[surly357]

don't ya get tired of wrestlin' those forest service maps? the part you want is always in the middle, the wind's always blowin' when you're tryin' to fold it back up, they're just plain BIG.

the answer for me? NO, not a giant key, a small map. i photocopy the immediate vicinity i'll be in, trim it to a size that fits into the back pocket of my msr pak-jak and then use laminating sheets to make it durable. beats chopping up a twelve dollar map.

 

[Gerry]

I would agree that full size maps can be a hassle to use. I realize that you can do multiple pages, but, how long a loop would you likely be able to get out of the small page you showed us? When you say "photo copy", do you take your map to the store and put a quarter in the photocopy machine? or do it with the computer/printer? Thanks, Gerry

 

[srs713]

This is also a great idea for people who have scanners & color printers at home. Mine will copy directly without scanning to the computer, or I can bring it into my editing program, then crop the area & put extra text or markers on it before printing.



When I'm going somewhere I like to print out maps & satellite views from Mapquest, Google maps, or my Garmin GPS software.

 

[surly357]

I would agree that full size maps can be a hassle to use. I realize that you can do multiple pages, but, how long a loop would you likely be able to get out of the small page you showed us? When you say "photo copy", do you take your map to the store and put a quarter in the photocopy machine? or do it with the computer/printer? Thanks, Gerry

we have a copier/scanner/fax. i just print out a copy. scanning would only be 1 extra step i suppose, but would have the advantage of easy resizing. i killed 5 hours on that map- here, there, looping around, out and back, etc. of course it's a simple matter to have the 'mother map' in your pack just in case- i like a pocket one for quick reference, and the laminating sheets make them surprisingly durable! you can fit quite a lot of country on a 8.5x11 laminating sheet folded in half. the one i showed is a considerably smaller version for an area i'm pretty familiar with just to keep the road numbers straight (hmmm, does 712 intersect 714a or 720g? or was that 713d? wait, this is 714f, oh, there's the sign for 702 laying in the rocks shot full of holes, etc....).



btw, 713d is a hoot

 

[mudpuppy]

An alternative for those who like to have a large map handy is the Cycoactive BarPack (now sold through Touratech at http://www.cycoactiv...apcase-080-0030 :



"The BarPack is a folding mapcase that is about 6" X 10". It clips to your handlebar with quick-release clips. But the difference is that it unfolds to 4 times the size, showing an inside map window 12"X18". It shows 6 panels of a "National Forest map."

Inside, are some thin pockets for a pen, and notepad and such.

Includes one MK-1 Mounting Kit. If you want to move the BarPack Mapcase between bikes, order extra Mounting Kits - MK-1 or MK-2"





I've had mine for years, and I'll keep a smaller map, sometimes homemade like yours, in the external pocket, and a large, partially folded map in the internal map pocket. The internal pocket is readily accessible when stopped. I keep such things as ear plugs, tire guage, pen, medicines, etc... in the inner pouches. It is a nice alternative to having a bulky tank bag in place.



On my TW:

Corey

 

[srs713]

Now that's cool...

​

 

[surly357]

LOOK OUT!! THERE'S SOMEONE IN A YELLOW SHIRT RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!!

 

[admiral]

y'all got some really good idea's, or should I say, practical applications. Some I use, have used, and some I will use thanks to this imput.



Oh, and Surly357, I love the humor. I saw "the yellow shirt person" too, but your response is funny. I like it!

 

[mudpuppy]

LOOK OUT!! THERE'S SOMEONE IN A YELLOW SHIRT RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!!

You noticed my shirt, so I guess it is doing its job!



I bought some of the Hi-Vis shirts in the work clothes dept of the local Farm and Fleet store (same yellow-green color as the highway/construction guys wear) so I would be more visible when I was just wearing a T-shirt instead of my riding jacket. I know I should always wear my riding jacket, but a lot of my riding is putting around at 15 mph on little back roads, and it gets pretty hot. I figure I have more risk of someone pulling out in front of me or rear-ending me than I have of road rash from falling. My riding buddies make fun of my bright colored shirts too!



Corey

 

[Gerry]

Local Off-Road club was having a Halloween ride. I decided to dress-up as a Pumkin. Well, almost true. My strategy; figure it would be alot harder to explain pulling out in front of a pumkin and saying "I didn't see it" than it would be a motorcycle.



