GPS Reviews


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Wavex

New Member
So I made a search in here, but no match found for "GPS"... that's not right!

Everybody post you GPS setups, along with your "pros" & "cons".


here I go:
I used to own the Mio C310x which I destroyed during my crash...

View attachment 2794

Pros:
- Easy to use & small package
- Great options for the price (had paid $99 on Black Friday), lots of POIs and good mapping software
- Easy to hack

Cons:
- Battery life
- Cannot track a route
- not crash proof :D


Then I owned the Mio C220, which was pretty much the same as the C310x, but without any multimedia capabilities (C310x had MP3).

I just sold my C220 for $100 and bought the Mio C520 for $250.

For that $150 difference, here is what I got:

View attachment 2795 View attachment 2796 View attachment 2797

Pros:
- 4.3" wide screen
- Awesome thin design
- Text to Speech (will say street names too)
- Track route capability (main reason why I got this unit)
- Bluetooth 2.0 for Mp3 and phone... can also import Outlook contacts
- Play MP3, Photos & Movies

Cons:
- none so far (I just ordered it and don`t have it yet :D)



Anyone has experience with listening to MP3s via Bluetooth to Bluetooth earphones? I just ordered this to which I will plug my sony earphones (that fit perfect under my helmet), and try to velcro the receiver to the inside of the helmet... then I`ll be set, and will be able to control everything from the touch screen of the GPS... I just don`t know if bluetooth degrades the quality of the music or not??


Anyway, post up your reviews!
 

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ant_mb

Moderator
Here is my setup! Zumo 500 with ram mount.

Pros
MP3 player
XM Radio
Blue tooth
piece of mind

Cons
PRICE

I love this thing, I can ride anywhere I want and when I'm done simply tell Garmin to take me home. A lot of people say getting lost is half the fun. I agree, but finding your way home is the other half!:thumbup:
 

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Nelly

New Member
Hey Mate,
I use my TOM TOM 520.
Good size screen. Excellent re-route, mp3, voice activated, find POI, speed camera's.
Not a bike GPS but does the job really well.
I have not been able to find a mount for it (don't trust sucker mounts). I managed to buy a universal bar mount from Maplins for £6.00 that was partially compatible with my old MIO. I am still trying to work out a decent way of keeping the GPS in the mount. I am currently using an elastic band buy will also explore velcro.
Grommit found me an external power outlet on e-bay for £10.00 which is excellent.
In the next two weeks were are having our first UK road trip so I can report back on its functionallity.
One of the best bits about it is the box it came in is pretty sturdy ABS plastic. I reckon that if it rains it will provide excellent weather protection.
I am just trying to work out the best colour map options for bright day time riding.

Nelly
 
W

Wavex

New Member
Voice activated... nice!

The main reason why I did not even consider the Tom Tom line is because of their design... they are pretty thick (at least the ones I had seen) and have a weird round shape which makes them difficult to mount... is that why you could not find a Ram mount for it?
 
L

Live4Snow

:Lurking:

I have a Magellen Maestro in my Subaru. Works pretty good but I need to update it because of all the construction around here. I just wouldnt trust it in the rain and I dont have a good bike to hook it up to yet...:(:(
 
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Nelly

New Member
Wavex said:
Voice activated... nice!

The main reason why I did not even consider the Tom Tom line is because of their design... they are pretty thick (at least the ones I had seen) and have a weird round shape which makes them difficult to mount... is that why you could not find a Ram mount for it?
Click to expand...
Thats correct Mate, The Tom Tom biker GPS IMO was way over priced and had exactly the same functions as the 520 at half the price. It is a different shape so you can't just buy the mount. (forgot to mention Maplin is the UK Radio Shak)
I do find though that with the bar mount I have to take my eyes away from the road that milli second to long. I may give the sucker a go. I lost my MIO 289+ doin 65mph with the sucker.The only place I found it would stick was halfway down the screen. This hid the speedo. It bounced and did not break. Unfortunately MIO have very poor consumer back up in the UK when compared to Tom Tom.

