I found on the Garmin if you set "avoidances" to Interstates and Major Highways it'll take you down all sorts of interesting little roads. Much slower if you're going somewhere of course, and it doesn't actually take you off piste should you be in an open desolate terrain. But if you head out on a dirt track or across country at least the satnav will keep indicating the general direction you want to head, just combine that with a bit of dead reckoning.

But I think Vaufi hit the nail on the head: most travellers are going between A&B and will tend to gravitate towards paved or at least recognised routes. It may not be easy to find dirt tracks especially in the developed world. It's the difference between travelling and just taking your time and exploring an area. Not all of us have the time, money or inclination for the latter.

Absolutely this, me and my other half were touring on road bikes in Europe and found that excluding motorways on the Garmin wasn't enough - excluding the main roads too resulted in taking the nice twisty pre-Roman roads. That was what turned it into a fun little adventure rather than just a trip.

What prompted me to create this post was a lack of time/money/inclination for going between A and B on paved / recognised routes

I love the idea mentioned above of going somewhere and just renting a local-type bike to cover a small area in lots of detail ... since the original post I have found a few accounts of doing this, which needed a little more digging to find. I guess because if it's not RTW or long distance it's less headline grabbing.

Problem with rent that you are looking at $100+ a day, a couple weeks would run you more than buying a bike and selling it with the loss at the end of the trip.

As for excluding main roads in GPS trick it works everywhere be it Kentucky or Cinque Terre. Just be mindful where you are at and be ready to track back or at least consult with locals; following google maps blindly in Sierra Madre may get you in more than you bargainned for

Well....I've rented locally for one to three week periods fairly often. I've paid from US$10 to US$150 per day, for everything from well-used, Chinese 125s in Africa to (once) a late-model Africa Twin in Georgia and (another time) a very buff Ducati in L.A. Sometimes the cheap 125 suits perfectly. Other times, I can get the bike I want by renting rather than ones I don't want by buying and selling--I'm thinking of Vietnam and Laos, but this has also been true elsewhere.

What's more, on a short trip I don't want to spend my time with purchase and re-sale even if I'd save some money; I'm taking short trips because I'm working at home, and up to a point I've got less time than money. In some places, rentals come with helmets, jackets, repair kits, rain gear, and more, saving me the trouble of hauling my own thru airports and train stations before and after my riding. On these short trips, much of what I value is convenience, not saving a buck or two.

In places where this is commonly done it's not difficult to find trip reports, so I'm not sure why it's been a problem; I've written a few and read a great many myself. In other locations it's worth remembering that people who post on internet forums are the minority no matter what you're looking for, so sometimes you've got to plunge ahead and make a pathway on your own.

In my experience, you can get off a plane almost anywhere outside the developed world, ask around, and find a local rental at a very reasonable price within a day--two if severely jet-lagged. Even if there are no rental companies, there are always folks looking to earn some cash letting you ride their bikes for a couple of weeks. They can be found--or will find you--by asking your taxi driver, at your hotel, or at any local repair shop, no matter how seedy or plush.

Just a counterpoint to the $100/day scenario. I've done that too, but it's certainly not the only way.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark