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Article's and FAQ's


 


We recive a lot of email questions about World Adventure Touring by motorcycle, how to prepare for the Adventure motorcycle tour, specific questions about long distance Adventure touring and so on. As a response to this, we have created this page to help educate and share our experiences from the road as we keep exploring the world on two wheels.


If you have any comments, ideas for new articles, or general feedback on what we are doing we would love to hear from you. On every journey we take, we learn from our fellow travelers and at the end of the day, we ride away better prepared than last time.


The best way to know when a new article is published on this page is to sign up for our Newsletter where we will announce all GlobeRiders news.





GlobeRiders Articles


Can you use a smartphone or tablet as your GPS?

 

Can Smartphones or Tablets replace your standalone [Garmin] GPS receiver? Well, that depends. Does your mobile device meet my "Basic Criteria" for an on-bike GPS Navigator? In this article I'll run through each of the criterion so you can compare your needs with what can be done in the real world of on-bike Navigation. Oh yeah, I'll spend a little bit of time discussing Trip Planning on that same hardware.

 

To read the article please click here or on the image to the right.

 

 

 

 



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Scenic - a Mobile Navigation App for iPhone & iPad

 

Online or Offline, if you want an Mobile Navigation App that gives you more than most, and is geared toward Motorcyclists, this is the one. The Scenic developer, an avid rider himself, has incorporated his ideas and the feedback from his users to make Scenic a robust navigation and route planning App - and he's just getting started.

 

To read the article please click here.

 

 

 

 



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BMW Navigator VI

 

The BMW Navigator VI was released in Spring of 2017. The software wasn't quite ready only to be discovered after many folks had already purchased. Today this device has new software that brings the major issues to ground. I like the new features of the NAV6 and you can check them out by clicking on the link below or the image to the right.

 

To read the article please click here.

 

 

 

 



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Garmin's New GPSMAP® 276Cx

 

UPDATED 18JAN2018: When Garmin introduced the original GPSMAP® 276C in 2004 it was arguably the beginning of the GPS-era for Dual Sport and Adventure Riding Motorcyclists. The 276C-series appealed to us because it had the basic features we wanted - rugged, battery or hardwired power without compromising it's waterproof and dustproof features, a reasonably high resolution color display, support for Waypoints, Routes & Tracks and above all, a glass display and button controls - no touchscreen.

 

If you were one of those folks, like me, that bemoaned the discontinuance of those devices you may want to check out the new GPSMAP® 276Cx!

 

To read the article please click here.

 

 

 

 



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Trip Planning for the 21st Century

 

It seems like every couple of years there's a new crop of online route creation applications competing for the Motorcyclist's attention. Most do little more than create a route on a Google or OSM map and then let you export that route for use in your GPS or Mobile Navigation App. Some offer 'community' sharing features and even have contests to get your attention.

 

It's 2015, shouldn't Trip Planning applications do more to actually help you plan? Shouldn't you have easy access to the wealth of the Internets travel information from within the application? And shouldn't the application provide robust routing and Track editing features along with unique sharing and group editing options that you control?

 

If you think the answer to those questions should be yes, this article is for you.

 

To read the article please click here.

 

 



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Routes, Tracks and Waypoints - The Other RTW

 

With the growing use of GPS devices and Trip Planning applications, we have a wealth of GPS data to share within our riding communities. But, to do so reliably we need to understand (just a little) what other see from our data.

 

In this article I will show you what your data looks like and the ultimate value your Round The World (RTW) data may or may not have to others.

 

To read the article please click here.

 



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BMW Motorrad Navigator V - How Adventurous is it?

 

BMW and Garmin created a new Navigator and branded it a BMW exclusive device. At first look it seems familiar although the shape is somewhat unexpected given Garmin's zumo™-to-Navigator history. Could this new NAV5 really be an Adventure Riding GPS in Touring clothes?

 

To read the article please click here.

 



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Is This Your Next Adventure Touring GPS?

 

It seems like every couple of years Garmin comes out with another GPS that contends for the top spot on my Recommended List. This time they really mixed up the market and gave us a truly rugged smartphone - without the phone. Can this dedicated GPS on top of an open Android OS really make it on the list?

 

I spent hundreds of hours and thousands of miles with the new Monterra over the past couple of months and what I learned might help you answer that question for yourself.

 

To read the article please click here.

 



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Camera Gear on your Bike

 

I have received dozens of emails over the years regarding how to carry camera gear on a motorcycle. With thousands of miles under my belt, I have, over the years, ruined more than one piece of equipment.

 

But experience has forged a pretty good system that I'll share, so that you too can enjoy your camera equipment and document your adventures while riding on two wheels.

 

To read the article please click here.

 



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BaseCamp™ - Is it still just for Hikers & Climbers?

 

Over the years, Garmin has provided personal computer software to help enhance the use of their GPS products. First there was MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager. Then came a more robust version of MapSource that would not only allow the user to load detailed digital maps and create Waypoints but also Routes and Tracks. But MapSource was only available on the Windows Operating Systems (OS).

