Triumphrat

BonnieBlack

I'm planning a multi-day trip in western Wisconsin from Fountain City to Duluth and back, taking a yet-to-be-determined indirect route of mostly back roads. I have excellent paper maps that show all the small county roads, but I'd like to build the route on my computer. Mapquest, google maps and google earth don't really cut it. They don't seem to allow me to click on a road to identify it, or easily draw a route. Maybe I just need to learn how to use one of those better, but does anyone know of any good software to plan a backroad motorcycle trip? I don't have any GPS, and don't really want it, I'll work off paper printouts and paper map on the road.

30942

The newest Mapquest, which I noticed about a month ago, lets you drag a potion of your route to "re-reoute" it. I have used it several times since I notice it. You do have to be careful with where you hover to drag, you could end up re-routing too much.

Once you are re-routed to the route you want, it updates all the text, which is then printable.

BonnieBlack

I liked the dragging the route to other roads in MapQuest, but I seem to confuse it pretty easy and I end up with these routes that circle around. The advertising makes me slightly dizzy as well.

I found a free trial of MS Streets & Trips. It doesn't allow for dragging the route to new roads, but you can right-click on a location and select "add to route as stop" to get the route pulled to a different road. It is clever about inserting the stop into the middle of the route in the right order (mapquest adds new stops to the end and you have to reorder). It has all the roads down to the smallest. It is working very well for me so far.

saphena

Having planned and executed several trips with google maps so far I've found it to be excellent. It allows route dragging and all the other flashness you might expect including printing off the finished article as a readymade roadbook.

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Bob - Ringer, Iron Butt, not dead yet
Switch to reserve ~120 miles, fuel panic ~150

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wenzel850

I use a version of Microsoft Street And Trips. Easy to use and printable.

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Quentin

BonnieBlack

That's what I ended up using too. Much quicker and easier interface than using a web page. Has all the little back roads I prefer. It's working great for me.

As soon as it is I can stop planning trips and ride one!

mglemans86

I use Google maps and look for elevation changes which usually means twisty roads. I took a guick look at Wi. and there aint much elevation changes. Perhaps you can find roads that go around lakes you seem to have a few of them. To plot a route I use a paper map, Check out elevation on google and write all the lefts and rights on a small pad that I put in my tank bag (Ie L on 246 to smallville Rt on 321 to Podunk)

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"Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."
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mglemans86

Try this site

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/route...I/WI_index.htm

__________________
"Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."
-Mark Twain

TB-T100

I use Tyre (www.tyre.tk). It lets me create routes and load them into my GPS-enabled HTC phone with Tomtom navigator installed.

Ofcourse I find good routes at www.bestbikingroads.com

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'04 T100 Black and White (because it matches a dinner jacket)
904, 813, port&polish, Pieman igniter TORS, rebuilt front (valves, springs, etc), Öhlins shocks, tubeless alu rims, JMC alu swingarm, 520 conversion, Ti nuts and bolts
- Ringer