Ray Petry discusses the pros and cons of using GPS while riding, and where your priorities should lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To its critics, GPS navigation is a distraction, eliminates the elemental joy of riding a motorcycle, and has spawned a generation of riders who might know where they\u2019re going but don\u2019t know where they are. It\u2019s emblematic of all that\u2019s wrong in our modern technology-riddled world. To its defenders, GPS navigation provides directional certainty, greater safety, and an overall more enjoyable motorcycling experience. It has solved far more problems than it has created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Disruptive Technology<\/strong> But with the good also comes the bad. Those one or two seconds when we glance at the screen to check our position might be the exact moment that a deer crosses in front of you, another motorist brakes, or a huge chunk of debris reveals itself on the road ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe problem with GPS is the same as the problem with changing the radio station, reaching for a bottle of water, or any of the other potential distractions from fully focusing on riding,\u201d says Ray Petry, operations and training lead at the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy and someone who used GPS navigation on his Road Glide Special motorcycle. \u201cWe\u2019re not really multitasking; we\u2019re switching tasks. If we\u2019re going to switch tasks, then we need to do it as proficiently and safely as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Master the Functionality Before You Ride<\/strong> \u201cNone of us should learn to use a navigation system while we\u2019re riding,\u201d says Ray. \u201cInstead, sit on the bike while it\u2019s parked, and work with it until you\u2019ve become an expert with its functionality and control. Only start using it on the road after it has become second nature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Ray, this is no different than the elemental aspects of motorcycle operation. \u201cWhen we\u2019re learning to ride, shifting gears takes a lot of concentration, to the point that riders aren\u2019t paying adequate attention to the road ahead,\u201d he says. \u201cChanging lanes is another. These tasks are clunky until we\u2019ve mastered them. When I instruct new riders, we\u2019ll practice lane changes until it goes from clunky\u2014where they have to really focus on the task\u2014to being more automated. It\u2019s the same with shifting gear. After enough practice, it becomes automatic. The same should be true for your motorcycle\u2019s navigation and sound systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, be master of these tasks, rather than letting them be master of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pay Attention and Prioritize Riding Tasks<\/strong> 1. Other road users, road signs, and signals. But what should you do if you need to spend a couple of seconds looking at your GPS? \u201cGet off the road completely,\u201d he says. \u201cNot just pulling over onto the shoulder. Go to a parking lot or a residential street where you can be completely stationary and away from busy traffic. Spend the time you need to recalibrate yourself or the interaction with your GPS before getting back on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pre-Program Routes, Use Audio<\/strong> \u201cFirst, avoid diverting too much attention to the GPS while in motion,\u201d he says. \u201cIf it requires more than a simple glance or toggle-switch command, save it for when you\u2019re at a stop, or stop to adjust. And always program your destination into the unit before you\u2019re in motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSecond, whenever possible use the system\u2019s audio technology to transmit the audible directions either through your bike\u2019s sound system or headset speakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd third, GPS is simply a navigation aid. Don\u2019t hesitate to ignore an instruction if a situation ahead takes priority. In other words, don\u2019t turn right if there is no right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Ray, receiving audible directions is less distracting than following a route on a screen, thus allowing him to maintain his attention priorities noted previously. Harley-Davidson offers multiple navigation products, from the infotainment systems on select motorcycles to standalone GPS units that can pair with Bluetooth-enabled headsets and speakers. Your local Harley-Davidson dealer can help to explain all of the options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The End of the World as We Know It?<\/strong> He also remembers missing turns and making last-second manoeuvres to correct them. Conversely, with GPS, when you miss a turn or modify your route it automatically re-routes you. \u201cWith GPS, you\u2019re never lost,\u201d he says. \u201cYes, you can miss a turn or make a wrong one, but there\u2019s no need to panic because the system will re-route you. So there\u2019s no need to make an unsafe last-second manoeuvre.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Has the near-universal reliance on GPS navigation ruined our sense of place in the world, as well as diminished our own internal navigational skills? Maybe. No doubt it\u2019s still useful to utilise paper maps (printed or online) when preparing a trip to see a route in the context of something larger than the road you\u2019re on. You\u2019ll create a mental snapshot of the map, which will be useful and enjoyable while you\u2019re riding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get Lost and Take the Long Way Home<\/strong> \u201cGPS route suggestions usually default to providing the fastest route rather than the most interesting one,\u201d says Ray. There are new discoveries to be made simply by taking the long way and some of our most memorable riding experiences occur when we get lost. So, occasionally get lost and take the road less traveled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Words by John Sandberg<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ray Petry discusses the pros and cons of using a GPS while riding and where your priorities should lie <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-5493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-pilotando"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/mx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/mx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/mx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/mx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/mx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5493"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/mx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5498,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/mx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493\/revisions\/5498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/mx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/mx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/mx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/mx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
In the period since portable GPS units began providing global positioning for civilian use, human navigation has transformed. Most say this transformation is for the better, but others aren\u2019t so sure. Mostly gone are foldout maps and tired old jokes about men refusing to ask for directions at fuel stops. With the ubiquity of smartphones and infotainment systems, we now know the fastest route to grandma\u2019s house, the closest restaurant and exactly how many minutes until we arrive home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Ray, motorcycling with GPS can be safe and enjoyable if used correctly. If there\u2019s one point to be made about using any feature of a motorcycle, including navigation, it\u2019s that we need to master it before using it. That means practicing when parked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Safely riding a motorcycle requires us to pay attention to our riding environment, including the road, motorists, pedestrians, animals and any potential hazards. Yet safe riding isn\u2019t just paying attention\u2014it\u2019s prioritizing what we pay attention to. \u201cIn my opinion, we shouldn\u2019t remove our attention from riding for longer than a half-second, otherwise we\u2019re violating our attention priorities,\u201d says Ray. According to him, this is how we should prioritize our attention when riding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. What the road tells you, including surface conditions (holes, sand, cracks, debris) and watching out for traps (such as lane endings).
3. Knowing your escape route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ray’s firsthand experience with GPS navigation technology and has taught him key lessons for using it safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those who believe that GPS navigation is proof of the end of the world as we know it\u2014and that such technology is unsafe\u2014it\u2019s important to accept that the \u201cgood old days\u201d might not be as safe as we remember. Ray certainly recalls: \u201cBefore GPS, I\u2019d create a route direction list that I\u2019d write on tape or paper, and affix to my bike\u2019s windshield or tank. Reading that list took more concentration away from riding than looking at a GPS screen or hearing audible directions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ask yourself what you love about motorcycling. If the answers include freedom and adventure and discovery, then do yourself a favour and unplug from technology while you\u2019re riding whenever it suits you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n