A new riding experience

[Ruski]

Hey Guys & Girls

We are a team of bike enthusiasts trying to change the way motorcyclists create and organize road trips.

We want to build a mobile app to help you:
• Connect with other riders to go on a trip with you.
• Find pre-existing or new and interesting routes.
• Create your own routes and share with others.

If you are interested and want to register for launch release, please click on this link: roadmate.us.to

We need your help and support - please spread the word, share advice and join us to make this idea a reality!

Thank You

[Oakie]

Include something in there about riding style. Nanas riding with Rossi wannabes don't mix in a group. I'm a nana by the way.

[haydes55]

I can't txt and ride let alone use an app and ride :bleh:

Sounds like kb without the stupidity ( :wavey: akxel).

Or will it show up the idiots aswell as the normal people?

Can it direct you through dirt roads for those on adventure bikes?

Can you hack into the cops gps's and show up where the fuzz are?

How about places that stock a good pie along your route?

How about km til next gas station along the route?

[Subike]

Involves spending money that can be used for fuel....NTY

[FJRider]

Don't forget to include a hotness level for chicks (and verified) that buy the app ...

[Ruski]

Include something in there about riding style. Nanas riding with Rossi wannabes don't mix in a group. I'm a nana by the way.

Awesome idea, Haven't thought of that!

[Ruski]

I can't txt and ride let alone use an app and ride :bleh:

Sounds like kb without the stupidity ( :wavey: akxel).

Or will it show up the idiots aswell as the normal people?

Can it direct you through dirt roads for those on adventure bikes?

Can you hack into the cops gps's and show up where the fuzz are?

How about places that stock a good pie along your route?

How about km til next gas station along the route?

We definitely don't want to promote text riding and so on. But ideal situation is you have your phone and GPS tells you where to go.

Adventure bikes is something we are looking at because if we can do direction for them. that would be great!

In terms of cops, not really hack but maybe have a feature where you notify other riders that there is a check point at a certain location. :)

Oh, the cafes on the way and nice places to visit will definitely be the part of the app! Yeah, it is a great idea and we will be rolling it out sometime in the near future.
Just want to get the basics right :)

[Ruski]

Don't forget to include a hotness level for chicks (and verified) that buy the app ...

Haha, something to think about!

[FJRider]

Boyracers will love this app ... and as such ... so will Police. And it will be monitored.




But go for it ... what could possibly go wrong ... ???

[nerrrd]

Maybe you could also look at the app providing assistance somehow in the event of a puncture or a breakdown? Giving a voluntary list of local numbers to contact, maybe, local bike shops/mechanics?

Probably most have roadside assistance but not all, might be far away, could send a request via the app in case any local good sorts on it wanted to help, blacklist someone if it's a false alarm.

[Maha]

I can't txt and ride let alone use an app and ride :bleh:

Sounds like kb without the stupidity ( :wavey: akxel).

Or will it show up the idiots aswell as the normal people?

Can it direct you through dirt roads for those on adventure bikes?

Can you hack into the cops gps's and show up where the fuzz are?

How about places that stock a good pie along your route?

How about km til next gas station along the route?

Just some of things that I get asked on our non-app away rides :rolleyes:
...that and ''How many single chicks are coming''?

[FJRider]

Can you hack into the cops gps's and show up where the fuzz are?



But the good news is ... they'll know the route you are taking ... and what time to expect you.

[Gremlin]

Adventure bikes is something we are looking at because if we can do direction for them. that would be great!
Depends what you're basing your mapping on. A lot are using Google Maps for example.

They're terrible for adventure riding, with plenty of roads not existing (or badly wrong) from my experience.

[Muppet]

Complete waste of time. I'm not going to use my iphone to search for riding partners. Kiwi riders are very tribal and don't mix. You're never going to see me and my mates ride with Harleys unless it's to overtake them, which is often. Since 99% of Kiwis a are apathetic this idea will last 5 mins. As far as an app for breakdowns is concerned, it's called the AA!

[Oakie]

But the good news is ... they'll know the route you are taking ... and what time to expect you.

Only the Rossi groups. They'll leave the 'nana' labelled rides alone.

