I did a lot of reaserch before getting this GPS and the main issue were covered with the Rider unit:
Waterproof (Garmin, Lowrance have this too) Battery Power (not may waterproof unit have this) Flash Memory (iway 500 is a great unit but a hard drive on a VFR??) Expandable Memory (a lot of the Garmins have fixed memeory) Saftey Strap (not sure any others have this) Easy to See Outside (most of them are) Good Ram mount solution (most have this too) Fit in pocket (not too many of the water proof ones will)
So far I'm really impressed with this unit. I got the Ram mount for the tank bolts and have a suction cup base for the car. The battery lasts 4-5 hours and that's plenty for me, but it came with a batery lead I can hook up if I need longer. It is very secure in it's cradle and still has a place for the safety strap that I use just incase.
Pros, night riding is not my favorite, but with this unit it's like having a radar showing you what the road is going to do up ahead, it won't show you animals jumping out in the road. 'Home' button, no matter where you go you can push home and it will find the shortest route. Knowing how close you are to the road you are turning on. (mostly your standard GPS stuff)
Cons, the typical missing roads in database and some address couldn't be found, but I can deal with it. I can't find a 'breadcrumb' mode that will just leave a trail over everywhere you go. I think that is neat on the lowrance models, but not that usefull so...
It doesn't play MP3s or XM but I have a myfi for that. It comes with a bluetooth helmet set-up but I haven't used that much yet. I have a Palm Treo phone and it not compatable with that or I could get audible instructions and use my phone. But I really don't plan on using the phone while riding and the audible instruction are annoying to me and the display shows you how long until your next turn so just keep checking it.
scotinexcile, Jun 6 2006, 02:10 PMHow much was it? biggrin.gif Do you have a link to a supplier?
I got it from tigergps.com but they don't have a super price for it right not. $899 is the retail price and I found it for $730 with free shipping, so look around.
Jim, Jun 6 2006, 02:40 PMOn demos I've seen for this it has a 3D kind of display but the photos of yours seem to be in 2D. I guess you can switch back and forth?
Yes it has the 3D and I use that the most. Like I was talking about above, at night it's almost like radar/night vision or showing you the twist in the road, but more importantly when to stop and/or turn. The 3D mode also shows you the cross road names better than the 2D, but the 2D will give you more of an overall view that might let you see a lake or feature just off the road you might have missed.
It's the TomTom GPS software in a motorcycle friendly package.
benSV, Jun 6 2006, 02:47 PMThat looks like a really trick setup... nice job.
If I have money burning a hole in my pocket I'd be tempted to do that too.. but I think I would end up spending it on track days or something instead.
Yea, it's expensive, but come in more handy than you think if you go on long rides. I went all out of this with the ram mount and everything but it's a high tech feature that you would expect on a 'gadgetjunky' bike.
Added Bike Gadgets: GPS Stop Light Trigger Hyperlight Break lite PCIII
Gadget wish list: Powerlet - stem mount Radar Detector with HARD wireless helmet monitor Garage Opener triggered by Highbeams Darker or colors windshield that small air compressor
FYI for anyone that has the Rider or gets one, you can bypass the "cycle" mode where it locks out most of the features while in the motorcycle cradle with some tape over the contacts. I haven't hooked up the bike power yet to determine what contact to cover and still have the 12volts coming to the unit, but I will post that when I do know.
I've got the same Rider/RAM mount setup on my '05 VFR. I started with RAM's standard 3" stem but found I had to glance down to see the map. Switching to a 5.25" stem puts the Rider in my field of vision at the bottom of the tach. It does block the tach below 2500 rpm, but that is an acceptable trade-off in my opinion.
Try wiring the TomTom power cable to a circuit that comes on with the ignition. The Rider will power up/down with the key. You won't have to mess with that hard-to-push on/off button.
Contrary to some first impressions, the Rider's route planning options are quite extensive. They're just not obvious. Read the full manual (on the disc) and you'll see what I mean. And try the Bluetooth. It is one of the key reasons I bought the Rider.
gadgetjunky, Jun 6 2006, 03:54 PMYea, it's expensive, but come in more handy than you think if you go on long rides. I went all out of this with the ram mount and everything but it's a high tech feature that you would expect on a 'gadgetjunky' bike.
Added Bike Gadgets: GPS Stop Light Trigger Hyperlight Break lite PCIII
Gadget wish list: Powerlet - stem mount Radar Detector with HARD wireless helmet monitor Garage Opener triggered by Highbeams Darker or colors windshield that small air compressor Have you been to: Cyclegadgets
I am getting a Powerlet run to my tankbag...I got but have not used my HARD set-up w/ my Escort Passport 8500 or my Green Light Trigger HP. I paid $160 for tha HARD & $25 for the new, smaller Triggwr.
