Couple of questions re: GPS for bikes

[OneTrack]

I'm considering buying a GPS that I can use both in my car and on my bike.
I've done some cursory "research" on the net, and note that the Garmin Zumo and the TomTom Rider 2 are purpose-built for bikes, but are very spendy.
I've got a couple of questions for the guys that use GPS units on their bikes:-

-Is there a less expensive alternative to the Zumo or Rider2 unit that works well?

-Can you actually HEAR the voice prompts from the speaker on bike-mounted GPS wearing a full-face helmet combined with wind noise? Do most GPS's have a wired headset connection as an alternative? (I don't want or need Bluetooth, but wiring it to my in-helmet speakers would be nice)

-Is the "text-to-speech" option worth the extra expense?

Thanks!

 

[tolgatt]

last year , i bought a cheap gps from ebay that had the turn by turn speech and all the other functions that the others have,,i was going to use it with my bike so i did look for 2 things when i was buying,,i wanted a bigger lcd so that i dont have to waste a lot of time looking at it while riding..the other thing was the shape of it...some gps's backs have that round "tv tube" look that are clearly designed for cars only...so i wanted a flat one...nowadays most of them are flat..mine is getting older...but i have to say that i have used it a lot on my vstrom and it is great to have one on the bike...i didnt put it on the fz6 yet ,,im kinda worried about more vibration could affect the stability of my ram mount for the gps..oh and i didnt install my power outlet on the bike yet....i was gonna post a thread asking where is the best location to put a power outlet for gps's on the fz6...
there is no way that i could hear the speeches while riding but there was a earphone output on the gps for the commands but i never needed to hear anything,,,visual map was always enough for me..i would like to get a thinner and lighter gps for my bike....

 

[OneTrack]

Thanks tolgatt. I'm also worried about the high-frequency 'vibes' in the handlebars affecting a GPS not specifically designed for a bike. I rarely ride in wet weather, so I'm not too worried about the unit being waterproof.
I'm going down to Best Buy later on this morning to look at a few....I have stopped to look at them before, but it's such a bewildering array of models that I end up just looking more at price instead of features.

 

[ant_mb]

I would really doubt that you would be able to hear the voice prompts from the GPS speaker. I use the Zumo and it doesn't have a built in speaker. You have to use headphones on the bike, or the car mount which has speakers. I have mine set up so I can either use my ipod earphones, or my helmet speakers. Here are a couple of pic of the Zumo installed on my bikes.

 

[OneTrack]

I keep going back to the Zumo, but the price hurts.....chances are I'd end up buying the Zumo anyway after buying a cheaper POS. That's the way it usually works with me.
So the Zumo has a jack for a (regular) headphone? :Flash:

 

[ant_mb]

Yea, it has a headphones jack, it's the only way to use it on a bike. It also acts as a mp3 player so you can throw in a 1 gig card load some tunes on it and listen away. When the gps need to prompt you it cuts the music and then starts it over again when the prompt is done. It's a really nice unit that comes off the bike in 2 seconds.

 

[tolgatt]

this is what mine looks like and where i installed on the vstrom,,i feel like it will be too big for the FZ6...i dont know...ant_mb where exactly did u put the power plug for the gps on the FZ6 ?

 

[ant_mb]

The Zumo comes with a motorcycle harness. I wired it straight to the battery, it makes for a really clean install.

 

[ant_mb]

You can also look into the Zumo 450. It only has a couple features less than the 550 (XM radio and Bluetooth). You can pick them up new for about $500.

 

[OneTrack]

Thanks again, guys.
I'll check the price on the Zumo 450...Bluetooth and Sat radio aren't a big priority for me on a bike.

 

[codeblue]

A few things to consider when choosing a GPS for car or bike:
1. The GPS chipset receiver itself:
SiRFStar III chipset is the most proven one out there in the market,
but uses slightly more power than the competitors. It is the most
sensitive giving you a better triangulation via satellites that are within
range.
2. Brand name doesn't mean much. The mapping software they use is
what's important. Two big ones out there: Navteq and Tele Atlas.
I believe TomTom utilizes Tele Atlas which is inferior to Navteq as
reviewed by many GPS gurus.
3. And of course, an UPDATED mapping software is very important. This
is almost impossible to obtain since there are constant changes to our
roads (detours and such).
I personally used my trusty Dell Axim x50V, loaded with iGuidance mapping
software. This connects to a bluetooth enabled GPS receiver that I can
position anywhere in the car for optimal reception. The drawback to this is that I need to place it in a waterproof box for the bike. As for "text to speech" option.... not important just extra bells and whistles. Most GPS will give you visual and auditory prompts well in advance and right before the next turn. Definitely get a portable GPS unit.... this will enable you to switch it from car to car or car to bike for that matter. Good Luck.

