Hi VFR riders,
after riding to Byron Bay and visiting some people along the way and getting lost lol, i've decided i need a GPS on the bike...i've just started seraching around on here for brands (TomToms, Garmins etc) but was hoping some of you could post some pics / details of your personal bike GPS setups
cheers in advance
Take a look at "
Tales of Zumo" on VFRD for loads of pictures installs and details on the Zumo 550.
Check out the tales of Zumo thread at the top. Lots of good information. Bouns VFR has a great setup I have copied and it works very well.
I dont have an actual pic of mine on my bike, but I have this exact setup on my 6th gen...
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Garmin Nuvi 200 with a RAM mount which I bought from www.gpscity.com
1. RAM Mount Zinc U-Bolt Rail Base with Standard Arm Diamond Assembly
P/N: RAM-B-149ZU SKU: RAMB149Z
QTY: 1
PRICE EACH: $25.95
ITEM TOTAL: $25.95
2. RAM Mount Garmin nuvi 2xx Series Cradle
P/N: RAM-HOL-GA24U SKU: RAMHOLGA24
QTY: 1
PRICE EACH: $8.19
ITEM TOTAL: $8.19
I'm using a nuvi 260w right now. It was a birthday gift. I use it between the Jeep , PowerWagon and the bikes. Later in the year, I'll get a 550 just for the VFR.
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thanks rusty and bluespec for the great pics and setups...im thinking of the zumo 550...seems to do everything i need and more
This may sound dumb but can someone explain how these units work? Can you program a given route in there to follow it? I am planning a big trip and may get one, I have an old handhelp GPS and it is a terrible thing to use. Thanks
I went the cheapest route possible...TomTom One ($50) with a plexiglass mount, self made:
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The Mount:
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I modified the TT1, as it is VERY basic, to allow multiple waypoint planning, and also route tracing. Since I last really used it (2300 mile trip) TomTom changed their software so I am embarking on a new quest to re-fix everything...including upgrading the internal memory from 1GB to 4GB to allow for as many Points Of Interest as I can.
To answer 1996900sp:
Yes, I can plan a route with stops along the way and the GPS keeps me on route. If I make a wrong turn (I do it often), the GPS reroutes me. I use Tyre to plan my routes, which uses Google Maps. You can also use regular ITN files from other GPS software. The TomTom One is NOT waterproof in ANY way, so care must be taken that it isn't subject to rain etc. It also does not have bluetooth or a headphone jack (yet, mine is changing) so the voice instructions (very limited with the base model) go unheard.
Magellan Crossover 2500
Pros
Waterproof
MP3 player
Fraction of the cost of a Zumo.
Cons
Mapping software is a b*@%h to use. :angry:
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Streetpilot III
I think a big plus of he streetpilots is the option to disable automatic route calculation and their very configurable screen layout. The 2820 is out of production but refurbished units sometimes are avialble at a very good price. My preferred motorcycle GPS solution would be a Garmin Streetpilot 2820 in a Cradle "Blue".
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[image: View Post]1996900sp, on Jan 13 2009, 08:48 AM, said:
This may sound dumb but can someone explain how these units work? Can you program a given route in there to follow it? I am planning a big trip and may get one, I have an old handhelp GPS and it is a terrible thing to use. Thanks
Short answer is yes, you can program a route, either on your PC or the unit itself. Read the Tales of a Zume thread by BonusVFR mentioned in post #2 for further details.
I also went the cheap route and bought a $50 TomTom online. Best fifty bucks I ever spent. I bought a triple tree RAM mount to mount it up on the VFR. I swap the GPS unit between the bike and the car all the time. One of my favorite activities is to now just point the bike anywhere and ride new roads for a couple of hours, then just press "navigate home" and voila! I'm home.
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I'll be upgrading the GPS (Garmin Quest) soon though.
I use a GARMIN 376C (it has XM weather & radio capabilities).
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[image: View Post]V4 Rosso, on Jan 13 2009, 12:11 PM, said:
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Streetpilot III
I think a big plus of he streetpilots is the option to disable automatic route calculation and their very configurable screen layout. The 2820 is out of production but refurbished units sometimes are avialble at a very good price. My preferred motorcycle GPS solution would be a Garmin Streetpilot 2820 in a Cradle "Blue".
