10 Best Back Road GPS Options for Motorcycle Riders Who Avoid Highways

I have a bad habit. When a GPS tells me to take the interstate, I ignore it. That habit has cost me a few arguments with my tank bag, but it has also taught me exactly which navigation tools actually understand what a good motorcycle road looks like.

Most GPS units are built to get a car from A to B as fast as possible. That is the opposite of what I want. I want the long way, the ridge road, the switchbacks nobody else bothers with. Over the last several seasons I have tested dedicated moto units, CarPlay screens, phone apps and even paper maps to find out which ones deliver real back road gold.

This list is what I actually run, and why.

1. Garmin Zumo XT2 — Best Overall Back Road Navigator

If I could only own one motorcycle GPS, the Garmin Zumo XT2 is the one bolted to my bars. The 6-inch, 1280×720 display is bright enough to read through polarized sunglasses in full afternoon sun, and it is fully glove-friendly, which sounds minor until you try to pinch-zoom with winter gloves on.

The feature that matters most for back roads is Garmin’s Adventurous Routing. It gives you sliders for how much you want the route to favor curves and hills, and how aggressively it should avoid highways. I set mine near maximum curvy, minimum highway, and let it do the rest.

What I Actually Like About It

The Zumo XT2 is IPX7 rated, so rain does not bother it, and the battery runs around six hours if I unplug it. Map updates come over Wi-Fi, and it pairs with a Garmin inReach device over Bluetooth, which I appreciate on solo rides far from cell coverage.

The on-device Trip Planner lets me build a route the night before at the hotel and it stays exactly where I put it. That sounds basic, but plenty of units silently reroute you onto the freeway the moment they disagree with your plan. The XT2 mostly respects what I asked for.

Pricing sits around $599 at list, and it drops a fair bit during seasonal sales. It is not cheap, but I have never regretted it.

2. TomTom Rider 550 — Best for Winding Route Discovery

The TomTom Rider 550 has one trick that no other dedicated unit does quite as well: its Winding Routes option, which specifically looks for hills and curves rather than just “not highway.” I have used it on trips where I had no plan at all, just a destination, and it delivered genuinely entertaining roads I would never have found.

The 4.3-inch screen is smaller than the Zumo XT2, and I notice that in bright sun. But it is glove-friendly, IPX7 rated, and the battery gets me through roughly six hours of riding.

The Road Trips Library

TomTom’s Road Trips feature is a curated library of scenic routes that other riders have built and shared. I have downloaded a few of these and then modified them, which is a great way to shortcut the “where do I go today” problem on a trip in unfamiliar territory.

It supports GPX import through TomTom MyDrive, so I can plan in a proper tool and push the file to the unit. The Rider 550 runs around $399, and for pure route personality I think it is the most fun dedicated unit available.

3. Chigee AIO-5 Play — Best CarPlay and Android Auto Screen

Sometimes I do not want another navigation system. I want my phone’s apps on a screen that can survive a rainstorm and a vibration-heavy twin. That is exactly what the Chigee AIO-5 Play delivers.

It is a compact, IP67-rated touchscreen that runs wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto. That means I can run Kurviger, Calimoto, Waze or Google Maps on hardware that is built for a motorcycle instead of a dashboard.

Because the AIO-5 Play has its own GPS module, it does not hammer my phone’s battery the way pure phone navigation does. I have done six-hour days with the phone still above 50 percent.

Accessories Worth Adding

Chigee sells add-ons including tire pressure monitoring sensors and a blind spot radar module. I run the TPMS, and having tire pressure on the same screen as my map is genuinely useful on a long trip.

The AIO-5 Play typically lands in the $300 to $400 range depending on bundles. If you already pay for a navigation app subscription, this is often the smarter buy than a dedicated unit.

4. Garmin Zumo XT — Best Value Premium Dedicated GPS

The original Garmin Zumo XT is still the unit I recommend to friends who want premium build quality without the newest price tag. It has a 5.5-inch glove-friendly display, IPX7 sealing, and the same Adventurous Routing engine that made the XT2 famous.

In my experience the difference between the XT and XT2 comes down to screen size, processing speed and a handful of newer connectivity features. The routing itself, which is the whole point on back roads, is essentially the same experience.

Why I Still Recommend It

Battery life is about six hours, map updates come over Wi-Fi, and it pairs cleanly with Bluetooth headsets for spoken turn prompts. The mount is sturdy and I have never had it loosen on washboard gravel.

List price was around $499, but it frequently sells closer to $399 now that the XT2 exists. For a rider who wants Garmin reliability and curvy-road routing without paying flagship money, this is the sweet spot.

5. Beeline Moto II — Best Minimalist Compass-Style Navigator

The Beeline Moto II is the opposite of everything above, and that is precisely why I love it. Instead of a map, it shows a single arrow pointing toward your next turn, plus a distance. Nothing else.

On back roads, that turns out to be liberating. I stop staring at a screen and start reading the road. In the Beeline app’s Compass mode, I literally just pick a direction and ride, which is how I have found some of my favorite unplanned roads.

