Thumper Club Forum
Club House => Chatter => Topic started by: guest7 on February 03, 2011, 09:06:32 AM
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I'm finally having to throw in the towel and buy myself a small GPS device, if only for work. I get fed up trying to track down customers' houses and the like. It also struck me on the weekend as I belted over to Chippenham to deliver the GB that sometimes it would be nice to find somewhere without having to balance hand-written notes on the steering wheel.
Can any of you recommend a budget GPS that can be used in the van and on a bike?
GC
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Ask Simon Morgan aka Inspector Gadget, he bought a good one for £93.
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Hmmmm... £93... you could buy a lot of maps for that ;) :D :D :D :D
I think Simon went for a good GPS because of his geo-caching hobby, I just need a cheapie device to navigate the British road system. Or is £93 cheap for a GPS? I have no idea ::)
GC
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£ 93 is very cheap for something suitable for use on the bike [needs to be waterproof]. tomtom or garmin both good but will cost @£4to500. I have tomtom in my van, easy to use, and garmin zumo for the bike less user friendly but very good when you get the hang of it. Both bought from Pentagon GPS in via ebay. If you just want one for the van it will be a lot cheaper. I did have a cheaper one originally but it was very fragile.[cant remember the make]. Unless it is very cheap you are better off getting one off the established names.
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The main problem with using any car GPS on a bike is going to be waterproofing and vibration - thats why bike specific GPS is so expensive- a small decent tank bag with some padding would probably solve most of that if you use a car unit. Bike specific ones usually have 'glove friendly' buttons too! Garmin seems to be one of the most popular decent makes - the cheap ones that sometimes come up at the Aldi/Lidl et al usually seem to have problems from what I read when I was looking into one.
You won't get much below £100. The BMW GS option GPS was over £1500 some time ago!! ::)
Have a word with Steve D - he's been using GPS on his bike for years and seems to be a font of knowledge
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If its just for occasional use around town then I would look at some of the solutions you can get on mobile Phones. I recently bought an Samsung Galaxy Europa for my son (£90), its uses the Google Android OS and has all the toys including a GPS receiver.
I use a Nokia phone (with GPS receiver) and pay £5/year for the SatNav software.
Steve
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ive a garmin nuvi i bought new for unde 60 quid from ebay. not bike specific, but i have used it on the bike, i just shut it inside a clear topped tupperware box on my tankbag.
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Bought the g/f a Garmin nuvi 1340 for chrimble, it was under a ton. Easy to use and if you want to use it on the bike, thre are pleny of waterproof cases you can buy.
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i got a navigon gps from halfords at xmas for £79 which covers europe,about £25 cheaper for a uk only one. then i got a waterproof bicycle/motorcycle case that fits on your handlebars from amazon for £13.I cant say how good it is yet(havnt been far enough to need it) I think the expensive bike models use bluetooth but is that worth £300 more?
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All good advice fellas, keep it coming ;)
I'm more than happy to use a waterproof case or tankbag, etc. to keep a car model dry, it strikes me that I'd have to do a LOT of riding using the GPS to justify a bike model.
GC
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forgot to say,the navigon sat nav only came with a car charger so you would have to buy a home charger or fit a fag lighter to your bike
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Yep, you need a Garmin Nuvi, they can be picked up quite cheap and indispensible for me as I'm always going to odd places when looking for customers houses. I would say that it has at least paid for itself by me not getting lost or when I went down to Reading to do a kitchen, just put in all of the suppliers addresses and hey presto, get where you need to be.
You certainly don't need a Zumo like my bike one, quite expensive and you wouldn't want to just press a button on your helmet to bluetooth link it and then listen to the MP3 as you ride along just following instructions and not getting lost!
(I still love my maps tho')
Look for a Nuvi, you won't be dissappointed. PS I have got a cigarrette lighter power supply for mine and with the suction cup mopunt onto the rev counter glass ahve used it on the Yam very effectively and as Tom says you can easily get a waterproof bag to put it in. ;D
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Aye GC,
Use these all the time at work to record soil pits, navigate about strange bits of hill, woodland, forest etc. Get covered in mud, used in rain, dropped bounced, squashed, etc.
