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Roll Charts
Graphic Roll Chart Tutorial


The MotoGiro 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 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 or more turn instructions and maybe in excess of ten feet in length. RollCharts are printed in black and white.

Chart Holder Devices


There are several common designs for RollChart ChartHolders on the commercial market. These are most commonly available on-line at aftermarket motorcycle shops, especially those catering to the off-road enthusiast. RollCharts are typically used to guide a classic, off-road Enduro or Dual-Sport 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. Many riders prefer to use their left hand in order to always keep their right hand on the throttle. You will want to mount the Chart Holder in a location and in such a way to provide your convenient readability and access to the chart advancement wheels. The most common versions of the RollChart Holder are:

Moose Racing
Enduro Engineering
MSR

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 MotoGiro 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. New holders can have significant plastic burrs on the roller axles of my device which impair its function. You can usually dis-assemble the device, improve the surface of the axles, and improve the rolling resistance. Test your holder by cutting some standard copy paper into 2″ wide strips taped 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 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 includes the accumulated mileage to that location shown at the top of the cell.

Text Information


Periodically, TEXT CELLS may be added within the RollChart to provide other guidance information such as KNOWN HAZARDS, REQUIRED STOPS, TOURING INFORMATION, etc.

 

Rollchart Assembly and Installation


RollCharts will usually be prepared and issued as a stack of photocopied pages with multiple columns made up of the Graphic Guidance Cells. It will be up to you as the rider to cut, assemble and install it into your ChartHolder.

 

Tools


Each rider should arrive at the event with sharp scissors and an ample supply of Scotch tape for cutting, assembling, and installing the RollChart into the ChartHolder.

 

Assembly


To assemble your RollChart you will want the cut strips to 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 prevent another possible bind/jam situation, it is best to start with the first strip and tape the top edge of the second strip slightly over/on top of the bottom edge of the first strip. This way as the first strip is rolled forward the bottom edge simply rolls the second strip over the roller and not 'into' it.


It is best to do your assembly on a flat surface which could mean working with another rider to 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. When you have completed taping the front side of all the strips together, turn the RollChart over and tape each of the seams on the back side. Once both sides are satisfactorily taped, you can load your RollChart into you Holder.

 

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. If you expect to have to ride in the rain, you may choose to lay the fully assembled RollChart face-down on the floor and run a single long or multiple overlapping strips 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.

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