What GPS do you have?

[zmeiaspas]

Hola people!

So the past few days have been awesome. I have become exponentially less productive at work because I spend most of my time thinking about my post-work ride and planning the route on google maps

In general I love feeling lost and exploring roads and places I haven't been to before. The only thing that bugs me is when it starts getting dark out (I have this irrational fear from riding in the dark) and want to get home but have no clue whatsoever how to get there.

So I've decided to invest in a GPS. I have a car unit that I keep in my pocket but it's a pain in the ass to stop every couple of miles, get my gloves off, get my helmet off cos I start boiling in it, get my gps out of my pocket, see which way am I headed, get it back in my pocket ... you get the point. It's tedious.

I am looking at the Zumo 660 (it's cheaper than the 550). I read some reviews where it's getting compared to the cheaper tomtom motorcycle gps and from what I've read you get what you pay for.

So my question is, how hard is it to hook up a gps to my bike? Are there accessory cables I could use or will I need a BS in Electrical Engineering to get it properly hooked up?

Any gps unit/installation hints/suggestions?

Cheers everyone!

P.S.
I did a search for "gps" and I was surprised nothing turned up on the results page ...

 

[CHEMIKER]

I just bought a Garmin Nuvi 1300T. It's mostly for our cars, so I went with the car one over the bike specific Zumo 550 or 660. Can't help with how to hook it up on the bike as I haven't fitted mine yet.

I can tell you, though, that our search function does not return results with three letter words There is a google search function in the same search pulldown menu that does return results for three letter words like GPS.

In addition, here is a GPS sticky that we created when we were having the same trouble with searching. I believe there is some info in here on how to mount and power the unit.

http://www.600riders.com/forum/product-reviews/3731-gps-reviews.html

Good luck!

 

[616ah]

There are tons of options - but I find that the cheap automotive gps work well enough for me. They will get you home and are not so inviting to theft, allthough not weather resistant - that costs considerably more. Garmin is generally agreed to have the "edge"... Small is nice so you can slip it in your pocket when you leave the bike.

Try RAM Motorcycle Mounts for some mounting options. I seem to be able to operate a nuvi 255 with gloves on. Wire in a 12v lighter socket to the bikes electrical system for a power supply. Read and search a bit - lots out there. :thumbup:

 

[necrotimus]

I use the VZnavigator option on my verizon phone and just listen to the directions in my bluetooth speakers.

 

[sxty8goats]

Do any of them feature live traffic updates? 90% of my travels are on familliar roads but with the construction around here, a 1 hour ride can turn into 2 hours of stop and go hell. There are a few routes I could use if I was able to judge the traffic conditions early enough.

 

[agmom98]

I've been using Zumo 550 for 2.5 years. I chose it because I wanted XM radio capability (XM transponder is extra) for music, weather and traffic alerts, and I also wanted MP3 capability and bluetooth. Well worth the price, IMO. I've been extremely happy with it and appreciate that it came with an auto cradle with built-in speaker (nice for hands-free cell phone use) for the car, and a bike cradle which gets moved back and forth between the FZ6 and the BMW. The Zumo includes one fused harness and one RAM mount, and I purchased a second one of each for the other bike. Very easy to install, just attach the terminal ends directly to the battery posts, route the wire up toward the handle bar using zipties.

 

[huxy]

My first attempt.

Hux's Bike Blog: Show me the way to go home

And my second, and final attempt.

Hux's Bike Blog: GPS... mark II

I used it in anger on monday this week when I got completely lost and it easily directed me to my destination and back again.

However, watch out for the schoolboy error when you fit the power outlet and don't plug the adaptor in at the time. (last pic in here)

Hux's Bike Blog: Off to see Inspector Morse

So the final solution is a garmin Nuvi 250 I already had in the car, £10 worth of misc fixtures and fittings off ebay, and the other £390 it would have cost for a garmin zumo or a tomtom rider stays safely in my bank until I find something else to pimp my ride with

 

[lonesoldier84]

Mine's accurate to within 20 miles!!!

 

[codeblue]

I have three:
Mio 330, I believe is the model
TomTom ONE, got refurb for $59.99
and Dell Axim x50V with iGuidance software loaded, paired with bluetooth GPS receiver (best one I've used)
of course, a map is a required backup in case something wrong happens to the GPS.

 

[FazerNYC]

Mio 320 ($99) with RAM Mount (approx $45). It's a basic model but I really like the 4.3" screen. It has a headphone jack - nice feature to be able to hear the directions. The unit has been very reliable both in the car and on the bike - no complaints.

 

[Less]

There are tons of options - but I find that the cheap automotive gps work well enough for me. They will get you home and are not so inviting to theft, allthough not weather resistant - that costs considerably more. Garmin is generally agreed to have the "edge"... Small is nice so you can slip it in your pocket when you leave the bike.

Try RAM Motorcycle Mounts for some mounting options. I seem to be able to operate a nuvi 255 with gloves on. Wire in a 12v lighter socket to the bikes electrical system for a power supply. Read and search a bit - lots out there. :thumbup:

ZME, this is basically the setup I have on my bike. I have a Garmin Nuvi 255W for my car that I bought a Ram mount for. It's mounted just to the left of the big center handle bar clamp. I also had a battery tender pigtail wired up to the battery that I brought up right in front of the bars, then I bought a Y splitter and an SAE to Cigar plug extension. I plugged the splitter into the original pigtail giving me two SAE connectors and put the cigar plug into one and velcrod it in the semi-circle indentation just to the left of the key. I use the second SAE connector to hook up to my battery tender.

I can run the Nuvi on a full battery charge for about 1 1/2 -2 hours and I bought an extra car charger cable ( a coiled one like a telephone cord) that I carry in my saddle bags and pull out if the GPS says low battery. When I get off the bike I take the GPS off and it fits neatly in my jeans back pocket.

I live in Ashland so if you want to meet up this weekend I can show you the whole setup. Just send me a private message. It's really simple and I bought everything online. The whole thing without the GPS was maybe $50 for the Ram mount and the cables. the GPS I bought last Christmas for about $150.

 

[shamrocker]

iphone and google maps!

 

[craig007]

I've been using a Zumo 550 for 2 years now. I use it in the car and on the bike. It works well although it might be time to upgrade the maps ($70). The MP3 function cannot be beat. It was easy to wire it up to the battery. It was a little pricey, but it is waterproof, so think of all the money I save by not having to use plastic bags to protect it.

 

[OZXJR]

I just got a Binatone for my B/day,works well and not expensive.Powered from my 12v outlet,just waiting for the ram mount with aquabox to arrive now :cheer:
Binatone

 

[Wavex]

Mio C520... it survived a motorcycle crash!

 

[OZXJR]

David,how is that mounted ?

 

[Wavex]

Scroll down this page... http://www.600riders.com/forum/product-reviews/3731-gps-reviews-3.html

It cost me $1.5 for the mount: Used the original mounting GPS plate (+ the mating part from the windshield suction mount), i.e. see top right on this pic for the plate, and the mating part from the suction mount right next to it:

along with:

+

+

+

+

 

[OZXJR]

Thanks mate :thumbup:

I might mount mine there in an Aquabox

 

[Wavex]

Good stuff! It doesn't really rain in California so I figured my cheap mount would do the job just fine ... and it did! Never had an issue with it, and it even survived this:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi6tc-9UF9w"]YouTube - Ojai... a bad ending to a great day.[/ame]

 

[sxty8goats]

You survived a wreck and got it on tape? How sweet is that?