PS: Other GPS units will try to make you turn into roads that are one way or tell you that you have reach your destination when it's several thousand feet away. Geesh.:Flip:

 

[OneTrack]

Well. One thing NEVER occured to me when I went shopping for a GPS unit for (mainly) my bike and also for use in my car. I don't wear glasses when I ride...don't need 'em to ride, and passed my reading test (barely) for my license without them. However....I cannot see anything on a GPS screen sitting 2 feet away from me without glasses. I know that voice prompts are the main useful function in most car GPS units, but they would be useless for me on a bike as I wouldn't hear them. So that was a wash out.
Anyhow, there was no way in hell I was leaving without a GPS (when I want a toy, I darn well get it ), so I bought a TomTom GO 720. It is Bluetooth capable for phone use, but (of course) both my cell and my wife's cell aren't supported by it.
I tried the unit out this evening, and it works quite well. Very easy to use, and when I tried to fool it by not taking the prompted turn and turning into a supermarket parking lot, the voice got busy and directed me perfectly back on course to home. Basic stuff, but I like it. :Flash:
It does employ the SiRFS Star III chipset, but uses Tele Atlas software....that's ok, because I've never used a GPS before so won't notice a difference.
I can also change the car symbol cursor to a red motorcycle. :Sport:
It's feature-rich, so I'm still exploring what it can do. I'm happy with it.

 

[maverick1970]

Garmin Zumo 550

If you want to use it for both the car and the bike, I would definitely get the Zumo 550. I had to learn this the hard way, because I bought the 450 since I didn't need all the extras (XM, bluetooth, etc). But because I wanted to use it in the car too later down the road, I ended up having to buy the car docking station and DC power cord separate.

 

[OneTrack]

If you want to use it for both the car and the bike, I would definitely get the Zumo 550. I had to learn this the hard way, because I bought the 450 since I didn't need all the extras (XM, bluetooth, etc). But because I wanted to use it in the car too later down the road, I ended up having to buy the car docking station and DC power cord separate.

I initially wanted the Zumo 550, but it's a thousand bucks up here.... (I'd rather spend a grand on something useful, like Two Brothers exhaust )
As I mentioned, I bought a TomTom GO 720 for $399. It's mainly for my car (I travel in my job), but it would be nice to have it on my bike, too. I'm thinking that I could probably rig up something with a tank bag, so vibration and waterproofing isn't so much of an issue. As I also mentioned, I don't wear my reading glasses when riding, so actually seeing what's on my GPS's screen will be a challenge...I'll have to rely on the voice prompts and directions.
Anyhow, we'll see how we go with it.

 

[steveindenmark]

I bought a Hewlett Packard Compasseo 600.

Not meant for bike but has done 18000 km in every type of weather without a cover and is still goung strong.

Steve

 

[bledubd]

GPS Too costly

The freaking things are so expensive this side of the pond, I just didn't bother. So I use A-Z maps or just use Google Maps on my mobile (i have a data plan). The upside is it might improve my memory handling capacity. The downside is when the heavens open up there aint no stopping to mess about.

 

[reiobard]

I bought a Hewlett Packard Compasseo 600.

Not meant for bike but has done 18000 km in every type of weather without a cover and is still goung strong.

Steve

Never heard of it but i am planning on using my older PDA and getting the GPS kit for it since i already use it as an MP3 player from time to time and i know i can plug it into my helmet speakers. Not to mention the GPS kit is cheap money compared to a dedicated unit.

 

[JONAC]

The freaking things are so expensive this side of the pond, I just didn't bother. So I use A-Z maps or just use Google Maps on my mobile (i have a data plan). The upside is it might improve my memory handling capacity. The downside is when the heavens open up there aint no stopping to mess about.

+1 on that one ... Very expensive over here.

I have a tank bag with clear pouch on top and a good old fashioned map inside

 

[reiobard]

+1 on that one ... Very expensive over here.

I have a tank bag with clear pouch on top and a good old fashioned map inside

if you guys really want them i can ship them overseas to you but will accept no responsibility for the shipping charges or shipping duration.

 

[OneTrack]

I'm experimenting with using my new TomTom GO 720 for bike use. When the "season" begins and I've spent a few days learning how to ride my bike again, I'm going to try different setups for my GPS. Favourite would be to mount it on the handlebars, but that's a bit of a waste of time for me because I won't be able to read it anyway. My vision is blurry out to about a meter, then it's crystal clear beyond that. I don't wear glasses while riding (I did pass the eyetest portion of my test ok).
After entering a destination into my GPS, I'm going to put it into my Joe Rocket Manta XL tank bag, in the pouch designed for a Diskman (the bag has a waterproof cover that can be deployed in the event of rain). It has a headset cable outlet built into the bag, so hookup to my helmet speakers will be a snap. Just hearing the verbal directions may just be good enough, and no distractions from looking at the GPS itself.
Anybody else tried this?