GPS on the bike?

[guest18]

Ok I finally gave in and put a Garmin GPS in the car, mainly it has to be said for the reminders about "safety" cameras! (a long story but I have points now and I can't afford more).
So I was looking at it thinking that really it's quite neat, could be handy on the bike... so I looked up bike GPS... £350 quid 
So I'm supposed to pay an extra £250 nearly for big buttons (you're not supposed to program it on the move anyway) waterproofing and a bluetooth I don't want. (Thanks but if I need to use the phone I'll stop, the bike is one of only about two places I'm free from phones!)
Hmmmm and anyway, I already have a GPS, why buy two?

Got to wondering then, if I want to use a camera underwater I just get a waterproof housing, why not a waterproof housing for a gps? Anyone know if they exist? Because if they don't I may be looking for a very small pelican case to modify 

[Furry John]

Hi Smudge,

I have had a PDA with Tom Tom on for some years now and have tried to use it on the bike in differing ways, the problem always is vibration, the GPS element breaks connections, the battery works loose, the unit works loose on the brackets I have made. I have made stiff strong brackets, these pass on engine frequency vibration to the GPS/Navigator. I have made soft vibration absorbing brackets, these pass on road vibration to the GPS/Navigator. Having lost the use of the Navigator for the car from damage by bike trials I have given up and bought a Tom Tom Rider. Designed as a virtually Solid-State device with good mounting methods available, but as you say 2 * GPS's and at a high price.

John

[Steve Lake]

the only time i used a gps on me bike, i had a tank bag loaded up, so shoved the gps inside the waterproof clear top ..... worked ok on a 500 mile round trip

wonder if boyd is going to use one on the IB rally?

[Bill Rutter]

I bought a Garmin Quest for the car 3 years ago for when I was commuting to Eastleigh and, while I take your point about Speed cameras Smudge, I found it to be a distraction to be honest. I would never use one on a bike - I'm sure I'd end up in a hedge!

[guest40]

Try this Smudge,
http://ulysses-wa.info/index.php

register.. then go to the forum and ask the question. some of our members use GPS especisally a guy named Bernie. Once registered you can use private messages if you wish. He is an aeronautics engineer and can probably assist with ideas for mounting too. Can't hurt to ask, Hey?

[squirrelciv]

Don't do it Smudge ol' mate! Leave the GPS off the bike and revel in the joys of being lost once in a while. As soon as getting there assumes greater importace than going there, your on the slippery slope into comuterism.

[jules]

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!WELL SAID THAT MAN.

[guest27]

Mmmm one of the pleasures of a map is you can see all the options and possible side routes.  Not as quick as the direct route or the shortest route etc from GPS etc, but such a pleasure.  Mind if youare trying to get to A by 4:30 and you have no idea where you are and it is 4 already a little voice saying 'bear right at next junction' sounds good.  Much better than "Slow down!" just as you pull out of the drive.

R

[Andy M]

Don't do it Smudge ol' mate! Leave the GPS off the bike and revel in the joys of being lost once in a while. As soon as getting there assumes greater importace than going there, your on the slippery slope into comuterism.

Plan B is to learn to use all the features on the GPS. Put waypoints on any iteresting bits of road and you'll find them regardless of all the road signs trying to get you onto the motorway. Use the shortest route calculation and it'll take you down roads you didn't know existed. If you fancy the look of a particular road just take it anyway and the let the GPS sort itself out later. The plot in the box allows you to find it again it if was any good.

I think the level of detail in GPS blows some peoples minds. This ranges from the true idiots who drive into tube stations and ten foot deep flooded fords because the machine told them to, to the mildly confused who'll claim the box is wrong because it makes them take a different route to the shops than they prefer. It's a ***ing map and compass in a box, not some Dalek overlord. If you know better ignore it!!!!

I feel better for that. Think I'll go have a lie down now.......Oh sorry can't.....the clock says it's tea time so must drink tea.........EXTERMINATE. 

Andy

[Simon#83]

Smudge, which model Garmin is it? You should be able to purchase a mount for it that you can modify to attach to the bike.

I used a a mounting plate screwed to a block of wood that I then attached to handlebars with a P clip for  a number years. It looked a bit ugly but served its purpose. I'd put it together in a rush before the Dragon Rally one year and the quick bodge soon turned into a permanent feature.

As for waterproofing the unit I used to use the thick clear bags you get when buying new socks and pants. Many of them even have handy poppers!

I've moved on a bit in the last year or two and my current setup is an ipaq PDA that I cobbled together from a few broken ones I bought cheap on Ebay. I bought a second hand Otterbox (http://www.otterbox.com/) and handlebar ram mount (http://www.rammount.com/) , again from Ebay.

To power the PDA I installed an accessory socket (a pricey one from Touratech, I think) on the DR and I use a cigarette socket with crocodile clips that I keep under the seat on the KTM.

All a bit Heath Robinson, but I can't bring myself to shelling out all that money on a dedicated SAT Nav system. Saying that, I did purchase a cheap system for the wife not long ago that works a treat. It was from Ebuyer and cost £60. I haven't tried mounting this to the bike though.

Simon

[guest18]

A garmin Nuvi(sp?) 250. About £100 from Halfrauds so you can afford to break a couple before it's cost the same as a dedicated bike one!
I was thinking that perhaps modified aftermarket mount combined with a waterproof box would let me mount it in a faintly professional fashion (not that there's anything wrong with P clips and blocks of wood!)
edited to add: Otterboxes are basically what i meant by a pelican box, I was thinking put the bracket inside, cut out the front panel of the box and replace with clear plastic (waterproofing is easy, I have aquaseal etc ) then mount the whole lot where I choose?

As has been pointed out, just because one has a gps doesn't mean you have to slavishly follow it, but they're worth the money when you are in a strange city in the dark, you're cold tired and just want to find somewhere... or as I found myself, stuck in Belgium on a Sunday with the bike on reserve, no idea where the nearest fuel station was and a limited time to catch the ferry home

(I could have used one when Transalp John and I were coming back from the Elefant and I took my one wrong turn of the trip, in the early hours in Belgium/Holland and I didn't realise until I was *well* off course!)

Besides Pat, I *am* a commuter  but it doesn't mean I can't still get lost 

[Simon#83]

Smudge,

Plenty of hits if you put "garmin nuvi handlebar mount" into Google search engine.


Simon

[Bill Rutter]

Judging by the amount used by the BMW GS fraternity the RAM-mount and Otterbox route is the way to go, if you pardon the pun 

[guest7]

At a Cossack club rally a couple years ago all the map readers (myself included) arrived via a dull set of A roads. All the satnavvers arrived at the site via a small country lane opposite the entrance.

I have a sneaky feeling that the latter had the more interesting journey.

Having said that, I can't see myself buying one for two reasons:

1. they cost too much beer money
2. attaching one to my bikes would be like attaching a brass gimbled compass to a Coracle (see THIS)

GC

[themoudie]

Aye, "A biker never knows!"

Go see 'Wild Hogs' on You Tube here!

&feature=related

This is what you do with the techno babble!

Chuckle!

My regards, Bill.