Where is your Stop Light Trigger placed & how is it attached to the bike, mine has adhesive tape & slots under the tape for strapping it on. I wonder if it will hold...how well does yours work & is it similar, a smalll magnetic rectangular unit?
Tell me about your Hyperlight Break lite, what is it, where did you get it, for how much, & how does it actually perform? I was thinking of getting a helmet & brake light kit from Whitehorse Gear, but the 6th ge VFR takes a unique brake light bulb.
Also, I had a Garmin 60cs briefly, ot enough road map memory, so I returned it. Last night I looked at a $450 Tomtom...not sure which model. I don't really want to spend more than $500, but I like ro get the best devices within reason. I might buy the Rider if that is ideal, or I might stick with AAA maps as I have spent a lot of dough getting prepared for a summer trip on my "02 VFR going across the USA.
By the way, if you join AHRC (American Honda Rider's Club,) you get 4 tows/yr, unlimited maps, route planning perhaps & this frugal hotel discount club membership, which gives you half off at various types of hotels across the USA. AHRC membersip costs only $40 per year, & I have used one hotel for two nights & one tow in the last 3 months, saving me $70 for the hotel & whatever towing costs. They will tow you as far as needed to get to the closest repair location and seem to be pretty flexible as far as which shop you tow to, even if the one you prefer is a bit further. This is a cheap way to save $ & cover emergency towing.
I want that HARD system, where do you mount you Radar Detector? I'd like a consealed place, but there really isn't any, so I might get one of those legalspeeding boxes or on the top of tank bag, but I wouldn't be able to see the display, and the HARD system doesn't blink differently for different types of radar.
Stop Light Trigger, mine is different than the ones you see online. Its a small magenet about 1 1/2 - 2" long and 1/4" wide and came with sticky/foam and I put it on the center stand on the side parallel with the road. I haven't tested it yet, there is a signal that never sees us, so I just need to get over there.
Hyperlite, got it locall, but they are on the web too. $50, and it installed very easy but I did have to silicone around it for a cleaner install because I installed it on the fender and it's not flat, it's beveled and that left a little gap. It works great and that's a report from rider buddies behind me. Very bright and pulsates so if someone behind be doesn't see it, I'd be very suprised.
[image: user posted image] LP-1
Sounds like you are looking at a standard TomTom which is fine, if you get in a wet situation you could put it in your tankbag, but I wanted the extra security of waterproof-ness and the Rider is in a metal case and mounts/safety strap, battery power lead, bluetooth helmet headset - seem like a good value with all that other stuff.
FYI, the three different mounting solutions that come with the Rider are worthless on the VFR. There is a handle bar mount (VFR doesn't have any bar area to clamp to), Stick-on base (well, I don't think so) and a mount to go on the break/clutch brackets, but it doesn't fit right and I almost stripped out a bolt, so Ram mount on the tank bolts is the best mount (IMO)
I almost installed some led brake light like that last January, but the part took too long and I canceled the order...I wear an Icon, military spec, orange vest at night, at times, and I bought one of those Halo, helmet, reflective bands recently.
As for the radar detector, I gave it to my mechanic to do what he thought would be best. I kind of planned to put the detector & maybe the Tomtom, if it fits, inside the vinal map sleeve of my tank bag. yeah, Iknow the HARD thing does not do much, so you either will end up slowing at every concern or need to be able to read the meter on the detector once alerted by the HARD device.
By the way, "I am looking for the nuclear wessles in Alameda," do you know what I am quoting from? Star Trek, the on ewith the whales, ha, ha! Just popped into my mind. Hey, those look like Staintunes, nice! I bought some gutted pipes here myself. They are loud & cost much less, but those tunes are very cool. $OUCH!!!
Dan, Jun 7 2006, 08:05 AM When you say that the route planning options are extensive do you mean that it has a bread crumb/trackback feature?
Best,
Dan
No bread crumb/trackback feature. Try another brand if that's important to you. What I was referring to is TomTom Rider's ability to change or customize a route. The Rider defaults to the shortest distance from A to B. Usually that involves Interstate Highways. You can easitly change that by selecting an option like "Avoid Motorways" if you want something more interesting. It even has a "Bicycle Route" option that is usually more scenic but slower. You can customize a route with intermediate "Waypoints" and "Destinations" using the Itinerary Planning feature. You can save an itinerary for future re-use. Itinerary Planning isn't obvious at first; you'll have to read the manual. As for trackback, you can save Home or any other GPS point that you may want to go back to later. Not literally trackback, but it will get you there.
Ok, one major disappointment is that TomTom wanted to send us down a gravel road this weekend. On a unit designed for a motorcycle, I would think this would have been an option. But the good thing about the software is that you can set a destination with or without mid waypoint and then just drive where ever you want and it will keep recalculating (quickly) how to get you to you destination. I don't always agree with TomTom route suggestions, but that doesn't matter, there is a dynamic map and I really only need a little help not total guidance.
Florida, Jun 8 2006, 06:46 AMNo bread crumb/trackback feature. Try another brand if that's important to you. What I was referring to is TomTom Rider's ability to change or customize a route. The Rider defaults to the shortest distance from A to B. Usually that involves Interstate Highways. You can easitly change that by selecting an option like "Avoid Motorways" if you want something more interesting. It even has a "Bicycle Route" option that is usually more scenic but slower. You can customize a route with intermediate "Waypoints" and "Destinations" using the Itinerary Planning feature. You can save an itinerary for future re-use. Itinerary Planning isn't obvious at first; you'll have to read the manual. As for trackback, you can save Home or any other GPS point that you may want to go back to later. Not literally trackback, but it will get you there.
I'm oldschool, I still use a map to figure my basic route, or plan it at home and put it in my tank bag vinyl. Leaves me $800 for other stuff, but it all gets spent in the end tongue.gif
I just bought a Whistler WGPX-550 at Frys last week for $420.00. Nice flat unit with touch screen and lots of features. Plays MP3s and has a Photo displayer as well. Uses SDRam cards. Comes with w 1gig card preloaded with the map f the US and a CD that contains a Canadian map as well. No RAM mount for it at the moment, but that's probably because the unit is relatively new. Something could be rigged though I'm sure.
I've been considering GPs systems for both my bike and car for quite a long time now, but at 800 bucks!!!! blink.gif That's just way way way too much! Can some company please finally come up with affordable GPS systems?! The technology's been around long enough! First company to do so, would sell a ton of them for sure! Even Plasma TVs and flat screen computer monitors have dropped in price susbstantially the past few years. I wonder what's holding the GPS systems up.
I've been interested in getting the Rider but more than anything worried about the mounting position for my bike. I have the Cortech 21-liter tank bag which i suppose is rather big, but still leaves my guages completely visible. Just kind of concerned if the ram mount will bring the unit up high enough over my bag for me to see. Anyone tested / had this problem?
tinyminds, Jul 10 2006, 08:24 AM I've been interested in getting the Rider but more than anything worried about the mounting position for my bike. I have the Cortech 21-liter tank bag which i suppose is rather big, but still leaves my guages completely visible. Just kind of concerned if the ram mount will bring the unit up high enough over my bag for me to see. Anyone tested / had this problem?
Nice bike....I have the same model. And funny I have been thinking about the new 07's avalanches, honda ridgeline or a toyota tundra....just havent decided. Good pic.
I have been looking for a navi system, but have been holding off at the moment, since I have a system in my car, I want a system that is almost an all in one. Phone, mp3, Palm, and navi/gps. But at the moment my wishlist is pretty full.
tinyminds, Jul 10 2006, 08:24 AM I've been interested in getting the Rider but more than anything worried about the mounting position for my bike. I have the Cortech 21-liter tank bag which i suppose is rather big, but still leaves my guages completely visible. Just kind of concerned if the ram mount will bring the unit up high enough over my bag for me to see. Anyone tested / had this problem?
Short answer: If you can see your tach, you can see the Rider.
I have a Chase Harper tank bag that's a little smaller and more rounded than yours. I mounted my Rider using a RAM mount on the front fuel tank bolts. (You've probably seen pictures of this posted elsewhere in this forum.) I first used RAM's 3" stem. No problem with the tank bag, but found I had to glance down to see the Rider. I switched to RAM's longer (5 and 1/2 inch I think) arm. Now the top of the Rider covers the first 3000 RPM on the tach, but it is right in my field of view while looking ahead. A good trade-off in my opinion.
Florida, Jul 10 2006, 01:50 PM Short answer: If you can see your tach, you can see the Rider.
I have a Chase Harper tank bag that's a little smaller and more rounded than yours. I mounted my Rider using a RAM mount on the front fuel tank bolts. (You've probably seen pictures of this posted elsewhere in this forum.) I first used RAM's 3" stem. No problem with the tank bag, but found I had to glance down to see the Rider. I switched to RAM's longer (5 and 1/2 inch I think) arm. Now the top of the Rider covers the first 3000 RPM on the tach, but it is right in my field of view while looking ahead. A good trade-off in my opinion.
Beck, Jun 30 2006, 06:18 PM I've been considering GPs systems for both my bike and car for quite a long time now, but at 800 bucks!!!! blink.gif That's just way way way too much! Can some company please finally come up with affordable GPS systems?!