 

After years of stops and starts with other potential replacements to MapSource, we finally have Garmins strategic Trip Planning application for Windows and Mac OS X.

 

To read the article please click here.

 



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Montana, the latest Adventure Touring GPS!

 

There are a lot of new GPS devices on the market these days but few have caused me to take notice and even fewer meet our criteria for an Adventure Touring and Dual Sport GPS. But, a new Garmin product has recently come to market and it has my full attention. In this article we'll spend a little time with this new bad-boy of the GPS world as we take a trip to Montana. Please click here, to read the complete article.

 

 



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Adventure Touring GPS's

 

Today many of us want the adventure of motorcycle travel to exotic and mysterious places we haven't been before. But, reality usually dictates that we do our Adventure Touring with some schedule in mind. That usually means relying upon the knowledge of people like Helge Pedersen to show us the way.  At GlobeRiders we use GPS technology to deliver that knowledge.

 

There is an amazing amount of information available to assist us in getting from where we are to where we want to be - anywhere in the world. Satellite Imagery, Global Positioning System data and land-based radio triangulation are all available to us as we explore new and exciting countries - or just over the hill from home, please click here, to read the complete article.

 



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BMW KILLER

 

I left Seattle, USA, on a cold wet December day and headed south. My ride was a brand new BMW R1200GS Adventure with 550miles on the clock. In Los Angeles, California, I was joined by my 3 companions for this ride to the end of the world, all on BMW GS bikes.


Together we discovered the good and the bad of riding a bike from north to south of the Americas. Our mission was to scout out GlobeRiders new Adventure tour, “Alaska to Tierra del Fuego Adventure”.


It was an incredible journey and at the end in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, I had recorded 23,300 kilometer (14,500 miles) on my clock, please click here, to read the complete article.

 



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There are always Questions. . . .




GlobeRiders offers the most fascinating and challenging itineraries of any motorcycle tour operator on the planet . And, we go the extra distance to ship your motorcycle for every tour.   At the end of the day, you can truly say "I did it on my own."

 

We're delighted to see an increasingly international mix of participants on our tours and welcome riders from any country.   In addition, your spouse, family members (18 and older), partner or friend are welcome to join in, either riding "pillion" with you, or as passengers in our chase/support vehicles.

 

Unless required by local regulations, we don't do a "group ride".   Every day, you have the option of riding solo, with friends new and old, or with our guides.   We offer the experience of global touring in a supported environment.   Our guidelines are few, and we will work with you to make every riding day exceed your expectations.

 

Our adventure tours are for the rider/traveler who desires an experience few others will ever equal.   We offer tours from 19 to 65 days in duration.   We travel to over 27 countries that only a handful of riders have ever visited.   Not just anyone may join our tours.   You have to qualify.   You must have the right experience, the right bike and the flexibility to deal with the unexpected.   You'll need a GPS to ride with us. And along the way, we'll hold clinics and tech sessions to share all that we've learned with you.

 

 

Our goal is to take you to places that few will ever see.   To make it your experience, shipping your motorcycle for each tour’s departure is but one of the many personalized services we offer.   Pre-tour, we create and moderate web-based forums where riders can ask questions, share knowledge and get to know one another before leaving home.   We work with you to make you truly self-sufficient for the journey that lies ahead.

 

Pre-departure, you'll receive a tour-specific RoadBook, a MapBook and a complete GPS datafile with waypoints, tracks, and the occasional route to guide you to each day's destination.

 

Should a partner, family member of friend wish to participate, they may ride as a pillion passenger (two-up) with you on your bike, or on most tours, we will upgrade our chase vehicle so they may travel as a vehicle passenger, with the option to ride with you when it makes sense.

 

Because it’s about far-away places and foreign cultures, we incorporate scenic attractions, cultural visits and selected activities along the way.   For example, on our Africa Adventure, we fly you into the Okavango Delta for a multi-day safari by boat, canoe and 4x4.  For every tour, we book the best available accommodations in advance, insuring a good night’s rest, allowing you to wake fully refreshed and ready to roll for the next day’s ride.

 

 

We maintain a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page that explains our tours and processes, and may answer question you didn't even know you had, to go there, please click here.

 

On every adventure, we publish a Live!Journal, a weblog of photos and stories from staff and riders, al served up via email newsletter updates and a special section on our website.  Come take a virtual tour with us and immerse yourself in an exotic adventure from the comfort of your own chair, just click here and we'll take you there.

 

We are unique in producing a growing line of adventure and instructional DVDs.  Short of being there, there's nothing better than a great movie, and learning how to equip and maintain your bike goes a long ways towards building your confidence as an adventure rider.  To see our current DVD offerings, please click here.

 

Our newsletters will inform you about new tours, notify you when Live!Journals are available, and cover "all things GlobeRiders".   We do not share your information with anyone, and a Safe Unsubscribe link is included at the bottom of every newsletter.  If you'd like to subscribe, please use the sign-up field below:

 

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Come Ride the World with Us!  We look forward to hearing from you and hope that you'll join us on a future GlobeRiders Adventure.  Should you with to make a reservation, or have any questions or comments, just click here.





 
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