Garmin GPS12, solid, 'old' tech, 'brick' of an instrument, but good enough to use once you've arrived at a town/village, to haul out switch on and 'GOTO'. Plenty of re-furb, 2nd hand units + accesories on Fleabay ( your favourite shopping experience!).
No longer any 'new' updates from Garmin site, but cheap and rugged. Don't 'see' the satelites to well from under trees or in buildings.
'Garmin12 link' (http://catalog.ebay.co.uk/Garmin-GPS-12-GPS-Receiver-/56018639?_pcatid=121&_refkw=garmin+gps+12&_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A3444&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14)
Another model which is cheap and good but still has the viewing satelites weakness is the Garmin 60 GPS.
'Garmin GPS60 link' (http://catalog.ebay.co.uk/Garmin-GPS-60-GPS-Receiver-/77412686?_pcatid=121&_refkw=garmin+gps+12&_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A3444&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#pbe-rvws)
If you have more dosh (HMRC!) then the Garmin 60Csx is the preferred and obligatory instrument if you want to win contracts. All the bits and pieces and the ability, because of it's aerial design, to get sub 10m accuracy beneath tree canopy. Use this always these days in the job. Updates to software from Garmin still available.
'Garmin GPS 60 CSx' (http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_nkw=garmin+gps+60csx&_sacat=0&_odkw=garmin+gps+12&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1311)
Manufacturers website: 'GARMIN' (http://www.garmin.com/uk/) This will drive you 'potty'!! Simon's 'porn' site!!!!!!!! ;D
My regards, Bill.
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Cheers for that, I've put a bid on one of 'em.
GC
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Aye GC,
Use these all the time at work to record soil pits, navigate about strange bits of hill, woodland, forest etc. Get covered in mud, used in rain, dropped bounced, squashed, etc.
Garmin GPS12, solid, 'old' tech, 'brick' of an instrument, but good enough to use once you've arrived at a town/village, to haul out switch on and 'GOTO'. Plenty of re-furb, 2nd hand units + accesories on Fleabay ( your favourite shopping experience!).
No longer any 'new' updates from Garmin site, but cheap and rugged. Don't 'see' the satelites to well from under trees or in buildings.
'Garmin12 link' (http://catalog.ebay.co.uk/Garmin-GPS-12-GPS-Receiver-/56018639?_pcatid=121&_refkw=garmin+gps+12&_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A3444&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14)
Another model which is cheap and good but still has the viewing satelites weakness is the Garmin 60 GPS.
'Garmin GPS60 link' (http://catalog.ebay.co.uk/Garmin-GPS-60-GPS-Receiver-/77412686?_pcatid=121&_refkw=garmin+gps+12&_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A3444&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#pbe-rvws)
If you have more dosh (HMRC!) then the Garmin 60Csx is the preferred and obligatory instrument if you want to win contracts. All the bits and pieces and the ability, because of it's aerial design, to get sub 10m accuracy beneath tree canopy. Use this always these days in the job. Updates to software from Garmin still available.
'Garmin GPS 60 CSx' (http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_nkw=garmin+gps+60csx&_sacat=0&_odkw=garmin+gps+12&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1311)
Manufacturers website: 'GARMIN' (http://www.garmin.com/uk/) This will drive you 'potty'!! Simon's 'porn' site!!!!!!!! ;D
My regards, Bill.
Bill, Do these Garmin's have road mapped navigation capability? I think these would be fine for geocaching or off the beaten track where you need accurate waypoints, but I think what Graham's after is an automatove sat nav with features such as postcode search, turn-by-turn navigation, POIs, etc.
I've used a cheap £50 Navigo sat nav from Ebuyer for the last few years and hacked it to replace the Turbodog software with TomTom and igo8. I protect it from the elements with an Otterbox (2nd hand from Ebay) connected to the handlebars with a RAM mount. This gets around the problems mentioned by others with moisture and vibration, but the cold can also be a killer and the unit hasn't been as reliable the last couple of Eleffant/TTs.
The dedicated motorcycle units from the well known brands out there are IMHO overpriced and from what I've seen don't always deliver seeing as they're supposed to be bike specific. I'm thinking here of the failed power connectors on the TomTom Riders. Jethro's brand new Garmin unit also had power issues on our recent trip. It seems to me you don't seem to get a decent biking satnav even if you're paying for it.