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[image: View Post]1996900sp, on Jan 13 2009, 08:48 AM, said:
This may sound dumb but can someone explain how these units work? Can you program a given route in there to follow it? I am planning a big trip and may get one, I have an old handhelp GPS and it is a terrible thing to use. Thanks
Short answer is yes, you can program a route, either on your PC or the unit itself. Read the Tales of a Zume thread by BonusVFR mentioned in post #2 for further details.
****I got this identical Street Pilot III with many, many extras including mount on ADVrider forum for $150 used, is really nice, full color and I am a newbie at GPS so was a great purchase, the plus is full feature, in color, the downside is a bit bulky but the extra $400 I saved over a zumo550 was key, I still dont know how to use everything on the streetpilot but will learn as the prices drop on the 550, thanks Doug ****
Yeah, the older streetpilots are still very useable units. I am only disappointed to hear that Garmin has dropped support for future map updates. The 2009 update will be the last map update availble for GPS units that can not use the compressed (NT) maps :mad:
If you just acquired your SPIII, start by giving it a hard reset. It will improve responsiveness and is something you better do once a year. It is like a PC with MS Windows installed, it gets slower as time passes.
Yo will lose all chages you have made to the settings, as all will be reset to factory settings. It will also need a bit longer to get a satellite fix on the
first startup as the location will have changed to Garmin HQ.
Hard reset:
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With the unit switched off
Press the cursor button in any direction at the same time press the power button
Let go of the power button, but continue holding the cursor button
Press together the route and quit button, while you hold these two, let go of the cursor button
The unit should now make a bleep sound. Now release the route and quit buttons
The screen goes blank for about 10 seconds, then restarts
The SPIII even keeps track of how many hours ago it got it's last hard reset:
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I presume all these units displayed here are waterproof? As I'm looking for a GPS having got very lost going to a gig on Saturday but it were raining for most of the journey, waterproof sat navs for bikes seem soo expensive!! :blink:
[image: View Post]vfr_steve, on Jan 20 2009, 08:06 AM, said:
I presume all these units displayed here are waterproof? As I'm looking for a GPS having got very lost going to a gig on Saturday but it were raining for most of the journey, waterproof sat navs for bikes seem soo expensive!! :blink:
You're right about the waterproof units being expensive. My TomTom is NOT waterproof, but I've used it in the rain (knock, knock) without any problems so far. While moving, it actually stays quite dry because of the windshield deflection. It's sitting at the stop lights where it can get wet. I am trying to devise a way to protect it from the water and still see the unit clearly. I haven't come up with any good solutions yet, but I'm working on it.
[image: View Post]V4 Rosso, on Jan 20 2009, 05:46 AM, said:
Yeah, the older streetpilots are still very useable units. I am only disappointed to hear that Garmin has dropped support for future map updates. The 2009 update will be the last map update availble for GPS units that can not use the compressed (NT) maps :mad:
If you just acquired your SPIII, start by giving it a hard reset. It will improve responsiveness and something you better do once a year. It is like a PC with MS Windows installed, it gets slower as time passes.
Hard reset:
Quote
With the unit switched off
Press the cursor button in any direction at the same time press the power button
Let go of the power button, but continue holding the power button
Press together the route and quit button, while you hold these two, let go of the cursor button
The unit should now make a bleep sound. Now release the route and quit buttons
The screen goes blank for about 10 seconds, then restarts
The SPIII even keeps track of how many hours ago it got it's last hard reset:
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I think you have a typo....how do you "let go of power button, but continue holding the power button"?
Thanks for noticing, fixed it. :fing02:
[image: View Post]1996900sp, on Jan 13 2009, 02:48 AM, said:
This may sound dumb but can someone explain how these units work? Can you program a given route in there to follow it? I am planning a big trip and may get one, I have an old handhelp GPS and it is a terrible thing to use. Thanks
They really don't prevent me from getting lost. They just let me know where I'm at when I'm lost.
