Many times you'll see me comment on my distaste for technology and it's intrusion into my world of motorcycling. When cell phones came out; I remember thinking "who in hell needs that?". When the GPS and later, smart phones surfaced, again I asked myself the same question. I've navigated all over the world using a map and compass (sometimes a topo), without a cell phone. When I finally got a cell/smart phone with a camera, GPS, the internet, magnifier, flashlight and lord knows what else; I was astounded how handy it was. In the garage I could take pictures of disassembly and get things back together right, could take pictures of things/places more often because I had a camera all the time, find where I was on the map and find my way to places even if I didn't have a paper map with me (which is rare).

While I don't use the GPS as a turn by turn navigation system very often, I do have the means to put it in a Ram Xgrip on the bars. For the times I want to ride a pre-planned route I highlight the route on the map and then take a photo of it. If I'm going to use a route cue sheet I photo that too. When I look at the photos I can make them larger and concentrate on which part of the route I'm on (or is coming up). I usually have it in my pocket but about 50% of the time will have it on the bars in the Xgrip. The phone seems to do better (as far as visibility) than a real GPS display and the only rub is you have to have gloves that will work a touch screen.

I travel alone mostly and this allows my wife and loved ones to see where I'm generally headed and if they don't hear from me for a while will at least know where to tell LEOs to look. On the rare occasions that I take others with me on a day ride, these photos can be sent via MMS so that each person has the route in a map and route cue sheet form. My personal route cue sheets include total riding time and miles, that way no one is surprised. I usually send them out a few days prior to the ride.

So as someone who eschews modern things, I have to admit I was wrong about this. Below are some examples of what I'm talking about if my description wasn't coherent.

This is a commercially produced route map.



The corresponding route cue sheet.



This is a county map view I use for greater detail. I can enlarge them and also move around in the map section. I also take pics of routes on Google maps from the computer screen at home. That way I have the map pulled up at a seconds notice without using data or even needing phone service.



This is one of my home made route sheets from a photo of the computer screen; I also photo them on paper as well. When you give this to someone they'll always have it because they always have their phone.



I do a fair amount of meandering and bushwhacking, so I don't always use this regimented method, however, when route detail is important, this is what I use. Now, lets hear from people just like me who say "Who in hell needs THAT?!"

 

I tout the virtues of the smart phone app, Waze! It's a live time, peer to peer, GPS program that allows for driver feedback (live time) that not only can get you from point A to point B but can show alternate routes if you so desire or weather/traffic conditions dictate. No longer need a stand alone GPS, printed maps or a radar detector!

 

Some good info there, Max.

I'm starting to crawl out of the primordial ooze myself. Do you have iPhone or Android?

I bought a Ram X-mount for my Google Nexus phone last fall but haven't installed it yet. It's on my to-do list.

I'm getting some good use out of my GoPro Hero 4 video camera. When winter closes in it's great to play one of your ride videos on TV while curled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate!

 

It's my first and only smartphone, it's called a Galaxy S5. I'm nearly certain it's an android. My wife has a high def GoPro and she used it a lot when she first got it. Now not so much. I was staggered by the file sizes.

No doubt about it, there are probably better ways read a route sheet or map. 2016 was the year I started doing this and stopped writing cues on my windshield with a grease pencil

According to some that have ridden with me, it provides a mental safety net in that nobody feels like that have to ride over their head, run red lights or other dangerous behavior for fear of being lost.

 

I am also a Luddite Map user. Actually...was... I usually book a motel the night before and now I punch the addy into the bike and she takes me there at the end of the ride. But I still look out for cool looking detours and look at Maps. I don't follow the "yellow brick road" all the time.

 

Waze is cool. I tried the RAM X-mount but the vibrations were too much for it. Thinking about the Iron Aces rigid phone mount

 

I tend to embrace technology to a point....The problem arises (in my opinion) when people let the dependence on technology consume them.
I like my smartphone, and my GPS comes in real handy in my trucks and cars, but I can still use a map and I can still look around me and know whether I'm traveling North, South, East or West.

Most people in this country these days don't seem to be able to function at all without their phone stuck in their face....They are idiots.

 

Yeah it's kind of ironic that something called a smartphone can make people so dumb.....and in many cases, dangerous.

 

Speaking to what Greezey touched on (and I'm not saying this is true of everyone that uses a GPS); many times I've met people at a destination and asked them what roads they took and they don't know how they got there.

 

The problem I have with Waze, is the fact people are driving and trying to contribute. Distracted driving as we all know is a bad thing. I'm in the camp that if the phone is in a vehicle, other than pre-entered gps routing and 911 ability, disable all other functionality.