Navigation

I recently used 9X12" Rand McNally $7.95 map book as my guide for 49 state ride, including several small roads in US and places in Canada I had never ridden thru before.

Result: It works fine, fits well in top box and doesn't fall apart.

Recommend using one---available at WalMart in US.

Navigation (electronic) not for me. in my old fart's opinion just another piece of junk to monkey with----I think trailer bikers may use them to guide back to their trailers.

John, can you please stop posting new topics under "Introductions".

These belong under the "Silverwing Topics", not "Introductions".
Yesterday I also had to move your report on your update of your Silverwing.

Take a little time to see where you're actually posting your new topics.

I second your opinion on map use vs GPS dependency Mr Grinsel. That said, I'm also unable to 'walk and chew gum at the same time' too.

I'm quite sure that if all you do is follow the signs you'll eventually get to the end of the road --be it Prudhoe Bay, Tierra del Fuego, or Nord Cap.

I did that back in 1999 and ended up in Goose Bay Labrador after ~500 miles of gravel road that wasn't even on a map yet.

There's always a sign or a new acquaintance to meet if you stop to ask a question. And as Yogi Berra once advised, "When you come to the fork in the road take it".

Tim

I would think the pages would be hard to turn at 100kph? Maybe a throttle lock is required to free up both hands.

Stop to look at map---works for me including asia/N America/Europe from North Cap to southern Italy. I have found out the hard way---buy new current maps each year,too.

GPS is better.

And it's free on most people's cell phones.

So other than being better and cheaper, John's right.

Use your cell phone in Canada and there are extra cost.

Has anybody ridden a million miles or so with their GPS?---I am ticking with maps

You tick with your maps, but im ticking with my gps . The future is friendly, embrace it.

I used maps and route cards for years, but in the last few years I've exclusively used GPS/sat nav. It's no big deal, I just can't be bothered with the time consuming job of paper route planning anymore. I used to enjoy doing poring over maps, laminating route cards and all the rest of it, now I have the option of the same route instruction format on a GPS screen.

I like the way I can bring the maps up in a larger format, I like the way the display automatically changes to night screen even in a road tunnel, and when I'm unsure where the nearest fuel, bank, hotel, pharmacy etc is, in the UK or in about 20 European countries the info is there. I take out the Micro-SD and swap it for the other one I have and I've got full USA and Canada mapping, which came in very useful in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah last year.

I have free Lifetime Mapping on the Garmin which I can regularly update on a home computer. I bought my Zūmo 350 LM three years ago when I was living in Cumbria, my home in York was only built last year and still isn't on the current road maps. It wasn't on the sat nav of delivery drivers or my Garmin when we moved in last October either, but it's on it now and has been since earlier this year when I plugged it in for an upgrade.

I still like paper maps but all the route planning info I'll ever need for the UK and Europe is now in a plastic square smaller than my little finger nail, not in a couple of bulging A4 folders and on book shelves.

DuggleBogey wrote:

GPS is better.

And it's free on most people's cell phones.

So other than being better and cheaper, John's right.

Sorry but a stand alone GPS is better than your cell phone! If you end up out of cell service (lots of areas in the West especially) then you have NO GPS. I will keep my Garmin!

My comment on Big Bird caring where I put subjects=Who cares as long as the material related to SilverWing and actually riding instead of being "expert". Or am I wrong?? This forum should be about actually riding and wrenching them... I like riding and could care less about form and format.

The good and the bad of navigating with a GPS. First I feel fortunate in having a wing man who is a Certified Guerue in computer technology. Using Microsoft Streets and Trips we have traveled some 30,000 miles turn by turn in the last five years on our interstate tours using our GPS. We also use another program to actually see the road’s (by pass the gravel please)we are going to ride on. Our GPS goes to our headsets via Bluetooth. I would say the program is about 99.8 % accurate.
The bad is of course that Microsoft has dropped the program and we will have to find another.
We also carry maps of each state just to have a overview and a laptop in case we decide to change our plans. Just food for thought. Howard

I like to use both, I think one compliments the other. If I'm not sure where I am the GPS will tell me. If I don't like the route the GPS gives me the map let's me see what other choices I have.

For what it's worth. My two cents.

My Samsung Galaxy S3 came with a map/gps program built in with seems to work pretty good. I also purchased Tom Tom gps with one of my previous phones which transferred to each phone upgrade and has lifetime updates. It works better than the built in gps program. I also purchased a RAM mount for the phone and hooked up a USB cable from the battery to the phone to keep it charged.

While I do count on a GPS for most of my navigation I do carry paper maps along. Good backup and makes sitting in a hotel plotting ones course very easy as well.

john grinsel wrote:

My comment on Big Bird caring where I put subjects=Who cares as long as the material related to SilverWing and actually riding instead of being "expert".   Or am I wrong?? This forum should be about actually riding and wrenching them...  I like riding and could care less about form and format.

Well since you asked, you are wrong. When the information is located in the appropriate section it makes finding all of those precious nuggets of scorn that you post easier to find.

And as you now have over 1300 posts you obviously find time to do more than ride.

Gee I am bad-----but not computer geek. I'll try to put stuff where it pleases the... "experts .. who know everything but riding every day. Looks stupid to me to be judged by people who do not even ride to work. I would think my inputs, based on real experience helpful to riders-----does computer geek stuff even do anything for riding other than format?? This forum should be run by riders who actually do it....and on SilverWing.

John, your comments about others are bordering on being offensive. This forum IS run, and read, by people who ride. The fact that they do it in a different manner, or for different reasons to you does not entitle you use descriptions like "junk" or "geek". Please desist.

Whether or not your posts are useful, they are easier to locate if posted in the relevant section. The rules exist for the greater benefit of all. Perhaps that is a bit too 'left wing' a concept for you, but that's the way the game is played.

john grinsel wrote:

My comment on Big Bird caring where I put subjects=Who cares as long as the material related to SilverWing and actually riding instead of being "expert".   Or am I wrong?? This forum should be about actually riding and wrenching them...  I like riding and could care less about form and format.

Yes John, you are WRONG. You can't just put anything you want anywhere you like.
What would Mrs. Grinsel say if you put your dirty tools in her lingerie drawer?

If you care less about form and format, I have two suggestions.
Either don't post on here, or start your own forum.

Taking the time to start a thread and the subsequent posts is good - very good - I learn much from others who have tips, tricks, experiences, knowledge, and ideas that I can never hope to match. Best that we take the time to enjoy each other - rather than spend any time trying to change each other!

Amen Big Bird!

When new people join, at least some of them, will look for specific help in specific areas where they expect to find the specific help they need. If the information is somewhere else they may not find it and then lose out on what could have been very helpful to them.

So on the one hand one can complain about being asked to try to put things in the best and proper place and on the other hand one can choose to try to do that because one actually wants to help people.

LDB wrote:

When new people join, at least some of them, will look for specific help in specific areas where they expect to find the specific help they need. If the information is somewhere else they may not find it and then lose out on what could have been very helpful to them.

So on the one hand one can complain about being asked to try to put things in the best and proper place and on the other hand one can choose to try to do that because one actually wants to help people.

Well put! As an admin on another forum, I understand the points you made above and frequently have to move posts so they are in the proper area. Putting carb rebuild questions in an electrical section just does not help anyone. That said we all make mistakes (or lapses) so perhaps admins can just move errant threads to the proper area? Lets keep our cool and maintain the best Silver Wing forum!

Guys, you can't make John change, and I'm not talking about his underwear.