Am I Wrong?

[Guest Mattress]

I used to be a map reading luddite but have discovered that GPS = more time riding and less time stuck on the roadside reading maps and asking one toothed banjo playing strangers wearing denim dungarees which way to go!

 

Guy

 

also another good reason not to ride in Indiana...................

 

Really tho', it is your bike and I don't have any quibbles about people relying on GPS. but similar to cellular telephones & nobody remembering people's phone numbers, I wonder what the net result of all this technology reliance will be on the youth.

 

When Skynet is launched and takes down all global systems what will happen?

 

I don't know, but that is why I mounted a sextant and compass to my fairing.

[Dan M]

I'm sure pleased to see this discussion opening up. And not just the technical aspects ( mounting etc) but the aesthetic, the philosophy. And scariest of all, the potential effects on riding ability.

 

I ride with a group of spirited and experienced sport-tourers every autumn for a three day intense weekend. ( rather, they let me come along.)

 

This year the invitation is to lead a segment of the ride. So, I've been shopping GPS units and mounts ( the Garmin Zumo looks the stuff).

 

Yet, every pilot knows "keep your eyes outside the cabin." It concerns me to be taxing my skill set on this ride, lead the group on top of that and be looking between the triple clamps.

 

 

When I first installed mine on my RT I had the same worries of split attention. The truth is you spend less time looking at it than a paper map. Since the display always changes to show where you are, there is no time wasted finding you place. The prompts for an upcoming turn can be set up so just a glance is needed to get ready. Once you get used to using it, you'll love it. Planning and editing rides on your PC is easy too.

I've always been a paper map guy but the GPS is the way to go especially if your are leading a group.

[Guest Nogbad]

Never realised there was some stigma attached to having a satnav on your bike? Sounds like the same kind of stupid macho posturing you got when bikes with ELECTRIC START came along, and who wouldn't be without that now!

[Guzzirider]

Never realised there was some stigma attached to having a satnav on your bike? Sounds like the same kind of stupid macho posturing you got when bikes with ELECTRIC START came along, and who wouldn't be without that now!

 

Eerrmmmm.. I quite like kick starts- warm you up on a freezing winters night- especially when you have tried kicking your Velocette over for 10 mins with no luck!

[Guest Nogbad]

Eerrmmmm.. I quite like kick starts- warm you up on a freezing winters night- especially when you have tried kicking your Velocette over for 10 mins with no luck!

 

Hmmmm I had a Norton Commando at one time, and being a small, light and wimpy type used to approach the starting ritual with trepidation. If I couldn't get it to fire after 2 or 3 kicks, I would be exhausted. Ignition timing had to be set "just so" to ensure a good start and the lowest risk of a broken ankle.

 

No thanks. Kickstarts are for 2 strokes only IMHO

[Greg Field]

No guy ever got hopelessly lost by following his kickstarter. Nor have I ever followed someone and watched them float around a road, bobbing like a butterfly in a hurricane because they were looking at their starter button. All of the above have been the norm when I was stupid enough to let a GPS rider lead me anywhere that was challenging.

[Guest Nogbad]

No guy ever got hopelessly lost by following his kickstarter. Nor have I ever followed someone and watched them float around a road, bobbing like a butterfly in a hurricane because they were looking at their starter button. All of the above have been the norm when I was stupid enough to let a GPS rider lead me anywhere that was challenging.

 

So, I don't have one yet, but am tempted by the fact you don't have to stop and fiddle with soggy maps in the rain.

[Dan M]

No guy ever got hopelessly lost by following his kickstarter. Nor have I ever followed someone and watched them float around a road, bobbing like a butterfly in a hurricane because they were looking at their starter button. All of the above have been the norm when I was stupid enough to let a GPS rider lead me anywhere that was challenging.

 

Sounds like what was stupid was that particular GPS rider, he probably got hopelessly lost with paper maps too.

[Guzzirider]

I used to be a real doubter but changed my mind when following someone through the Dublin backstreets when we were late for the ferry- we would never have made it if we had to keep stopping to read maps.

 

I only use mine when I need to- generally in foreign cities where I just want to get through asap, or if I need to find a specific address.

 

I dont bother with earphones and can happily concentrate on my riding and the surroundings, because it flashes before I need to turn, and it becomes just another instrument that you subconsciously read without staring at it like your speedo or tacho.