[image: View Post]VFRbeliever, on Jan 20 2009, 10:30 AM, said:
[image: View Post]vfr_steve, on Jan 20 2009, 08:06 AM, said:
I presume all these units displayed here are waterproof? As I'm looking for a GPS having got very lost going to a gig on Saturday but it were raining for most of the journey, waterproof sat navs for bikes seem soo expensive!! :blink:
You're right about the waterproof units being expensive. My TomTom is NOT waterproof, but I've used it in the rain (knock, knock) without any problems so far. While moving, it actually stays quite dry because of the windshield deflection. It's sitting at the stop lights where it can get wet. I am trying to devise a way to protect it from the water and still see the unit clearly. I haven't come up with any good solutions yet, but I'm working on it.
My brother has a case designed specifically to keep a GPS and other electronic add-ons dry. It's hard plastic with a soft plastic window that lets you operate the system without removing it from the case. Can't remember the name of it, though, but just google "GPS waterproof case" or the like.
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[image: View Post]1996900sp, on Jan 13 2009, 02:48 AM, said:
Can you program a given route in there to follow it?
You can plan a route on the unit of most GPS but it is not easy to do unless you want the default that the GPS selects. Some units say they store routes. Those you can program with software on your PC and download. I have an old Street Pilot III and have done many routes with back roads, main roads and interstate that would be nearly impossible to do just on the unit itself.
I got a nuvi 750 for the car. it too can take routes from the PC if you get a $15 DVD from Garmin. Unfortunately the new GPS units appear to be more entertainment centers than GPS and many of the good features of the SP III are not available on the new units. For instance Favorites (waypoints) are ONLY shown sorted by distance from location. if you want to do a route with 10 waypoints you'll be searching all over for the ones you want if you have the full 1000 waypoints it will hold. Also you cannot pause a route recalculation just stop the route and then have to reload it when you want to follow it again.
Nuvi 750 has better gps receiver and better screen however and appears to route faster. costs a lot less than SP III did !!
I just got a Zumo and was looking at mounting it in the steering stem.
I like the mount on the front tank bolts.....what is the part number???
I have a motorcycle software map for the TomTom1. Its great. Gives you average speed, average distance, time it took, also make the speed show up in a lot larger form. I will turn it on tonight and grab a pic of the display. Was a Bi$&^ to setup, as I had to hack TomTom's original software, but it works awesome now, and I just flip over to it as an app, and I can be back to my normal display in seconds. Makes switching from car to bike seamless.
[image: View Post]BoiseVFR, on Mar 2 2009, 11:01 AM, said:
I just got a Zumo and was looking at mounting it in the steering stem.
I like the mount on the front tank bolts.....what is the part number???
I believe it is RAM-b231z. check out this link.
http://products.ram-mount.com/rammount/pro...ber=RAM-B-149ZU
I just had a brain fart....I haven't seen anyone do it....I don't have one but,I was wondering if people with car gp's that aren't water proof could just put them in the map window of their tank bags?
Yeah, you could put your GPS in your map bag. I use the suction cup mount on mine and put it on the inside of the windscreen. Protected from wind, water, and the rest of the elements.
[image: View Post]Monk, on Mar 2 2009, 09:58 AM, said:
I just had a brain fart....I haven't seen anyone do it....I don't have one but,I was wondering if people with car gp's that aren't water proof could just put them in the map window of their tank bags?
I tried that before. The problem comes in when you are trying to push a button through the map pouch. You end up either not being able to put enough pressure or the gps moves around. Very distracting and annoying even when parked. I bought the Zumo 450 (prices have really come down and I don't listen to XM radio/phone calls anyway) and it has been great not having to mess with fitting it to the tank bag.
[image: View Post]Leeworthy, on Mar 2 2009, 09:05 AM, said:
Yeah, you could put your GPS in your map bag. I use the suction cup mount on mine and put it on the inside of the windscreen. Protected from wind, water, and the rest of the elements.
Hi I have a Roadmate attached with RAM Mount to my left handlebar. I also put a power outlet on my center button of the handlebars. I just click this off and put it back in my car. That way I only need one GPS!
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updated today with a power outlet and GPS mount
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updated today with a power outlet and GPS mount
[image: View Post]vanion2, on Mar 2 2009, 12:16 PM, said:
[image: View Post]Monk, on Mar 2 2009, 09:58 AM, said:
I just had a brain fart....I haven't seen anyone do it....I don't have one but,I was wondering if people with car gp's that aren't water proof could just put them in the map window of their tank bags?
I tried that before. The problem comes in when you are trying to push a button through the map pouch. You end up either not being able to put enough pressure or the gps moves around. Very distracting and annoying even when parked. I bought the Zumo 450 (prices have really come down and I don't listen to XM radio/phone calls anyway) and it has been great not having to mess with fitting it to the tank bag.
Good point...I'll circular file my bright idea....
[image: View Post]Monk, on Mar 2 2009, 06:55 PM, said:
[image: View Post]vanion2, on Mar 2 2009, 12:16 PM, said:
[image: View Post]Monk, on Mar 2 2009, 09:58 AM, said:
I just had a brain fart....I haven't seen anyone do it....I don't have one but,I was wondering if people with car gp's that aren't water proof could just put them in the map window of their tank bags?
I tried that before. The problem comes in when you are trying to push a button through the map pouch. You end up either not being able to put enough pressure or the gps moves around. Very distracting and annoying even when parked. I bought the Zumo 450 (prices have really come down and I don't listen to XM radio/phone calls anyway) and it has been great not having to mess with fitting it to the tank bag.
Good point...I'll circular file my bright idea....
Well,
that is an issue with the way I (can) set things up.
But I like to get lost while riding my m/c so this is not an issue for me
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But the bag companies have copped on and now bring out bags where a Garmin and the like fit in perfectly....
I just now ordered a Garmin Zumo 550 for my brother. $514.00 to the door. If he had ordered it, there would have been nearly $40.00 sales tax added since it ships from the same state he is located. Seems like a very good price. So if a waterproof GPS is what you want, get this. The latest version doesn't have enough additional features to justify the huge price difference, IMHO, though I am often a fool for having to have the latest and greatest.
I use a non-waterproof Garmin Nuvi 660 on my bike. Works great. I put a ziplock baggie over it when it's drizzling, which works fine. I'm going to get one of those clear soft waterproof cases for it that you can operate the unit right through the soft clear cover, for the really wet days.
[image: View Post]Monk, on Mar 2 2009, 11:58 AM, said:
I just had a brain fart....I haven't seen anyone do it....I don't have one but,I was wondering if people with car gp's that aren't water proof could just put them in the map window of their tank bags?
When it rains, I use a ziplock bag and a rubber band for my satellite radio (see my post above). Old school, but works well.
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Although I do not ride a great deal in the rain ......................I have been nailed a couple of times with rain and the roads I was riding did not allow a safe place to pull over and put on a rubber. Unlike a RD In low visibility, l can see the requirement to use the GPS buttons more not less.
Get a waterproof one to start...........if you can afford it :happy: :cool:
If you already have a non-waterproof GPS, the Aquabox might be what you are looking for.
http://www.gpscity.c...arch/q=aqua+box
Here's mine:
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The only thing I don't like is that sometimes it vibrates a bit. When I am tired and its vibrating its hard to see details at a glance. I am going to work on the mounting at the tank, maybe shave down the rubber grommets or, grind down the spacer tube things a little. Probably should be using longer bolts too as they only grab a few threads...
I've moved on from this set-up (to what I'm not yet sure!), but it worked very well when I used to use it. I'm moving to some sort of total waterproof solution I haven't totally figured out yet.
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What you're looking at is a Garmin 2610 and a Touratech IMO hard-mounted on an alloy and stainless steel "sled" Velcro'd to the bottom of a Bagster/Baglux Alpha tank bag, which (of course) clips onto a Bagster/Baglux tank cover. The electrickery all goes through a couple of waterproof quick-connects, which allowed me to dismount and take the whole tank bag and instrument package with me in a matter of seconds. Later I upgraded to a 2720 with one of those nifty Dutch cradle things (like in Dutchy's photo), but ended up getting a Zumo anyway.
