REVER Motorcycle Trip Planner

I have begun using a new motorcycle trip planner called REVER. I have been using Calimoto and it is a nice app but there are a few things I do not like about it so I wanted to try something new. Also, Calimoto is not as widely used as REVER so sharing was becoming difficult. And Calimoto is more expensive since I get the Pro versions to enable turn by turn navigation.

Just like with anything new, It took a while to get used to how the app works. Its not difficult just a bit different than what I am used to. One thing I do like is that there is a desktop version that allows you to plan your trips. Calimoto does too but I have found that the REVER finds addresses and places much better than Calimoto when searching. A definite plus! The mapping tool is easy to use. Adding additional waypoints, etc is a snap. I wish I could change the use of colors but that is nit-picking.

The one major drawback to REVER is the lack of a favorites for places NOT routes. Call them points of interest or whatever but Calimoto and Google Maps allows you to mark places such as bars, restaurants, friends houses, etc so when planning a route, you could select the favorite place as a destination. I also like this feature when looking at a map, you can see all your favorite places while designing a route. In my opinion, this is a negative as I like seeing POIs while traveling a route.

It does have built in POI for the categories food, fuel, lodging, camping but it is not very comprehensive. Google maps does a MUCH better job of that. What you need to do in REVER is add your POI's on your route as waypoints/stops. That is fine if you really are going to stop there but I like being aware of 'things' that might interest me while out riding.

The lack of POI inclusion is not a show stopper for using this app. I like the display a lot. While riding, there are two views. One in more detailed showing next turns, time to destination, etc. The other view is a more HIGH level overview. I use the detailed one the most. The map display also maximizes the use of screen space. Again, for those of use who are sight compromized, it makes it much easier to view the screen.

The turn-by-turn directions are quite good. It warns you will ample time. I have noticed that if you decide to NOT follow the route, it warns you...a lot! Eventually it accepts your new route and re-routes accordingly. One thing I did noticed as I do import a lot of GPX files. When you select a ride, it will ask if you want to follow the Track OR use Turn by Turn Directions. If you follow the track, it does NOT give you audio. This requires you to constantly watch the route or you can easily miss a turn. Since there is no audio, it also will not prompt when you are nearing a turn.

So why would you want to ever use this? The main reason is to follow the EXACT track. If you select Turn by Turn, it tends to modify the route. I guess it is trying to make the route more efficient. The way around this is to add waypoints to the track. That ensures that Turn by Turn will be forced to take that route. A bit more work but if you are aware of it, you can adjust accordingly.

The import is very similar to most other apps like this. It gets it right most of the time. In some cases, the import may be a bit off but I assume that is due to the layouts of the GPX file you are importing. This happens with every app I have ever used. Once you import, review it and make changes with waypoints to force it to change the route to the path you intended.

Once you have completed a ride, the results are quite nice. It gives you various types of visual maps to view. Once is a flat map that slowly shows you progression (an icon moves along the route). Another is a flat map with I beleive your speeds along the way. The third is a 3D map of the route (Pro version). This can be pretty cool with many elevation changes.

For each ride there are also statistics of you ride. The elevation map which is interactive to the visual map. You can slide along and the pointer moves on the map. There are other stats as well such as total time, ride time, distance, avg and max speed, elevation and temperature.

As mentioned before, I do like the sharing. If you have other friends that use the app, you can link up and see all their rides and vice-versa. They also have feature called LiveRIDE tracking where you can see all your friends on maps in real time (this is a Pro only feature).

I am still getting familiar with the app but I do like what I have seen so far. For $40, it is worth it. It gives you audio, LiveRIDE, Butler maps (cool recommendations), unlimited waypoints, export among other things. I will continue using this to become more familiar with all the extended features and hope it will become my go-to mapping tool.