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 several factors, and each profile emphasizes different ones so the final number reflects what you actually enjoy. This guide walks through the built-in profiles, what each one optimizes for, and how to spot which one fits.
The factors, briefly
Before the profiles make sense, you need the factors. MotoScore scores every route across:
- Curvature — how twisty the road is overall
- Turn Severity — how tight the individual corners are
- Elevation Change — climb and descent along the route
- Surface Quality — paved vs. gravel vs. rough, drawn from OSM surface tags
- Flow — how uninterrupted the ride is
- Traffic — current road congestion
- Vertical Exposure — drops, ridges, and open space alongside the road
A separate Altitude Ceiling bonus adds an extra boost for the highest point the route reaches.
Every profile uses all these factors, but each one emphasizes different ones. Here's what each profile optimizes for.
Sport
Who it's for: riders on sport bikes or nakeds who want technical roads — tight curves, quick elevation changes, and clean tarmac.
What it optimizes for: technical riding. Curves and tight corners drive the score; clean pavement is required, not optional; views and altitude are nice extras but 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.
What it optimizes for: balance. Touring pulls meaningful contribution from almost every factor — curves, climbs, surface, flow, and vertical exposure all matter without any one dominating. It's the most even-handed profile, which is why it ships as the default.
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.
What it optimizes for: big-terrain riding. Elevation and vertical exposure matter more here than in most profiles, reflecting the exposed ridge tracks and high-country routes ADV riders chase. The ADV profile also softens the usual expectation that clean pavement is best, so rough-surface routes aren't penalized the way they would be on sport or touring.
Typical "excellent" score: the Magruder Corridor, the Trans-America Trail, sections of the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route. Routes that would score in the mid-range on a sport profile can score in the high 80s on ADV — 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.
What it optimizes for: the scenic, steady-pace ride. Surface smoothness, uninterrupted flow, and altitude matter more than technical demand. Gentle sweeping curves register favorably; tight switchback geometry doesn't — a cruiser rider is there for the landscape, not the handlebar input.
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 sport doesn't reward the altitude or open-terrain aspects as heavily.
- Touring profile: ~86. Balanced contribution across every factor. This is the road's "home" profile.
- ADV profile: ~74. It's paved, so ADV's relaxed surface expectations don't help; the rest lines up similarly to touring.
- Cruiser profile: ~88. Sweeping corners, high altitude ceiling, open landscape — exactly what the cruiser profile looks for.
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 how much each factor contributes to the score. You can 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 rough-surface 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.