Has anyone used, or know someone that used one of these:

Let me say that I'm a map guy. I've got a whole filing cabinet drawer full of them. When I look at maps, I see terrain.

However, maps don't calculate how far stuff is, how long it'll take to get there and that sort of thing that's crucial when you're touring on a motorcycle.

So I have a map and I do the larger scale navigation with that. However, the GPS will plot me a course, show me the little roads and calculate the time to arrival. One neat thing with a GPS is that you can see a neat road, go ride down it and then, when you get to the other end, tell the GPS to take you to your destination. It'll figure out how to get you there, even if you're on little dinky roads that don't appear on most of the paper maps I carry.

Neato.

thread: unjacked

No matter how many toys you have....you will still need paper !!

Well, Bubba, there goes the last shred of relevancy for your thread, mang.

boofers Toys

Hey Boofer,

I thought computers were supposed to be a "Paperless" environment

Don't do it! I had one of these in a truck. Electrical interference from the wipers caused the compas to fluctuate. Suction cup mount would not work on the bike and it would fry in the rain. Guess it's still true that ya gets what ya pays for.
Tim

I gotta tell you that my experience using a compass is in the open ocean where you actually *need* a compass for reference.

I always wonder what folks on bikes need a compass for. Do you decide you are going to ride say 180 degrees for an hour?

I used to comission and handle final delivery for custom yachts from Little Harbor, Ted Hood's outfit. Part of our gig was that we would usually do the first big trip with the new owner to make sure he knew how everything worked as the boats were rather complex.

One trip I was teaching mr. megabucks how to steer to a star. Once he got the hang of it I went down below. I checked our course from the chart table and we were "wandering" a bit. I went up on deck and sat down for a bit. I finally had to explain to the new owner that he was steering by a satellite.

If you like boats check out the last boat I ran; the mighty Moonracer

It looks nicer inside than my first apartment.

You have no idea...

How much work it is to keep a boat like that looking like that along with making sure all systems work all the time.

The rule was we would be ready to go for a week in Maine on 24 hrs notice, sail to Bermuda on 48 and go to Europe on a week's notice. It was tough duty, once a week we would take a day and go off Newport far enough to run the water maker and other systems that need to be offshore to be legal (gray water discharge for ex).

To bring this back on topic, bubba you don't need that thing or a GPS on your new S. All that stuff is a distraction. Take the first season with that wickid cool S and ride that thing, then accessorize.

Just my .02 and my advice is what you pay for it.

Best,

Rob Nye

thanks everyone, i realized that, financially, my paper maps will do for now........

i'm a directionally oriented person, i'll often be in a new city for a few days and start telling people who live there "oh, thats north of here, right" to which i usually get a "yeah, whereverr" as a reply, i figured a compas might be fun......


glad to know there are other sailing enthuasiast on here, i've owned two little boats and spent time living with a friend on a 37ft schooner in puget sound (he presently has my airhead )

AAA is a great bargin even if just for the maps.

One of the reasons I started riding was to put me in touch with the sense of adventure that could be had by hopping on a bike and riding down a road to somewhere...anywhere. Being on a bike gets you back to the basics of road travel. I don't like distractions to that. And I the idea that you might have to stop and read a map or actually take the time to stop and talk to someone and ask for directions. It's like the choice between flying an old biplane or being trussed up in a jet--------old school for me

Let's be honest

Let's be honest - nobody really needs GPS (except maybe my wife, but that's a different story).
We all know how to read a map and an odometer and, if need be, a compass and we've all been getting around pretty well for years without GPS.
We like GPS because we love gadgets, not because we can't get from Key West to Seattle without help from satellites.
(I'll bet you're more likely to find a GPS receiver on a BMW than on any other brand of motorcycle. We really are the supreme gadget geeks in motorcycling.)
I'll probably add GPS to my GT this year, just to have more entertainment in my ride and to play with the features. My brain craves information when I'm halfway across Kansas. That's why I got XM radio last year. It would be nice to know how accurate my speedo is and what my altitude is while riding over the Continental Divide.
The bottom line is that I'm quite clear about why I want stuff like this and it ain't because I really need it.