(Bending that alloy tube actually killed my Chinese tubing bender!) :blush:
Ciao,
[image: View Post]Monk, on Mar 2 2009, 12:58 PM, said:
I just had a brain fart....I haven't seen anyone do it....I don't have one but,I was wondering if people with car gp's that aren't water proof could just put them in the map window of their tank bags?
That's what I do. Chances are, if I need my GPS, then I'm going to have my tank bag w/ me as well. I now have a slimmer garmin than what's pictured. The plastic window of the map pocket is tight enough that I can just use the GPS like normal through it.
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[image: View Post]RustyA, on Jan 12 2009, 11:41 PM, said:
I'm using a nuvi 260w right now. It was a birthday gift. I use it between the Jeep , PowerWagon and the bikes. Later in the year, I'll get a 550 just for the VFR.
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What is the make and model of the mounting bracket that you have used? Where did you purchase it? I have the 250w NUVI and need the same set up.
Careful with that setup Alien. Its gets hotter than hell under that plastic sheet when the sun is shining on it. My mp3 player (has harddrive) shut down cause it got so hot.
For me being such an electronics freak I'm rocking the oldest. LOL Lowrance 500c.
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Here's maybe a stoopid question....
Can the little suction units that hold on to the inner windshield of the car be used on the tank? They seem to hold pretty dang tight on the windshield.... :huh:
[image: View Post]cbar, on Apr 5 2009, 01:46 PM, said:
Here's maybe a stoopid question....
Can the little suction units that hold on to the inner windshield of the car be used on the tank? They seem to hold pretty dang tight on the windshield.... :huh:
They probably would, but the consequences if they didn't could be worse on the bike than in a car where they would just fall to the floor. Also I wonder if there wouldn't be a more movement of the suction unit on the bike than in a car.
[image: View Post]FJ12Ryder, on Apr 5 2009, 03:00 PM, said:
[image: View Post]cbar, on Apr 5 2009, 01:46 PM, said:
Here's maybe a stoopid question....
Can the little suction units that hold on to the inner windshield of the car be used on the tank? They seem to hold pretty dang tight on the windshield.... :huh:
They probably would, but the consequences if they didn't could be worse on the bike than in a car where they would just fall to the floor. Also I wonder if there wouldn't be a more movement of the suction unit on the bike than in a car.
Depends on the weight of the unit and how much it moves. I tried my little Lowrance 350c and it fell off twice. The cups just stick to plastic/glass better.
I just bought a Magellan 4370 for $250 (everyone else is $300-400). I'll see if it'll out do my lowrance 500c. LOL
I made my own mounts bracket based on the stem mount idea, however i wanted to add a radra detector to it so it was all in one organized stylish mount. Heres the end result-
BTW I use a passport 8500 radar, Vizalert wireless LED alert system, chatterbox XBI for adding my iphone and ipod via bluetooth, the icombi dongle bluetooth adapter to the iphone, and a Delphi gps, all rigged up in a ZOX Genesis SVS helmet.
I love my setup!! Very easy to do![image: Posted Image]
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Well I asked GPS and mounting questions. So here's what I did with all the good info you pep's gave me.......and thank you for ya'll's help.....Monk
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My Minimalist GPS setup. Cheap, great on or off the bike, runs forever on batteries, can also be plugged in, easy to take on and off at stops.
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Here's my GPS setup. I used an HPRC box (similar to Pelican), an Aqua box to house the Nuvi 5000, a scrap piece of aluminum bent to mount the aqua box to the HPRC box, A waterproof SAE plug mounted in the back for power and an amplirider to connect the GPS, MP3 player and my phone. I have an external vlume control and headphone connection connected to the amplirider. It's all connected to the bike using a a sw-motech gas cap mounting system. If I'm leaving the bike, I simply unplug the power connector and take the whole thing with me. The power is connected is using a 30amp fuse and a switched relay so it all turns off when the key is turned. So far the setup has worked great. I've ridden in one downpour and everything stayed dry.
