How Throttle works
Throttle is a route-planning app for motorcyclists, not a navigation app. Plan on a real screen with a real keyboard; ride with the navigator you already have on your phone.
1. Set start and end
Open app.throttlerides.com, type addresses into the Start and End fields. Throttle biases search to your location, so common queries like "main st" find the right one. Or click the map to drop a pin.
Add intermediate stops by clicking the inline "Add a stop" search row. Each pick lands a new waypoint between Start and End in route order. Reorder by dragging in the Waypoints list.
2. Pick your curviness
Above the search inputs, four buttons set the routing profile:
- Fast — the shortest reasonable path. Allows highways. ETA-first.
- Balanced — gentle backroad bias. Adds a little time, dodges slabs when reasonable.
- Backroads — strong backroad bias. Avoids highways unless required to connect. The default Sunday ride.
- Twisties — will detour to find the bends. Routes ~30% longer are normal.
Each profile applies a custom road-curvature weighting to GraphHopper, the open-source routing engine. The route updates as soon as both Start and End are set.
3. Smart-suggest stops
Hit "Suggest stops" and the smart-suggest engine plans the day:
- Tracks tank state from a starting fuel level you set (Full / ¾ / ½ / ¼). Triggers gas needs before reserve.
- Watches the timeline. Crosses a meal window (breakfast, coffee, lunch, snack, dinner)? It'll find a food stop near where you'll be at that time.
- Combines stops aggressively. Gas station with a diner = one stop, not two.
- Inserts stretch breaks when the gap between needs exceeds your fatigue cycle (default 1.5 hr).
- Slots a scenic overlook in the longest quiet stretch when you opt in.
Each suggestion shows up as a card with a real reason: "Gas + lunch — 145 mi in, 12:18 PM". Add or skip with one click. Suggestions go in route order regardless of click order.
4. Tell Throttle about your trip
The Trip-timing panel (collapsible) has the inputs that drive the smart algorithm:
- Start time — when you're leaving. Drives meal-window detection and ETAs.
- Arrive by (optional) — when set, Throttle warns if planned stops won't make it.
- Starting fuel — Full / ¾ / ½ / ¼. Triggers earlier gas needs when you're starting low.
- Already had — checkboxes for breakfast / coffee / lunch / snack / dinner. Skips those windows.
- Stretch every — how long you'll ride between any kind of stop. Default 1.5 hr.
- Plan a scenic — opt-in for one overlook stop on rides over 3 hours.
5. Ride
When you're happy with the plan, tap Ride. On mobile it opens the route directly in the Google Maps app with all stops loaded. On desktop it shows a QR code; scan with your phone, Google Maps opens.
Throttle splits long rides into legs that fit Google Maps' 9-waypoint cap. Each leg is its own URL/QR; ride one, return to Throttle for the next.
Need a GPX file for a Garmin or dashcam? "Download .gpx" in the Ride dialog gives you the standard track file.
What we don't do
Throttle isn't a navigation app. We don't do turn-by-turn voice. We don't track your live location. We don't replace Google Maps, Calimoto, Rever, or any other in-ride app — we hand off to whichever you prefer.
Throttle isn't a social network. There's no public trip feed, no follower graph, no comments. Trips are private by default and shared by URL only with people you give the link to.