Nelly
 
A

AJ Babaganoosh

I ordered a Tomtom Rider 2 yesterday. As far as I know, the Zumo and the Tomtom rider are the only two units built especially for motorcycles. The Tomtom is much cheaper and has most of the features of the Zumo. They are about the same size and both come with mounting hardware for bikes. The Tomtom also comes with a bluetooth headset. In the end I wound up choosing the Tomtom mostly because it is Mac friendly. The Zumo software only works with Windows. The rest of the features seemed pretty comparable, at least on paper. I will review in about 10-14 days.
 
N

Nelly

New Member
dark_isz said:
I use a discontinued Gamin 2610 I bought refurbished last year. It does the job and gets me where I want to go. It's also pretty good at finding food and gas when I'm in unfamiliar areas.

Here's the setup:



And a link to the mfg's page:

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=6397
Click to expand...
What colour map back grounds have you found that work the best in bright conditions?
Do you prefer 2D view or 3D view?
 
C

clunk

I've got the same Mio C310x that you started with Wavex. I mounted it to the left handlebar with a simple gooseneck mount. It's in an ideal position to be seen, but seems to pick up a lot of high frequency vibration when riding. I believe that RAM mounts have rubber dampers to help with that, but they don't offer a mount for the C310x.

I'll upload a picture if someone can tell me how to do it without getting an error ...
 
F

Fazerbl

Need power for my GPS

Hi, this is my first message on the forum. Sorry for my english but I'm a french canadian!

I installed a gps unit on my bike but I want to power it directly from the bike. The thing is I don't want to connect it directly on the battery. I want the gps shut down and works with the key switch.

I need some help because i don' know where to wired it. Maybe on the front light?

Is there a free spot in the fuse box for accessories like gps?

Thanks.

Fazerbl
 
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Fred

Re: Need power for my GPS

There is switched power at the fuse box under the right side panel. But there is no free spot in the fuse box, so you'd have to connnect to the existing wiring and add another fuse holder.

Are you planning to add more accesories later? If so, consider setting up an accessory fuse panel like I did. Mine is kind of overkill, you can get the same results for less effort and money if you don't plan to run as many gadgets.

http://www.fz6-forum.com/forum/fz6-mods/2799-accessory-wiring-right-way.html

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
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Fazerbl

Re: Need power for my GPS

No, in fact I do not plan to have any other accessories. Your installation is very nice and professionnal but for a novice in electronic like me, It is a little bit to complicate.

Thanks anyway.
 
W

Wavex

New Member
clunk said:
I've got the same Mio C310x that you started with Wavex. I mounted it to the left handlebar with a simple gooseneck mount. It's in an ideal position to be seen, but seems to pick up a lot of high frequency vibration when riding. I believe that RAM mounts have rubber dampers to help with that, but they don't offer a mount for the C310x.

I'll upload a picture if someone can tell me how to do it without getting an error ...
Click to expand...
Did you check this one out? Herbert Richter Bicycle Mount (HR-1569) - Mount for Mio GPS

That should work perfectly for your Mio :thumbup:
 
N

nimzotech

Question to you guys: What do you use as your GPS power source on the bike? Unit's battery or the bike's power? Please show pics or explain how to connect to the bike's power source. Thanks in advance.;)

I have a Nuvi660 (a car GPS) but would love to mount it to my bike now - if i can find the proper mounts and figure out my power source.

Here it is I found the perfect mount solution!
RAM-B-149Z-GA23
Now its just the power i need.
 
F

Fred

Re: Need power for my GPS

If you're just going to be powering the GPS, then you should be able to get power from the fuse panel with no problems.
 

C

clunk

Wavex said:
Did you check this one out? Herbert Richter Bicycle Mount (HR-1569) - Mount for Mio GPS

That should work perfectly for your Mio :thumbup:
Click to expand...
That's exactly where I bought my mount from, but mine has a short gooseneck to raise it up a bit and give me some flexibility for the Mio's orientation. I don't see that one on their site anymore.

WRT powering the Mio, I was going to install a power outlet connected to the battery, but instead I think I may just jury-rig an external battery pack for extended Mio operation (Altoids USB Battery Pack). I could stash the Altoids tin in my tank bag and be good for a full day's riding.
 
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