Do you have a PDA? If so, there may be a GPS accessory for under $200 USD. I grabbed the bluetooth GPS Navigator for Palm (Tungsten E2) for ~$200, with software. I've seen the same hardware (w/out software) for around $140.
I don't recommend TomTom to Americans, however, because it forces you to read a legal notice every time you start the app pissed.gif
jgombos, Jul 31 2006, 12:15 PM Do you have a PDA? If so, there may be a GPS accessory for under $200 USD. I grabbed the bluetooth GPS Navigator for Palm (Tungsten E2) for ~$200, with software. I've seen the same hardware (w/out software) for around $140.
I don't recommend TomTom to Americans, however, because it forces you to read a legal notice every time you start the app pissed.gif
-Thread Hijack- We used the bluetooth GPS Navigator for Palm side-by-side against my Garmin Quest I on a trip to Laguna Seca a few weeks ago - not impressed with the Palm solution sad.gif . It can only load one map at a time (which consists of about 1 state, or half of California) so you have to switch maps every time you cross a border. The Palm solution also lacked a lot of the functionality and had poor routing compared to the Garmin . I can't remember the details right at the moment but basically, the Palm is not anywhere near the same level as the Quest - it did have a nice 3-D display though. The Quest I can be had for about $360 on Amazon.com.
ScottyDo, Jul 31 2006, 03:03 PM -Thread Hijack- We used the bluetooth GPS Navigator for Palm side-by-side against my Garmin Quest I on a trip to Laguna Seca a few weeks ago - not impressed with the Palm solution sad.gif .
I also found the Palm accessory to be lacking at first. It has some deficiencies that take some getting used to.
ScottyDo, Jul 31 2006, 03:03 PM It can only load one map at a time (which consists of about 1 state, or half of California) so you have to switch maps every time you cross a border.
Are you talking about the TomTom Navigator 5 (TTN5) software? If so, that issue has been somewhat resolved since you ran your test. My version of TTN5 s/w has the same limitation (only loading one map at a time - requiring manual switching to change maps), but now it comes bundled with larger maps. You can load a region of 7 or so different states all in one large map. You can also load different combinations of adjacent states. I currently have a TTN5 map that covers all of CA and NV. I had the option for a larger map yet, but didn't want to consume the space on my SD card.
ScottyDo, Jul 31 2006, 03:03 PM The Palm solution also lacked a lot of the functionality and had poor routing compared to the Garmin . I can't remember the details right at the moment but basically, the Palm is not anywhere near the same level as the Quest - it did have a nice 3-D display though. The Quest I can be had for about $360 on Amazon.com.
The Quest costs around $450 USD on buy.com, and didn't see it on amazon. Rule of thumb: affordable usually means under $200. So the PDA accessories (for those who already own a PDA) are the only GPS solution I would call affordable. Though I have no doubt that a standalone GPS like the Quest is superior, cost aside.
Just got one of the Rider's a couple of weeks ago... have to say I really like it. Got a car kit too and a bluetooth speaker for the car so I can hear it if I want too. One complaint is that you can only seem to hook up to one headset at a time. I have the Scala Rider bluetooth headset in my helmet and I have to re-pair if I use the TomTom in the car with a jabra bluetooth speaker. Also, It would not pair with my Treo 700W right out of the box, but TomTom just came out with a software update and now it works fine. They also added a few features.
I also bought a bigger SD card for it (it only comes with a 1GB card.) Bough a 2GB card and did a backup... then popped in the new card and did a restore... works great and now I can add as many voices and maps as I want.
I have the files to make Dennis Hppper give you the turn by turn directions if anyone wants them smile.gif
wirelesswill, Aug 12 2006, 12:08 PM Just got one of the Rider's a couple of weeks ago... have to say I really like it. Got a car kit too and a bluetooth speaker for the car so I can hear it if I want too. One complaint is that you can only seem to hook up to one headset at a time. I have the Scala Rider bluetooth headset in my helmet and I have to re-pair if I use the TomTom in the car with a jabra bluetooth speaker. Also, It would not pair with my Treo 700W right out of the box, but TomTom just came out with a software update and now it works fine. They also added a few features.
I also bought a bigger SD card for it (it only comes with a 1GB card.) Bough a 2GB card and did a backup... then popped in the new card and did a restore... works great and now I can add as many voices and maps as I want.
I have the files to make Dennis Hppper give you the turn by turn directions if anyone wants them smile.gif
By the way, the Dennis Hopper files will work with any TomTom GPS... maybe for others as well
GPS looks cool, but the prices are still too high next to the old school paper maps from AAA. And if I get one there's the 100 page RTFM to deal with. blink.gif
Also, how am I supposed to go for a ride until I get lost, then find my way home again? I like doing that. It expands my mental map and it's fun. goofy.gif
End of thread · 30 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 19 Oct 2006
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