Maps (like makes, styles and sizes of crash helmets) are personal things. What suits one person may not suit another and what suits one purpose may well not be suitable for another.
The answer to your question is: Go and look at some maps in a bookshop and find the one that suits your purpose.
I am an avid map collector, having well over 100 of assorted styles, places, regions and areas. Some I have bought before I set off, some I have bought when I was away. Some are of places I have never been to and may never go to.
Don't get too hung up on the scales, just for the sake of it. You can have two maps scaled at say 1:1000000 (1cm = 10km) showing vastly different detail. For instance, I have three maps just of France all at the scale 1:1000000 and all three are different.
(1) Michelin's 726 map. This is their classic route planning map of France. In it they have stripped out all the fine detail, entire roads, villages and towns are missing. But it shows all the motorways, the main roads and many of their suggested 'tourist routes'. It's great for plotting quick ways across a very big countries. It folds out into a single sheet, the whole country laid out.
(2) Michelin's mini-hand book of France, 'Atlas router'. It is spiral bound and will fit in the palm of your hand. The scale is the same as the map above but the detail is totally different., with many more smaller roads, town and villages shown. It's great just to put into a tank bag, or to look at over the breakfast table.
(3) Michelin 'France reversible'. Like, the 726 map, it's in a sheet form but quite detailed. But france is split in two along its equator; the north on one side, the south on the other. It's quite different to look at than either map (1) or (2)
I then have assorted detailed maps of each French region. These are at a scale of 1:2000000 (1cm = 2km) so one fifth of the scale of the maps above. The detail is very good but, depending on the map's orientation (and how it's set out) you may require 15 or more to cover the whole country. They are great if you want to go to just one place and if that place is near enough in the middle of the map. For instance, I have a set that are just the 17 'regions', for example Champagne-Ardenne centred on Challons-en-Champagne. It's great if I want to be based in the champagne region but useless if I want to be in Bordeaux.
Turning to Germany, the story repeats itself. I have the whole of Germany at a scale of 1:7500000 (1cm = 7.5km) and another of just the Black Forest at a scale of 1:2000000 (1cm = 2km). The latter map is made by the Motorrad magazine, so the 'great roads, mate' are all marked out for me. Great if I want to go to the Black Forest but I will need 20 of them to cover Germany in the same way. I then have some ADAC motorcycle touring maps of the same Black Forest region at some bizarre scale, with a lot of detail ripped out of it. It's great just to find their suggestions, but I would need another map to fill in the fine detail.
Austria, the same thing. I have the local Marco Polo maps, at a scale of 1:2000000 (1cm = 2km) which are highly detailed. They are so detailed that it makes my eyes hurt looking at them and it takes four or five to cover the country. I then have a Michelin map of the whole country (I forget the scale) and another that is Gerrmany and Austria combined.
Italy, the same story. A map of the whole country, then assorted Michelin regional maps at a scale of 1:200000 (1cm = 2km) of which there are 16 to cover the whole Italian peninsular, Sicily and Sardinia. I then have a Kompass map of just the Dolomites at a scale of 1:150000 (1cm = 15km) and a Tobacco map of the same Dolomite region at a scale of 1:500000 (1cm = 5km). The two Dolomite maps are totally and completely different to look at.
I then have the whole of Europe in a Michelin fold out map, at a scale of 1:3000000 (1cm = 30 km). Great if I want to go from Dublin, to London, to Stockholm, to Minsk, to Lisbon via Istanbul. But not so hot if I want to find that little twiddly road through the Cotswolds or that bit past Salzburg with the geat views.
So, find the map (or maps) that suit YOU and YOUR journey. You'll know it when you see it. Buy some more when you are where you want to go, if they are better or if you just happen to trip over a good map en-route. Pick up free ones in hotels and tourist offices. Find them in petrol stations, cafes and just about anywhere. Discover maps made 'by bikers for bikers', with suggestions of routes. Play around on the internet, Google maps, Google earth and Streetview can be quite fun if used properly but really hard to get any idea of scale from.
In short, have fun
planned the next days route. These maps take up a surprising amount of space. I think we had 10 of the orange maps and a couple of red ones. There were 5 of us so we split the maps between us.