Purchased the vest from the same online store as my pulsing headlite and strobing brakelite. Come to think of it, the vest is beginning to fade (after 4yrs), so after hitting the post button I am going to lookup the vendor and order another vest. Stay safe. Gerry rideSafer.com

 

[surly357]

You noticed my shirt, so I guess it is doing its job!



I bought some of the Hi-Vis shirts in the work clothes dept of the local Farm and Fleet store (same yellow-green color as the highway/construction guys wear) so I would be more visible when I was just wearing a T-shirt instead of my riding jacket. I know I should always wear my riding jacket, but a lot of my riding is putting around at 15 mph on little back roads, and it gets pretty hot. I figure I have more risk of someone pulling out in front of me or rear-ending me than I have of road rash from falling. My riding buddies make fun of my bright colored shirts too!



Corey

actually i was afraid he might be wearing a hockey mask and holding a chainsaw, i'm relieved it was just you....



i love farm and fleet stores- stopped in the one in geneseo a few times when i was illinois this summer!

 

[owtcast]

Does that barpack scratch you tank when dirt gets under it? I can't help but think that dirt or mud would wreak havoc on your tank since that thing is being sawed back and forth turning the bars to steer. Or is there something that holds it up and off the tank surface?

 

[mudpuppy]

Does that barpack scratch you tank when dirt gets under it? I can't help but think that dirt or mud would wreak havoc on your tank since that thing is being sawed back and forth turning the bars to steer. Or is there something that holds it up and off the tank surface?

Good Question. On my TW it never makes contact with the paint of the gas tank ----- it lies on top of the gas cap. The case itself is Cordura nylon, but the back-side of mine has a vinyl flap on it which is held in place by velcro, and hides a shoulder strap ---which I've never used. I've had mine for years, and I'm not sure if the current BarPacks have the same thing on the back. It might be a good idea to email the company. I've not noticed it scuffing the gas cap paint, but I suppose it could in time (I haven't put that many miles on mine this summer, and most has been on back-roads, so I really haven't had to saw the bars back and forth much.



I previously used it on my old, airhead BMW GS, and my wife used hers on her BMW F650, and due to the larger size of the bikes the rougher-textured Cordura edge did contact the paint in front of the gas caps. We were concerned enough about the potential for abrasion that she took a hot glue gun that she uses in craft projects (double-sided tape would likely also work) and glued a narrrow strip of felt cloth on the back of the BarPack where it made contact with the paint. The felt worked fine, and is still there today (although in a location where it serves no purpose on the TW). I suppose for another, simpler, option on the TW, you could just put a piece of clear, protective tape (or even electrical tape) on top of the gas cap to protect the paint of the gas cap from any possible paint scuffs.



Overall, I've been very pleased with my BarPack. It is much less bulky than a tank bag for everyday use, yet the interior pouches will carry the smaller items like ear plugs, medicines, tire pressure gauge, sun glasses, snack bars, and such that I might need handy for even a trip around town. You could also carry a cell phone in there. The external map pocket is also handy for stuffing thin things--- I stick my plastic 'big foot' sidestand plate in behind my map in case I have to park on soft asphalt or dirt/sand. Even with all my junk in there, it is still only a couple inches thick.



My wife put double-sided velcro strips, instead of the stock nylon straps, through the buckles that hold it to the crossbars of the handlebars (the blue in the pictures). She did that so we could quickly transfer them to some old dirt-bikes we had at one time--- although I see in the advertisement I linked to that they sell additional attachment kits for that purpose. The attachment to the crossbar makes it easy to just swing the BarPack up and out of the way when fueling--- we don't have to un-buckle / remove it. The buckles make it easy to take it off and carry it for security purposes, or for taking the case into a restaurant in order to look at the maps.



Corey

 

[owtcast]

Excellent response info. After hearing that, I just may be inclined to invest in one. I'm thinking that a strip of 3M poly tapeapplied to the tank would be the ticket. You can usually find an installer locally that will give you that small of a piece. Then its a matter of pealing the backing off and squeegee-ing it on the tank. It's clear so it wouldn't look any different than a normal tank.