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[image: View Post]vwrxtrd, on Apr 19 2009, 10:20 AM, said:
My Minimalist GPS setup. Cheap, great on or off the bike, runs forever on batteries, can also be plugged in, easy to take on and off at stops.
Ditto. I have a dash mount in my jeep as it is a more accurate speedo for it and I can map out trails and read the topo maps :cool: and also you can plug it into a laptop and use it as just a receiver.
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Zach571
Here's my old setup.
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Ordering a Nuvi 750 today! :cool:
[image: View Post]trav72, on Apr 19 2009, 05:16 PM, said:
Here's my GPS setup. I used an HPRC box (similar to Pelican), an Aqua box to house the Nuvi 5000, a scrap piece of aluminum bent to mount the aqua box to the HPRC box, A waterproof SAE plug mounted in the back for power and an amplirider to connect the GPS, MP3 player and my phone. I have an external vlume control and headphone connection connected to the amplirider. It's all connected to the bike using a a sw-motech gas cap mounting system. If I'm leaving the bike, I simply unplug the power connector and take the whole thing with me. The power is connected is using a 30amp fuse and a switched relay so it all turns off when the key is turned. So far the setup has worked great. I've ridden in one downpour and everything stayed dry.
Ha! You win. This is almost exactly what I'm "doing" on my current project... Different box, as I need mine to fit an ST1300 (and several other bikes), but also with a SW-Motech mount (they make one with 12v connector built in, you know) and the GPS (and IMO) mounted on the box itself. I've also got my Autocom in the box, so loads more wiring and waterproof connectors to deal with. But, the principle is exactly the same as yours: maximum portability and waterproofness. Good on ya for making the concept work! :fing02:
Ciao,
[image: View Post]rangerscott69, on Mar 29 2009, 07:41 PM, said:
Careful with that setup Alien. Its gets hotter than hell under that plastic sheet when the sun is shining on it. My mp3 player (has harddrive) shut down cause it got so hot.
For me being such an electronics freak I'm rocking the oldest. LOL Lowrance 500c.
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Oh man, I almost clapped when I saw that it was playing Ronald Jenkees.
I've got a Nuvi 550 on mine, I'll try to get some photos up in a few hours.
[image: View Post]theganit, on Mar 29 2009, 08:16 PM, said:
[image: View Post]RustyA, on Jan 12 2009, 11:41 PM, said:
I'm using a nuvi 260w right now. It was a birthday gift. I use it between the Jeep , PowerWagon and the bikes. Later in the year, I'll get a 550 just for the VFR.
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What is the make and model of the mounting bracket that you have used? Where did you purchase it? I have the 250w NUVI and need the same set up.
It's all a Ram set-up. Got everything at GPScity.com :fing02:
ON the one time I used it on the bike, I just mounted the TomTom under the windscreen using the suction cup and bracket it came with.
However, while it worked well, next time I think I'll stick it on the speedo face, or if it's raining, in my tank bag.
For all the Garmin Nuvi users, there is a 12 votl to 5 volt USB conversion cable sold by Gilsson Technologies (www. gilsson.com). It is model gusbv-b. It has about 3" of wire on either side of the transformer. The cost is $16.95 plus shipping verse $25 + I found on other sites.
Here is a picture of my install. I haven't been on any long rides yet but will post up on if I have any problems.
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5 volt Transformer
It is wired up to one of Tightwad's fuse blocks on a relay controlled circuit so it comes on w/ the ignition. I tied it to my RR cooling fan. I have it installed w/ temporary Y jumpers until I decide if I like it that way. Then I will use double crimped connectors to clean up the fuse box area.
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Cheers :biggrin:
[image: View Post]VFRbeliever, on Jan 20 2009, 11:30 AM, said:
[image: View Post]vfr_steve, on Jan 20 2009, 08:06 AM, said:
I presume all these units displayed here are waterproof? As I'm looking for a GPS having got very lost going to a gig on Saturday but it were raining for most of the journey, waterproof sat navs for bikes seem soo expensive!! :blink:
You're right about the waterproof units being expensive. My TomTom is NOT waterproof, but I've used it in the rain (knock, knock) without any problems so far. While moving, it actually stays quite dry because of the windshield deflection. It's sitting at the stop lights where it can get wet. I am trying to devise a way to protect it from the water and still see the unit clearly. I haven't come up with any good solutions yet, but I'm working on it.
