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Thread: GPS

  1. #1
    Senior Member Jimmytee's Avatar
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    GPS

    Just looking for GPS recommendations. I have always used my phone, but thinking I might get a dedicated GPS. I have been thinking of getting a decent car GPS and a rain proof cover for it. I've read mixed reviews on some "Motorcycle" GPS units. There are some nice features of a motorcycle GPS like being able to select curvy roads etc.. However these come at a premium and not sure the added expense is really worth it. One thing I do like on my phone is being able to select "avoid highways" for more scenic roads. Just looking for opinions. Thanks
    "Go sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up"

  2. #2
    Senior Member Az Wingrider's Avatar
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    GPS

    I have a Garmin Zumo 665 which now outdated and can be purchased pretty reasonably. If you subscribe to XM/Sirius radio you can get weather and traffic alerts as well. I have mine hardwired into the bike but you can still pop it off when you are worried about security. Mine is six years old and has never given me any problems at all. That it is water resistant and shock resistant is a very positive feature. I also like that I can plan routes on my computer and download them into the GPS. I have downloaded multi-day trips of as long as two weeks with all the stops and it takes me directly to the front door of my motel at the end of each day.

    In my opinion mine paid for itself in the first year. I recommend buying one with lifetime maps.

    Good luck

  3. #3
    Philadelphia Eagles stepbill's Avatar
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    Jimmy, I have the Garmin Zumo 660 and really like it. It does not give you the curvy road option but it is supposed to be waterproof. I switch it between my bike and truck all the time. Have the bike mount permanently mounted and wired. Wish I would have gotten the 665 for the XM radio but I can still listen to that through my phone.
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  4. #4
    Senior Member 2wheelsforme's Avatar
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    Sounds like the first need you have from a GPS unit is to tell you were you are rather than where to go. You look at it and you decide what road you want to take. I have a Zumo 590 and most likely the best unit you can buy but yes pricey. The select curvy roads feature is not something that is ever used. Having a map that moves with you and in front of you all the time is something you can really get used to and grow to miss without it. The biggest advantage of the upper end units is having the ability to set at your computer with Google maps etc and plan a route, picking every road, then download it into your on bike GPS which will give you turn by turns thru your bike speakers or headphones, estimated arrival, miles, average speeds, elevation, etc. Even then you are picking the roads and not letting the Garmin Lady pick them for you. Even share the route with other riders. The "for motorcycle" means it has left hand controls, water and vibration resistant, glove friendly screen and a few more things. If you don't need those and you are not wanting to build your routes in advance then a $100 car unit will work just fine. If you get one that is easy to unmount from your bike you just put it in your pocket when it rains. The higher end units also have stored music, TPMs, XM, and Bluetooth to your phone while it is in your pocket so that music as well as anything you can access from the internet like radar, phone calls and music services is available to you. Motorcycle Zumos cost from mid 300 to almost 800. I would not get anything else unless going the really low cost car type. A phone does work fine but the constant power and larger screen and no need for cell service (I think you can get around that) is worthwhile.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Jimmytee's Avatar
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    I have been eyeballing the Garmin Drive smart GPS units. They would require a case , which there are readily available cases with visors and can be permanently mounted.

    The Zumo 590 is feature packed, but so is the price tag. I don't need features like the Sirus /XM as I have a tuner already built in with my aftermarket audio system and also have bluetooth from my phone for audio and USB etc... The Drive Smart series has Bluetooth and the ability to answer my phone etc... As I understand it,I can pre plan routes as well with the Drive Smart. I can be equipped for under $200.

    My question really is more geared towards whether the other features like the "curvy" road feature and any other features really made it worth while.
    My phone has worked fairly well, but it does need a signal to originate a map when searching. This can sometimes be limiting when in remote places looking for directions.
    "Go sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up"

  6. #6
    DarkSider#1617 Steve 0080's Avatar
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    I have the Zumo 550 and have moved it from bike to bike...there are still some out there for sale..Great unit!
    " Truth is often deemed rude, blunt and to the point which is why so few make their friend " Freddy Hayler ..352-267-1553 Sanford, FLA Gutterman6000@Gmail.com

