sat nav's


Will145

Will145

Moderator
GPS mount

Hi guys, anyone mounted a gps stay as of yet? I'm looking to buy a sat nav after I picked up my bike on Wednesday and just wanted to see what kit other people have? thanks!
 
badger27

badger27

New member
i use my phone via head phones to hear directions but i admit at speed i sometimes miss them through wind noise
 
jordatron

jordatron

New member
hey folks, picking up the brand new mt-07 from saltire on Friday afternoon and immediately plan to take an overnight run up north perhaps to Wick or Thurso, only problem is i have this uncanny ability to get lost, hence the hunt for a sat nav. Took a look online at the Garmin's and tom tom's there's just so bloody many of them so looking to get some feedback from riders who use them and maybe give us a recommendation.
 
Will145

Will145

Moderator
I didn't want to pay such an extortionate amount for a bike sat nav so I purchased a waterproof iPhone case and hardwiring kit, which charges my phone on the move, from ultimate mobiles and a sat nav app (that doesn't use mobile data). I mounted it to the mirror and it works perfectly for £250 less than a bike specific unit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
jordatron

jordatron

New member
yes did think along the lines of a waterproof case but wasn't aware you could get a non internet base map system on the iphone was it easy enough to wire in?
 
Jon

Jon

New member
I have Tom Tom on my iPhone: it cost a lot for an app: around £50, but unlike a dedicated unit they give you free map updates every time they update the app, It has all the maps onboard: so doesnt need a signal (except from the satellites) to work and uses no data. It is every bit as good as a dedicated unit in my experience. At the moment I just use a mono earpiece (a couple of £ from eBay) and use the spoken instructions only. I also have CamerAlert - which I think has the best "safety camera"(!) database and they run together - so I get audible Nav and camera warnings. In the future I will get a proper mount and a power supply, but for now it works fine and cost me the price of the earpiece as I already had TomTom. With a proper helmet earpiece - or better, a bluetooth one, you could also take or make calls as well. Not for me yet. I also have the same app on my wife's old iPhone 3G and my iPad...no extra charge if synced on the same PC.

No as good as a dedicated unit for touring - not easy to upload routes worked out on a PC and shared for example. But for getting from A to B...excellent.
 
allyw71

allyw71

New member
Using a phone is cost effective, but there are drawbacks compared to dedicated m/c satnavs, touch screen phones are almost impossible to use in those cases, the cases are very rarely 100% waterproof and the phones screen is hard to see in sunlight. Dedicated sat navs are not without their issues either, check out some forums for a heads up. I have a Garmin Zumo 660 and its ok, large screen and easy to use on the move with gloves on. Will you be using a headset or just looking at the screen?
 
Will145

Will145

Moderator
I paid £20 for co pilot premium, it's uk and Ireland maps, free updates etc. yep uses no data and it's handy for taking the twistys if you're on a bike (what I did with a recent trip to Stratford upon Avon). It was pretty fiddly to feed the wire from handle bars to battery but I got there (helps having done hydraulic engineering in the past, feeding hoses etc). I posted a link to what I bought in my thread 'GPS stay'


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
jordatron

jordatron

New member
hey guy's, i must admit the thought of wrecking my phone with a leaky waterproof case worries me a bit, plus i much prefer the large visual display over a smaller on plus headphone. will do like you said ally and check some sat nav forums and see whats best, leaning towards garmin right now as they seem like more sophisticated units although have heard some disappointing things about their newer models.
 
D

Deleted member 20

Guest
Best (by far?) is the new Garmin Zumo 590LM, in a store near you very soon. Has 5" 800x480 display with much better visibility in sunlight.
I am using my 5+ year old Nuvi 500 with 3.5" and 320x240, that is good enough for me. Just upgraded it with free 2014 maps (piratebay). Free Garmin BaseCamp software in PC for waypoint/route creations, which I then USB-transter to the gps. Works great.

http://youtu.be/5SxUzNdpNOI
 
Last edited by a moderator:
jordatron

jordatron

New member
oaft just had a look at that 590 LM it certainly does have all the bells and whistles coming in at a nice cheap £550 (ouch!) however, that is what credit cards are for.
I think it might well be the one for me! cheers and30ers
 
TJ63

TJ63

New member
I've had a Zumo 550 for a number of years and it's been brilliant. The latest one can only be better.

Make sure whatever you buy has Bluetooth. Some Zumos don't, so check the specs carefully.
 
D

Deleted member 20

Guest
The new 590LM is a BIG step up from all previous motorcycle-Garmins, a long overdue technology refresh.
Nuvi 500/550 and Zumo 220 had all the 3.5" and 320x240 pix screen.
Zumo 340/350/390/660 had all the 4.3" and 480x272 pix screen.
Zumo 590 has 5" and 800x480 pix, that is 5x or 3x the pixel count vs. the old ones.
 
allyw71

allyw71

New member
Once you have trawled through the minefields of sat navs, you enter the next minefield of headsets, good luck on that one :rolleyes:
I currently have a cardo scala g4, it does the job adequately, but I think the upcoming Sena S20 is going to be the one to have, at a premium of course.
 
Scoobie

Scoobie

New member
jordatron said:
hey folks, picking up the brand new mt-07 from saltire on Friday afternoon and immediately plan to take an overnight run up north perhaps to Wick or Thurso, only problem is i have this uncanny ability to get lost, hence the hunt for a sat nav. Took a look online at the Garmin's and tom tom's there's just so bloody many of them so looking to get some feedback from riders who use them and maybe give us a recommendation.
Click to expand...
Good luck picking your bike up on Friday! I'm getting mine from Saltire as well, but not until 14th June. And, like you, I'm off for an epic ride afterwards - going to Isle of Lewis. I traded in my MT-03 and they've got it up for sale there at the moment.

With regards to satnavs, I've been a real lazy and stingey git. I've had a satnav app on the iPhone and plug the earphones in and LISTEN to the directions! Google Maps have fairly improved their app with regards to live directions and with plotting my routes online with my gmail account, it'll download each route when I need it.

Let us know what you go with.
 
jordatron

jordatron

New member
allyw71 said:
Once you have trawled through the minefields of sat navs, you enter the next minefield of headsets, good luck on that one :rolleyes:
I currently have a cardo scala g4, it does the job adequately, but I think the upcoming Sena S20 is going to be the one to have, at a premium of course.
Click to expand...
ahhh that does look sleek, cant whack a new gadget.
 
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