GPS Route Planning

[Guest fatman]

Despite looking through loadsa info in Smartphone based GPS software I'm finding it hard to locate specific information about route planning options and the planning of specific routes.

I'd like to be able to use GPS to guide me whilst riding my motorbike and as a result don't want to just potter down a motorway/freeway, I'd much rather use more interesting/twisty roads. All the comments and reviews concentrate on simple/best routes for cars.

What planning options do the different programs have for giving preference to different road types?

I also understand that ALK CoPilot is distributed with desktop software that is used to download maps, POI data, and even pre-planned routes. Is this true for the Smartphone version - only the Pocket PC manual is available for download from their website.

Ideally when on my bike I'd like to be able to plan a route using a PC, download the map data I need and go... However, I'm also concerned that any funky route that I plan will be ruined if I go astray/force a recalculation. The CoPilot manual briefly mentions Waypoints in addition to Stops. Its says they are different but not really how so.

I'm hoping that stops must be passed through, and that waypoints are kinda optional, ie if you've missed one it won't insist on you heading back the way you came just pass through it and instead guide you to the next... that way they'd make a great way of "forcing" a specific funky route that'd survive recalculation.

Sorry for the long text/all the questions... ta muchly!