| Author | Message | ||
     Oldog |
After having the opportunity to ride with my boss who has a tomtom gps I gotta have a gps!, the Garmin Quest seems to be a good choice for a limited budget, the hd cradle looks like a great mount, the ram is a close second. the hd quest and mount are about 500$ by the time i get all of the related bits I am close to that with the Quest I think. Any one have the ram mount and electrical connector setup? what issues have you had? TIA jim.. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
First I would not buy the Quest from HD or Buell. $500 is way too much. You could almost buy a zumo for that. Plus the zumo comes with the ram mount and unlocked maps cd. You can buy a new quest from ebay from 150 http://cgi.ebay.com/GARMIN-QUEST-CAR-GPS-NAVIGATIO N-RECEIVER-MAP-TALKING_W0QQitemZ140153952789QQihZ0 04QQcategoryZ116219QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZVi ewItem You can get a quest motorcycle mount from touratech for 59 bucks. With harness and all here is the link. http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/search.lasso?Sea rchTerm=quest+mount&=Search A fellow on bad web already loaded all of the Buell dealers into a POI file you can load onto your quest. Just in case of course. There was also a discussion about adding the RAN to it, I am not sure that ever happened. (Message edited by Lost_in_Ohio on September 03, 2007) | ||
| Oldog |
Just purchased the GPS, thanks for the links the quest bike mount is nice ( same as hd's ( and buells too probably ) refurb in box 1 yr warrranty 179.00$ has any one tethered their GPS? if so How.. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Jim, I posted fairly detailed instructions in the knowledge vault about how to cut up the home charger and convert it into the expensive part of the bike mount. The RAM mount parts (aside from the connector) are $20 or less (if you fabricate up a single bent bracket piece of metal). That being said, the $70 full deal from Garmin is a better setup. Good choice on the GPS, I am very satisified with mine (another bang for the buck guy). | ||
| Midknyte |
I just picked up a Magellan eXplorist 210. Cheap - goes for about $100-150 on ebay. Comes loaded with just a basemap, but has 22 meg for loading detail maps. Waterproof (resistant?) and rated for 18 hrs on 2 AA bats.  I'm diggin it. First time out I tossed the maps & plans I had at my first rest-stop & just went "thattaway"... They're a real nice thing to have in a pocket. | ||
| Jackbequick |
Jim, Here is the $70 mount Reep refers to: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=1228 It is nice because it both gets the power in and the audio out (to a headphone jack) and simplifies wiring into the bike's electrical system. And it also makes the GPS a quick and easy on/off proposition. As you see the Garmin parts there, you still need to attach it to the bike. That is either the do it yourself option that Reep took or here are some examples on the RAM parts for doing it. Handlebar mount or Clutch or Brake Clamp Mount That site is just an example, prices are in Canadian Dollars, the clutch/brake clamp is is also avialable in black (and a lot cheaper that way). The RAM mount pieces are many and sort of complex to choose from. If you elect to buy the Garmin mount to get the nice power cable and stuff, you'd need the following pieces to get it mounted to the bike: 1 - A ball mount to screw to the back of the Garmin mount 2 - A mounting arm (various lengths available) that will clamp onto the two balls, allowing full tilt and swivel. A 1.75" arm is probably about what you want. 3 - A mounting base with a ball that will attach to the bike (like one of the two seen above). Reep, has yours ever popped out of the mount by itself/accident? Any ideas on a tether? And if you think I may be wrong about how the RAM parts will work with the Garmin Quesst mount please correct me. Jack | ||
| Oldog |
I went to tour tech last night and ordered it, with the ram cradle ( I will keep that one as a spare ) | ||
| Reepicheep |
I use it daily. On three occasions in two years of use, I have looked down to realize it was not completely snapped into the cradle. It was still being held securely. I have no issues with the ram mount mechanicals. I just worry about any connector that makes the GPS very easy to remove and is exposed to the elements. Its a tough problem to solve. | ||
| Borrowedbike |
I used the RAM mount, but the cradle came with my Zumo. I did buy a ball that threads into the stock mirror hole (I have Bar ends) form Ram for ~10 Bucks, much cleaner setup. I use a 12V socket and cable so I can remove my mount and the wires when it's not in use. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
Borrowed.....do you remember the ram part number of the ball or maybe the thread size? | ||
| Reepicheep |
Remember the quest needs regulated 5v inputs Jim... drop me a PM if you need any help with that. | ||
| Jackbequick |
Reep, I still have some of those 12V-5V DC-DC inverters, if you can use one of those to help Jim out, drop me a email. Or Jim, you can just let me know if you want one. I thought that Garmin kit I linked above does the 12-5V conversion, is that not the case? Jack | ||
| Jackbequick |
