I'd like to plan a motorbike route for my Garmin (Oregon)

For various reasons it won't route so the only option is to use a GPX and lay down a line on a map to follow

I find following this fine when I'm cycling, but on the motorbike my speeds are much higher and if I use the OS basemap there's information overload for motorbiking (the garmin base map has too little information)

I did this on a ride down to Exmoor and man it was hard work checking the map - it was a route that someone else had planned and was supposed to follow using google maps but they had a technology fail and I was the only one who could navigate it. Kept having to zoom in, zoom out, pan the map etc

What would help is to do the GPX track, and then drop markers that show up on the track so I know a turn or something important is coming up. I can then glance at the map rather than try to read it, and then when I see one of these markers I know need to check it properly

What's the best way to do this?

Bikehike.co.uk lets you save gpx files as either 'Track' or 'Route'. If you select Route, I think you'll get turn by turn navigation on the road (doesn't do this off road). Do a little trial route home / work perhaps?

Doesn't work unfortunately, I've tried and I spent a little while researching it on motorcycle forums (who use the Oregon as a motorcycle GPS)

The route will also be quite long (i.e. from London to Wales)

I remember I did it for my garmin edge500 in 2011 using ridewithgps if that helps...!

Does the Oregon have an 'Automotive' display mode for the map (the Etrex does)? This gives a sat-nav style display that might be easier to follow.

Otherwise, setting the map to 'track up' makes it much easier to follow a GPX track line. (I'm a bit confused as to why you had to keep zooming and panning the map to follow a track, and as to why it won't auto-route - have you played with the activity profiles and 'lock on road' settings?).

I've tried autorouting, I've tried car mode, I've tried a few different ways

You either have too many points so it can't cope, or it routes you between your points in a different way to what you planned

The only way I found that people were using an Oregon to follow a trail was to follow a line, rather than get turn by turn. Which sounded a bit annoying

If I could lay down markers at key points that would fix it entirely

Zip, how did you do that?

benp1 wrote:I've tried autorouting, I've tried car mode, I've tried a few different ways

You either have too many points so it can't cope, or it routes you between your points in a different way to what you planned

The only way I found that people were using an Oregon to follow a trail was to follow a line, rather than get turn by turn. Which sounded a bit annoying

If I could lay down markers at key points that would fix it entirely

Zip, how did you do that?

Is this route you're following off-road? If so then the best way to resolve the problem is to get a routable map for the off-road sections (try one of the OSM variants - like Dave B's bikepacking map). That way you need only create enough waypoints to keep you on the route, not at every twist and turn as you need to with OS maps when off-road.

Sorry, poor on my part not to be clear about that, I'm doing this on the road only

I want a hand with navigating a road based route
- ideal option would be turn by turn navigation, but I can't see any way to do this (I've done some research but it's not extensive)
- next option would be to plan a route using something like bikehike to give me a GPX track, stick that onto the map and drop markers at key junctions

benp1 wrote:- next option would be to plan a route using something like bikehike to give me a GPX track, stick that onto the map and drop markers at key junctions

I'd just do that. Waypoints when you need some info around turnings, petrol stations etc......

Chew wrote:

benp1 wrote:- next option would be to plan a route using something like bikehike to give me a GPX track, stick that onto the map and drop markers at key junctions

I'd just do that. Waypoints when you need some info around turnings, petrol stations etc......

Chew, I've not had to put waypoints in before so have no idea how to do it on a GPX track. And then ensure it shows up on the map when I load it up.

Any tips?

Use bikehike

Plot your route, then add coursepoint

Or you could try one of these

Chew wrote:Use bikehike

Plot your route, then add coursepoint

Thanks, not used them before. I'll have a play around with them

What happens if you're offcourse, say you fancy a particular diversion or interesting road, or even shortcut a section, and then join the track later. Does it confuse the GPS at all? Do coursepoints only show up on the Oregon on the track as you get near them, or do they 'flash' up on scren

Chew wrote: Or you could try one of these

If I could be arsed to do this, it would actually work rather well!

I assume it's just a way marker.

Never used it myself, so I'd do a small test beforehand