Roll Charts
Graphic Roll Chart Tutorial
The Giro di California Vintage Motorcycle Tour requires that riders navigate a specified rural routing based solely on self-contained, on-board guidance materials. You will receive an overall routing map and a daily graphic RollChart. There will NOT be any guidance arrows posted along the course. There will not be volunteer staff standing and pointing to guide you through complex intersections.
The primary route guidance tool is variously known as a RollChart, Roadbook, or JARTchart. These charts are composed of a long, narrow roll of paper displaying graphic turn instruction cells and numerical distance data. A complete RollChart for a full day of riding may include as many at sixty turn instructions and maybe in excess of 10′ in length. Our RollCharts are printed in black and white with the guidance directional arrow offset in a lighter shade of gray.
Chart Holder Devices
There are several common designs for RollChart ChartHolders on the commercial market. These are most commonly available at aftermarket motorcycle shops, especially those catering to the off-road enthusiast. RollCharts are typically used to guide a classic, off-road Enduro event. The Chart Holders may be attached to handlebars, fixed by adhesive to other flat surfaces, or supported by commercial, articulated mounting. Installation is as variable as the riders. Prior to installation, determine if you will use your left hand or your right hand to advance the rolls. You will need to mount the Chart Holder in a location and in such a way to provide easy access to the chart advancement wheels.
The most common versions of the RollChart Holder are:
The MOOSE Holder
The MOOSE Holder
MSR Countdown
MSR Countdown
And for the truly exotic, a motorized,
backlit version
There are some RollChart Holders on the market which include a very narrow, magnified window. These are more appropriate for a text-based, line-by-line guidance program. They are NOT suitable for the Giro di California where a full 2″ X 2″ display is required.
Regardless of which RollChart Holder you purchase and install, please test it thoroughly in advance. I found significant plastic burrs on the roller axles of my device. I was able to dis-assemble the device, improve the surface of the axles, and greatly reduce the rollling resistance. Take some standard copy paper, cut it into 2″ wide strips and tape together into a long test roll. Install this in your device and ensure that it will move forward and backward smoothly. Please do this well before you arrive for a competitive event.
Guidance Instructions
Instructions for each routing turn are included in a 2″ X 2″ square, graphic cell. Roads are depicted as closely as practical to their real-world physical appearance. Road names or highway numbers are provided but may be seriously abbreviated due to space constraints. A guidance arrow is provided in a contrasting color or shade to identify the direction of your required travel. Each rider remains responsible to follow all government-posted roadway regulations and signs, regardless of any possible conflict with the RollChart diagram cells.
Numerical Data
Each graphic guidance cell also includes numerical distance data in each of the four corners. A typical RollChart guidance cell will look like this:
You are travelling along WELCH AVENUE and will soon be turning right onto HARLEY STREET.
All UPPER numbers are presented in MILES.
All LOWER numbers are mathematically converted to KILOMETERS.
Numbers at the left of the cell represent the total accumulated distance from the START to the point of the displayed turn.
Numbers at the right of the cell represent the leg or sequential distance FROM THE PRIOR TURN to the point of the displayed turn.
So, how soon until we make this turn? Well, if you were paying attention, the turn will occur 2.3 miles or 3.7 kilometers from the point where you turned onto WELCH AVENUE. Your guidance turn arrow is displayed in a GRAY color tone.
The distance numbers presented are either taken directly from the odometer of a route measurement vehicle, or may be extrapolated from Internet mapping software. Every vehicle, including your motorcycle, will measure distances with slight variations from TRUE DISTANCE. It will be up to you as the rider and navigator to determine the variance between your vehicle and the data presented on the RollChart. Typically, a standardized marker is placed on the course at a distance of 2.9 Miles (4.7 Kilometers) from the starting point. At this distance point, you should calculate a measurement variance for your vehicle.
TIP: Prior to riding, you may wish to obscure or blacken the distance data which is NOT appropriate for your motorcycle. If your odometer displays in MILES, then you may wish to blacken all of the Kilometer references to avoid confusion (and vice versa).
Text Information
Periodically, we may insert TEXT CELLS within the RollChart to provide other guidance information such as SPEED, KNOWN HAZARDS, REQUIRED STOPS, TOURING INFORMATION, etc.
Rollchart Assembly and Installation
RollCharts can be prepared and issued in a variety of physical formats. It is up to you as the rider to be prepared for any necessary assembly and installation into your ChartHolder. In some cases, where routes have been altered on short notice and printed locally, you may receive a stack of narrow paper strips. It will be your responsibility to tape them together to produce a single roll. In some cases, where routes have been confirmed well in advance and remain stable, you may receive commercially printed rolls on a single, continuous strip of roll paper, similar to a cash register roll.
Tools
Each rider should arrive at the event with sharp scissors and an ample supply of Scotch tape for assembling, repairing, and installing the RollChart into the ChartHolder.
Assembly
Depending on our time constraints and printing resources, you may be given a stack of paper strips and you will then be required to assemble your own RollChart. It is absolutely imperative that the strips be aligned as perfectly as possible. Any variance in the assembly will cause the strip to ‘wander’ left or right as it advances in the ChartHolder. Due to this ‘wander’, the RollChart may bind or jam in the ChartHolder and the RollChart may tear apart if you attempt to force the advancing. To this end, it is best to work with another rider and hold the strips along a wall or vertical edge of a desk so that the strips remain in alignment while the second person applies tape to the seams. It is necessary to tape over both the front side as well as the back side of the overlapping seam to insure that loose edges do not catch or invert and jam the advancing roll.
If you are required to assemble your own RollChart, you will be given printed strips that will look something like this:
You will need to assemble these strips into a single, long RollChart. Overlap the strips and tape both sides of the seam. Use a wall or table edge as an alignment guide to ensure that the strips join in good alignment and install into your RollChart Holder without binding or wandering. Assemble like this:
Installation
The RollChart should be taped into the ChartHolder by installing the END or BOTTOM of the roll first. Once the END or BOTTOM has been attached to the lower roller, the strip can be wound and guided into place. When completely installed, the TOP or BEGINNING of the roll is now taped to the upper roller. In this way, the RollChart is immediately ready for viewing and guidance.
Security
Very few of the RollChart holders are perfectly waterproof. If you get caught riding in the rain, your RollChart may become wet and the paper will weaken and may tear. Some riders prefer to lay the fully assembled RollChart face-down on the floor and run a single, long strip of tape along the center of the back of the RollChart. This tape strip may be as long as 10′ or more. This extra tape will make the RollChart bulkier, but it also provides extra strength to keep the chart intact even in wet conditions.