The same road can be a 92 or a 68 depending on who's riding it. That's not a bug — it's the whole point of the ride profile system. MotoScore scores roads across six factors, and each profile assigns different weights to those factors so the final number reflects what you actually enjoy. This guide walks through the four built-in profiles, what each is optimised for, and how to spot which one fits.
The six factors, briefly
Before the profiles make sense, you need the factors. MotoScore scores every route across:
- Curvature — how twisty the road is, per mile
- Elevation change — total climb and descent along the route
- Surface quality — paved vs. gravel vs. rough, drawn from OSM surface tags
- Vertical exposure — drops, ridges, and open space alongside the road
- Altitude ceiling — the highest point the route reaches
- Scenic impact — composite of landscape features and view quality
Every profile uses all six, but the weights differ dramatically. Here's what each one does.
Sport
Who it's for: riders on sport bikes or nakeds who want technical roads — tight curves, quick elevation changes, and clean tarmac.
Weights emphasise: curvature first, elevation change second, surface quality third (clean pavement is required, not optional).
Weights de-emphasise: altitude ceiling, scenic impact. You're here for the corners; the view is a bonus, not the point.
Typical "excellent" score: a sport rider's 90+ is a 30-mile canyon road with sustained sweepers, switchbacks, and grippy pavement. Think Deal's Gap, Mulholland Highway, or Highway 1 in the San Gabriels.
When sport scores badly: an ADV loop with rough surface will score very low, even if the riding is spectacular. Long scenic highways with modest curvature also underscore.
Touring
Who it's for: riders on sport-tourers, baggers, and big standard bikes who want long days with variety — some corners, some miles, big views.
Weights emphasise: a balanced spread across curvature, elevation change, and vertical exposure, with meaningful contribution from altitude ceiling and scenic impact.
Weights de-emphasise: none, really. Touring is the most balanced profile — it's the default for a reason.
Typical "excellent" score: the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Million Dollar Highway, Going-to-the-Sun Road. Routes that combine corners, climbs, views, and altitude. Touring is also the profile most likely to score mountain passes in the 90s.
When touring scores badly: short, tight canyon roads with no elevation or view will score mid-70s — great technically, but the profile is looking for more than just corners. Flat straight roads through farmland score low.
ADV
Who it's for: adventure bike riders who actively want unpaved, rough, or mixed-surface roads.
Weights emphasise: this is the one that breaks the pattern. ADV inverts surface quality — rough surfaces score as a bonus rather than a penalty. Curvature and elevation change are weighted similarly to touring. Vertical exposure is weighted a bit higher than sport or touring, reflecting the kind of exposed ridge tracks ADV riders chase.
Weights de-emphasise: paved-road-specific factors like clean tarmac.
Typical "excellent" score: the Magruder Corridor, the Trans-America Trail, sections of the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route. Routes that would score 40 on a sport profile score 88 on ADV, because what the sport rider sees as a problem (gravel, mud, rocks) the ADV rider sees as the point.
When ADV scores badly: a clean, fast, paved mountain road. Not because it's a bad road, but because an ADV rider isn't picking the ADV profile to ride tarmac — they'd pick touring for that.
Cruiser
Who it's for: cruiser riders on Harleys, big Indians, Yamaha Bolts, and similar — where pace is steadier and the ride is about being on the road as much as through it.
Weights emphasise: scenic impact first, elevation change and altitude ceiling second, with smooth curvature (sweepers, not switchbacks) contributing more than tight curvature.
Weights de-emphasise: aggressive curvature. A switchback-heavy road that would thrill a sport rider is actively less enjoyable on a heavy cruiser, and the profile reflects that by penalising very tight turns slightly.
Typical "excellent" score: long mountain highways, coastal routes, wide-sweeper canyon roads. Pacific Coast Highway scores very well on cruiser but only moderately on sport.
When cruiser scores badly: same as sport's worst case in reverse — a tight, technical canyon with relentless switchbacks scores lower on cruiser than on any other profile.
How the same road scores differently
A concrete example: the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway in Colorado (Central City to Estes Park, about 55 miles).
- Sport profile: ~71. Curvature is good but not extraordinary, and the sport profile doesn't reward the altitude or scenery as heavily.
- Touring profile: ~86. Balanced contribution from all six factors. This is the road's "home" profile.
- ADV profile: ~74. It's paved, so ADV's surface inversion doesn't help; the rest is similar to touring with lower surface contribution.
- Cruiser profile: ~88. Sweeping corners, high altitude ceiling, strong scenic impact — exactly what the cruiser weighting rewards.
Same road. Four different numbers. All four are correct.
Custom — and when to use it
If you've read the four built-in profiles and none of them quite describe how you ride, custom is for you. Common reasons to go custom:
- Hybrid riding styles. Sport-tourer riders who lean more sport than touring. ADV riders who stick to 80% paved but want occasional gravel.
- Specific preferences. Riders who love altitude but hate switchbacks (more common than you'd think — long sweepers at elevation are a real favourite).
- Regional calibration. Scoring Rocky Mountain roads with weights tuned for that terrain; scoring Appalachian roads with different weights.
Custom lets you directly set the weight of each of the six factors. It also lets you save multiple named custom profiles — many riders keep one for sport-touring weekends and another for long-distance touring weeks.
If you're going custom for the first time, start from the closest built-in profile and tweak one factor at a time. That's covered in more depth in the custom profile guide.
How to pick the right profile
If you're not sure which to start with, three questions usually settle it:
- What kind of bike do you ride most? Not aspirationally — actually. A sport-tourer is touring territory, not sport.
- Would you ride a gravel road on purpose for fun? If yes, ADV. If no, don't pick ADV just because you own a bike that could.
- Do you prefer carving corners or eating miles? Corners → sport. Miles (with good scenery) → touring or cruiser.
Start with the profile the answers suggest, score a road you already know well, and see if the number matches your gut. If it doesn't, try a different profile on the same road. Once you find the one where the scores feel right on roads you know, you've found your profile.