GPS - I never thought I would ask.

OK, I have stated publicly that I don't need a GPS unit on my bike. But after much bugging by my wife and friends, I am finally considering it. They think that after all those miles on a bike, I am starting to loose my mind. I don't miss it one bit.

So, I am asking for some advice from all you GPS Techno Gurus. What is available that I can easily use on my bike? I ride a 1981 R100RT. I can fabricate a mount of some sort if I have to. I don't want to leave it on all the time. I doubt that voice stuff would really be all that useful to me as I don't like earphones while riding. I don't need to have full weather capability as I have no problem putting a plastic bag over it or even just putting it in my pocket for protection. I imagine a fairly basic unit for around $200Cdn or less should suffice. But there are lot of different ones to choose from. What should I look for? Does it have to be motorcycle specific? Does it have to be hard wired or can it run fine on rechargable batteries?

I figure that if I get an inexpensive one to start with, and find that I like the idea, then maybe get a better one later on and give the less expensive one to one of the kids or whatever.

Any good info would be most appreciative, and will help my wife's frame of mind. So what if I don't find my way back from the garage some days. She knows where I am and can always send one of the dogs to come and get me.

Dave

Hey

Look on ebay the Garmin 2720 is going for less than $120us. A good unit to start off with.

Roc-Roc

Another unit that looks to be a good buy is the Garmin Nuvi 550. Amazon has it for $200. It has a replaceable 8 hour battery if you do not want to hard wire it, and the unit is waterproof.

shire2000 said:

OK, I have stated publicly that I don't need a GPS unit on my bike. But after much bugging by my wife...........

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Sorry, that just got me laughing! My wife was the one who kept telling me I didn't need one, I have a map, afterall..........but then she got one for me for Christmas. I have a Garmin Nuvi 265w, which wasn't the cheapest, but not even 1/2 the cost of motorcycle specific units. I keep it in the map pocket of my tank bag, not so easy to see, but I rarely need it. It's more to get me home when I lose track of time and am not on a familiar road (lost). This model is Bluetooth, but will not connect to headset devices (Scala Rider) so I thought I'd be able to hear the voice instructions but can not. I do like the "Points of interest" feature for finding gas and food. Let us know what you end up with.

I'm not going to recommend any specific GPS unit to you, but I will share a little of what I have done with mine so far. Mine is a Zumo 550 so it may have capabilities that other do not. But I think it is kinda cool.

First thing I did was put a POI (point of Interest) file on the 8 gig SD card I have installed i it. This file does two things. First, it give me all of the BMW shops in the US, including Alaska. SO if I need one, I can find it. Since the Zumo is bluetoothed to my Blackberry, I can also just touch the screen on the Zumo and call the nearest dealer once I locate him, or of course just have the GPS "take" me to the shop. But it also is set up to alert me whenever I become within about 5 miles of a BMW shop. So I might not be looking for one, but hey, why not just stop by and check it out.

I have also done the same thing with Shell gas stations. As I am a fan of Vpower, I prefer to put that in my bikes. So if I am out riding somewhere and pass within about 3 miles of a shell station, my GPS will ring a bell and alert me to that fact. I can then just touch the screen and get teh directions to the station.

The Zumo also has a built-in MP3 player and XM radio capability. So on those days of long riding when you get tired of listening to your mind ramble, you just plug in some earphones and listen away to your favorite entertainment.

Another cool thing with theZumo is it can keep track of your fuel. If you set it up with the approximate MPG of your bike and the size of your tank, it will give you a warning when you are getting close to needing fuel. You have the option of telling it how close you want to get before it warns you. So when you are out riding and it thinks you are running low on fuel, it will warn you. If you then touch the fuel icon that appears on your screen, it will give you directions to the nearest gas station in its database. And with over 6 million POI's built in it from the factory, your sure to find one before you run out of fuel.

When I am not on my motorbikes, I have the Zumo mounted in my Avalanche. I have found it to be quite useful as it automatically connects to my Blackberry when I turn the Zumo on. I use it for hands-free calling in the truck. My entire phonebook comes up at a touch of the screen on the Zumo and it works great vs the bluetooth earpiece I used to wear while driving.

I'm sure others will tell you you will use the GPS more often than you think. As others have said, I even use it as a speedometer instead of the the ones on my bikes and Avalanche. So get one and have some fun. They work great. I would not travel without one.

gps

I bought the garmin 2720, it is a motorcycle specific unit. (Just over 100.00) on Geek Deal. Got the ram mount and like it very much. Does most of what the Zumo Does, no bluetooth.

shire2000 said:

What should I look for? Does it have to be motorcycle specific?

