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Favorite Garmin or Other GPS Solution

wantabeach

Guest
Guest
Do you use your phone, GPS, maps?  If GPS, which one and why?  If phone, what apps do you use? 

Separate but related, don’t GPS units come with maps?  Why do I see conversation about purchasing additional maps? 

Thanks
Paul
 
The best motorcycle-friendly GPS I have purchased (and actually still have) is the Garmin StreetPilot Series 2700's or 2600's series. I've owned 3 units since I started riding.

Pros: Very cheap, weatherproof, glove compatible, ideal for bike. They are old school but still easy to find the GPS unit and the bike mounting hardware on Ebay.

Cons: it is tricky to find new updated maps, it is tricky to install new maps for the first time, the display is not as fancy as newer GPS or cell phones (2600s series is 2D while 2700's series is 3D map)

I actually gave up the GPS unit for most of my riding and I simply use my cell phone - much simpler and most up-to-date maps and POI. But if I ever actually decide to travel outside the USA or even across the country, I will need the StreetPilot running, since it does not require cell phone signal to work, unlike the cell phone GPS.




 
This was discussed on the C14 forum recently... http://forum.cog-online.org/accessories-c14/best-gps/

Some good ideas thrown in that thread for alternatives. But to remain on your topic/question, my fave is the Garmin zumo 595 which does contain lifetime maps. Previous models of Garmin and maybe some other brands only had maps for that year which is why you'll hear some folks say purchasing maps for the current year. Or if you're using a non vehicle type of GPS, you can purchase topo maps for hiking.
 
I have a zumo 660.  I use it as well as my Android phone. The 660s are now obsolete cradles and such are not available anymore. The secondary market is very expensive. I guess what I am saying is if you buy a used unit make sure parts are available at a reasonable cost.
 
I started with the Garmin 50LM and then the Garmin Nuvi 2557LMT - which I presently use mounted with a ram mount in the tapped hole where a mirror could go on another model of Kawasaki. I've had great luck - I just have to store it when riding in the rain.
The built for a motorcycle GPS are all very expensive and loaded with features I don't want.
The 2557LMT has been obsolete for some time now but it does have free maps and updates for Mexico, Canada, and the US. I've found it to be very accurate in Mexico.
 
G'Day, I use TOMTOM Rider 550  which I purchased in the UK with free world maps etc.and it is a nifty bit of kit. Matched with a CARDO it pretty much has all the bells and whistles. I'm running it with a radio, GPS and Intercom at the moment, an additional connection would be my mobile phone as well (not using that at this stage.)
 
BB said:
...I actually gave up the GPS unit for most of my riding and I simply use my cell phone - much simpler and most up-to-date maps and POI. But if I ever actually decide to travel outside the USA or even across the country, I will need the StreetPilot running, since it does not require cell phone signal to work, unlike the cell phone GPS.
This keeps coming up, and isn't true.  I don't know of a good cell phone GPS app that doesn't allow you to download maps for off-line use.  You just have to make the effort to download the maps before your trip.  The cell phone GPS is like the standalone GPS units in that it doesn't require a cell phone signal.

Chris
 
Rider I went to this years national used his cell phone as GPS till the
vibrations killed it. It would shut off completely. When he tried to take
pictures of the flight 93 memorial the screen was all wavy. It was mounted
with a ram mount on a ternary.
I carry a cell phone and keep it in my pocket. I use a 660 to help me
get lost and confussed.
 
Tom Tom Rider for the bike.  Paired to my Sena headset.  Get a bike-specific gps.  The screen will almost always be better in sunlight.  As mentioned before, they are pretty much vibration proof.  Also, phone gps will eat a ton of data up. 
 
I've used my Garmin Zumo for years, but recently, Google Maps has gotten pretty decent as well. So sometimes I use it instead of the Garmin, which sometimes goes into weirdness trying to compile a route but gets stuck at 99%.

Whatever works.
 
I have a Garmin nüvi 2557LMT – since I live in a smartphone/app free zone, this works well for me – not totally sunlight readable, but I just got a water-resistant case and will see how that works since it has a sun visor – otherwise for some years it has been dirt-reliable in whatever vehicle I have it in…
 
Paul said:
I would like to get a garmin.

How do i plug it in to recharge?
The less-than-optimal solution is to plug the Garmin directly into the 12V port on the dash.  However, then you have to constantly check that the plug hasn't vibrated loose.  My solution is to hard wire it to the bike's electrical circuit.  There are a couple of aux 12v ports available under the left dash panel stuffed up in the wiring bundle.  Much better option and, iirc, switches on/off with the bike's ignition
 
Ok I didn't notice a 13v on the dash, and I will look for those aux underneath thank you so much.
I've just gotten used to the 5 inch Garmin in my old Honda car. I like to see which way the road is going to turn.
 
