The new RoadRUNNER Rides mobile app turns your smartphone into a navigation device. The app lets you navigate more than 500 expertly planned tours published in RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel magazine, with full GPS navigation, including turn-by-turn directions and voice guidance. You can also easily create your own custom routes using the in-app route planner, […]

In previous articles, I covered the past and present state of global navigation satellite systems, or GNSS. Now may be a good time to look at the future of GNSS, particularly at GPS. On July 17, 1995, the United States’ GPS satellite constellation reached full operational capability, evolving from a 1960s design for pure military […]

As touring motorcyclists who are constantly exposed to the elements, weather is a major consideration for our safety and comfort. The term “weather” is actually an abstraction for many atmospheric conditions, and riders have different personal thresholds. For some, air quality might be the most important factor (e.g., people suffering from asthma). However, by and […]

Your GPS device was working fine, accurately reaching waypoint after waypoint. Then suddenly the screen turned black and showed no sign of life. The battery is dead, you realized. Murphy’s law followed and rain started pouring while you had no real idea how to continue. This may have not happened to you yet, but ride […]

In the previous article I described a generic multi-layer mounting stack that can be applied to any combination of GPS device and motorcycle. I also highlighted the importance of selecting a good mounting location and recommended the heads-up display (HUD) position. The recommended design approach for mounting a GPS is to start with the bottom […]

Slick, light, but robust, the Rider 400 is an improvement on the weightier outgoing model. Translucent widgets and panels make the user interface graphics design easy to use, and information shown on the side bar—e.g., upcoming gas stations—is very useful. The screen is bright and colorful. While it’s not a Retina display, it does look […]

Barry is an expert yacht builder and adventure motorcyclist from Maine. Although we share many similarities and a passion for riding, in many ways he is my alter ego. I’m always trying to be on the cutting edge of digital technology, surrounded by e-stuff as I design and develop complex software for a living, whereas […]