maps or gps

[heatonmt]

Well Teri went out and got me a GPS for Christmas. So for you that have them are they that much better then a map. If yes how do you mount them on the bike. Bike or truck I just cant make you my mind.

 

:7_6_3[1]::7_6_3[1]:

[BEER30]

First off , Congrats on getting a GPS !

Now let us know what GPS you got so we can determine which mount would be best suited . I have the ZUMO 550 which came with mounts for both scoot and cage .

RAM mounts would be my first suggestion .

 

As far as maps or GPS , GPS hands down !

 

BEER30

[kantornado]

So much better then a map you will wonder how people ever got around with out a GPS. If your trying to get somewhere and miss a turn the GPS automatically redirects you. No stopping or guessing it is a wonderful tool.

 

As an example THE NAVIGATOR got mad at me because I would not listen to her directions and only listened to the GPS after she made a couple of miscalculations. Don't tell her I posted this:rotf:

 

If you decide while your out to stop and have a bite to eat or go to a ATM or post office just go to POI and type what you want and with in 5 miles every one of the POI's will come up just punch in and wallah your on your way turn by turn.

 

OH well as you can tell I LOVE mine.................Ron

[dray]

I use a Ram Mount for my hand held Gps and it works great:thumbsup2:

[buddy]

Hey Bro,

Must of been nice to Momma this year to score that nice unit? Then I got to thinking? did Teri really get that for you or for her? so to be asking where is it going to be mounted driver side or passenger side?

Teri you spoil him to much and Michael you have the best girl around spoil her rotten too, hope we get to see you both soon if things go well we might run together up to Eureka Springs next year you can show off your new toy to me and Peg then.

Merry Christmas Ron & Peg

[JPM]

Well Teri went out and got me a GPS for Christmas. So for you that have them are they that much better then a map. If yes how do you mount them on the bike. Bike or truck I just cant make you my mind.

 

:7_6_3[1]::7_6_3[1]:

 

In my mind, the GPS has mor detail than a trunk full of maps. When yout looking to get to a specific address, they are hard to beat.

 

They are a safety item as well as you don't have to be searching for street signs when your full attention should be on traffic. That alone is a big plus for me.

 

Want to stop for lunch? Instead of just looking around to see what is available, pull up a list of what is available within 25 miles along your route and choose the type of food you want and get specific directions to get there. Lunch becomes what you want not what you see available.

 

Plan your route to use secondary roads and enjoy the countryside. Roads without numbers are for me. No need to worry about street/road signs in rural areas. Gome across a road that does not look inviting on your planed route? - just make the turn to the better road and the GPS will recalculate a new route for you.

 

I won't give mine up.

 

Joe

[heatonmt]

Beer30, it is a Garmin navi 260. me i don't know one from another.

 

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[Guest KitCarson]

Okay .......curiosity killed the cat!! Are not these things distracting, are they safe to have on a motorcycle? When I went to pick up my new Venture I had never had a bike with a radio, CB, and Cruise control, all that stuff. When the fellow who goes over the bike with you was telling me how to use the radio, I told him, just make sure it is turned off!! I have since became convinced the CB is a great tool on a group ride. And even though I am leary of a cruise control on a bike......I have played with it a time or two, seems to be reliable, so starting to trust it a bit.

I used to have a GPS in a boat......this was ten years ago, it took more button pushing than I could remember to operate. Someone would show me how to use it and by the next time I went fishing......I had forgot!!

So are the new ones this much better? Can I really say for example if I want to to to 3452 Swallow Lane in West Virginina, just tell it that and sit back and will it do the work? I have no desire to have to be punching buttons on a motorcycle in traffic and get distracted when I should be watching the front tires of the car at the intersection. But if they do have a clear screen, in bright sunlight? and do show you the way without hands on control? Can see might even be safer than getting confused and lost and missing a road and wandering around lost.

So my question is ........are they a safe tool......or a unsafe distraction?

[RoadKill]

Well Teri went out and got me a GPS for Christmas. So for you that have them are they that much better then a map. If yes how do you mount them on the bike. Bike or truck I just cant make you my mind.

 

:7_6_3[1]::7_6_3[1]:

Mike,

Congrats. I really like mine, especially now that I've learned to use it As far as a mount, you could give CycleGadgets a call in Eurkea Springs and they would be able to set you. Matter of fact, I think on their web site they even have all the mounts for different GPS units listed.

 

PS. Let me know when you want my address to put in your GPS so you and Teri can stop by

[RoadKill]

So are the new ones this much better? Can I really say for example if I want to to to 3452 Swallow Lane in West Virginina, just tell it that and sit back and will it do the work? So my question is ........are they a safe tool......or a unsafe distraction?

 

Yes they are THAT good. I personally believe they are NOT a safety hazzard but just the opposite. I used to have to be looking at every street sign because I wasn't exactly sure of the distance to the next turn. With the GPS it tells me its 2 mles away, .4 miles away, 300 yards away and then next Left/Right. So now I'm able to concentrate on the road and traffic. Also, since I've been known to make a few wrong turns:confused24: it just recalculates the route instead of having to pull over grab a map and figure out where the H*ll I am after I've went 30 miles on the wrong road.

