What mapping software do you guys use for route planning? I recently purchased my first GPS, Zumo 665, and would like to hear how you guys plan routes for rallies and such? Looking at doing the 80 hour Heart of Texas ride and would like to familiarize my self with how to get the most out of my investment.

 

May as well get familiar with Garmin Basecamp.
Lots of videos on youtube...

 

dare I say..."Harley Davidson Ride Planner"

 

Check out www.zumoforums.com/ with that question. Lot's of great information there to help you out.

 

You've a Garmin, it works nicely with the Garmin Basecamp software. Probably the best place to start and focus.

All that said, much of my route planning is done with a paper map, and my nose. I also often stop at rest area and admire their maps, especially if it's got some topographical information.

Squiggly roads attract my attention. They are often slower and more scenic, at least to me. Park lands and such will attract me as well. I use maps and software that will show these.

That said, many a planned route gets abandoned by me. An ugly road is ugly, no matter how nice it looked on the map. I'll deviate and wander off at whim.

Many times my GPS is serving as a map with an icon showing me on it. It's not guiding me or telling me what to do or where to go, just showing me where I am and what's around me that looks interesting.

And at that, some of my best trips have been GPSless. Just knowing I need to head south, and that means sun on my left in the morning, and on my right in the evening.

 

If you are just starting out with the Garmin, use Basecamp. When you import a route into the GPS unit from basecamp, you get one route. When using Ride planner, every destination becomes one route. So if your ride has five destinations, you will have five routes.

 

+1 for HD Ride Planner. Easy. Works great. Synchs with your Garmin. Share routes. What more could you want?

 

I use Microsoft Streets & Trips. It is being discontinued next year, but you can still buy it. I still use the 2011 version and works great. It's easy to use and I can export an entire route with waypoints and stops to a gpx file then import it to my Garmin. S&T also comes in handy to automatically plan stop times, drive times, calculate distances between stops, cost, etc.

I haven't yet used Basecamp, but I guess I should since I have it, it's just that I'm so used to S&T and is so easy to use.

I've tried to use HD Planner, but when I try to export a route, it seems to only export one leg of the trip.

 

+1. I tried Basecamp and found it very difficult to use. Maybe because my previous experience has been with MapQuest. Ride planner works about the same as MapQuest but will load a modified route where MapQuest would only transfer the start and end point and let the Zumo calculate the route. I put in the starting point and destination and then I can drag the route to the roads I want rather than the fastest or shortest route. Whatever I put in route planner then transfers to my Zumo. I haven't found any downside to HD Ride Planner.

 

Just figured this out... If your route is done with "locations" (numbered stops), the GPS Sync will export the route to your Garmin as separate routes between each location. "Route_Name" will be from location 1 to 2. "Route_Name 2" will be from location 2 to 3...etc. Not very user friendly when on the road and you're having to edit the routes on the fly IOT get where you want to go. If your plan has 9 numbered locations, it will export 8 routes (1-to-2, 2-to-3,...,8-to-9).

However, if your route is done with "waypoints" instead and just two locations (start & finish), the GPS Sync will export the entire route as intended. Here's my plan for my Sturgis ride in a few weeks.



Each numbered location is where I plan to lay my head. In this instance, these will be exported as separate routes (Sturgis, Sturgis 2, Sturgis 3, etc.). But my route between Ennis and Red Lodge, MT utilizes a bunch of waypoints (Virginia City, Yellowstone, Beartooth, etc.). I'll select that day's route (Sturgis 5) in the morning, and the waypoints will take me where I want to go, no muss, no fuss.

If you've already made a numbered location and want it to be a waypoint instead, right-click it and select "Change to waypoint":



At the risk of running my mouth too much, here's an example of a day's ride I've got planned. Just two locations (start & end at home), but a bunch of waypoints. Loads into the GPS as one route, like it should.



Um...yeah. I love H-D's Ride Planner now that I know how to use it...