| Author | Message | ||
     Armymedic |
Looking into a GPS for the Uly and curious as to what others are using. Currently I have an eTrex but it's battery powered, which I don't like. I'm considering a Garmin 2820 off of Ebay as I don't plan to spend a ton of money on one of the latest ones. What GPS are you using? Do you like it? What don't you like about your GPS? What mount? Thanks, Kevin | ||
| Froggy |
Any Garmin! I have the Zumo 550 and Quest 1 for the bikes, and three 265WT for the cages. They are the best in the industry, but I am sure you know that with the trex. The Zumos come with a Ram mount, easy to install. | ||
| Rwven |
I use a Garmin 2720. It works just great. The 26xx-28xx series Garmins don't have a battery like the Zumo's though, so they have to be attached to a power source for route editing and so forth. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Garmin 260 w/ram mount.... And if you are a AMA member... Discounts on Garmin Navigators and products Save as much as 20% on Garmin GPS navigation units and software. | ||
| Gs750t |
Use the Garmin 2610. It gets moved between bikes very easy with the ram mount. | ||
| Glenn |
Armymedic, I have an older model 276C. It is very easy to view in sunlight, re-routes quickly and can be run on its internal battery off of the bike. The bad is that you have to use the expensive propitiatory memory cards. I have gotten very good deals at GPSDiscount for years: http://www.gpsdiscount.com/ I do like it and have no plans to replace it for a long time. | ||
| 99savage |
Anybody know where one can find a mounting system for a garden variety Tom-Tom? Can not find a bracket to mount on either a bicycle or a motorcycle. | ||
| Gotj |
Two things I learned from my GPS purchase: First, make sure you get as late a version of MapSource that you can. A couple of years ago, I bought a 2610 with version 6.0 and almost immediately had to spend another $100 on an upgrade. Second, if you want to plan your trip on your PC rather than the GPS unit (which I can assure you that you do), make sure the package includes a MapSource CD. The 2820 does but some units do not. Otherwise, add another $100 to the purchase price. The 2820 looks like it would be a great unit. I prefer the Garmin motorcycle mount kit which includes wiring. I haven't had any trouble with the locking screw but others have. You will also have to get a RAM mount. | ||
| Mn_kid |
99Savage, I got my RAM mount from www.whitehorsepress.com. Very happy with their service. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
http://www.ram-mount.com/ramgps.htm | ||
| Armymedic |
I like the Garmin 2730 and 2820 due to the ability to add XM WX Weather, and XM Radio. The 2820 also adds bluetooth capability. I like the RAM mounts and plan to hardwire the power in with a relay block under the seat. | ||
| Froggy |
Gotj, the maps aren't an issue anymore. Garmin now provides free upgrades for 60 days. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
I have the Garmin 2820, and I like it a lot. It works really well, however it crapped out on me on day 2 of the Headless Horseman run. I think despite its waterproof claims, it couldn't stand up to 10 hours of the soaking Hudson Valley rain the day before. No problem though, I called them and I sent it in, and about 2 weeks later got a brand new unit. My mod for next spring is to wire an always-on auxiliary outlet, so the 2820 doesn't shut off every time I stop the bike. I can operate the 2820 with gloves on, and it has a fairly large screen, and overall is pretty solidly built. For reference I paid about $650 brand new. The mapsource software is cumbersome and really takes a concerted effort to manipulate skillfully, but once you get the feel of it, it works really well. Expect more compatibility with other mapping programs in the near future as well. I will however be carrying a high tech waterproofing device from now on.  | ||
| Rotorhead |
I love the Garmin 276C. Little spendy but the features are great. Mine dubbles as a fishfinder too. Water tight and sunlight veiwable. I stuck with Garmin's for menu setups. Once you know one system the units are setup close to the same. I have a GPS II and IIIPLUS and use them for the kids GEOCACHING. The RAM mounts are almost indistructable. Once the wife learned how to use it she is the one making sure we have it on long trips. As a side note: I went to buy some local detailed paper maps and was shocked at the prices. For the price of 2 state maps and a new small size road atlas and a MADMAP I was a 1/4 of the way to updated garmin maps on a DVD. | ||
| Reepicheep |
