Sat navs

[Flip]

Right-O, I've only ever used one in a car (Tomtom) and found it both annoying and great in almost equal amounts.

But after my mate taking one (a more up to date car version Tomtom carried in a bike mount bag) on our little jaunt over to France earlier this year and it being brilliant for allowing us to travel the most rural routes possible. We also found our hotels in the centre of Le Mans and Rouen like we were locals as well as the one on the out skirts of Bayeux without a single missed turn.

I think the time has come for me to bite the bullet and get myself one- or at least something other than a trusty Michelin road map folded up in the window of my tank bag.

Question is- which one? Or more accurately what are the best options?

A bike specific one such as the Tomtom Rider (I rather like the idea of it's 'twisty route' function) or the slightly more expensive (and possibly Geeky) Garmin Zumo?

Or as my mate did, convert a cheaper car model to be carried on the bike- maybe not quite so neat as the motorcycle specific ones and might make me wish I'd spent the extra?

And lastly, do I go the Google Maps App route (pun intended) and use my i-phone?

Over to you all then please for suggestions, views, thoughts and experiences if you will.........

[slob]

for iphone i hated google and was very frustrated by the tomtom app, i've been much happier with the copilot app which is cheap but i've only done one overseas trip with it so far. planning, transferring and storing routes has fallen short on all the phone apps but that's basically down to apple not the apps. i keep perservering because i don't want yet another device in my life.

[Flip]

Cheers Slob I will check that one out.
When you use it do you normally just want a route or do you want an interesting route and if so how easy/possible is it to plot that in?
Also how much data does it use on the go for long periods of time like a days riding?

[MarkF]

I have opted for Garmin for ages now, only because I can plan a route on the computer, even drive it using Google maps and upload to the Satnav, I always find routing on Satnavs is a force to be reckoned with. Vibration, gloves on touch screen and water are your enemy on none Bike specific Satnavs, I converted my BMW navigator (Zumo) for use on the Monster.

Of course I am 5 years out of date with mine :) oh and lifetime maps is a must IMO.

On the phone I use Waze which is a pretty nifty free GPS app which is community maintained, finding it better than the Tomtom app, but it does need to download mapping from the net on the go sometimes so you need a data package.

[RossObey01]

I went for the Tom Tom RIDER 410 for nakie recent trip to Wales. It made the trip really! We were able to plot the routes in advance so we could ride exactly the roads we wanted.

I wanted to avoid using my phone because, firstly it would drain the battery before even a full days riding, secondly the data side of it. Yes you can download the maps to your phone to avoid using data on the move, but it's still not ideal.

Some of the features on the Tom Tom really do make life a lot easier, though (as you'd expect for the money). Probably the most useful feature I think is, on the 'route bar' on the ride hand side, shows all the features on the next 25 miles (?) Of your route. So every fuel station you pass within a few hundred meters is flagged up. Takes away any worry of running dry.

The twisty feature you mention Flip is nice to use, but I prefer to upload your own routes. I guess that function comes into its own when you're out on at ride and just fancy taking a different trip home. I must say though, the only time I've used it I, it took me through some single track almost dirt tracks through dartmoor, they certainly were twisty but not what I had expected.

With it being a bike sat nav it's also got a RAM mount and charging port, so but better than worrying about your phone dying or getting knocked about in the tank bag.

The units aren't cheap, but even having only used it a hand full of times I'm very glad I've got it.

[slob]

phone apps are fine for eg 'navigate to this postcode now'
i usually want to plan a week of back roads in europe on google maps and store it, so i load waypoints and the app recalculates the route each time. it would probably be fine on android but apple won't let an app get hold of external data like a gpx file
planning on a phone screen isn't very practical

tomtom wouldn't let me lock the screen in landscape so it would flip the map changing lanes or over crests which was really annoying and an apple update killed my workaround, tomtom support was non-existant because they really just want to sell you another device and having already payed for a lifetime of map updates i was ****** off when they tried to 'upgrade' the app to a subscription service

[RossObey01]

tomtom wouldn't let me lock the screen in landscape so it would flip the map changing lanes or over crests which was really annoying and an apple update killed my workaround, tomtom support was non-existant because they really just want to sell you another device and having already payed for a lifetime of map updates i was ****** off when they tried to 'upgrade' the app to a subscription service

In response to this and further my last post, not sure which Tom Tom you used but...

I found my Tom Tom would shake a bit at low revs which meant it kept flicking between landscape and portrait, however I was about to lock it into landscape mode, where it stays all the time now.

The Rider 410 also comes with lifetime map and, more importantly, speed camera updates!

[Wasta]

I have a Garmin Zumo. Works well with gloves, Bluetooth etc. I just don't connect to my lid, I find it annoying.

[pegboy]

I brought the tom tom 410 also back in August and used it for a two week trip Europe, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, was awesome, great bit of kit well worth the investment. I pre programmed some routes, went on discovery rides and recorded them, connected to my lid for directions, if you want you can play your music, phone calls etc I did not, but you could if that's your thing.

[Davy]

Garmin zumo 590lm fairly expensive new but worth it. Comes with all the mounts needed. There's actually a guy on the ukgser site selling one which is a year old.

[utopia]

Personally, I had a Garmin but didn't get on with it.
I just found it to not be very instinctive, and the graphics not very intuitive.
I had (still have) very little prior satnav experience though.
I changed it for a Tomtom, as I had used one of those in a car before and found it to be ok.
Still haven't used it on the bike much but I got a car adaptor for it and used it in the van for the WDW trip .. where it certainly passed the test.
Mine was on offer from Carpimoto and was a decent price .. probably an earlier model I guess.
Prices may have changed post euro-vote though.

[Dirty]

Just spend 3 years learning where you are going :mand:

[Flip]

Just spend 3 years learning where you are going :mand:

Yes but once you've done that doesn't it mean you begin to suffer with a strained neck from turning round talking about who you just gave a lift to?? :D

Seriously though thank you peepholes- you've been a help and like Slob, as much as I don't really want another device I think I am going to go for a motorcycle specific unit.

Now next favour please- is there any chance of a couple of photos of them fitted on your bikes please?

[RossObey01]

Rider 410 - Two photos fitted, last photo is with the mount fitted but sat nav taken off. The mount is pretty adaptable, so if you wanted to play about it's easy to do so. I've fitted mine on the handlebar bolts that go into the brake reservoir, but it also comes with a typical bar clamp if you've got space.

http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa397/RossObey01/Mobile%20Uploads/20161214_225424.jpg (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/RossObey01/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20161214_225424.jpg.html)

http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa397/RossObey01/Mobile%20Uploads/20161214_225354.jpg (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/RossObey01/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20161214_225354.jpg.html)

http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa397/RossObey01/Mobile%20Uploads/20161214_225320.jpg (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/RossObey01/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20161214_225320.jpg.html)