Motorcycle GPS

I would like to hear of people's experiences with GPS (Global Positioning
System) units on motorcycles, including the type of unit, software used and
the cost. Having recently made the mistake of taking a wrong turn-off on a
country NSW back-road and running out of fuel (and finding that mobile
phones - even CDMA aren't much use out in the sticks), I'm considering a GPS
unit to help my (poor) navigation.

Thanks,

Andrew

 

A mapping GPSR is great both Garmin and Magellan have mapping products
with excellent metropolitain and good rural area mapping.
The mapping CD adds about $240 to the cost of the unit.
On a bike you need a good mount and RAM mounts are great, about $90.
You also need a power cable (about $25) as running from internal
batteries you will have a problem with vibration turnig the unit off.

Cheers,
Burnie M
http://www.gpsriders.net/

 

They work. They work well. Me, I'd ignore all the mapping database
rubbish and go unto a hiking store and buy the smallest, cheapest,
longest-battery-life one they've got, and with the money left
over you can buy an awful lot of paper maps with lat and long
scales up the sides.

-----sharks

 

You can and it will be a lot cheaper, but if you use a mapping GPSR
once then you will be convinced. They are very useful.

Expect about $900-1200 for GPSR, maps and mount.

 

You don't need a GPS. You need to stop for fuel occasionally. GPS can be
handy for navigating in areas you're not familiar with.

Nev..
'03 ZX12R
'02 CBR1100XX

 

Nev,
You don't need a bike either but live is much more fun with one.
GPSRs are better than swiss army knives !

Burnie M

Yes, I am on a crusade

 

I'm using an iPaq and oziexplorer with a GPS sleeve. I was initially
concerned about vibration damage, as the iPaq isn't the most rugged PDA around,
but appears quite stable and works fine.

Whatever you pick will have pros and cons, so you need to do some homework
and evaluate those pros and cons before laying out any money, because once you
do, it could be lots of it, depending on what you need. It's in your best
interest to get it right the first time.

 

Andrew, The Garmin StreetPilot III is generally regarded as being ideal for the job,
it can give you voice directions via helmet mounted speakers (including through your
intercom) or external speakers, not cheap but very good.

Doug.

 

SPIII comes with the City Navigator Australia, an auto-routing mapping
CD. This gives you great turn by turn directions and has excelllent
mapping IN THE MAIN CITIES. In rural areas it has only main roads.
An SPIII with this mapping is $1710.

Garmin also makes another mapset called Metroguide Australia. This
mapset has MUCH better rural mapping but does not do turn by turn
auto-routing.

Many people who have bought Garmin SPIII (or BMW Navigators - same
with different badges) have also bought Metroguide ($235) plus a 128MB
data card ($341) and then loaded both mapsets to the larger card and
manually switched between the 2 mapsets when they need to.

If you are considering this model then in Australia you really need
Metroguide as well.

Note there is a new model (out in November?) called the SP2610 which
does screen re-draws and off-route recalculations much faster and also
uses standard CF memory cards and has a USB interface. No pricing is
yet available.

 

Yes, I know, I've got a GPS too, but it won't tell you when to fuel up.

Nev..
'03 ZX12R
'02 CBR1100XX

 

I've used both mapping and non-mapping, and to be honest the semi mapping
ones like the Magellan 330 are about the best compromise, near the price of
the non mapping ones, and offer enough info that you don't need to carry
heaps of detailed maps, just a small motorcycle style road atlas. And
almost always you don't need that.


Geoff and Jodie YMMV (it depends where you are located I expect!)

 

Are you happy with it? I've been toying with the idea of doing the same
for my e740. What receiver did you end up using? I see some very
cheap ones on EBay, but I haven't dug into exactly what they are.

Do you wish you had a "real" GPS?

Mark.

 

Burnie M wrote:

---snipped---

Thanks Burnie, I know to wait until the end of November and either buy the SP III
cheaper or buy the new model.

Doug.

 

Not sure that the SPIII will drop a lot more as it was been steadily
dropping from $2200 for the last few months.

Expect the SP2610 to be approx $2200.
Probably worth it as it is noticably faster with several updates
including touch screen.

Does not look like Garmin will update the Australian mapping so you
still have the same mapping issues.

Cheers,
Burnie M

 

I've seen it for $1700 at a couple of places. Can you expand on the mapping
issues? I have been told that the Garmin Aussie maps are all 150 metres out
due to incorrect maps being supplied by the Aus government, but the Magellan
maps are accurate.

Pegasus

 

Read my previous posts.

Yes, a few places have the SP111 at $1710.

I have both Garmins Metroguide Australia and Magellans DiscoverAus on
my PC and have used both products in the field. No noticable errors in
either product in the NSW coastal areas that I have used them.

Mapping relates to Garmins auto-routing product having less rural
coverage than their non-routing product (Metroguide).

Cheers,
Burnie M

 

Yep, that's around the standard pricing for it atm here in Bris, the southern states
may get it cheaper of course.
As for quality of the
garmin maps, nope, I've used a Garmin belonging to a friend a few times and it has
been spot on, so I would doubt if that would be correct.

Doug.

 

GPS is excelent. If you can't read a map though it will be useless to try
and use paper maps. Personally I would prefer paper maps.
GPS is better that a Swiss Army Knife but you can strip and clean a carb
with a Leatherman.

 

I have a Leatherman Wave too

 

Don't they usually do that from the float?


YMCA Pat