Car GPS mounted on the bike.

[Bram]

The big difference between the car GPS systems and the motorcycle versions is the usage of waypoints (as for driving a predefined route/tour).
In this case, the Garmin wins hands down

Grtz,


Degake

Ah yes, correct. I've been looking into that one.

Copied from the internets:
-----------------------------------------------
The maximum POIs that can be stored on a Go 720 are
as follows:

* POI categories - max. 319 (preloaded POIs + Safety Cams + MapShare
POIs** + own POIs)

* POI's within each category - unlimited (depends on available space)
* POI's listed when searching for or navigating to POI's - max. 100
closest, max.
distance=1000 km
* Favourites - max. 48 (stored in MapSettings.cfg in map folder)
* Recent destinations - max. 24 (stored in MapSettings.cfg in map
folder)
* Waypoints or destinations within a itinerary - max. 48
* Itineraries - unlimited (depends on available space)
----------------------------------------------------------

48 waypoints is indeed too little for a medium-long bike trip. especially one with a lot of intersections.

I guess I will be splitting the trips in multiple itineraries with a max of 48 waypoints each... It will be a bit more work. but once everything is programmed, the trip itself will be flawless (I hope )

 

[Bram]

Car-specific Garmins offer waypoint routing, ability to save routes, etc. The only thing moto-specific unit gets you is waterproofing and perhaps added toughness?
:don'tknow:

I did some research -in my case- on the specifications of the tomtom Go and tomtom Rider.
TomTom RIDER - Specifications | yourTomTom
TomTom GO - Specifications | yourTomTom

The LCD is exact the same. A "transflective LCD" and same resolution.
The Rider has a better CPU, and a newer GSP chipset (which is normal because it's a newer unit)
Also the Rider has GPRS for traffic information and a handfree calling option (bluetooth)

So far I have not seen where the 200-300 dollar went which is the difference between the Rider and the Go??

The only thing that is left, is like Erci said.....waterproofing and maybe added ruggedness.

I think the difference in price comes from the engineering hours spent on making the gps rugged and waterproof. And the marketplace (offer and demand) Everybody has a car gps nowadays, but a bike GPS is less sold, so more expensive to cover the expenses made, to develop the GPS....

Don't hate me if I'm wrong :BLAA:

 

[motojoe122]

I have the nuvi 205, I too started with a bicycle mount that used the female bracket for car use, and the sandwich bag. It just didnt handle bumps too well. I think I called Erci to find out which outer case he had (post #8) and got that one. It works like a champ and no issues w rain for the cig plug receptacle. I also searched prices for motorcycle gps's...just too much money for now. Mine was 80 bucks, when it craps out, yeah I'll get a better one.

 

[PhotoAl]

Have the Nuvi 205 and used the suction cup mount to the back of my wind screen. Drilled a tiny hole int the top of the windscreen for a safety wire just in case it comes loose which it has not. When it rains I just put it in the tank bag. Only problem I've had it last year cutting across from I75 to Columbus GA it was set to shortest distance. Finally figured out why it was directing me thru some old small country roads - like when the grass is growing onto the sides of the road it is a sign you might have taken a wrong turn. Not to worry, was also getting low on gas!

You can never totally trust a GPS! Couple of years ago was leaving Sorrento Italy (which I know how to navigate out of) and decided to follow the GPS's suggestion of a road I had never tried. My wife said we should turn around when we saw the road narrows sign. Not to worry I said the road is already narrow - oops!!!! It was like the European Vacation movie! At the worst point we had less than an inch to spare on each side - with the mirrors folded in! Didn't scratch the rental car either! Wife was so excited to get out she forgot to say "told you".

 

[mrphotoman]

a cheap car gps and a ziploc bag = a motorcycle weatherproof gps go to techbargains.com to get the best deal

or just do what i do and get a $18 weatherproof phone mount and use your android phone with sygic software $11 or free from the pirate.

lets you download all your maps, works great, has a speed alarm if you speed, traffic, weather, speed traps, etc.

works great and plays the audio through my bluetooth headset in my helmet and you have voice control and can listen to music and then the gps stops the music and announces when you need to turn. your phone does it all, keeps you from having to pack around a gps, a camera and a phone.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-GPS032-Handlebar-Mount-3-5/dp/B003FMUP0K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329276205&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Arkon GPS032 Handlebar Mount for 3.5 - 4.3-Inch GPS Devices: GPS & Navigation[/ame]

Sygic | GPS navigation for smart phones

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I use to have the Garmins, but I have the Tom Tom now. All my GPS's has been car versions. I like the Tom Tom because it indicates my speed and it turns all red when I begin to go 5 over the posted speed limit. Somehow, it knows what the posted speed limit is for that portion of the roadway I'm on.