[Ruski]

Maybe you could also look at the app providing assistance somehow in the event of a puncture or a breakdown? Giving a voluntary list of local numbers to contact, maybe, local bike shops/mechanics?

Probably most have roadside assistance but not all, might be far away, could send a request via the app in case any local good sorts on it wanted to help, blacklist someone if it's a false alarm.

That is something to look into!

[bosslady]

don know if anyone's said it but I reckon you should be able to rate users as to how good they were to ride with so other people can gauge whether or not they want to ride with that person. also u should put biker friendly accommodation and eateries you could charge these business to be on your app

[bosslady]

We definitely don't want to promote text riding and so on. But ideal situation is you have your phone and GPS tells you where to go.

Adventure bikes is something we are looking at because if we can do direction for them. that would be great!

In terms of cops, not really hack but maybe have a feature where you notify other riders that there is a check point at a certain location. :)

Oh, the cafes on the way and nice places to visit will definitely be the part of the app! Yeah, it is a great idea and we will be rolling it out sometime in the near future.
Just want to get the basics right :)

I think it would be irresponsible to warn other riders about cops, if theyreobiding by the law then they have no problem.

[FJRider]

Complete waste of time. I'm not going to use my iphone to search for riding partners.

I would agree ... I wouldn't either. Even if I actually had an iphone ...

[Gremlin]

I think the common thing coming in the feedback is:

We're a very individual bunch, do things our own way, and what suits one is not going to suit another.

Good luck finding a large enough bunch that have similar wants...

[Milts]

I like the concept, but you're going to have to hit critical mass pretty quickly otherwise it will just slip into obscurity. Might not be easy to do given NZ population density.

It would be good to be able to access it via a standard desktop web browser as well. Gives those who don't have smartphones an access point, and great if your phone battery dies etc.

Will it have a 'friends list' or equivalent? Could it tap into facebook data for this?

Also, release date?

[Ruski]

I like the concept, but you're going to have to hit critical mass pretty quickly otherwise it will just slip into obscurity. Might not be easy to do given NZ population density.

It would be good to be able to access it via a standard desktop web browser as well. Gives those who don't have smartphones an access point, and great if your phone battery dies etc.

Will it have a 'friends list' or equivalent? Could it tap into facebook data for this?

Also, release date?

Yeah, that is the idea. We actually developing a web browser first at the moment and just having few setbacks at the moment.
In terms, of friends list it is something we will have but maybe in a more subtle way. And we are using "Login with FB", so yeah it taps into the data.

About the release date, we are not sure at this stage, as we still want to talk to many users and clubs before fully developing anything. Our prototype is almost complete with minimum features.
Sign up: roadmate.us.to (looking for better domain also) and we will notify about release asap.

[Banditbandit]

We definitely don't want to promote text riding and so on. But ideal situation is you have your phone and GPS tells you where to go.



I don't have a phone that uses apps .. but my wife tells me where to go on a regular basis ...

[iranana]

Is this being developed for both iOS and Android? I reckon it's important to hit both markets, especially now that Android is starting to dominate the market but it's tricky since they're entirely different platforms. You mentioned you've been developing just as a browser based app at the mo, how about getting a beta test group to use the web app? I personally hate the whole login with FB thing and from my experience as a web developer, I've found that it tends to encourage people to create accounts without necessarily intending to even use the application which can in turn discourage others. Standard registration tends to reduce this, but I understand the motivations of having it communicate with the Facebook API. The question is, how social do you intend this app to be? It sort of seems that most people in this thread aren't so keen on riding with other people and I'm the same. However, I like the idea of being able to share routes for riding. Being able to plot routes on Google Maps and then categorize the route by riding style, skill required and so forth would probably be pretty cool. Being able to add way-points such as petrol stations, rest stops, blind corners, uneven road surfaces etc. are perhaps needed features. Would be fun to get together with my mates and find a cool route to ride. Like others have pointed out, I think it should also have a desktop site for those who don't have/aren't keen on referring to their phones while riding. Good luck with the project!

[nerrrd]

Being able to plot routes on Google Maps and then categorize the route by riding style, skill required and so forth would probably be pretty cool.

I like this idea, might be hard to do objectively though.

