I’ve always been fascinated by maps – hard-to-fold paper maps. As a teenager in the 1950s, I’d snag as many gas station maps as possible. Yes, they were free. My travels didn’t extend much past the city limits, but those maps gave me a hint of places I knew I would eventually visit. 

Once I got up on two wheels, paper maps always traveled with me. It didn’t take long for them to become torn and crowded with notes. On my longer trips, I’d usually have half a dozen or more in my saddlebags. During gas and meal stops, I’d pull out the applicable one to check for interesting roads and anything that hinted at adventure. 

Unrepentant Curmudgeon GPS November 2024
Before GPS there was GTS, the Green Tape System!

In 1989, the Magellan NAV 1000 – the world’s first commercial handheld Global Positioning System receiver – hit the market at a whopping $3,000. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that reasonably priced units became available. 

Harley supplied me with six Garmin Zumo GPS units for testing during this period. I corralled five riders, gave each a Zumo, and asked them to return in a month with a report on their thoughts about the gizmos. Three of these riders agreed that the idea had merit, but they didn’t want to be bothered by the complexity. The remaining two? Never heard back from them or saw the Zumos again. 

I too liked the GPS idea, but it was into the 2000s before I started using one regularly, and I’ve had one mounted on my bikes ever since. I did not, however, toss the paper maps. 

GPS has several advantages. Most obviously, it shows the route to your destination, but it also displays the current time, arrival time, vehicle speed, speed limits, elevations, traffic conditions, gas stations, and custom data points you can program in. Additionally, if you change your route – say you see an interesting side road – it will adjust automatically, showing a new route and arrival time. And if I’m honest, GPS units appeal to the farkle side of my riding; gotta have them gadgets! 

Unrepentant Curmudgeon GPS November 2024

Despite this wealth of data, I don’t have the same fascination with GPS as I do with paper maps. This is mainly due to their lack of scope. Opening a map can show thousands of square miles of territory, obscure side roads, remote towns, and any number of things that can get a rider’s heart pumping faster. You can’t find that on a 6-inch GPS screen. In the end, GPS is a helpful aid, but it doesn’t inspire as a map can. Plus, I can’t write notes on the screen. 

Despite the popularity of GPS on motorcycles, not everyone sings its praises. Brian, a friend of several decades, prefers GTS route planning. His Green Tape System (as I call it) is the height of simplicity. It uses no expensive receivers, satellite system, or tiny keyboard. Instead, a roll of painter’s tape and a felt marker do the job for him. 

This, coupled with paper maps, has successfully guided him tens of thousands of miles around the country. His GTS lacks all the features and info of my Garmin receiver, but it works for him … except when it rains. Are there waterproof felt markers?

Find more Unrepentant Curmudgeon columns here.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here