If you are worried about the vibratiions, or that the GPS wouldn't be durable enough, you can always purhase the extended warranty that they offer at Best Buy or Fry's or other electronic stores when you purchase it.

I am not a fan of looking down, so I place my GPS high as possible. I use the suction cup that comes equipped with the unit and it sticks right inside at the upper portion of my windscreen. Since the windscreen is slanted, it's protected from the rain, especially if you're moving.

I have the option of powering up with my 12v hook up, but the GPS is usually good for a long time on just battery power alone.

 

[Bram]

I like the idea of a smartphone doing everything. You have to cary around just one device.
But If one of the functions break, you loose the whole phone.
In my last rides, I downloaded an app called "Runtastic" which logs my riding track and other functions like elevation and speed. Then it's uploaded to a website.
For example, this was a little trip that i took to test it.
Activity by bram lammens (27 Jan, 2012 | Motorbiking | 40.6 km | 01:00:22)
So My phone is busy doing the tracking, and I had my car gps lying around anyway ;-) So I put it to good use :thumbup:

 

[Bram]

I use to have the Garmins, but I have the Tom Tom now. All my GPS's has been car versions. I like the Tom Tom because it indicates my speed and it turns all red when I begin to go 5 over the posted speed limit. Somehow, it knows what the posted speed limit is for that portion of the roadway I'm on.

If you are worried about the vibratiions, or that the GPS wouldn't be durable enough, you can always purhase the extended warranty that they offer at Best Buy or Fry's or other electronic stores when you purchase it.

I am not a fan of looking down, so I place my GPS high as possible. I use the suction cup that comes equipped with the unit and it sticks right inside at the upper portion of my windscreen. Since the windscreen is slanted, it's protected from the rain, especially if you're moving.

I have the option of powering up with my 12v hook up, but the GPS is usually good for a long time on just battery power alone.

My gps is 6 years old, so I won't be buying the extended warranty. The GIVI case will have to do for now ;-) But from all the info that I get from you guys, I'm pretty sure it will hold up fine on the crappy belgian roads.

Can't wait for the weather to get better, so I can test the setup.

 

[degake]

You can never totally trust a GPS! Couple of years ago was leaving Sorrento Italy (which I know how to navigate out of) and decided to follow the GPS's suggestion of a road I had never tried. My wife said we should turn around when we saw the road narrows sign. Not to worry I said the road is already narrow - oops!!!! It was like the European Vacation movie! At the worst point we had less than an inch to spare on each side - with the mirrors folded in! Didn't scratch the rental car either! Wife was so excited to get out she forgot to say "told you".

We only have those narrow roads around our vacation house in Spain :spank:

Grtz,


Degake

 

[Bram]

So here are some pictures of the installation.
I aimed the front of the GPS at my torso, so there is no reflection of any sun or sky.

 

[Wh0M3]

I've been looking into GPS as well and kinda have my heart set on a Nuvi 550 with a RAM mount. It's a do it all GPS for with the combo on Amazon for around $300. The low rating scores are due to lack of features that I'm not interested in anyway. I had a Nuvi 1400 and really liked it but the 550 is designed for outdoor use and geocaching.

 

[Bram]

So, i did my first ride with the gps last week.
Here are my findings:


Easy installement?
Well, my personal installation with all the powercables, interconnections and in-ear headphones takes some time before it's installed.
I put all My interconnections in my tank bag. The connections that come out are The powercable to the battery, and the power cable to the GPS.
The setup is like this: bike battery-Sigarette connection-TOMTOM sigarette adaptor(to Get +5V output)- tomtom battery
But first I had to put the GPS inside the GIVI bag, which is also a bit of a hassle.
When all connections have been made, I just click the bag onto it's mount, and put the safetyprotection strap around the mount. (In case the bag clicks out of it's mount)


Visibility of the screen?
I aimed the GPS at my torso for minimum reflection of the sky above me. But This turns out to be a problem when the sun is shining.
When there is no sun (cloudy or dark) the visibility is very good. No reflection at all.
When the sun is behind me, the visibility is not perfect, but it's readable. (ps. I use a dark smoke sunscreen on the helmet)
When the sun is in front of me, the sunlight reflects off my white/black leater vest, and I cannot see anything on the GPS.
So the use of headphones is a MUST!! To insure safety that is.


