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When I took a few years off from “the grind” and really started riding again I needed a way to get familiar with the technology I had left behind. I thought of various web-centric programs I could write to help me and my friends with motorcycle-related whatnot. The intent being to make the programs available free of charge, free of advertisement and with full faith in securing everyone's personal data. Over the next year or so I spent a bit of time developing three different programs.
The first program is the MTF Tourer's Assistant. The TA maintains a secure database of contact information of people all over North America who are willing to help motorcyclists. The TA has evolved over the years and now includes the MTF Virtual Library which allows members to share books, videos and just about anything else you can imagine. And while I maintain the software, it has been donated to the MTF. Since 2003 the TA has 634 active users in 57 different states and provinces.
The second program is Ride Master which allows anyone to create a ride, allow riders to register and manage riders through a web-based interface. While the MTF is the primary user, this system is available to any group or individual to aid in managing a ride. It has been used in the past to manage the Cape Fear 1000, the 2006 Rhody Rally as well as the 27th Annual USCA National Sidecar Rally. Since 2004 Ride Master has helped manage 25 rides and 1461 riders and counting.
Miles Tracker is the latest program and it's used to track any and all statistics for one or more bikes. Statistics are anything from changing the oil or buying chain lube to tire changes and filling up with gas. Essentially, anything you do to the bike can be tracked using Miles Tracker. The reporting sub-system allows you to aggregate the statistics into an easily readable and understandable format. Most of the detailed report data may be downloaded and imported into spreadsheets and documents as you wish.
As with the other systems, Miles Tracker is freely available to anyone with internet access. To create an account you'll need:
1.a valid email address;
2.an account password;
3.and a user name
Through your profile you will control whether or not your user name and total mileage statistic is displayed on the home page. This allows you to share the number of miles you've traveled throughout the years with everyone on the web.
After creating an account, you can add one or more bikes to your profile. And after that, you can add statistics to each bike. Statistics can be anything, but each one is categorized. For instance, the system currently defines the following statistical categories:
- Accessory
- Air Filter:Clean
- Air Filter:Replace
- Belt
- Brakes:Fluid
- Brakes:Inspect
- Brakes:Pads
- Cables:Oil
- Cables:Replace
- Chain:Adjust
- Chain:Clean
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- Chain:Lube
- Chain:Replace
- Clutch:Fluids
- Fork Oil
- Gas
- Major Service
- Mileage
- Minor Service
- Oil/Filter Change
- Other
- Purchased Bike
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- Shaft
- Shocks
- Sold Bike
- Sprocket:Replace
- Throttle Body Sync
- Tires:Both
- Tires:Front
- Tires:Plugged
- Tires:Pressure
- Tires:Rear
- Valve Check
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And this is not an exhaustive list. You can add to or refine the list in two ways. First and perhaps best is to tell me to add a category for you. This will allow others to use the category as well. Second, you can use the description field of the statistic to help narrow the category. For instance, if you want to track which tire was plugged, you would select the “Tires:Plugged” category and then add “Front” or “Rear” in the description field. The extended Statistics Detail report uses the description to refine the chosen category.
For bikes you no longer own, but want to include in your over all mileage figure, add a Purchased Bike and Sold Bike statistic. Some of you may want to only track your mileage. No problem. Just periodically add a Mileage statistic for the bike.
When tracking gas statistics use the description field for the city and state. The quantity field is for gallons or liters The system will automatically convert between liters and gallons when calculating MPG and MPL figures. A recent addition allows you to tell the system whether or not this fill up resulted in a full tank of gas. In the past when computing MPG figures, it was assumed you topped the tank(s) off. But there may be times when you only fill up with something less than a full tank(s). For instance, if you're running an auxiliary fuel cell, you may not always fill up both tanks. By telling the system whether or not you topped of the tank(s), you allow it to properly and accurately compute MPG figures.
The reporting sub-system allows you to generate the following reports:
1.Mileage Summary – for one or more bikes across any date range, this report provides figures for the total days of service, miles per day, miles per year and the total mileage.
2.Bike Detail – for one or more bikes across any date range, this report provides figures for the total days of service, total miles, miles per day, total cost of ownership, miles per dollar, total gallons of gas used, miles per gallon, total liters and total miles per liter.
3.Statistics Detail – for any one bike across any date range and for each statistical category (excluding gas statistics), this report shows the number of instances of the category, total cost, average cost and the average mileage interval. The detailed data is paginated and may be downloaded in CSV format.
4.Statistics Detail Using Category:Description – this is the same as the Statistics Detail report, but each reported category appends the description field to further narrow the data. The detailed data is paginated and may be downloaded in CSV format.
5.Gas Mileage – for any one bike across any date range, this report shows the total miles traveled, total cost, total gallons, miles per gallon, average price per gallon, total liters, miles per liter, miles per dollar, average cost per fill up, average miles per fill up and average gallons per fill up. The detailed data is paginated and may be downloaded in CSV format.
The value of any kind of reporting is based largely on the quality of the data used to generate the report. Garbage in, garbage out. The more detailed and consistent you are in entering statistics, the more value the reports will provide you. If you've been using a spreadsheet or any other program to track statistics, this data can be imported into the system.
Your comments on how to improve the system are always welcome. I will evaluate the request and, if it benefits the majority of users, I'll make it so. So check out Miles Tracker and see if it helps you track what you're doing to your bike. I think you'll find it beneficial in helping keep track of service, gas and mileage statistics for all your bikes.
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