General GPS Questions

[craigclu]

I went searching here on GPS issues and found many mounting thoughts but I've got some general questions.  I recently found my old, forgotten Garmin 330 and a sticky, weighted dash pad that fit it....  I thought this might be a good chance to experiment with it on my Norge as I've been on more and longer excursions since getting the bike where a GPS would have been a help.  It was a sunny day and I couldn't begin to read the old unit in those conditions.  How much of an issue is this with cycle-specific units?  Can they project through tough lighting conditions?  I'm questioning the distraction in general but it would be doubly troubling if a quick glance wouldn't give the needed information.

I've got a Nuvi 3597 in my car that I like and use quite often as intended.  Are there protective cases to adapt these to cycle duties?  I'm not so sure it's much brighter than the old Garmin, though.

[Moto]

I use a $17 GlareStomper to hold and shade my TomTom GPS:

https://www.amazon.com/GlareStomper-316-Shade-Visor-Units/dp/B000AUIM9G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1469830235&sr=8-4&keywords=glarestomper

Works well. I wouldn't buy a $500 motorcycle GPS just to get a brighter screen (if they are indeed brighter).

Moto

EDIT: The GlareStomper is just the shade, on second examination. I can also recommend the mount if that's of interest. It provides the rain protection.

[pehayes]

Yes, the moto screens are brighter.  I have a little trouble with my Garmin 350 but that is because I have a 'silver' riding jacket which reflect badly off the screen.  Works a lot better if I wear a red or black jacket.  They all work great inside a car because you have localized shading.  Otherwise I have no problems touring in the sunshine.  BTW, the moto-specific units are also built more rigidly inside and are waterproof.   I just tested mine through several days of riding in the rain in Normandy.  No issues.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[ITSec]

Garmin Zumos and TomTom Riders do have somewhat brighter screens, but not by much - the various shield products are very helpful. There are cases available for car GPS units such as yours that have a flexible membrane front to allow you to use the touchscreen; most do not have a power passthrough port though, so you're limited by battery life unless you do something. I have used a car-specific GPS on a motorcycle extensively; I just used a ziploc (slider-style) over it in heavier rain. Light rain never bothered it at all, though of course the Norge's bodywork and windshield kept the worst off it.

The Zumo 660 and 665 (recently discontinued) are available for a reasonable price right now, but another popular choice among long distance riders lately has been the large screen Garmin used by commercial truckers. Again, it isn't officially water-resistant, but it generally holds up - and there are a lot of posts describing ways to make it more weather-tolerant. Otherwise, take your Nuvi, a RAM mount, and a ziploc and you should be fine.

Three popular places to locate the RAM mount base on the Norge are

• over the top of the clutch or brake reservoir (clutch is preferable, as you'll likely use your left hand to operate the GPS)
• centered behind the windshield over the instruments, using a vase attached to the windshield supports
• below the instrument pod, using a base attached to the top of the triple tree

Each location has advantages and disadvantages. Power is easy to route, but don't forget that most GPS units take a 5v input via USB connector, so you usually have to either allow an inline transformer (usually in the cigarette plug unit) or wire in a USB outlet. The power connector built onto the bike for the TomTom factory unit won't work directly to most GPS units, since the TomTom it was designed for had an internal 12v->5v transformer circuit.

[Moto]

I looked up the actual mount that I use with my GlareStomper sun shade (above). It's this one, $20 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Motorcycle-Handlebar-Water-Resistant-4-3-inch/dp/B003FMUP0K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1469833925&sr=8-4&keywords=gps+handlebar+mount+motorcycle

It's completely protected my TomTom through lots of rain, including the incredible weeklong storms, and a derecho, I experienced two summers ago. My tank bag was ripped off my bike, I saw two semi-trailer trucks blown over or jackknifed in my vicinity, and a train was blown off its tracks -- but my GPS was just fine! http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=70202.0

Again, I see no need to spend a lot for a motorcycle GPS. I just updated the same TomTom with a new set of free maps. I've had it for at least five years.