A zip lock bag and a zip tie :) Ugly, temporary, but it works, and you can still see the GPS through the bag
I've got a second stock wind screen. Gonna visit my plexiglass wizard and see if he can do some plastic welding or something
for the TOMTOM930. I am only looking at using the GPS on the bike when taking longer, unknown trips (like to Summer Summit!!)
so I can keep my DB smoked screen for typical use and put the stock clear screen on for tours.
Might even give it a coat of black just for slickness??? I'll post up if anything comes of it, beyond a big molten puddle of plastic.
Returned the Magellan 4370. The clear screen resolution was enough to keep it but the mp3 player would skip, slow screen reaction, NO HEADPHONE JACK!!!!!, stupid FM transmitter (I hate these, they're so weak) doesnt always work, only Bluetooth 2.0 (if thats a bad thing). Plays video (avi & divx), but couldnt get it to play any files. LOL
Likes: It did have the option to enter in coordinates. I surprises me how many gps units dont allow this. High resolution screen. Fits in back pocket. Bluetooth, but very small list of phone compatibility. My year old HTC touch pro didnt work with it, but they had even older HTC phones that would.
I got a Garmin Nuvi 780 off of ebay. Mp3 player doesnt skip, pics up satellites instantly. Just need to order a new batter for it and ram mount. The only thing I wish it had is fuel average/total fuel cost/etc on the speed/distant/speed page like the 205w does. O well.
The only beef I have with it is you cant tap the music progress bar to skip ahead on a song.
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Sorry, I couldn't resist. :) A map in the tank-bag is the only GPS I've ever used, found the best roads when I'm "lost".
BK I think I do more exploring with a GPS...nice to download those tracks to so you can get back another time.
[image: View Post]BustedKnuckles, on Apr 25 2009, 01:25 AM, said:
Sorry, I couldn't resist. :) A map in the tank-bag is the only GPS I've ever used, found the best roads when I'm "lost".
You "OLD GUYS" are all the same. You don't want to get with the hi-tech future.... :laugh: ...Monk
[image: View Post]Leeworthy, on Mar 2 2009, 01:05 PM, said:
Yeah, you could put your GPS in your map bag. I use the suction cup mount on mine and put it on the inside of the windscreen. Protected from wind, water, and the rest of the elements.
I just bought mine and it s more for car use (my wife was always lost :rolleyes: ) I did use it has you did but was afraid of the succion cup failing to hold thight with all the vibrations on a motorcycle!!! any trouble so far ??? keep me posted ,thanks !!!
Guys that are using a garmin 200 or 700 series. Does the cradle have a ball on the back or do I need to add one?
I've only really NEEDED it once.... went out for a ride with my daughter - just one of those 'get lost and see what we find' rides.' We'll we did. I had absolutely no friggin' idea where we were. I mean, nada - no clue.
It was getting really late and the kid was getting a little cranky. So, I pulled the GPS out of the tank bag, turned it on and told it to 'find home'. Turned out I wasn't ANYWHERE near where I thought I was.
I've used the GPS on long hauls, just to track where we went, speeds, rest times, etc. Unfortunately, on the Catskills run, they had just updated the WAAS output and they hadn't put together the patch for my old GPS-V yet. Thing fritzed and I had absolutely no idea why. All updated now and working great.
You might have to be a dirt guy to fully appreciate this one:
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:goofy:
Here's mine for a Garmin nuvi, just completed mounts off the brake MC cover. Black anodized 1/8" thick aluminum, I glued a thin piece of cork to the bottom to protect the top of the cover. Works great!
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The hardest part was finding the 17mm dia mounting ball. Haven't made a power connection yet.
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Okay, this submission is my shot at 'oldest GPS mounted on a VFR' catagory. The GPS-V, from the Mesozoic Era, mounted on my tank and wired via a Powerlet.
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End of thread · 69 posts recovered Wayback Machine snapshot 14 Jun 2011