"...do you remember the ram part number of the ball or maybe the thread size?.." The ball sizes are .56" (5/8" or "A" size) and 1" (or "B" size) and the threaded mounts come in 3/8-16 and 1/4-20 (both male and female threads) if I remember right. The mirror stems are a metric thread, no? I don't think I remember a metric threaded mirror socket mount base but maybe there is one. A call to the toll free number will help sort it out too. If you download these catalogs: http://www.ram-mount.com/pdf/universal.pdf http://www.ram-mount.com/pdf/gps.pdf http://www.ram-mount.com/pdf/motorcycle.pdf You can look through all the bits and pieces. It is a little work but you can look at the complete mounting kits in the latter two catalogs. In the first, you can see the component parts. The kits will work sometimes but the individual component parts are available and will work for tailoring a mount to more exact needs. I bought some of my stuff on eBay, also got some stuff from internet sellers like GPS City and Radio World. It seemed like hard work but it was worth the effort. Jack | ||
| Reepicheep |
Yes, I believe that Garmin kit does include a regulator... so if you get that you are good. It's if you don't that you need your own regulator. I have your regulators still sitting out... they are fantastic. Thats what I was going to use if Jim needed one  | ||
| Oldog |
I dont have the gear yet, thanks for the heads up on the 12v / 5v Bill / Jack If I need the regulator I'll post I have the standard mirrors so I will use the ubolt mount type ram mount ( I think thats what I ordered ) I "assume" that the radio can be connected via USB to a pc and the route programmed on the computer then loaded to the unit? I am messing with Google earth and I guess that it can't be used BTW thanks Lost_in, the links were helpfull. (Message edited by OlDog on September 05, 2007) | ||
| Borrowedbike |
RAM-B-236U 1" ball, 3/8-16 threads on the post. Pick up a cheap cell phone charger and clip the end so you can wire it up where you want, most are 5VDC. Hint, it it has an LED, it's probably got a regulator. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
borrowed Thanks a bunch | ||
| Reepicheep |
Don't know about the Radio, but the GPS can You plot the route on the desktop with the supplied Garmin software. Check the Garmin site as soon as you get it... there is a new version of the software out, and as you got a new in box unit you might be eligible for a free upgrade to the new version... and that old version might be worth a little something to somebody. So anyway, you click the route plotter tool, insert a starting point and a finish point, then you can "rubberband" the route wherever you want and "snap" it to whatever roads you want (and it will recalculate). You could also just plot the starting point, and waypoints on particular roads you want to hit, then the finish point, and that will get you routed how you want as well. The software is a little wonky, as all navigation software seems to be (and all in different ways), but its not bad. I believe you can use the $ version of Google earth to retrieve data from the GPS, and "fly" a route you rode, but I dont think you can plot routes on google earth and download them to the GPS. Which is a shame. You use the same software to download whatever maps you want. The Quest will hold about three states worth of detailed data, and has state routes and bigger for the rest of the US pre-loaded. When you download new maps, the old maps are automatically removed (took me a while to figure this out, and it is painful to manually remove them from the unit). | ||
| Jackbequick |
Oldog, You should get a MapSource City Navigator DVD with that Quest if all the pieces are in the box. Install that on your PC. Then go to Garmin and download the latest update to mapsource here: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.js p?id=209 Run that and it will both update your MapSource install and install the USB drivers you need so you can connect the Quest via USB. Then it is a case of selecting an area of mapping and uploading it to the GPS. MapSource will tell you if you try to upload more than the Quest's memory limits can handle. Jack | ||
| Reepicheep |
Any downside to maxing it out Jack? I try and keep 10 to 20 megs free for keeping a lot of track data... do they use the same memory space? | ||
| Jackbequick |
I'm not sure but I think that the Garmins like the Quest have an area of memory dedicated to track storage and that does not get used for anything else. When that is full, it either quits or overwrites as per your settings. The Quest will store 10,000 track points, that should cover a lot of distance. You'd have to play with the settings to get a feel for the maximum you can collect without overwriting but I'd think it would be good for a long day or maybe even two or three depending on the setting in use. My 2610 only collects 2,000 track points and it does it at a fixed rate of about 10 per mile. So at 200 miles my track memory is full and starting to overwrite. One of the flaws in that model IMHO. But my 76Cx can collect track points for days, weeks, or even months as long as there is some free space on the memory card. I think the zumo will collect unlimited track points too. It is only a matter of time before a zumo finds its way to my house... Jack | ||
| Reepicheep |
It comfortably stored a full "OH to TN to NC to TN to OH" round trip... and lots of junk that had been in there before that... So no idea how much, except maybe to sat "a lot". |
