BestScenicRoutes.com

Posts Tagged ‘scenic routes’

Is it worth a few extra dollars to ensure that products work as advertised and last through the rigors of motorcycling? Most of the time, I would answer with a resounding “yes,” Ease of use and the ability to withstand Mother Nature is worth something to motorcyclists.

Unfortunately, the marketing hacks have tuned into this willingness to spend more money for motorcycle-specific accessories. Just try to buy an aftermarket shifter or foot pegs. The price gouging is very easy to find in the electronic accessories that motorcyclists buy off the shelves faster than the new BMW S 1000 RR runs the quarter mile.

I often find myself deep in the woods along forest service roads up and down the Cascade Mountains. These areas are quite remote. These roads require good topographical maps that are current enough to show the often changing road conditions of forest service roads.

In order to better navigate the back roads and even the inner city roads, a GPS unit was recently added to my V-Strom’s list of farkles.

After quite a bit of research I narrowed down the GPS search to three Garmin units: 60csx, Zumo 660 and Nuvi 500 or 550.

The 60csx offered great on- and off-bike features, including: high-sensitivity receiver, altimeter, compass, IPX7 waterproof case and basic road maps for navigating. The $399 list price was a bit steep, but more affordable than others on the market. It offers a 64mb microSD card for expanding maps, 1,000 waypoints, 50 routes and 20 saved tracks for hiking and riding. The Garmin 60csx is a solid GPS for motorcycle use. The price put it just beyond my cheapskate budget.

Since we’re on the topic of budget, I’ll jump into the next GPS unit that didn’t find the RAM ball on my V-Strom. The much acclaimed Zumo series of motorcycle-specific GPS units are easy to use, have street maps pre-loaded, have internal solid-state hard drives and microSD card expansion, 1,000 waypoints and 20 routes. The Zumo 660 is designed to be glove-friendly and the screen resists fuel spray and UV rays. The Bluetooth audio is handy for sending verbal directions to an in-helmet Bluetooth-enabled communications system — a useful feature for keeping your eyes on the road. The entire Zumo-series of motorcycle-specific GPS units are truly rugged and would be at home on any motorcycle’s handlebars. So why didn’t it make the cut? This is a prime example of the marketing hacks price gouging. The Garmin Zumo 660 lists for $799. Good god that is expensive.

That left me with Garmin’s multi-use Nuvi-500 series GPS units. This series has two options. The Nuvi 500 includes preloaded City Navigator NT street maps and topographical maps for the lower 48 states. The Nuvi 550 includes City Navigator NT street maps for the United States and Canada. Both units list at $299, but can be found online for under $250. That’s a price that doesn’t make me choke.

The Nuvi 500 and Nuvi 550 are true multi-purpose GPS units. They have four modes: walking, bicycling, driving and scootering or boating. Here’s another marketing hack alert. This terminology was obviously conceived by the Garmin marketing team. By all means the only difference between “scootering” and “motorcycling” is the changeable vehicle image that marks where you’re currently riding on the maps. This image is easily changed by downloading a motorcycle from Garmin’s website.

Both Nuvi units are fully ruggedized to withstand the vibrations and abuse that motorcyclists put them through. I put this to good use when attempting to remove the Nuvi 500 from my RAM mount with one hand. It popped out with enough force to send it through the air, smacking against the pavement with several bounces. The two-day old GPS withstood my clumsiness with only minor scratches to the bezel around the screen.

Both Nuvi units are IPX7 rated to be waterproof for one hour submerged at a depth of up to three feet. I don’t plan to submerge the V-Strom anytime soon. It has proved water tight by my standards so far.

The motorcycle-specific GPS units on the market such as the Zumo series brag about being easy to use with gloved hands. Well, I have used my thin summer gloves and thick winter gloves to operate the functions on the Nuvi 500. The touch-screen is very easy to use with gloves on.

The only real downfall that the Nuvi 500 series has is the lack of Bluetooth functionality to send directions to a communications system. It does have a built-in speaker for use in quieter environments.

Forget about the marketing segmentation telling you that these GPS units are for scooters. It is true; they work great  on scooters, hikes, bicycles, cars and boats. They are also affordable, feature-packed GPS units for motorcycles. To top it off, when they help get you to the destination they can use the rechargeable lithium-ion battery for several hours of use off the bike as well.

Thanks for helping to keep my steed fueled and ready to explore the best scenic routes.

The question of why I ride a motorcycle is asked quite often. It seems that the answer would be simple, “because I like it.” My weekend rides don’t elicit that question from onlookers near as often as my daily commute. People understand the weekend joy rides in nice weather. The aspect that they don’t get is the daily motorcycle commuting through whatever weather Mother Nature throws down upon us.

People are curious when they see someone taking a different approach to an everyday task. The other day a work colleague watched me putting on all of my winter riding gear and asked, “is it really worth it?” I actually responded from inside my HJC helmet with scratches on the face shield from constant use. I answered, “heck yeah it is totally worth it.” The steam rose from my helmet in the evening darkness under the dim lights of the parking lot. I then threw a leg over my warming motorcycle and headed for home along I-5.

That question sat in my head as I entered the freeway. Why do I like to ride so much? Why am I so passionate about motorcycling? Thoughts raced through my head as I scrambled across the backed up lanes of I-5 before settling in the carpool lanes at cruising speed. I definitely like the fact that I’m now passing thousands of cars and trucks simply because I have a motorcycle and can use the carpool lanes. The ease of maneuvering the single-track of my bike through congested Seattle traffic is definitely on my list of reasons that I ride.

That reason is good and all, but that alone wouldn’t make the added risks of riding pay off. Actually, I’ve always enjoyed adding a bit of risk to life. Climbing trees, jumping bicycles from ledges down steep hills, skydiving and training horses have all been things that I’ve enjoyed. Many poeple would hear that short list and say that I must enjoy motorcyling because I’m an adrenalin seeker. As much as that rush feels good, that doesn’t account for my passion for motorcycling.

The passion comes from deep within. So deep that those around me can’t help but get drowned in it. Motorcycling is a big part of my life. In fact, that might be the very reason for this passion of mine. I just simply enjoy living life.

A life well lived should have stories. The stories are comprised of the good, the bad and the “oh my God I can’t believe that just happened” moments.

Life on a motorcycle is a life of adventure. Like any good adventure, there are stories to be told. The good comes from a well planned ride through scenic areas and discoveries of unique places. There are stories of the bad from the near miss in traffic, or the time I learned the true value in late cornering for motorcycling. The holy crap moments can stand on their own or be a combination of the good and the bad. Sometimes these moments come when watching other riders learn a new and valuable riding technique.

The joy of life and adventure is the reason I ride. Sitting around a camp fire with fellow adventurers through life is always filled with great stories. That’s because they find their own path through life. A single track path blazed on two wheels that always leads to a good story.

A life of adventure is a life well lived. On two wheels there is always adventure. I just hope that I can take the good, the bad and live to tell the story. That is why I ride. Motorcycling is an endless pursuit of the next great story.