-software.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=3&lang=en

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I found setting up routes and waypoints to be tiresome. I'll set destination and leave it at that. So Waze on a phone, and a TomTom. Mounts for fair weather on handlebar center. And the backup is... a laminated state map stuffed in the back of my jacket. Sort of like additional armor.

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17 hours ago, Isaac's Papa said:

I pulled my electronics and installed six maps inside my tank bag. Lol

The voice of reason.

Paper maps are still the best,especially if you're exploring a new area looking for twisty roads.The only thing better is a well informed local rider.

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I've been analog my whole life as far as riding things with handlebars and a throttle go, decided it was time to see what the 21st century is all about, for better or worse. I probably won't be listening to music while riding though since I like to use engine noise as my speedo (not in the sexy european way).

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Having the route laid out, telling you when to turn takes away the stress/distraction of having to watch for the next turn, wondering if I am a dumbass and missed it. I like it.  I go back and forth on music, certainly on slab runs...can take it or leave it on the fun roads.

 

You get used to the lack of noise indications on rpm's.  I can feel it now, and I have a tach.

Edited by Tonik
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1 hour ago, Isaac's Papa said:

Last time I was on a long, solo ride, I hit a parked car. I'm blaming music. Yeah.. It was those damn rap songs, again. NWA and MC Hammer made me stupid.  Lol

to this day every time I eat turkey I look at it and proclaim "This is for Pauly, you bastard"

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1 minute ago, Isaac's Papa said:

Lol. Fuck turkeys and Mazdas. 

I'm not against electronic widgets. I just dont need them on this trip. ?

Pretty easy to tell your Raider's computer where to go and hit the FTL button I guess. 

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I was going to be running ram mounts for GPS and my phone, but have now condensed to just a phone with GPS app and a custom route for simplicity, and I didn't want to look like a command center going down the road.. I like to have my music, especially when slabbing. 

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1 hour ago, Tonik said:

Having the route laid out, telling you when to turn takes away the stress/distraction of having to watch for the next turn, wondering if I am a dumbass and missed it.

This is how I've managed to make wrong turns at all but one of the Epic rides.  Have to watch my tripometer as turn markers.  This last Epic ride, I failed to reset my trip until we were about 6 miles into the ride, making every turn of the ride a fucking math problem.  Wife was helping me pinpoint turns as she swept, but was out of Sena range between stops unless I checked up to pile the group again.  I'll invest in a "proper" gps ( bluetooths to my Sena AND accepts route programming ) sometime soon, especially now that I have a mount and waterproof pouch.  

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It has been years since I've planned a route, but I just plotted it out on google maps using lots of waypoints to ensure it followed where I wanted.  Sent it to my phone and used the bluetooth headset to get the directions.  I always carried a paper map, but never used it for anything.

Always played music to, from and in the twisties.  Get a charging system set up as well.

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You guys using your phones as a gps have any issues with signal drop in the Smokies?  I know last year we didn't have much cel signal around the valleys at some points, so I've been leary about using my phone to nav with.  I'm not a very techy guy, but I'm working on it :shortbus:

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1 minute ago, Hellmutt said:

You guys using your phones as a gps have any issues with signal drop in the Smokies?  I know last year we didn't have much cel signal around the valleys at some points, so I've been leary about using my phone to nav with.  I'm not a very techy guy, but I'm working on it :shortbus:

Yea, pretty much no signal there. So you use Google maps and pre download the area or buy a nav program that puts the maps on your phone. I have the whole US and Canada on mine. I use Sygic.

If you are a tech TARD might just want to get a TomTom.

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There's a few places that either cell or gps or both drop out. I know one spot high up on I-77 does that. And another on I-75.

Don't Trust Your Vehicle Navigation System/GPS
Vehicle Navigation Systems and GPS units may provide inaccurate information in the mountains—sending drivers the wrong way on one-way roads or leading them to dead ends in remote areas. Free park road maps are available in park visitor centers. 

https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/directions.htm

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1 hour ago, Tonik said:

Yea, pretty much no signal there. So you use Google maps and pre download the area or buy a nav program that puts the maps on your phone. I have the whole US and Canada on mine. I use Sygic.

If you are a tech TARD might just want to get a TomTom.

Downloaded Sygic last night, going to play with it today. Seems pretty close to what I was looking for, thanks again Tonik. 

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NP. Just double check your routes after you copy them over.  The conversion doesn't convert the route...it transfers the waypoints.  So Sygic may re-route you.  Just put in more waypoints to fix it.

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I use OsmAnd+ for navigation, and Tyre to lay the routes out. Both are free, very powerful and do everything I need.

OsmAnd isn't as intuitive to use as a car GPS, takes a little getting used to, but the maps can be stored offline, and it's got a ton of tools that make it very powerful for motorcycle travel.

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I've got a Garmin 665 I have mounted on the left handlebar. I use base camp for all my route building. Pretty simple. Garmin also blares Sirius/XM for me. 

Also have my passport right above it on the same handlebar. 

I prefer to use earbuds, so I've got an amplirider to send both signals to my earbuds. Pretty functional and works well for me.

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