Shocks and vibration?
The mounting device works perfect. it's very solid and the gps does not vibrate or shock much.
Even on bad pieces of road, the Givi case dampers the vibration. I can tell you now, that the GPS will not get physically damaged.


Using the GPS with gloves?
It was cold, so I was wearing my thick winter gloves. The touchscreen performed very good, even if there was an extra plastic in front of it (the GIVI bag). I did not encounter any problem while using the GPS.


Headphone usage?
I use phillips in ear headphones without volume control. Big mistake, because once the headphone is connected to the GPS, the volume is NOT adjustable. And tomtom put it at maximum volume which will make you deafinitely deaf ;-)
Also , I was not able to walk away from the bike while wearing my hemet, because the heaphone was directely connected to the GPS.
This was not acceptable for me, so I made a custom headphone. I wanted a normal volume AND a connector to cut the wire in half if I want to walk away from the bike.
So I cut the wires, and put variable resistors in the L and R cable, and then adjusted it to a normal sound level.
Then I measured the resistance set with the variabel resistors, and put SMD resistors inside the cable. I took 37 ohm resistors. Meanwhile, i soldered the wires to a connector. Boom problem solved :thumbup: (see picture)


Useful tips?
The ON/OFF button is inside the GIVI case, so If you want to turn down the GPS without taking it out of the bag, it's not possible. However, there is a setting in the tomtom which allows the GPS to turn off automatically when the power is disconnected. So the only thing you have to do to shutdown the unit, is to pull out the cigarette charger.

When using in ear headphones, you can buy one with a set of different sizes of ear-rubbers. Mine came with 3 sized rubbers for maximum comfort. The rubber also works as sound isolation, Even at highway speeds, and without DB-killer exhausts you can hear the speech very clearly without raping your eardrums.

When connecting a headphone to the tomtom, the volume is set at a default level, which CANNOT be altered on the GPS. The volume is set to deafening loud! So be sure to buy a headphone with volume control.

 

[Krazyjohnny]

My setup was going to use my iPhone for the GPS using Navigon. The conductive screen prohibits that from happening effectively so I went with a Garmin NUvi 765 in a Ram mounts Medium Aquabox. I use a Cortech Dryver small tank bag that locks to the tank ring and the aquabox mounts to the tank bag using a 3 inch Ram arm wit a 1" ball mount on each end. In the bag is a Fuzeblock FZ-1 that provides power to two cigarette lighter plugs and to my Autocom Logic. The iPhone and the Nuvi plug into the lighter plugs. The iPhone bluetooth connects to the Nuvi and I have music on the nuvi. Power comes off of the the battery as constant on and the switched on source is fed from the relay pole at the battery all via a 10ga 3 wire cable to the tank bag. At the bag a 3 pin XLR connector is used to bring the power into the bag. I used a flush mount on the bag and soldered and heat shrank the connections on the inside of the bag, then ran the power source wires to the appropriate inputs on the FZ-1 Fuzeblock. On the cable side I used the corresponding XLR connector and again soldered the wires from the cable to the appropriate pins and heatshrank it all. So now I just unplug the bag from the cable give it a quick twist and it can all go with me.

 

[littlebruv]

I used to have a tomtom rider v2 on my 06 fazer 600 until last year riding home from Belgium and the plastic mount that held the cradle broke at the bolt mounts (reminder to anyone always check for plastic fractures around bolt mounts) sending my ttr v2 80mph in reverse (motorway riding), my connections were ok though which are done through the headlight connection using a modified headlight plug with inline 2A fuse and splash connector and a akron power adaptor which means I can literally power any type of car satnav as well, my tt 720 worked a treat as now my garmin NUVI 50LM, I have the rain proof holders for these but think they are a bit heavy on the mounts so just use resealable freezer bags instead.

 

[FZ1inNH]

RAM mount with RAM Aquabox. This is the wide model and holds my TomTom VIA without any issues. The rubber screen in the cover allows touch functions through to the GPS unit.