What It Does Well and What It Does Not

It handles GPX imports, it is small and light enough to pocket, and the battery lasts a full riding day. It is weather-resistant rather than fully submersible, and the small display means it will not replace a real map for complex multi-turn navigation in a city.

Prices run roughly $249 for the Moto II, with the original Beeline Moto cheaper still. I keep one on my scrambler permanently. It is the unit I grab when the ride matters more than the route.

6. Kurviger — Best App for Curviness-Obsessed Riders

Kurviger is a German route planner built by people who clearly ride, and it is the single best tool I have found for generating genuinely twisty roads. The web planner at kurviger.de gives you a curviness slider, an elevation preference, and a whole menu of road types to avoid.

You can export GPX files for free, which I do constantly, then load them into whichever device I am running that day. The Kurviger app adds turn-by-turn navigation, offline maps and Android Auto support.

The Honest Downsides

The free tier is generous for planning but limited for navigation, and full features require a paid tier. The interface is dense, and it takes a little while to learn where everything lives.

Once it clicks, though, nothing else routes like Kurviger. If your entire definition of a good ride is “how many corners can I fit into 200 miles,” this is your tool.

7. Calimoto — Best App for Spontaneous Loop Rides

Calimoto solves a specific problem: I have three hours and no idea where to go. You set a start point, a distance and a direction, and it builds a round trip that leans hard into winding roads.

I use Calimoto most on weekday evenings when I want a quick 80-mile loop from my driveway. It also shows elevation profiles and corner counts, which is a nerdy detail I genuinely enjoy.

Offline Maps and Real-World Use

Offline map downloads mean I can ride through dead zones without losing navigation, and it supports Android Auto for a bigger screen. The free tier covers basic planning, with subscriptions unlocking unlimited navigation and offline regions.

Calimoto is not the best tool for precise, hand-built routes. Kurviger wins there. But for spontaneity, Calimoto is the app I open when I just want to ride.

8. Garmin Zumo 396 LMT-S — Best Budget Dedicated Unit

The Garmin Zumo 396 LMT-S is what I recommend when someone wants a real motorcycle GPS but does not want to spend flagship money. The 4.3-inch glove-friendly screen is smaller, but it is still IPX7 rated and still runs Adventurous Routing.

LMT-S means lifetime maps, traffic and services, so you are not paying for annual map updates. It has Bluetooth for headset prompts and LiveTrack so a partner or friend can follow your ride.

Where It Shows Its Age

The processor is slower than the XT series and the screen is noticeably dimmer in harsh sun. Route calculations for very long trips take a beat longer than I would like.

At around $299 list, and often less on sale, none of that bothers me much. It is a rugged, reliable back road companion for riders who want dedicated hardware on a budget.

9. Butler Maps G1 Series — Best Analog Back Road Intel

Not everything needs a battery. Butler Maps makes printed maps that rate motorcycle roads with a G1, G2, G3 system, where G1 marks the absolute best riding roads in a region. I own several and I still spread them across a hotel bed before a trip.

The paper maps are waterproof and tear-resistant, which matters because mine live in a tank bag. Each region covers the roads worth riding and, crucially, tells me why they are worth riding.

Pairing Paper With Digital

Butler also sells GPX downloads and has partnered with Rever so you can push those recommended routes to your phone for turn-by-turn. That combination, paper for planning and digital for navigating, is how I plan every big trip.

Individual maps run about $20 to $25. It is the cheapest upgrade to your back road riding you can make.

10. Garmin Montana 700i — Best for Dual-Sport and Off-Pavement

When the pavement ends, the Montana 700i is what I want on my bars. It is a 5-inch glove-friendly display built to MIL-STD-810 ruggedness standards, IPX7 rated, and it survives drops that would kill a phone.

Battery life is the headline for me: up to 18 hours, which means multi-day trips without hunting for a charger. It also supports Adventurous Routing, so it is not purely an off-road tool.

The inReach Advantage

The 700i includes built-in inReach satellite technology, so I can send messages and trigger an SOS with no cell signal. On remote back roads, that is not a gimmick. It is the reason my partner stops worrying when I ride alone.

It is heavy, expensive at around $700, and overkill for pure street riders. For dual-sport riders who disappear into national forests, it is the most confidence-inspiring option on this list.

Final Thoughts on Choosing Your Back Road Setup

If I had to pick one, it is the Garmin Zumo XT2. The Adventurous Routing sliders are the closest thing to having a local rider plan your route for you, and the hardware is genuinely tough.

If you would rather use your phone, pair Kurviger or Calimoto with a Chigee AIO-5 Play and you have a modern, flexible setup that costs less than a flagship dedicated unit. And if you want to disappear entirely from the map, the Beeline Moto II is the most fun I have had with a navigation device in years.

Whatever you choose, set it to avoid highways, crank the curviness, and let it take you somewhere you have never been. That is the whole point.

Frequently Asked Questions