Pashnit Goes Commercial

[twowheelnut]

Popped on to Pashnit.com's California Roads today only to find out that it is now available by subscription only. $20/year. What do you guys think about this turn? I sure don't fault Tim - god he must have thousands of pages and God bless free enterprise and capitolism - but I'm gonna miss the free access. I'm not sure that I'll access the site more than one or two times a year for road trip planning so I don't know if the $20 would be a waste or not.

As the World Turns...

 

[kaitsdad]

Can't say that I blame him - my guess is that a lot of folks ignored the "Donate Now" paypal button.

And just looking at what's on the site, the BW usage must be a bit much - no doubt the cost of which is constantly outstripping the donations.

IMHO - I think Tim DESERVES to charge a fee !! He's been busting his butt to produce this site and we should all be glad to pay it !!

So - to put my money where my mouth is - I'm signing up just as soon as I hit the "Add Reply' button for this post.

 

[etz]

IIRC, the site text sounded to me like it was more of a hobby of sorts. If it's too much work, I'm sure there's plenty of other people who would be willing to pick up where he left off.

But it's his site and he can do whatever he wants. I live on the right coast, but I sometimes read his site to dream about some nice rides. I did use his site for ride suggestions on one trip out that way, and it was very much appreciated. But it's certainly not worth $20 for me since I can't make much use of it. Shame.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

He has transformed his life with his sites. He is now living off of the proceeds of motorcycling touring and such. I am sure that he got there with his free sight and discussion boards. I am not sure how well his pay site will be received. Having used his site a LOT and having found rides that I would have never thought of before, I will pay the $20 without hesitation.

 

[Randy]

Move over to this side of the country. We won't charge you for www.pennsylvaniaispashnitabouthavingtheshittiestroadsintheus.com

 

[twowheelnut]

Move over to this side of the country. We won't charge you for www.pennsylvaniaispashnitabouthavingtheshittiestroadsintheus.com

Thanks, I'll pass. I was born in Pittsburgh. To date, they've yet to repave the roads according to family that still lives there. How long do cobblestones last, anyway? :blink:

 

[bigdolma]

Hey Nut...another reason for you to go out there and explore those roads yourself..

With your fine machine of course... <_<

 

[islandcommuter]

I'll probably pay it because I look at the site now and then, but he sure needs to organize all that data better if he's serious about charging for access. People aren't so forgiving once money changes hands.

 

[afterburn]

nevermind

 

[twowheelnut]

Hey Nut...another reason for you to go out there and explore those roads yourself..
With your fine machine of course... <_<

I had to re-read that twice! I thought you typed 'expose' v. 'explore'! Snigger! :lol:

 

[FJRME]

I too was used to the free access, but gladly signed up. I live in socal, and have used many of the southern writeups to give me an idea of where to go. I am planning some Central CA trips this spring and summer, and will gladly pay to know where the GREAT roads are. It makes it possible to link one great road to another after reading reviews from others. Beats the shit out of looking at a map to plan a route. Route roulette. Kind of similar to the WFO meet. There are some great routes lined up by people familiar with the roads around there. Wouldn't you gladly buy someone a couple beers or dinner for showing you around? Thats all this amounts to. $1.60 a month. If you live on the best coast, it's a valuable resource. The cheapest farkle on my bike so far(vista cruise) cost more than that. So open up your wallet, blow the dust off, and spend a little money with

a vendor offering a true value.

 

[markjenn]

Beats the shit out of looking at a map to plan a route.

Pashnit is a great site and more power to him if he can get folks to ante up. But you're missing a lot of the fun of motorcycling if you don't get out your own maps and do some exploration on your own. For every one published in Pashnit, there's two or three that are not. It's like reading the whole book vs. Cliff Notes.

I admit my attitude has a lot to do with maps. I LOVE maps. If you haven't explored California with a Benchmark rolled up and bungee'd to your luggage rack, you're missing one of the great joys of motorcycling.

- Mark

 

[FJRME]

That's true Mark. I love to explore also. And the pashnit site is just a GUIDE after all. It's just nice to get pointed in the right direction when vacation time(for me) is so scarce. If I'm in an unfamiliar region, I'd like to go there knowing where the good riding is. There is nothing like DISCOVERING a cool road, true, but being able to link one after another

beats the hell out of riding the slab to get to somewhere, and then looking around for the good riding. I have found more than a few gems in my own area that don't appear to be much on a map. Exploring is fun, but a little advice is nothing more than asking a guy at the pub where the twisties are in his neighborhood. And as for the pashint site, if I could make a living riding( he also leads tours, and sell trip planning), I'd be all over it.

If time was not a constraint, I too would have a rolled up map, and seek out every little squiggly line on it. I don't ride to get somewhere, I ride to ride. It's unfortunate that I still have to work for a living, or I would do it all the time. Lets take your map and go for a ride Mark!

Ride safe.