Simple, easy GPS

[jackcrowder]

Hi, I'm looking for an easy to use GPS for my 2024 F900 GSA. Looking on Amazon there's a ton of them!

I'm not tech savvy but living in the Bay Area it would come in handy. I would mount it on a Touratech Universal GPS mount that bolts above handlebar riser.

Don't want to connect a phone or anything else, just a simple GPS.

Any help would be appreciated, Thanks, Jack

I'm

 

[lee]

Do you need off road navigation or just on road?

 

[jackcrowder]

Hi, on road only.

Thanks for the help.

 

[lee]

Hi, on road only.

That information helps. I'll let others make recommendations. I think the last unit I bought was 10 years ago and I have not kept up with the current units.

 

[bigjohnsd]

Why not use Google Maps on your phone?
This mount ( Navigation Bar Mount) fits 900 also, puts the GPS/Phone above the TFT, and you don't have to take your eyes off the road.

I put one on my F850GSA, and it works great! The flat part sandwiches between the windshield mount assembly and the bike, four screws. took me about 10 minutes to remove the windscreen, remove the cover over the mount, two push pins, and then remove the four screws holding the assembly.

I've got my GPS, Phone and Radar detector all mounted off this bracket, and they are stable with no vibration.

Much less expensive than the Touratech ripoff.

 

[jackcrowder]

Thanks everyone for the help.

I have a phone so I'll look at Google maps.

Thank's again, jack

 

[PGlaves]

Thanks everyone for the help.

I have a phone so I'll look at Google maps.

Thank's again, jack

That is a reasonable choice to look at. But it does have some limitations. In areas of sparce signal coverage you will still get GPS positioning but may need to preload the map. This may not matter many places but in vast parts of the great plains and mountain west it can be futzy.

Personally I am happy using my aged Garmin 660s or similar models just for the ease of always ready use. This is a "take your pick" debate that has been ongoing for years, now.

 

[88bmwjeff]

Using your phone is a good place to start. But, like all things, it has its pluses and minuses, and many of those pluses and minuses are personal preferences. I prefer the map interface on a Garmin. I've been using Apple Carplay for about year now in my car, and the more I use, the less I like it. This will probably surprise some here who just love it. I haven't used Android Auto, so I can't comment. My only point here is to figure out want you want and what fits your needs the best.

 

[JK28]

Not a GPS, but you could also get an Aoocci (spelling may be off). It mirrors your phone, so you could run waze or maps on your phone, but have it display on the aoocci. The one I used to have also had TMPS sensors and front/back camera's, but there's a lesser model that just does the display. Pretty good value for the price. I have a Zumo XT2, but its pricy compared to some on amazon.

 

[omega man]

My new GPS arrived today-

OM

 

[paul_f]

Even though I ride with two GPSs (one for maps/navigation and one for data), I also carry a Michelin Road Atlas in the top box and another in the car. I will have to check a Rand McNally book of maps as my Michelin Road Atlas basically has provincial and state maps but lacks smaller county roads.

I prefer to plot each day’s trip from paper maps and then add waypoints into the GPSs. My Zumo 660 (long out of production) is actually more reliable than the Zumo 595 I purchased new in 2019. (That’s not quite true as I no longer have the original 595 as Garmin replaced it four times over the years. I am unhappy to say the fifth one I have is frequently as unreliable as the first four. Another reason to continue with the 660 as a backup.)

Used. Zumo 660s /665s frequently appear on Marketplaces, both here and on the BMWSportTouring as well on Adventure Rider, at very reasonable prices The unit still has lifetime maps, is very easy to use and in my experience, reliable. The only thing a 660/665 might need is a new battery but will operate fine hooked up to the bike with an older battery.

 

[geordiejohnlewis]

Hope this helps.

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/threads/cpmc-b6-b7-carplay-display-for-bmw-motorcycles.110604/

 

[omega man]

My new GPS arrived today-

View attachment 118559



OM

Pawtucket’s Map Center offers a different way to see the world-​

Andrew Middleton drove across the country to help preserve a one-of-a-kind map shop in Pawtucket RI.

Maps fascinate me especially when I can see the accuracy of the maps of old. The Lewis and Clark expedition comes to mind as a great example.

OM

 

[lee]

Maps fascinate

Same here.

 

[omega man]

Same here.

Coincidentally-

From CBS Sunday Morning-

Seeing the world through old maps-​

The Osher Map Library, at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, is home to half a million rare maps, globes and atlases, dating as far back as the 15th century. Correspondent Martha Teichner explores the world as depicted by cartographers, through maps that are whimsical, political, or intentionally distorted, and examines why – in an age of GPS – maps are definitely not outdated.

OM

 

[dpickens]

Phone with Google Maps or alternative works ok provided you have a signal. On a recent trip there were places I thought for sure I'd have coverage but ended up in dead zones. Phone approximated my location but if you stop or signal is gone long enough, you lose even approximate tracking.

Older motorcycle GPS, which typically are water-resistant unlike automobile GPSs, can be found via eBay or places like GPS City. Issues are typically battery life (unless refurbished) and map updates (some older units can't be updated beyond a certain point in time). But unlike the phone, you don't need a cell signal.

Older units like Garmin 396 can be had for like $150, with the 600-series units in the mid-$200 range, and even sometimes can find the original Garmin XT units for about $300.

 

[jandhumphreyme]

Many phones DO NOT require a cell signal to utilize GPS. They need a map. Download google map for area you intend to be in without service or choose app which has independent maps.