Saying that, I know SteveD swears by his Garmin Zumo (550?), but this is quite a pricey unit. Personally, I think I'll be sticking with a cheap car based unit in an Otterbox, but I did recently come across the following bike specific one that looks interesting:
http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/6879598/art/mappy/mini-330-gps-for-motorbik.html (http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/6879598/art/mappy/mini-330-gps-for-motorbik.html)
Mobile phones, especially with built-in GPS receivers are an other option. I have used a mobile a number of times when my dedicated satnav has been playing up, but the small screen size can be an issue when on a motorcycle. Also, unless it has a nice big touch screen, it can be awkward to use with gloved hands.
The other thing to bear in mind is that the majority of the satnavs and mobile phones have a very short battery life so a power supply from the bike's battery is a necessity unless you're doing very short journeys or you're disciplined enough to put the device into standby (if you can do so easily with gloves) for long sections of road, such as on motorways or major A roads, where you know there isn't going to be a turning for a long while.
HTH,
Simon
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Quote "The dedicated motorcycle units from the well known brands out there are IMHO overpriced and from what I've seen don't always deliver seeing as they're supposed to be bike specific. I'm thinking here of the failed power connectors on the TomTom Riders" Unquote
Hi Si, GC
I have used a TomTom Rider 2 for the last 3 years now, this is it's 4th year. It has done 3 trips to Spain/Portugal on the R75 BMW, numerous trips in Britain on the Velo Thruxton and this will be its 4th. Dragon (I Hope) on the DR. I have had no battery power problems, it runs for around 8 hours with no power connection. In the second year the Velo's vibration and a thin metal homemade mount managed to destoy the battery connection for in use charging, a phone call to TomTom with the serial number of the Unit and 2 days later a new mount arrived, no return requested of the old one so I use that for less than 8 hour runs. Every time I connect it to the PC it updates its maps and for £44/annum I get a complete new updated set of Western European maps every 4 months. The second mount has slightly stronger springs which prevent the vibration reaching the little pins in the back. I agree the mount is the weak spot but as long as consideration is given to limiting the vibration the mount is exposed to, the unit seems to be quite good.
Using Tyre for itinerary planning and downloading to the TomTom gives you an easy choice to add your own sections to routes, avoid bits of road you do'nt want to use or simply go your own chosen way with guidance.
The Bluetooth is a mixed blessing, if you are running an itinerary and change it enroute the bloody GPS is whingeing away in the headphone until you stop and put it right. I keep it turned off. The messages about connections can be an on screen annoyance, you can guarantee that just when you have a tricky bit to follow the bluetooth screen message will come up and tell you you have no connection, you know this anyway, but you cannot turn the messages off and they hide a percentage of the map on screen. The mobile phone stuff is totally uneccesary, who rides a bike and makes and receives bloody phone calls, only pan posers. I had hoped that the new versions of the Rider would correct the faults of the old but they just seem to have limited the functionality (keeping all the ruddy bluetooth) to make the units cheaper so when this dies I will be looking at Garmin I guess.
HTH
Furry
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Mobile phones, especially with built-in GPS receivers are an other option. I have used a mobile a number of times when my dedicated satnav has been playing up, but the small screen size can be an issue when on a motorcycle. Also, unless it has a nice big touch screen, it can be awkward to use with gloved hands.
The other thing to bear in mind is that the majority of the satnavs and mobile phones have a very short battery life so a power supply from the bike's battery is a necessity unless you're doing very short journeys or you're disciplined enough to put the device into standby (if you can do so easily with gloves) for long sections of road, such as on motorways or major A roads, where you know there isn't going to be a turning for a long while.
HTH,
Simon
One of the display modes on the SatNav software on my phone simply displays arrows indicating direction and the distance to the next junction. This is much easier to view on a small screen
I tend to use it to get through/round cities, for the rest I use a map. As for waterproofing it goes in the tank bag. Its not ideal but difficult to beat for the price
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Should you deiced to go for a water proof case, I can strongly recommend Overboard- http://www.over-board.co.uk/catalog/index.php