 

[phelonius]

I used to get a book of topo maps that has the whole state. Just turn to the page where you are.



Phelonius

 

[99FormulaM6r]

What kind of GPS mount is that? Also, I have a Magellan GPS, do any of you use software to load up extra roads/terrain?



Sorry OP, I'm not trying to 'threadjack'

 

[mudpuppy]

What kind of GPS mount is that? Also, I have a Magellan GPS, do any of you use software to load up extra roads/terrain?



Sorry OP, I'm not trying to 'threadjack'

My Garmin GPS is mounted to the Garmin Portable Friction Mount (kind of like a bean bag with a hard plastic ball-mount that the socket of the mounting bracket of the GPS snaps onto : http://www.amazon.co...8655164-4766607 I just stuck the bag between the handlebar and the speedo, and used a black rubber bungee to hold it in place--- you really don't even notice it is there unless the GPS is snapped onto it. If I go into a restaurant or someplace away from the bike, I just leave the bag bungeed in place and pop the GPS socket off the ball--- taking the GPS unit with me in my pocket. I'm cheap, so I like the bag mount because I can also use it in my various cars, work truck, etc..... as needed. The bag mount has a rubberized no-skid bottom, and I've never had it slide on the dashboard of my car (plus my passenger or I can also easily take the bag/gps combo off the dash and hold it while entering / searching info.



I have never owned a Magellan. Perhaps Magellan offers a similar bag mount, or you can find many different mounts made by Ram : http://www.ram-mount...motorcycles.htm



As far as software, I found some free terrain maps for my Garmin, and info on installing it, at http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/ and http://gpstracklog.com/



Corey

 

[805gregg]

I belong to AAA and get maps for free. On long trips I like to have a map of the area folded in the clear top pocket of my tank bag and a larger view on my GPS. As the free maps get ruined I throw them away and get another free map. I easily have 150 maps of almost everywhere.

 

[dhoenisch]

Man, I'm getting one of those bar packs. That is really cool. I am one that kind of hates technology, so I would rather have a map instead of a GPS. In fact, I am really anti-GPS. I have always liked reading maps and using my noggin to get to where I'm going. Heck, I'm so anti-technology that I don't even carry a cell phone, and my electronics at home are at a minimum. I never even got one of those converters for my TV (yes, it's a tube TV) and don't have cable or satellite. The only reason I even use a computer is because I have to for my job, otherwise I wouldn't even use one. I'm just a freak, I know.



Anyhow, mudpuppy, thanks for another great suggestion.



Dan

 

[admiral]

I hear ya Dan, I resemble your remarks regarding the GPS...but I am a man, and I can change, sort of, if I have too!





I actually like looking at maps and I think its fun. I also feel like I can read a map and get anywhere I really need to go without a gps and haven't been lost...on the motorcycle. Hiking may be a different story, but I don't do much of that anymore. I do use a gps for geocaching and it was an older model that did not have a map capability, so I didn't use it for navigation and what not.





However, for Christmas I received a new Garmin etrex vista H. My main purpose for it will still be for geocaching. But I have been playing around with it, setting up routes, tracks, and way-points, but using it to navigate by is still untested due to the winter riding hiatus.





Some of the drawbacks for using this model to navigate by are: small screen, bad eyes (me), and it's not a color version. With lots of research, I have been able to download topo maps, (the free kind), but with the gray-scale display, it's too hard to pick out the route/track from the contour lines. But works great with the Garmin Basecamp and mapsource for viewing and setting up way points, routes, and tracks on the computer.





Some of the of the things I do like about it, it's small, and should I use it much for navigation, I also received a mount that loops around the handlebar with a changeable back plate for the gps that snaps into the mount. Similar to a RAM mount. So, it is possible to navigate with, but I will still rely on the maps to use with the gps...cause I like maps.





As far as maps go, I was pointed to the USGS website, where one can download free PDF topo maps of area's you are going. Pretty good detail too. Pro's: good close up detail. Printable in color should you have a color printer. Con's: you may have to download several "quadrangles" to get the entire area you want. Also, if you have a small home CPU/printer like I do, when printing, it prints in several sheets to get one quadrangle (to get the close-up map), and you'll have to cut and tape the map together. If you print the map as a single sheet map, it's way to small to be usable, in my opinion.