Cig plug would have to be an add in to your c-10. I have one zip tied to the left bar riser and wired into the aux connectors under left side panel. Gps is mounted with RAM mounts. You can power a Garmin from a USB if you get the correct cable. It has to be a power only cable not one that can transfer data from a computer. I have got them from Amazon for a few bucks with a cig to usb adapter.
 
Greenie said:
I've had good luck with a direct wired power cord - the cigarette lighter method didn't maintain a solid connection.

+1 on the direct wire for the GPS. I have done that now also. One less connection to get dirty or loose. One overnight on the Outer Banks of NC. and the cig lighter was corroded enough to cause problems. I still have the cig lighter adapter that can be used to power a tire pump or a duel usb adapter so I can charge a phone, head set or any other items.

I have an additional fuse block in the left side cover so I can use the correct size fuse for the device/ wiring of an accessory that is controlled by the ignition key.
 
I encircle the male plug with a rubber band before inserting onto the 12V outlet.  This protects from water intrusion and also prevents the plug from backing out from vibration or a tug on the cord.  Very simple, practically free. 
Learned this trick after I had to clean corrosion, not unlike described previously by JPD, and my cleaning made socket slippery and plug kept retracting on a ride.
 
I reluctantly got a Garmin Zumo that I decided to keep, it has way too many useless to me features, I used it only as a reference and still used paper maps as some of the routes it wanted me to take were absurd, I'm glad I knew where I was going. I'm not giving up paper maps anytime soon. ;D
 
Bruce and others

The aux leads under the dash are not switched, on all the time.

For powering a GPS, I prefer the unit to be hot all the time. Not enough draw to kill the battery during a lunch but very useful to route/reroute on the side of the road or in a parking lot. Mine is powered from an aux. fuse block.

If using a Garmin unit, the supplied power cord has an inline fuse in it. 
 
2andBlue said:
I encircle the male plug with a rubber band before inserting onto the 12V outlet.  This protects from water intrusion and also prevents the plug from backing out from vibration or a tug on the cord.  Very simple, practically free. 
Learned this trick after I had to clean corrosion, not unlike described previously by JPD, and my cleaning made socket slippery and plug kept retracting on a ride.
I like that rubber band idea. I run power to my tank bad via a switched SAE connector, converting to cig outlets inside the bag. I cuts way back on the sockets vibrating loose. I also picked up a small micro USB battery pack, I think about 10k milli amps that I can use as a power source when not riding, though not for the GPS(el cheapo Nuvi 2589LM and sorta T)
 
Great question and many great answers. Everyone rides differently (Some ride in 100+ degree temps and some ride below freezing, some ride in dry climates and some ride where rain prevails). Also, many of us vary on how definitively we depend on what our GPS states and how much we need them to function in varying climates. I have used a Garmin (designed for cars), a Garmin iPhone app, a Magellin (ruggedized and universal in design per advertising), and finally a Garmin made for Motorcycle unit with maps purchase separately. For me it was a long process as I struggled to pay "motorcycle" prices for a GPS. Full disclosure I ride to work every day I can in the PNW (read no snow or ice, and tour 15-30 days at a time per year (this may be different from others habits which is important). For my style, when I, as a committed full time rider, need the assistance of a GPS,....units not specifically created for a motorcyclist seem attractive in price or functionality, however they have failed me in each and every endeavor. I now use a Garmin specifically designed for use on a motorcade. While not perfect, I have never been left with it unfunctional as I have with each and every device before it. It is a pretty penny, however I would have saved money if I would have purchased a Garmin Motorcycle GPS the first time.....even with the cost of additional maps. I also use it for hunting.
 
antibus points out something that I found.  I tried everything but a "motorcycle" GPS, because of the cost.  In the end, I paid more than if I'd just gone out and bought a motorcycle GPS.

I'd look for  refurbished unit.  That's what I ended up buying and found it to be exactly the same as a brand new model, even to the new product warranty.  Except it was hundreds less.

Chris
 
Daboo said:
I tried everything but a "motorcycle" GPS, because of the cost.

I'm inching up on this -- I don't mind the auto GPS most of the time, but I find them to be occasionally unreliable (requiring power down then back up, right when you need to rely on it for a critical turn), and on occasion laughable (as they age).  I usually have hand-me-downs so that may be a factor but as Strawboss mentioned -- I usually just glance at them and hold my last look at the paper map in my geriatric, nondigital memory... it's worked for fifty something/plus years of riding, my guess is it will continue to as long as I have any business on a bike...
 
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