[FJRider]

Being able to plot routes on Google Maps and then categorize the route by riding style, skill required and so forth would probably be pretty cool.

A close look at any area on google maps ... would easily identify roads suitable for your preferred riding style.

The minimum skill required on ANY public road in New Zealand is in the qualification of being a Learner licenced rider.

Do you want to pay money for App's ... that you can do for free NOW ... ???

[nerrrd]

A close look at any area on google maps ... would easily identify roads suitable for your preferred riding style.

The minimum skill required on ANY public road in New Zealand is in the qualification of being a Learner licenced rider.

Do you want to pay money for App's ... that you can do for free NOW ... ???

True enough, but some of us don't necessarily have the experience yet to judge a road all that well from above. I guess experience (rather than an app) is the best teacher, though.

Don't mind paying for something if it's useful.

[iranana]

A close look at any area on google maps ... would easily identify roads suitable for your preferred riding style.

The minimum skill required on ANY public road in New Zealand is in the qualification of being a Learner licenced rider.

Do you want to pay money for App's ... that you can do for free NOW ... ???

Yeah that's true and I personally don't buy any apps cause I'm cheap and pirated software is abundant. But for the sake of this app, what else could it really offer if no one is going to use it for its social features? All in all, I don't see this as being a remarkably profitable venture if you're paying a developer to build it. It's a good idea but there's a very small market for it.

[FJRider]

It's a good idea but there's a very small market for it.

And if only a small number buy into it ... how long will it keep running .. ???

On the bright side ... there's NZ dating and KB for social networking .... :msn-wink:

[actungbaby]

yep am keen more sharing good rides though i got sony experia z andrioid phone great phone by the way water proof

We are a team of bike enthusiasts trying to change the way motorcyclists create and organize road trips.

We want to build a mobile app to help you:
• Connect with other riders to go on a trip with you.
• Find pre-existing or new and interesting routes.
• Create your own routes and share with others.

If you are interested and want to register for launch release, please click on this link: roadmate.us.to

We need your help and support - please spread the word, share advice and join us to make this idea a reality!

Thank You[/QUOTE]

[actungbaby]

Only way i thought making sony xperia usefull bike is haveing bracket made so can sit there as water proof not a problem not sure vibration but vrf 750 fairly smooth

anyone else on here on kb done that .. with hands free blue tooth head set .

i seen apps like this aa have one if your a member am not . and seems it be usa based one

But whoudint stop kiwi bikers loging a route i assume



We definitely don't want to promote text riding and so on. But ideal situation is you have your phone and GPS tells you where to go.

Adventure bikes is something we are looking at because if we can do direction for them. that would be great!

In terms of cops, not really hack but maybe have a feature where you notify other riders that there is a check point at a certain location. :)

Oh, the cafes on the way and nice places to visit will definitely be the part of the app! Yeah, it is a great idea and we will be rolling it out sometime in the near future.
Just want to get the basics right :)

[Big Dave]

Changing world innit.

I was out scouting for photo locations on the KLR yesterday. I stopped at lights near the bus stop outside the university. There were 8 people on the bench. Every one of them was in exactly the same pose - leaning forward, squinting at a mobile phone.

It was quite funny, lights changed before I got the camera out.

I wrote an article in Kiwi Rider 10 years ago about how great it was that we could arrange rides online then - without having to go through a telephone chain. Dave rings Dave, who rang Tracy, who rang Scotty etc etc.

That tech is where I stopped though. These days I have an iPhone, but never use it.

You'd have to do the numbers mainly counting on Gen-next.

[Ruski]

Thanks for the feedback guys (both positive and negative)! Gives something to think about.

[release_the_bees]

One thing I'd find useful is an app that directs two riders to a common meeting point (which can be dynamically adjusted based on the speeds of the two riders). For example, rider A leaves from Auckland and rider B leaves from Wellington, and they plan meeting somewhere in the middle. An App that could give information on the whereabouts of the other rider would be great and avoid several "where are you now" phone calls along the way.

[CBR4ME]

Like the idea but as people are saying, its a very limited market & its already very easy to set up a social group on facebook & access that from your smart phone.

But hey good luck & if its out there ill probably try it :2thumbsup