Triumphrat

bobh · 07-30-2006

Any one used a m/c sat nav, and if so which one and how do you rate it? I'm considering buying a tomtom rider but would value the opinions of some one who's used one rather than the sponsored reviews that are on offer.

Bob.

Dingle · 07-30-2006

If the tomtom bike sat nav is anything like the car one i,d get it .

I have a few mates with sat navs and the tom tom one seems to be the best , you can update it to put silly voices on it like dath vader etc and where all the speed cameras are .

sprinter900 · 07-30-2006

Well now then. I have just purchased a new Garmin streetpilot iii for £150.00 with ram mount and latest mapping. Its waterproof, and has easy to operate buttons (remember gloves). Okay so it is not the latest model but I don't require 3d maps. Installed it on my sprint and went for a ride Saturday night, tried to confuse it but each time it just re planned my route. Went up to the lakes Sunday with it and it performed quite well. It's a bit chunky compared to newer models but it's got the maps in it! The only major issue I have is the darned software took 3 hours to install. You have to install - uninstall - install to get it to work on the PC but then thats a Garmin thing - probably applies to all models.

Heres a pic (full res) of it mounted
Lakes Pic

It's got nice things like find the nearest petrol station - after going to 2 abandoned many years ago ones in Shap I headed to the motorway services! use it but use your head in the first instance!

bobh · 07-30-2006

Thanks for the info so far.

Sprinter, does the Garmin have a 2.5/3.5 mm ear piece socket which i could connect my existing helmet speakers to?

Bob.

sprinter900 · 07-31-2006

yes it does have a jack for voice output. Also I found it good when approaching junctions and round-a-bouts as it would zoom in to show your track around then zoom out once up to speed again. I went for the old model because 1) price and 2) big buttons

chrisn · 07-31-2006

A lot depends on how you intend using GPS, but I would always choose Garmin over TomTom. Garmin supply a PC based mapping package (Mapsource) which means you can plan tours on a large screen via your favourite roads and places very easily, then simply download into the GPS unit. These can be saved and editted etc. You can also upload a tracklog from the GPS to PC and see where you've been on those days when you stumble upon a great road but can't quite remember where it was. Same applies to locating exact spots for photos etc - simply press the button to create a saved waypoint. To me TomTom seems to be aimed at white van man and pizza delivery boys who need to get to a specific address the fastest way or make a detour when stuck in traffic - tasks the Garmin will also perform if required. No doubt TomTom fans will fire back stating routes can be planned directly into the unit but try preplanning a 3000mile tour round Europe using non-direct routes......

cully · 07-31-2006

We had a motorcycle despatch rider at our works the other day with a tomtom rider. I asked him how he was getting on with it and he said it he was having trouble with the connections as the pins were wearing through the connection discs on the back of the tomtom. He took the unit off and showed me and he was right, he said it was causing intermittant power outs. He also told me the tomtom was only 3 months old!!!! That said he is doing about 200-300 miles a day. Hope that helps.

Phil

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Sorry Mate I Didn't See You
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sprinter900 · 07-31-2006

My garmin has a track log of 2000 points that once full starts overwiting them - don't know if this is the same of newer models however I managed 5 hours riding and it was 99% full.

Good things are that it shows speeds altitude direction and times for each segment of the route. I should also mention that this is a serial interface model so you need either and older PC with RS232 port or a usb to serial converter. After I decided to miss a turning (ahem) it replanned across country to get me back and to be honest I was glad it did - nice scenery. Newer models will probably have the advantage of faster processors wich will speed up drawing time and route planning.

As chrisn says use the mapsource to plan your route as if you just enter the start and end address the gps will take you on the motorway when you maybe don't want to. Oh the only biggie I don't like is you cannot search by post code, You can add it as extra information but it needs road name and city to find the location (unless I'm doing something wrong) Accuracy is good for position and speed (my clocks about 2mph out) and as with all accuracy depends on how many satelites can be acquired.

It has major roads in already for the world and you upload the rest from mapsource. So long as you buy new youll be entitled to any updates. Tech support from garmin is a bit on the slow side. have a look in the google groups

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/alt...ite.gps.garmin

for any tech support issues and look for a tomtom group.

chrisn · 07-31-2006

Quote:

On 2006-07-31 06:10, sprinter900 wrote:
My garmin ... After I decided to miss a turning (ahem) it replanned across country to get me back and to be honest I was glad it did - nice scenery.

I have mine set so she asks me Yes or No for recalculation if I go off route. I generally opt for No and then I can either turn around or "freestyle" back towards the pink route line. This also avoids lengthy recalculation, especially if your on say a 200 mile route. (if you allow recaculate there's also a risk it will then screw up your intended route further along your way)

sprinter900 · 07-31-2006

Quote:

On 2006-07-31 06:42, chrisn wrote:

I have mine set so *she* asks me

sounds like it's become your new pillion m8 :-D :-D

good idea tou ill have a play and see about that one.