SatNav

[GuzzBun]

As an ex-navy aviator, I always had a crewman with me to make sure I didn't get lost. Unfortunately no-one will crew me on my Guzzi - can't think why. The result is that I've decided - after many 'temporarily uncertain of location' situations - to get a satnav which I can use on the bikes and in the cars.

 

What I'm looking for is a system which can be moved from vehicle to vehicle (bikes and cars), and which has a good, clear display. I've seen a couple in operation that give very good visual directions, but my overriding requirement is portability i.e. fit all the vehicles with the necessary power wiring and mountings, and be able to lift the unit from one bike and drop it onto the mount on another bike (or car) - plug and play!

 

Any experiences and recommendations would be much appreciated

[KiloSjon]

As an ex-navy aviator, I always had a crewman with me to make sure I didn't get lost. Unfortunately no-one will crew me on my Guzzi - can't think why. The result is that I've decided - after many 'temporarily uncertain of location' situations - to get a satnav which I can use on the bikes and in the cars.

 

What I'm looking for is a system which can be moved from vehicle to vehicle (bikes and cars), and which has a good, clear display. I've seen a couple in operation that give very good visual directions, but my overriding requirement is portability i.e. fit all the vehicles with the necessary power wiring and mountings, and be able to lift the unit from one bike and drop it onto the mount on another bike (or car) - plug and play!

 

Any experiences and recommendations would be much appreciated

94293[/snapback]

I am very happy with my Garmin Quest, small device that advises me where to go. Small screen, no touchscreen, and limited storage for maps, but for me, with the PC interface, a perfect companion in both car and (motor)bike. The perfect pilot (garmin 2620) has a larger screen, more (expandable) storage and a touchscreen. Garmin rules because of the possibility to download trackdata and share and upload routes. Also, their possibility to add via points and scenic routes and, most important, their near perfect route algorithms make them better (in my opinion) than TomTom or other marques... (and they have a strong background in maritime navigation, hiking and aviation, so they know what they are doing...)

 

Just my opinion...

[Mark in Hollister]

I recently bought a Quest 2 also for use in cars as well as on the bike. Very small size but full functionality, waterproof, and good screen.

 

I chose the Quest 2 over the original Quest because it comes with the entire N. America pre loaded vs having to load other regions if you go there. Since I travel for work and use rental cars, I didn't want to have to remember to download a different region before I went there.

 

If I had it to do over again, I would have chosen the Original Quest for several reasons:

 

Because it has all maps preloaded, they don't send you the maps on disk for your pc, which I thought I was getting. Garmin sent them to me at no charge, but I have been unable to unlock them. Tech support is super but it's been a month now and I still don't have them working.

 

I have also discovered that Garmin admits that the Q2 is slower at calculating, redrawing the screen etc., because of the larger memory. This can be a real pain if it happens to be thinking when you're coming up to a turn in your route.

 

The original Quest can be found for about half the price.

[P3GA]

I worked myself up into a lather looking for a GPS unit, but after numerous discussions with folks that populate the advrider.com board, I went with a Garmin 276c. Couldn't be happier. Now that the 376 / 476 / xxx variants are out, the prices for the 276c are coming down fast.

 

Hope this helps, pm me if you have any questions.

 

Phil

[GuzzBun]

Thanks for the steers guys - I finally plumped for a Garmin Street Pilot 2720. Fitted it to the Breva initially and I have to say I'm extremely impressed. It's really easy to understand and use, the display is excellent even in bright sunshine, and it seems to be on top of things all the time. No more trying to read a scribbled route on the tank bag! Next deployment will be in the car, and then possibly on the Scura (though she's been around so long now that she knows her own way to most of my usual destinations!)

[Dan M]

As an ex-navy aviator, I always had a crewman with me to make sure I didn't get lost. Unfortunately no-one will crew me on my Guzzi - can't think why. The result is that I've decided - after many 'temporarily uncertain of location' situations - to get a satnav which I can use on the bikes and in the cars.

 

What I'm looking for is a system which can be moved from vehicle to vehicle (bikes and cars), and which has a good, clear display. I've seen a couple in operation that give very good visual directions, but my overriding requirement is portability i.e. fit all the vehicles with the necessary power wiring and mountings, and be able to lift the unit from one bike and drop it onto the mount on another bike (or car) - plug and play!

 

Any experiences and recommendations would be much appreciated

 

I love my Garmin 2610. It's rain proof, easy to use and the screen is big enough for my aging eyes.

The only down side is you'll need to buy a power supply line & mount for each bike for an easy swap. It comes with a lighter plug/speaker kit for the car but it's nice to have the line hardwired to the bike so you can have it mounted cleanly.

[mike wilson]

Number one car crime in the UK at the moment? (My wife works in criminal statistics) Breaking in to steal Satnav gear.

 

Try to get a mount that is unobtrusive as possible. Unbelievably, many people leave the unit in place on the dash or put it in the glove box, leaving a whacking big mount to advertise the possibility of its presence.

 

mike

[Guzzirider]

Number one car crime in the UK at the moment? (My wife works in criminal statistics) Breaking in to steal Satnav gear.

 

Try to get a mount that is unobtrusive as possible. Unbelievably, many people leave the unit in place on the dash or put it in the glove box, leaving a whacking big mount to advertise the possibility of its presence.

 

mike

 

Even if you are sensible enough to remove the mount from the dash, the scallies will look for a sucker mark where you have mounted the bracket, and if they see this will break into your car anyway, in the hope you may just have left it in the glovebox.

 

I have been happy with my Garmin Quest but it is now playing up, freezing up like an old PC and needing rebooting every couple of hours. I have had it a while and it has had a right bashing and lots of use but its still disappointing.

 

Guy

[KiloSjon]

Even if you are sensible enough to remove the mount from the dash, the scallies will look for a sucker mark where you have mounted the bracket, and if they see this will break into your car anyway, in the hope you may just have left it in the glovebox.

 

I have been happy with my Garmin Quest but it is now playing up, freezing up like an old PC and needing rebooting every couple of hours. I have had it a while and it has had a right bashing and lots of use but its still disappointing.

 

Guy

Check the Garmin site for software updates, might help...

[Dan M]

Number one car crime in the UK at the moment? (My wife works in criminal statistics) Breaking in to steal Satnav gear.

 

Try to get a mount that is unobtrusive as possible. Unbelievably, many people leave the unit in place on the dash or put it in the glove box, leaving a whacking big mount to advertise the possibility of its presence.

 

mike

 

 

If you are worried about security this may help.