  7. #7
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    Garmin 590

    Found a refub Garmin unit on e-bay. Still nearly $500.00. I've been using GPS since it became available to consumers. Before GPS, I used Loran in boats, then GPS came along and everything changed. My first GPS was in a boat. The first one I used on land was a Navman unit in the mid 1990s in my Jeep. It was purely an early adopter's toy. You downloaded the route & map to the unit via PC before you left, and there was no going off plan unless you had the PC with you. Big Luggable Laptop. Remember printing paper directions from Mapquest? It was like that only on the dash, easier to read, and it read the directions aloud (sort of). I've used other GPS units from Magellan (boat and land), Navman (land and boat), ICOM (boat), TomTom (MC and car), Teletype (MC and truck), Northstar (boat). And I've tried many GPS apps for iPhone and Android (phones and tablets), Google and Apple Maps, and apps that store the map and routing software on the phone when you are out of data range. Plus whatever junk Chrysler, Mercedes, Ford and Toyota and Nissan put in a dozen cars over the last 20 years... I got to play with a lot of toys.

    What do I think? The Garmin units designed for motorcycles are the best. Period. But I especially think that phone GPS using data can really really suck. Sure you can do it with Google and/or the few OK GPS apps that download the map and routing software to your phone. But these things are kludges. And especially unfortunate you will be if you decide to vary your route with one that depends on downloading detailed map and routing data as you go out of range of your data plan. And guess where that's most likely to occur? On the best motorcycle roads on the planet: in most of our big National Parks. Even Shenandoah NP near DC. Hell, even NYS's Adirondack and Catskills Parks still have huge land areas of of cell free zones. So forget the data based apps for phones if you want to really travel in rural areas. The few GPS apps that download both the detailed maps and routing software to the phone are barely ok. But make sure you have lots of empty storage space for a long trip and be flexible b/c they still don't reliably give you the best M/C friendly route on the fly. They over promise on the routing options. Most annoying? Turning around when the road in Utah turned to unpaved mud b/c I was trying out a phone app. Otherwise it was OK, even though I told it to give me the fastest route, with paved roads. So we could meet a plane home. Recently I played with an app that has all sorts of MC routes imbedded. But I also found that when I went off route, the thing tried to update the route and it failed to get me back on the route going the right direction.

    It helps that the Garmin m/c units are built to take a m/c beating. The have a good list of MC features too.

    I've had a two TomTom's. They are cheaper, fairly well built, but they aren't as well built as Garmin. Both of my TT's suffered mounting failures after 5 years or so. They are better than any phone based app on the market. So if cost is a big deal, and you don't care about having traffic and other apps that Garmin offers, the new TomTom is a pretty nice unit.

    There are no other makers. Magellan is gone. Teletype tried a few years ago, they make a truck GPS, their M/C version was too slow to update routes.
    For What It is Worth.
    Garmin or TomTom

  8. #8
    Senior Member 2wheelsforme's Avatar
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    I don't think the curvy road feature adds much value at all. More important is the motorcycle friendly aspects of a Zumo. Not familiar with the Drive Smart line. I'm sure you like any model you end up with and upgrades are always possible. I started with a elcheepo then a Zumo 550 and now a 590. Enjoyed them all.

  9. #9
    Senior Member lloydmoore1's Avatar
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    My question really is more geared towards whether the other features like the "curvy" road feature and any other features really made it worth while.

    The answer is no.

    I have a tom-tom rider 400. I rarely use the curvy road feature. On a normal GPS you can change your route by choosing 'select alternate route " this pretty much has the same effect.

    If you can find a way to keep your unit water proof then you can save a boat load of money a buy a normal GPS.

    If you buy a tom tom then you will get the "my drive '' app with it and this is a cool feature that allows you to log into any PC, create your route and then it will transfer to your GPS next time you power up as long as you log into the app on your GPS. Cool feature.

    by the way the tom tom rider 400 says it's water proof...it's not. I'm on my 3rd replacement unit now because the screen seeps waters and condensation forms on the screen. Stay away form this model!!!!

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve 0080 View Post
    I have the Zumo 550 and have moved it from bike to bike...there are still some out there for sale..Great unit!
    Same here, with a mount on both of my bikes. Used it on a 3200 mile trip a couple of weeks ago.

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