[Pilot]

Beer30, it is a Garmin navi 260. me i don't know one from another.

 

:7_6_3[1]::7_6_3[1]:

 

Navi or NUVI? Try this site:

http://www.ram-mount.com/gps_mounts/model_garmin_gps_mount.htm

 

Congrates on the new toy.

[Thistledown]

Rosdkill is right on, they are a great safety devise. In a strange city, it can get confusing and with traffic not having to navigate is a real help. The directions you may get from the rear passenger may be hard to understand and again take your concentration. You should stop to program them or thay could be dangerous

[Rip]

Okay .......curiosity killed the cat!! Are not these things distracting, are they safe to have on a motorcycle?

 

In my experience they can be a distraction. Anything that takes your eyes off the road can be a distraction, and the Venture is loaded with distractions! But I like everyone of them. So I just determined to manage the distractions as safely as possible. I disagree with the notion that a GPS is a safety tool.:rotf:But it is a tool worth having.

 

On occasion the GPS will list an address incorrectly--but it is generally reliable. For me paper maps still have a role at giving you an overall perspective that the GPS just can't do.

 

I think the cruise control is a safety tool, relieving the strain on your hand, as well as maintaining constant speed so you don't frustrate the people behind you.

[mother]

GPS all the way. once you get used to it.

keep a map in case you cant find a gas station and need some paper.

cheers, Scott

[Eugene]

So my question is ........are they a safe tool......or a unsafe distraction?

 

Hey Kit - no doubt in my mind - a very safe tool. Whilst riding the bike, all I do is glance at the screen and I know exactly how far to my turn, destination etc etc. I switch mine from bike to car and would NEVER be without one - so easy to use!! Other posters have outlined all the other advantages so I won't repeat them but I for one, find the GPS to be invaluable in many many ways.

[BuddyRich]

Okay .......curiosity killed the cat!! Are not these things distracting, are they safe to have on a motorcycle? When I went to pick up my new Venture I had never had a bike with a radio, CB, and Cruise control, all that stuff. When the fellow who goes over the bike with you was telling me how to use the radio, I told him, just make sure it is turned off!!

 

As with anything to do on the road. Timing is the most impotant thing. Some things you have learned over the years and take for granted now. You don't try to change stations on the radio when your in bumper to bumper and all the other little tricks you have learned. Use common sense and you'll be ok. These things will talk to you so there is no need to look at the unit while moving. Just follow its verbal directions.

[Guest KitCarson]

Thanks for all the comments. I think I will pick out a good one and try it. If it is as simple as glancing at the speedo.......I can see it would be okay. Wandering around and speeding up and slowing down and being lost is a safety hazard for sure in traffic. Think I will try to find one with a flat back and velcro it to that worthless cassette tape area. or maybe use a Ram mount.......will figure that out later. If it will work as well as it seems it does, I can see how it would be a great help in a strange town, position you in the right lane ,would know when and where to turn and not have to be slowing down and getting lost. Once I was lost in Charleston looking for a particular address......was riding kinda slow........the car ripped around me and hollered out the window......you drive like Grandma!!! Well I already knew that:rotfl:

 

Think I will try the Tom Tom Rider 2....like the sun shield on it.......

[BEER30]

Hey Kit or anyone else with doubts about GPS's. Like BuddyRich was saying , planning ahead is most important in any situation for a road trip . I do not try to monkey around programming addresses on the GPS while riding , I pull over if needed . The GPS has voice prompts to tell you direction on most better models . I have my GPS set in a manner where I can view it and the road at the same time . If I need to know where the next turn is or where , I only have to tap on an icon and it will tell me by voice prompt . Again , if I am not sure of a safety issue , I still pull over . Can you program a street address , most certainly ! Maybe a few new subdivisions that may be missed , but not many . I would say that I can pull over , research the GPS faster than it would to stop and unfold a map while trucks passing by and blowing it around . Can a map tell you where the next gas , food or motel , hospital , liquor store , bank/atm is located ? Or at night , do you have enough lighting , eyeglasses , or can you find a Awful House so you can sit down to view a map and have a cup of Joe ? There a lot of benefits to todays GPS's over a map .

Now all the other gadgets on our scoots , discipline again is the key . I find loud pipes are just as bad as a loud radio . Yes people here you coming , but do you hear them ? I would say at the next M & E's , look carefully at the other members whom have them , sit on the scoot , visualize as if you were riding the scoot , looking up at traffic and glancing at the GPS . Look carefully at your surroundings and to see if the GPS is at it's best location to view both with little or no distraction . It's going to seam abnormal at first , but at least you will see how of us whom have them can praise them . Play with the GPS , of course with permission of the owner , but you will get a better impression sitting on that scoot than you would looking at it at the stores or online . Ask they owner to show you how to look up POI's , addresses , gas stations and such . Mine is quite simple to use . but like anything else , it gets a little to be used too .

Just because you have accessories on the scoot when you just want to go out and enjoy peace and quite , air in the hair , and bugs in the teeth , just turn the gadgets off ! But just think , is it better to have and use , than to need and not have ?

