Motorbike Sat-Nav

[belltj]

Yes its terrible, but i am going to have to buy a sat-nav for my bike!

i live in East London, and only being in London 2 years, i know my way about reasonably but i want to find all them twisty roads etc and venture up north and south a bit...basically out of the rat race of london!

my question is...what do you (if you own one) have as a sat-nav, is it any good? what do you recommend?

I am going to wire this....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160660812756?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_1897wt_1189

straight into my battery and cable tie it somewhere in the bike safe and sound to provide the sat-nav with power!

i have a tom-tom for my car, and was thinking of a water-proof case? are these any good or should i just shell out and get a new/second hand one?

any help be great

Thomas

[rollo22]

All bike dedicated sat navs come with their own power hook up.
You basically have a choice of TomTom or Garmin both have their own pros and cons.

[Thirdway]

I have a Garmin Zumo 210. I hate it.
Had TomToms in the car and wish I had bought the Latest TomTom rider. Don't bother with a waterproof case, lots of mates tried that and it wasn't effective ( ok for the odd trip but not proper use ). Get the proper motorcycle device which is designed for the job.

In defence of the Zumo it's well built, can run on batteries for hours, has a card slot and fits nicely in the pocket. The interface is naff, the mapping in the UK is often incorrect, the display is not as easy to read as the TT and the voice instructions are in an electronic female voice which can turn A 64 into ayasizztyfu. Not pleasant. I used in in Sardinia this year and the pronunciation of one street took about 5 full seconds ( I was screaming shut the f up).

Oh if you want to buy mine I will happily sell as long as it doesn't mean a big cost difference for me to buy a TomTom.

[jamiedan2009]

I use my Samsung Galaxy S - Google Maps, with a w-proof case, etc. Stays dry and gets me where i want to go

[belltj]

well, i thought of buying the power lead as the link i posted above and then getting a water proof case for my tom-tom that i use in the car...i wont be riding in the wet unless im caught out!

would this be the best/cheapest way round it?

[simon_g]

http://www.ultimate-mobiles.co.uk/ do various waterproof cases designed for using car satnav on a bike, along with hardwire power cables that are a bit easier to hide away than a full-size 12v socket.

Have just fitted one of their iPhone waterproof case/bracket and cables this evening: http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/showthread.php?p=433380#post433380

[AndyC_772]

A waterproof case might be cheap, but I'm not sure I'd describe is as 'good'.

I had a Givi case for my TomTom, and the problem with that was that the clear plastic window in the case was made of quite thick plastic which wrinkled and pressed against the sat nav screen. That meant it kept operating the touchscreen, which kept starting and stopping navigation and messing about with settings.

I got sick of it; I don't get enough opportunities for decent ride outs to have them spoiled by stupid equipment failures. I ditched the TomTom, got a Garmin Zumo 660 instead, wired it in to the bike, and never looked back.

[He11cat]

I have Tom tom rider pro I like it .
I will say this when I brought my rider 2 it came with cord to stop you loosing it and the bit you slide it onto has a bit where the power cable goes in so. You can charge from bike.

Was really angry to find out when I got my rider pro .. All the basics stuff like that power plate and little cord are extras! I'm sorry but when you pay all that money you expect to be provided with basics.

[OrangeCat02]

I fancied a TomTom Rider but didn't like the price so I bought a faulty TomTom XL on ebay, fixed it (memory card issue, installed 'a' TomTom Navcore and 'some' maps).

Bought a waterproof case (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230820244978 it fits perfectly in the middle of the monster handlebars), angled USB lead and 12v car socket (similar to that one you listed) of ebay too.

Cost £55 in total. Socket fits fine and there is room above the battery, I run the USB cable up under the tank to the satnav. Not tried the case in the rain, but I'm fair weather only anyway.

Also download some free software called 'Tyre', you can plot itineraries on it and import them into satnavs.

[belltj]

I think all in all, i will update my tom tom i have in the car, install a 12v socket on the bike and buy a waterproof case!

Just need to know where to get updates for the tom tom...cheap...or free somewhere online!

[Thirdway]

I think all in all, i will update my tom tom i have in the car, install a 12v socket on the bike and buy a waterproof case!

Just need to know where to get updates for the tom tom...cheap...or free somewhere online!

Very hard to read in the rain and you have to get it out of the case if it crashes or you want to alter the route. I know it's the cheapest option, but I have mates that tried it and gave up. If you use the bike only in dry weather you can probably get away with it, but the plastic cases do reflect quite badly compared to the matt screen and you often cannot see the display. Rain has a similar effect. Plus you end up standing in the pouring rain, gloves off, usually somewhere awkward trying to re programme your none rainproof TomTom.

[belltj]

ahh damm...i am in 2 minds now...

i really only ride in the weather and i suppose the sat-nav will be for long-ish journeys and i wont be doing them in the rain!

might look for a second hand motorbike sat-nav!

[zhango]

By drilling a hole it is possible to add a headphone jack socket to the TomTom XL although that is the original XL and I don't know if there is still room in the latest models. The mount is from RAM and is very stable.
I use a cheap earphone off ebay and it works extremely well. I subscribe to the PocketGPSworld.com camera database which is updated weekly and gives warnings for fixed and known mobile sites.
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r25/murraysnudge/25mmjacksocketMedium-2.jpg

[OrangeCat02]

I can use my satnav through the Akron case I got. The only problem I found, was not with the setup, but using it on a bike rather than a car. In a car the screen is mounted on the windscreen, and is just a quick glimpse away. On the bike its down below, even though its just below the clocks I still found myself close to a kirb a couple of times, and a few other times looking back up and finding a surprise. I found it took some getting used to, thats all :)

[uksurfer]

A waterproof case might be cheap, but I'm not sure I'd describe is as 'good'.

I had a Givi case for my TomTom, and the problem with that was that the clear plastic window in the case was made of quite thick plastic which wrinkled and pressed against the sat nav screen. That meant it kept operating the touchscreen, which kept starting and stopping navigation and messing about with settings.

I got sick of it; I don't get enough opportunities for decent ride outs to have them spoiled by stupid equipment failures. I ditched the TomTom, got a Garmin Zumo 660 instead, wired it in to the bike, and never looked back.

i would second that, tried the cheaper car sat nav options but the garmin hard wired is spot on, no problem

[Char]

yup tom tom rider pro here - hardwired - best option if you can afford and probably cheaper in long run - plus mine took a tumble down road and still works

however dont ride with some one who has a Garmin (or vica versa) - the arguments about who's satnav route is best or 'where the hell are you going' arguments can be endless :mand:

Other points - Tom Tom has a 'Twisty Road Route' option

Garmin takes you down Swiss cycle tracks

[uksurfer]

yup tom tom rider pro back seat rider here

dont ride with some one who has a Garmin (or vica versa) - the arguments about who's quickest or whos got the faster bike or the
'where the hell are you going at the tolls?'
arguments can be fun :mand:

Other points - Tom Tom has a 'Twisty Road Route' option, especially helpful if your not keen on hairpins

Garmin takes you down Swiss cycle tracks, and low bridges that you have to duck to get under, but gets there first :mand:




i couldnt agree more

[Char]

i think your the best Char

shut it shorty:mand:

[northantsrich]

I use an iPod with the tomtom app. I just have the phone in a pocket and have the instructions go to my helmet. Works pretty well and more importantly keeps your eyes on the road not looking at a little screen. I feel safer doing it that way anyway.