ADAC Motorcycle touring maps - Free download PDF's into iBook

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The free downloadable PDF's of suggested motorcycling routes created by ADAC are well known. What is maybe less well known is that they work really well on an iPad using iBooks.

Don't bother to download the separate maps, just download the 'One page map' for each area, one by one. Then simply zoom the map in and out to see the place names / road numbers etc.

They will appear in iBook under a PDF folder. You can either leave them there or, as I did, create separate folders for each map area.

http://fim-europe.com/index.php/touring/european-maps (Our of date, see below)

It takes a while to do the lot but it's worth it. You'll have a good set of suggested great roads, covering all the popular Central European areas, readily available any time you like.

The maps also print really nicely, too. I used a good quality laser printer at work onto A3 paper, with excellent results.


UPDATE DECEMBER 2023

THIS IS NOW OUT OF DATE. GO STRAIGHT TO POST #42
 
Last edited:
Just seen this post .........

When I get in I will give it a go. Excellent tip - thank you Richard.

:thumb2
 
Brilliant - many thanks for the link.

All downloaded except the full version of Map 4 Styria / Carinthia / Friuli / Slovenia, for which I get a 404 Not Found. Anyone else have this trouble?

Mike :cool:
 
I was recently looking at the ADAC email newsletter where they have released a new map app
http://www.adac.de/mobile_angebote/maps_smartphones/default.aspx?ComponentId=15381&SourcePageId=0
Unfortunately legal issue its only available on the German iTunes store :(
Despite my attempts to ask the ADAC to release the app onto the European iTunes stores they are reluctant to do so. Therefore it maybe beyond my attempts to get hold of it.
however several other ADAC apps are available to download, inc the breakdown app
 
Brilliant - many thanks for the link.

All downloaded except the full version of Map 4 Styria / Carinthia / Friuli / Slovenia, for which I get a 404 Not Found. Anyone else have this trouble?

Mike :cool:

This link does not work http://fim-europe.com/images/maps/map10_c.pdf only because they missed _eifel off the end

I simply changed it to this http://fim-europe.com/images/maps/map10_c_eifel.pdf
following the naming style here -> http://fim-europe.com/images/maps/map10_a_eifel.pdf

If you look at the links which do work, you may find the same pattern for Styria etc ??
Remember that you cannot see the underscores in the URLs above, e.g. map10_a_eifel.pdf

Hope this makes sense??
paul
 
I have had a go at creating a route on Basecamp using the first of the Eifel tours. I have to say that it was not at all clear exactly which roads the FIM/ADAC routes were directing you towards. But I got there in the end. I will report back when I have actually ridden the circular tour
 
I have had a go at creating a route on Basecamp using the first of the Eifel tours. I have to say that it was not at all clear exactly which roads the FIM/ADAC routes were directing you towards. But I got there in the end. I will report back when I have actually ridden the circular tour

If anyone else is using the ADAC pdf maps, yes, you do have to work at it a bit, helped greatly if you have a reasonably detailed paper map (or Google map) open alongside.

If I got stuck, I often looked a at a different bit of the route, away from where the problem was found and worked back from there. Doing it this way (filling in all the easiest and known bits first) it became obvious which roads ADAC must be suggesting over the less clear parts.

Be patient; that's the key.
 
I'm sure ADAC is v good.

But do have a look at HERE mapping. Apart from probably being the best mapping for satnav as it was originally NAVTEQ it's constantly being updated and has user feedback that is acted on very quickly. The HERE apps for Android / IOS and Windows are very very good and can be used off line so yo have no data worries.

Using HERE on PC is also very good for routing your travels and it has very good satellite zooming generally! https://www.here.com/?map=42.25504,18.89585,19,satellite
 
I'm sure ADAC is v good.

But do have a look at HERE mapping. Apart from probably being the best mapping for satnav .....
Using HERE on PC is also very good for routing your travels and it has very good satellite zooming generally!

In your quite understandable excitement to be HERE’s salesman of the year, you have overlooked one key point.

Unlike HERE, ADAC’s motorcycle maps are not intended to be in any way interactive, used on a GPS device or played around with on a computer. They are simply lines, coloured in by some bod in Germany (careful not to go over the lines) on sheets of paper, designed to do nothing more that answer the oft heard request: “Tell me some great twisties, no motorways (I shit ‘em) to ride on me holidys wiv me SWMBO” …. And a very fine job they make of doing it, too.
 


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