Moto

[rodekyll]

ITsec (Tony) lent me his Tom-Tom for my trip.  It is difficult to view in certain sunlight conditions, but under most it is clear.  I need to play with color combinations and contrast settings (if there) to see if I can improve it for my viewing.

I have not used it unless I'm trying to find a specific location in unfamiliar territory.  Some of the route planning choices don't make sense to me -- like "shortest route" seems to try drawing a straight line between two points, so instead of sending me to the logical cross street to make my left turn, it zig-zags me through residential neighborhoods, alleys, and parking lots (it seems) to attempt a diagonal route.  If you're truly unfamiliar with the area it's a constant WTF experience.  So they need to have things like "most reasonable route" and "silliest route" as choices.

Power consumption on battery is fair.  If you use a usb cable to a usb connector on the bike be prepared for it to rattle out and put you on battery power until you do something to pucky the plug in place.  They're sloppy and can't hold against the vibration of the bike.

I'm not sure exactly what the standard options and layout for the controls is because Tony got up under its skirt and did unspeakable stuff to it.  Mostly they're logically accessible, but some things, like screen color and brightness are hard to get to, especially when the color change is needed for visibility -- you can't change what you can't see.
Also, the robot lady keeps telling me stuff and I can't shut her up.

The on-screen keybord is generally easy to pick on, but if I'm feeling clumsy, it punishes me with bad input.

As Tony says, it's not really intended for motorcycles, but in the light rain U used it under it stayed dry behind my windscreen and I had a baggie in my pocket for when I was away from the bike.

RAM mounts rule!  I think the design could include a little more 'wobbly' (free-jointed) adjustments, but for a quick-disconnecting, firm holding, weight-bearing, vibration-mitigating handle it works good.

That's the end of my Tom-Tom evaluation.  I'd give it serious consideration as a nav device.

[PJPR01]

Have been running a TomTom Rider on a RAM mount now for a few years...hard wired in, and works great.  You can play with brightness and also set it to automatically switch to night time colors as well.  No issues seeing it very clearly in the full sunshine, it has its own visor, you could easily create or add an extended visor and tilt it on the RAM mount.

It has a nice feature called Twisting Routes which automatically find the most fun routes to your destination as well, often times taking you to places you might not necessarily pick yourself.

Also it's glove friendly...and works perfectly in rain or shine...fully waterproof, and can easily be removed when you park the bike so no issues of theft.

[Gliderjohn]

I simply mount my Tom Tom with the stick on disk stuck to the head bearing cover. Then stick the Tom Tom to that and Whala! But then I am kind of your typical cheap Guzzi rider. Don't need no stinkin fancy RAM mount. Snap, Snap.
GliderJohn

[Wayne Orwig]

I've been using my phone as a GPS for so long I had forgotten how much of a pain and how much overpriced Garmin's were.

[charlie b]

Glare.

I have found that I can read my phone or GPS screen (automotive Garmin) without any shade just fine.  I angle the screens down a lot more than most so any sun glare is not reflected toward me.

The one that gets me the most is aforementioned glare off my my jacket.  Hard to adjust the screen angle to get away from it.  And no glare shield helps.  There is a solution, but, it involves an extensive glare shield and a second angles piece of glass in front of the unit (like a car dashboard).

So, yeah, the newer car type GPS units are a lot brighter than the older ones.  But, I also use my phone these days.

[Aaron D.]

I've been using my phone as a GPS for so long I had forgotten how much of a pain and how much overpriced Garmin's were.

+1!
Using Google Maps on my phone to navigate a city during traffic was a revelation-as I realised it was routing me AROUND real time traffic jams and accidents during rush hour.

I recently started using a free Android tablet for marine chartplotting-so much faster to acquire GPS than any dedicated product, big screen, low battery drain-wow.

For bike trips though, the GPS is used to generate directions that I use to make route notes, then the phone is turned off and put away.