A used quest 1 from ebay for under $100 with reasonably up to date maps would be *hard* to beat. Buy a $10 external antenna to go with it, a $10 ram mount, and take apart the AC charger to hardwire it onto the bike. By no means the be all end all, but a heck of a device for $100 out the door and on the bike. | ||
| Red_chili |
A Garmin 60CSx works for me. Doubles as a hunting GPS as well. Sure the screen is small, but I have no issues with it. Power adapter is easy, RAM mount generally available, and transfers to my XR650R easily where its size is certainly an advantage. | ||
| Adrian_8 |
Garmin has great customer service and if you need to call them for help you speak to a real American in Kansas that knows what he or she is talking about..I use the Zumo 550...the 450 would be good if you don't need a car mount and want "Text to Speach" which means it not only tell you to turn like the 450 but it says the name of the road. The 450 does not have the blue tooth and the Siris radio. Looking back I would have been just as happy with the 450 and find a used car mount. The Blue Tooth I have is hard to hear about 40mph due to road noise and ear plugs. | ||
| Froggy |
My 550 came with both car and bike mounts. Anyway I will say it again, their service is top notch, my bike mount stopped working and all i did was shot a quick email to them, they said send it in, and about a week later I had a new one on my doorstep  | ||
| Chrisgrant |
Pricey but I love my Zumo 550. Its made for a bike and it has music, MP3 and XM. I never realized how much better it is to ride with music and navigation. I had the same question as to which one to buy. I opted to wait and save up and wait to get the Zumo. Glad I did. | ||
| Slowride |
Zumo 450 if you don't need XM. It will do everything else, you just have to hardwire the Audio. It's also made specifically for Motorcycles and uses the RAM mount. Garmin's CS is fantastic and the maps are great. I use Biketoaster.com to route my trips online and then down load the .gpx file to the pc. I dump my .gpx files to the sdcard and put in the Zumo. My main reason for the Zumo was custom routes. I am absolutely sold on this feature alone. Not to mention the processor is fast and reroutes are damn near under 3 seconds. I asked this same question before Buelltoberfest in Oct. of this year. After I looked at all the GPS options the "Right Choice" was the Zumo. I really have Froggy to thank for this expense, but it was well worth it and I have not regretted it since. I paid $380 for the Zumo 450 and it was a plug n play install. (Message edited by slowride on December 20, 2008) | ||
| Longdog_cymru |
Here are a couple of sites that may help with comparisons....... http://gpsinformation.net/ and a more general site http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/sat-navs?CMP=KNC-GO OGLE&HBX_PK=Jellyfish&HBX_OU=50&jtid=17810739&sour ce_code=X08RGJ | ||
| Atoms |
I've been happy with my 550. Next season I plan to get some kind of bluetooth gear for a pillion intercom and to listen to the Zumo. I anticipate that setting that stuff up will be a bit of a PITA, but so far I've had no problems. | ||
| Ulendo |
I went a totally different route. Acer One Netbook, running a Delorme USB connected GPS transponder.Also runs ECM spy ( data aquisition mode / Low octane reprogram in the field if necessary) and allows me to check email & keep in contact with friends and family while touring. On the Buell I run it in the top of my tankbag, behind the transparent screen, and can move it to my Jeep when doing family trips...pretty versatile, and it actually cost me less than a high end GPS here in the great white nothing.. | ||
| Chrisgrant |
I've been happy with my 550. Next season I plan to get some kind of bluetooth gear for a pillion intercom and to listen to the Zumo. I anticipate that setting that stuff up will be a bit of a PITA, but so far I've had no problems. I have a Autocom and it wasn't a bad to install and works great hardwired. Not sure about bluetooth. It is bluetooth capable, but I've not heard good things. | ||
| Armymedic |
Ended up with a good deal on a 2720 and RAM mount ($125 total). Getting power cord to hardwire in electrical power. XM and bluetooth would have been nice but don't know how much I would have used it. Will just continue with Ipod for tunes. Thanks for everyone's input. (Message edited by armymedic on December 29, 2008) | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Armymedic, good choice. Hardwire to electric is a must for this unit. Just don't forget to turn it off. Spend some time getting to know mapsource, and you'll be unstoppable with that unit. |