Dave

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Dave,

Have a look at the Garmin 60 Cx which so many motorcyclists are using. I liked mine so much that I bought another new one as a spare...in case my first one fails.

What to look for? With all the models and features, thats a tough one to someone new to GPSes, so I used the process of "whats important to me".

Having come from a Garmin eMap...

• I knew I didn't want any thing proprietary, either memory or batteries. I also didn't want a unit that didn't take batteries I could buy at a corner store.
• I knew it had to be waterprooof.
• I knew it had to run well over 10 hours on a set of AA batteries and that it had to take various types of power...up to 36V DC, two AA (I use NiMH rechargeables), USB.
• And although I practically never use my GPS for navigation, so AutoRouting wasn't at the top of my list, but it does that.
• I also didn't need AutoRouting voice prompts. It beeps (selectable sounds) instead.
• I knew it had to be portable and once again, run for several hours on it own. It had to be a unit I can use on my motorcycle, in my car or while hiking or meandering through foreign cities.
• I knew it had to have a color screen that was readable in direct sunlight.

I didn't want or need sat radio or weather (like I was going to detour 300 miles to miss some rain) .

Another GPS-rookie question: which GPSs work with on-line mapping tools, such as Mapquest, so you can design your ride on a big screen and download it the GPS?

Listening

The benefit of being able to listen to the routing prompts in your helmet are a real safety thing. I never liked trying to look at my tankbag map pocket because of having to take my eyes off the road. I know have helmet speakers connected to my GPS and when I have a specific destination programmed I listen to the prompts instead of looking down. For me that is the #1 benefit of using a GPS. Anything you can do to make riding a motorcycle safer should be looked into.

Manfred said:

Another GPS-rookie question: which GPSs work with on-line mapping tools, such as Mapquest, so you can design your ride on a big screen and download it the GPS?

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I have had a Garmin Quest II and now a Zumo...both came with MapSource software that I can plan routes on and transfer to the unit. Some of my buds use the Microsoft maps to do the same thing. Took a few times to figure all the mapping tools out, but a nice option for navigating. The Quest would reverse a route on the unit, the Zumo you have to do on the PC and load it as a diff route, it does leave a trail on the screen of where you came from instead.
I use the route planner if its a major multi turn route and I am leading!

I do use maps as well, the GPS just helps me keep up with where I am on the map in an instant and not take my eyes off the road while I scan the map...especially in congested urban jungles

Gps

I firmly resisted a GPS until I realized how useful it can be. I went the inexpensive route; portable between car and bike. I fashioned my own motorcyle mount that looks and works just fine. I don't have realtime traffic and cheapest gas or other whistles.
Speaking the name of the street is not necessary (can't hear it anyway on the bike).
For $150 I have the GPS, car charger, USB charger, RAM mount, and (custom) made motorcycle mount. I can easily unplug and remove the GPS and put it in a pocket or bag.
I'm quite happy with my setup.

My only advice is: I know people who bought a Garmin, and I know people who wish they bought a Garmin. (I've made the mistake myself - and hope to not repeat it.)

The ones Garmin makes for moto use are excellent.

I know that Garmin has been in the GPS industry for a very long time and has a good reputation. Does anybody have any information on the Magellan brand of GPS units?

pdogger said:

I bought the garmin 2720, it is a motorcycle specific unit. (Just over 100.00) on Geek Deal. Got the ram mount and like it very much. Does most of what the Zumo Does, no bluetooth.

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I did some research on the 2720. I see that they have been discontinued by Garmin. I'm assuming that it was replaced by the Zumo? Since it was discontinued is there a chance that it will be obsolete due to new technology? I'm not a techie so I'm not sure if there is a drawback to the older models....

My first GPS I used on the bike was a Magellan waterproof handheld type. Now I have a Zumo. Although I like the Garmin I really miss the ability to touch the screen to browse ahead on the map without it reverting to a 'north up' position. With the Magellan I could scroll ahead on the map and look for roads or interesting towns while keeping the map in the same direction I was traveling in. I don't know why Garmin does not incorporate that feature into their units. Now I need to bring a paper map with me on long distance rides to have a better bearing of where the hell I am.

Love my Zumo.