 

BEER30

[MikeM8560]

Okay I used to have a GPS in a boat......this was ten years ago, it took more button pushing than I could remember to operate. Someone would show me how to use it and by the next time I went fishing......I had forgot!!

So are the new ones this much better? Can I really say for example if I want to to to 3452 Swallow Lane in West Virginina, just tell it that and sit back and will it do the work?

the auto gps's are nothing like the marine gps especially of the past. the auto you just enter the address and you follow a red line on the map along with voice comand directions, as in " right turn on x street in 1/2 mile then again turn in 400 feet. if you miss the turn it tells you how to go to correct your mistake. Unlike the old marine gps's my new Garmin gps on my boat also give me a line to folow taking into acount my draft and bridge clearance to go to a new location I feel nakeg if i forget to bring my garmin gps in my work truck.

 

For you guys with them on the bike , can you hear the gps or do you have it piped into your helmet? i ride no helmet alot myself so i was wondering?

[Gray Ghost]

Mine has a MP3 player, so I listen to it and the music stops whenever it needs to prompt (nag) me, then starts up the music again. If I am going on a long trip or into strange places, it is definately with me.

[Guest KitCarson]

Okay.......I am convinced.......will order one right after new year. I always have to ask about electronic things. But have learned once I get them, and learn to use them.......just like this new laptop.......I wonder what I ever did without it. ........

[BEER30]

 

For you guys with them on the bike , can you hear the gps or do you have it piped into your helmet? i ride no helmet alot myself so i was wondering?

 

You can add a splitter and cable into IC , or into AUX and listen through your external speakers .

 

BEER30

[kantornado]

I mounted mine to the handle bar with a bracket I made. Which you can see in my VRPICS.

I am going to make a new one that will be at a different angle and encompass wire clamps.

 

It was my first attempt at making one. So I learn from my mistakes.

 

I glance at mine like I would the gauges on the bike can either have the voice on or off When off it pings pretty loud and different pings mean different things and took some getting used too. I want to incorporate the GPS into the stereo on the bike that way I can listen to her sultry voice.

 

I would not ever try and make adjustment while riding (that's just stupid) no matter how good of a rider I think I am.

 

You will find the GPS to be the best tool you can own when traveling/

Restaurants, gas, hospitals, hotels or points of interest can all be found at the touch of a button in a town you have never been to and can get there like you have lived there all your life.

 

You will find it to be the best investment you made. Good luck in choosing the one for you.........................Ron

[VTirelli]

Sam got me a TomTom One for Christmas.........haven't used it on the scoot yet, but I tried it in the cage and liked it. Gotta work on a mount though.................

[Midrsv]

I definitely consider the GPS a safety tool. I have the Zumo 550 it is great when traveling through a strange city at rush hour. I just concentrate on the traffic around me while I listen to Betty (our nickname for the voice in the GPS) give me directions on approaching turns. It doesn't totally take the place of reading the road signs but it is pretty darn close.

 

Here are a few advantages of the GPS over paper maps. My GPS has all of the Yamaha, Honda & Kawasaki dealers loaded into it with phone numbers. Last summer when I had a flat tire near Grand Island, NE, I was quickly able to locate a dealers, punched the phone on the GPS and called to check on a replacement tire. At the second dealer (Honda) I found a tire and was back on the road in a couple of hours. Paper maps can't do that.

 

I like to have the GPS screen set to show me a mile or so ahead. That way when I am in an unfamiliar area I can quickly glance down to see what the upcoming turns are going to look like so I can be prepared and not surprised. As an example check out the photo attached that was taken on Beartooth Pass last summer. Paper maps can't do that.

 

The Zumo with the XM adapter can give me weather and traffic updates. On the trip I saw storms on the map behind us as we were heading east in WY. Because of that we chose to push our lunch stop out an hour or so in order to avoid be caught by the storm. It worked.

 

On that same trip I was the lead bike with 6 other bikes following. Toward the end of each day with a couple of button pushes I could search for hotels up ahead and once I found one to our liking I would hit "dial" on the GPS and it would phone the hotel so I could check availability and make a reservation once I had confirmed the plans with the other riders via CB radios. All of this while traveling down the interstate in rural NE, WY or MO. Now I know there are those that may think this is unsafe while motoring down the road. However, I feel it was perfectly safe considering where we were and the little traffic that was around us, I probably had the cruise set anyway. I certainly wouldn't do that while passing through St. Louis.

 

In my opinion and based on my experiences with 4 GPS units, anyone serious about cross country touring should seriously consider spending the extra money for the Zumo 550 or equivalent. The summer of 2006 my wife and I rode to CO, WY and SD with the help of a Garmin 2610. It was extremely helpful on that trip because we traveled alone and we didn't have others along to help with directions. The Zumo 550 is much better suited for bike travel. When you are comparing prices be sure to compare the total cost with whatever mounting hardware you need. The 550 comes complete with bike and auto mounts with nothing else to buy. Also, when you move the 550 from the bike to the car there are no cables to disconnect or reconnect. Just pop it out of one mount and drop it in the other.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Dennis