Rever: Socially Interactive Ride Planning

Social media being what it is, the motorcycling community eventually profited. Sure, hints of interactive route planning have found their demographic by way of the well-received RideWithGPS as well as GPX-friendly host applications (OsmAnd for Android and Scenic for iPhone come to mind). Now there's Rever, a combination route-planner, recorder and navigator that CycleGear appears to heavily support.

Rever bills itself as an all-encompassing riding software solution and combines desktop and mobile use for members to share pre-recorded motorcycle routes. Others can download those routes and navigate them accordingly. Statistical data for each ride include time, distance, average speed, elevation, GPS headings and coordinates.

Rever's interface allows for in-route photos and POIs along with a digital "garage" for keeping track of your flock. Their member "challenges" are where industry interests come into play, a capitalistic nod/echo to the more revered Iron Butt Association. Premium memberships expand on an already great array of uses, including Butler maps, offline maps, friend tracker, GPX export and groups.

The Butler maps option alone makes the premium membership more attractive. While offline access might mean a larger storage footprint, your phone's GPS antenna doesn't require data access. Less data use and direct file loading means faster presentation and fluid navigation.

Is it better than unique-to-you, independent file mining through RideWithGPS, OsmAnd or Scenic? That's really a matter of personal preference. Either way, it's all about safety first. You're still better off carrying a hard copy book of road maps as a fallback whenever you travel. Digital options are simply an extended luxury.

On their own website and software descriptions, they warn regularly of how extended phone use may decrease battery life. Our answer to this remains what it's always been, namely to install a motorcycle-specific phone mount and charging equipment. Depending on your needs, this could involve something as simple as an SAE-to-USB setup or as complex as an auxiliary relay panel.

What's Your Favorite Route-planning Resource?

There are a lot of great tour planning services across the web. Which ones do you prefer? What do you like about them and why? Your input is invited. Leave a comment and/or write an article!