Motorcycling
 Feature : Motorcycling
|
|
| Description |
| Motorcycle related tags |
| Group |
| Tags |
About this Page
The goal of this page is to help create OSM maps from a motorcyclist perspective.
- This page is an adaption of the mtb version that started the topic.
- There are also attempts to tag motorcycle routes (legal gravel tracks) outside OSM, an example is the TET [[1]].
General Tags for ways that are suitable for motorcycling
| key | comment |
|---|---|
| highway=path/track/* | If a way is tagged highway=footway and motorcycling is allowed, considering usinghighway=path + foot=designated + motorcycle=designated.
|
| motorcycle=yes/no/designated/private/* | Are motorcycles allowed? This is only a legal question. Do not use to indicate the difficulty of a way. |
| width=<in meters> | Width of way. Useful to differentiate single tracks (highway=path) from double tracks and roads (width > 2 meters). |
| surface=asphalt/concrete/gravel/dirt/* | Material of the trail, track or road surface. |
| smoothness=excellent to impassable | Classification scheme regarding the physical usability of a way for wheeled vehicles, particularly regarding surface regularity/flatness |
| tracktype=grade1 to grade5 | Surface firmness, usually used on highway=track and any unpaved roads. |
| trail_visibility=excellent to no | Trail visibility (not route visibility) and orientation. Usually used on highway=path. |
| incline=<in %> | How steep is a trail, track or road segment. |
| key | comment | status |
|---|---|---|
| motorcycle:scale=1 to 5 | Difficulty grading for on-road and off-road motorcycles, based on the German Denzel-Alpenstraßen-Skala [[2]] | In use, inactive |
| dirtbike:scale=0 to 6 | Classification scheme for mapping the difficulty of trails for off-road motorcycles, known as dirt bikes. | In use |
Useful Tag combinations
| highway=* | smoothness=* | surface=* | tracktype=* | incline=* | motorcycle:scale=* | dirtbike:scale=* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <any> | excellent, good | asphalt, concrete | grade1 | <= 9% | 1 | - |
| <any> | excellent, good | asphalt, concrete | grade1 | <= 15% | 2 | - |
| <any> | intermediate, bad | asphalt, concrete | grade1 | >= 15% | 3 | - |
| <any> | intermediate, bad | compacted, gravel | grade2 | <= 15% | 3 | 0 |
| <any> | very_bad | dirt, grass, sand, mud, rock | grade3, grade4, grade5 | <= 20% | 4 | 1 |
| path, track | horrible | dirt, grass, sand, mud, rock | grade3, grade4, grade5 | <= 25% | 4 | 2 |
| path, track | very_horrible | dirt, grass, sand, mud, rock | grade3, grade4, grade5 | <= 30% | 5 | 3 |
| path | very_horrible | dirt, grass, sand, mud, rock | - | <= 35% | - | 4 |
| path | very_horrible | dirt, grass, sand, mud, rock | - | > 35% | - | 5 |
| path | impassable | dirt, grass, sand, mud, rock | - | - | - | 6 |
Additional tags if a way is part of a motorcycle Route / Relation
Note a specific network=* is not defined for motorcycle routes. Use distance/ascent/descent/roundtrip instead to better classify a route.
| key | comment |
|---|---|
| route=motorcycle | consistency with motorcycle routes. |
| ref=R811,... | Reference of the way if any. |
| name=TET France,Sommeiller... | name of the route. |
| distance=distance in km | The distance covered by this route, if known. For information of users and automatic evaluation e.g. of completeness. If no unit is given km is assumed (else use e.g. 25miles) |
| ascent=ascent in m | The ascent covered by a route in meters (for other units use e.g. 600feet). If a route has start and end point at different altitude use descent too |
| descent=descent in m | The descent covered by a route in meters(for other units use e.g. 100feet). Use it only if it differs from the ascent (different altitude at start/endpoint of a route). |
| roundtrip=yes/no | Use roundtrip=no to indicate that a route goes from A to B, instead of being circular (roundtrip=yes). |
Possible tagging mistakes
motorcycle=no
The tag motorcycle=no specifies that it is legally prohibited to ride on a particular way. However, it is sometimes mistakenly used to suggest that a way is unsuitable or hazardous for riding. This constitutes a tagging mistake and should be corrected by using additional tags such as width=*, smoothness=*, surface=*, ...
motorcycle=yes
On the other hand, the tag motorcycle=yes indicates that it is legally permissible to ride on a particular way, when the country's default access restrictions suggest otherwise. However, this tag is sometimes mistakenly used to imply that a way is suitable for motorcycles. This is a tagging error and should be corrected by using additional tags such as width=*, smoothness=*, surface=*, ...
highway=track
Roads should be classified based on their function rather than their surface conditions. Therefore, the tag highway=track should be applied to roads primarily used for agricultural and forestry purposes, which might even be well paved. Conversely, a main connection between settlements (tagged as highway=unclassified or higher) could be a track suitable only for 4WD vehicles. However, some mappers incorrectly use highway=track for any unpaved road, regardless of its function. This practice, known as tagging for the renderer, is considered poor and is discouraged. Always apply the correct functional highway classification and include additional tags like surface=* and smoothness=*.
4wd_only=yes
The tag 4wd_only=yes specifies that a road is designated and suitable only for four-wheel drive vehicles. This tag should not be applied to roads that are not officially marked as such; instead, use smoothness=very_bad or smoothness=horrible for roads that are in poor condition but not specifically signed for 4WD vehicles only.