Great to plan trips (long or just a few hours) on a big screen computer monitor and then dump them into the Zumo.

i was one of those people who like you did not need a GPS, i really did enjoy using my maps. approx a month ago i bought a Garmin Zumo 550 and it really has opened my eyes to a new way of riding. first off Garmin puts together a very nice package with the 550 which includes everything you need for your bike as well as your car, and if your an AMA member you even get a discount. the unit itself comes right off the bike in 2 sec leaving just the mount attached. using the free Garmin mapping software called roadtrip for us Mac users, i can create a route and easily load it into the GPS unit. with voice prompts i no longer miss turns because i was was looking at the road instead of my map. the only thing that is not included with the 550 package is an GXM30 antenna for XM radio. i really did not think i would use the XM radio and was quite happy loading all my MP3's on a SD card to listen to when riding but i found a refurb antenna on ebay so thought i would give it a try. cyclegagets makes a terrific mount for the antenna that attaches to the GPS cradle eliminating the need to try and find a good place to mount the antenna. i can not begin to tell you how much i enjoy listening the XM radio while riding. i am a long time Grateful Dead fan and channel 57 is a dedicated 24/7 Dead station. all those long boring jams i would not listen to at home become perfect riding music for me. there are several other dedicated channels for other artists as well as a wide range of programing available. i am so happy with my GPS/XM radio combo it is clearly some of the best money i have ever spent and it allows me to ride longer & happier then ever before. for everything you ever wanted to know about the Garmin zumo 450/550/660 follow this link http://www.zumoforums.com/index.php?action=forum to read all the forums you will have to register but trust me, it is well worth it. one final note, a good pair of earphones like my Etymotic ER6i are not only very comfortable but the sound quality is fantastic. once there in my ears i do not feel them at all and i can ride all day without discomfort.

BexBmr said:

I did some research on the 2720. I see that they have been discontinued by Garmin. I'm assuming that it was replaced by the Zumo? Since it was discontinued is there a chance that it will be obsolete due to new technology? I'm not a techie so I'm not sure if there is a drawback to the older models....

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Obsolete? No.. the maps can be updated for about $80, so you'll be using the same maps as the newest Garmin.

Features are what changes, and having owned a 2720, (still own it actually - it's in my car..) I had several complaints using it on a bike. It isn't glove friendly. The zoom in/out is done on-screen, and with gloves on it's really an iffy proposition. The BMW Navigator-III is much the same unit, with a cradle that incorporates 4 extra buttons - including zoom buttons. Makes things much safer since you're not distracted. Both the 2720 and Nav-III tend to wash out with the sun directly behind you. Dunno if the Zumo is better in that regard.

For the price the 2720's are going on the web (less than $150) - it's basically a throw-away, if you don't like it - give it to someone for use in their car, or keep it for your car. It does not have BlueTooth, so getting voice into your helmet requires you to be tethered to the bike with a wire. Done right it's not a big deal, but I much prefer the freedom BlueTooth gives me with the Navigator-III.

I don't do music or radio when riding - so those features aren't needed for me.

Back to your question - obsolete? I usually buy the last generation technology and figure if I get 3-4 years out of it, it's paid for itself. I'll then move it on down the chain (either someone in the family gets it, or I'll sell it cheap on the fleamarket.) That means I'll be looking at Zumo 550's when the 660's start shipping.

I am NOT;

"Routing" my day is not me and thats that. I travel with my m/c frequently all over N.America and a gps is a gadget, with really nice features, but another gadget to consume time. HOWEVER, I own one and its the Garmin 76cs and its mounted to my R100/7, replaceing the worthless speedo/tach on those bikes. Works perfectly and I use it mostly as a speedo/odometer only. Very little map use. My windscreen mounted "compass" has served me nearly as well, finding my way, without searching the gps data alongside the roadway. I know one thing is certain, the gps will not always use the most efficient routing and I have been with riders using theirs(numerous times), going all over creation finding our way, when the "target" was just a simple turn up a freeway. Routed right through a city the last time, red lights and all. Not always a good thing. Randy PS; My Garmin 76cs was my sailboat gps and saved my hide more than once in the sea, finding port entrys, fog etc....

BexBmr said:

I did some research on the 2720. I see that they have been discontinued by Garmin. I'm assuming that it was replaced by the Zumo? Since it was discontinued is there a chance that it will be obsolete due to new technology? I'm not a techie so I'm not sure if there is a drawback to the older models....

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It has been my experience (twice) when buying a refurbished, dated Garmin unit, Garmin will give you the most recent map update for the unit. Just ask.