 

There is a funny story though about a German guy who crashed his bike on the infamous Nurburgring. When questioned by the police in hospital, it turns out he actually intended to go to Nurnberg on the other side of Germany but programmed the wrong place in on his GPS!

 

Guy

[Alex-Corsa]

 

When Skynet is launched and takes down all global systems what will happen?

 

 

IMO nothing will happen, even if it all turns to stone age in terms of navigation one can use everything that's available from a paper map to a mountain goat to find the orientation.I still have that S.A.S. book telling lots about star navigation and so on as well.

There are no rules but use the best (way)that works for you and leave some place for the rest.

[Zoom Zoom]

Interesting stuff this!

 

I personally have followed others with a GPS and also with a map in their tank bag. It has been my experience that the tank bag map people are more apt to wander around the road than the GPS bunch. In either case, it is certainly not the fault of the map or the GPS, no more than a firearm is in and of itself a "weapon". It is the user that makes it what it is.

 

I do enjoy doing is deliberately getting lost without worrying about how I'll find my way home later. That is fun. When traveling around the country, it helps me find food, gas, lodging, and friends. Try typing your friends address into a paper map and having it guide you to the doorstep. (No, I pull over to do something like that.) When riding a twisty road, I find the moving map to be helpful, in that I am able to see what the road is doing next. When taking an extended trip, I put points of interest in in advance. Some of the things most worth seeing are on the roads less traveled.

 

It is not the be all/end all device, It is simply a tool. I would rather use a socket than a cresent wrench. When used to its potential, it is fantastic. It has taken me on some of the best roads I would have never gone on otherwise. It has led me to ghost towns and obscure art, like Carhenge in Nebraska. It has helped me get through a busy city withoug getting lost, and if I do make a wrong turn, it gets me back on track.

 

My use of it has refined much over the years. I like my Quest much more than the GPS-5 that it replaced, mainly due to features and storage capacity.I have figured out how to install waypoints for a trip and keep them in order so they can be found easily. Knowing elevation is certainly not necessary, but it is a point of interest. For instance, I registered 10,998 feet at the top of Beartooth Highway in Montana. A bit of useless information that makes good conversation later on.

 

Several friends I have ridden with were naysayers. They have since had a change of heart and purchased their own units. When it's late, and you're tired, it helps get you there. When used responsibly, it can be one of the greatest assets to a touring rider.

 

Zoom Zoom,

John Henry

[Greg Field]

Maybe they've improved greatly since the GPS V, and maybe those I've ridden with are idiots. Maybe I'll try one again in the future, but for now, I seem to be able to find my own ways in and out, and that leads me into its own great "finds."

[Martin Barrett]

The wife had one built in a hire car she had last month, her father was suitably impressed and now has one.

I've not driven with one only been a passenger.

I can see the advantages.

And have seen the disadvantages, drive the sat nav (lane discipline) and not what they can see the road is actually doing. Becomes dependant on it and no map memory of their own so can't MDR (mental dead reckoning) that it's do the right thing (horror stories of people going 100 of miles wrong)

Can be distracting particularly when in shiny new toy mode.

 

The advantages can be outstanding, particularly in unfamiliar built up areas.

 

Used as an aid in moving map mode excelent

 

I'm too much of a tight wad and so will still feign disaproval and preference for scrappy multimap printouts stuffed in to the top of the tank bag.

 

Tip, stick a post it on the screen - "side stand up"

 

looks good - come back in a couple of months and report how useful you found it.

 

Will need to some long trips to make the most of it - looking forward to the ride reports ( on here and not just stn)

[John in Leeds]

Eerrmmmm.. I quite like kick starts- warm you up on a freezing winters night- especially when you have tried kicking your Velocette over for 10 mins with no luck!

 

 

You had a 'Velo'? Lucky bugger, I could never afford one. BSA c15 or Tiger Cub, and if you were very flash a 5 speed Crusader. Me a BSA C12

[Guzzirider]

You had a 'Velo'? Lucky bugger, I could never afford one. BSA c15 or Tiger Cub, and if you were very flash a 5 speed Crusader. Me a BSA C12

 

I've never owned one myself- but my father in law had 4 Velos- and let me take one out occasionally- could never start the bugger- a black art I reckon 'cos he could do it in one kick.

 

Guy