which sat nav?

[Comet]

hi all.
I don't know if this has been covered before or not.
I am thinking of getting a sat nav for the bike, does anyone have any views or recommendations. I am looking at tom tom rider or Garmin Zumo550 or Zumo 660. It is mostly for UK but possibly the rare european one as well.

cheers all.

JK

 

[Tracey Tilley]

We have the Garmin Zumo 550.
It does what it says on the box. Does throw a wobbly occasionally.
Don't know much about the 660 but there's plenty on the net.

 

[Comet]

ello.
Yes I have been playing on the net but there is nothing quite like solid recomendation or absolute "don't bother" is there. I really don't want to get one and then find it loses signal in the middle of a city, or as one did recently got me all the way there by motorway and then 1/2 mile from my destination it got itself lost, I had to find a police station and ask .

 

[Tracey Tilley]

I have heard good things about the Tomtom Rider2.

Could you borrow either for a day?

You can play with ours at the Severn, if you like.

 

[Gerry Jenkinson]

Tom Tom Rider 2 is good, The problem is the headset. The TomTom has no audio output other than Bluetooth. The headset that comes with it seems good but will not fit any of my helmets. Full face BMW, Shoei, Centurion & B-Square, nor will it fit the open face Shoei or TopTek. On the full facers there is no room for the microphone. Thats ok as I dont need to talk to passengers or make phone calls. Open facers suffer wind noise.
The ear piece is designed to fit a hole in the helmet lining. The Shoei does have a hole for it but the mic dont fit. Also the Bluetooth unit has to clip to the helmet somehow.
I have tried various other Bluetooth earpiece ony headsets but had problems establishing a link. Then when I used it in the van it said it couldnt do audio as it could not link. Though sometimes it does. Then the directions are clear and accurate.
As the headset is standalone it requires its battery charging. The screen unit runs of the bike battery.
Bluetooth enabled helmets are available (at a price) but you cant then change helmets.
On the plus side it has been very good in London reducing the stress of navigating areas I dont know. If you ignore it and change route it is fast at recalculating.
Oh, I dont recommend buying from Dell. It took three weeks sorting out delivery problems and sitting on the phone for hours. I gave up and ordered from Amazon, it arrived the next day. Unfortunately it had a fault. Amazon sent a replacement immediately and paid the postage both ways.
If anyone has solved the headset problem please let us all know.
gerry
gerry@gelx.co.uk

 

[Gerry Jenkinson]

Contary to many reports it does have an internal speaker which is good for car/van use,
gerry

 

[Pete Appleton]

Bluetooth

Hello John

All of the above coments are about right but I wouldn't worry too much about getting audio on the bike. I have tried several ways to hear what the gps is saying, with little success.

The first attempt was a wired ear piece from maplin. That worked moderately well but was inconvenient and quickly ended up wrapped around the front wheel.

The next attempt was bluetooth. The Scala rider headset fitted to the crash helmet worked ok but on a noisy bike with no fairing it is impossible to hear what is going on at anything much above 50 mph and it was usually flat when I needed it.

John bought a hideously expensive Caberg crash helmet with bluetooth built in. That wasn't much more use and kept losing the connection to the gps.

At the moment we have both given up on audio although I believe that the Lords are using moulded, wired, ear pieces that double up as ear plugs. Perhaps Stumpy can enlighten us.

 

[John Appleton]

I think Pete is being a bit unfair. The caberg "just speak" is good up to 60 mph, when wind noise becomes a problem. This causes me no concern, as I switch off the audio on the open road and only use it in unfamiliar urban areas , when the speed is low anyway. I have experienced loss of contact, but this is usually because the battery is low due to the fact I cant remember to turn the damn thing off when I remove the helmet! Having said all that, I now dont bother too much about audio as the Garmin 550 display conveys an instant picture, once you are familiar with it, and I am more comfortable without some know it all female arguing with me when I go "off piste" for a look at an interesting goat track or an apple strudel shop.

 

[Comet]

Hi Pete and John,
Thanks. So is it easy to use just by view if you like then. What I mean is if you can not hear what is going on are the displays clear enough to just, well, look where you are going. If so might the 660 be a better option as it is a bigger screen?
Tracey thanks that might be helpfull if I could take you up on the offer of a play at the Severn.
thanks

 

[John Appleton]

Hi John, yes , no problem at all just navigating by the screen. Once you are familiar with the info displayed, a passing glance tells you all you need to know. The 660 display is bigger and has a better way of showing motorway junctions. It is also possible to customise the secondary info displayed on the map screen, ie "distance to destination" rather "than time of arrival", time of day etc etc. The main disadvantage as far as I can see is the fact that the all inclusive wiring loom of the 660 precludes the fitting of a multiplug to the bike mount so that it can be moved from bike to bike as I do with my 550 mount.
I would just like to say that you are welcome to play with mine at the severn rally if you are not completely satisfied with playing with Tracey's

John

 

[Graham Smith]

John. You can borrow my TomTom Rider if you want.

I don't use the built in voice commands. I find it just as easy to follow the on screen maps.

My one is the Rider One, but I wouldn't think there's to much difference with the latest model.

Let me know if you want it before your trip and I'll bring it up one Tuesday.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Robert Watson]

I took a TomTom rider one to Australia, first time I had used one. It had a couple of issues; like if you hit a bump it would disconnect and have to start up again, drove me nuts, but once I learned that it would be back in a minute or two all was OK. I subsequently talked with them and got the software upgraded, and that problem went away; next is that there is an inherent weakness in the mount, I have grazed it a couple of times and damaged it. The TomTom Rider 2 has a very much more substantial mount but they are not interchangeable.

Like others I don't bother with the Audio, I find the screen quite enough, even through Melbourne on a Friday afternoon rush hour. Besides I got tired of that prissy little voice saying "Please make a U turn" "Please make a U turn" "Please make a U turn" .

It recalculates very quickly and is good for finding hotels etc. I have a Euro map that is a year or two old and plan on using it Aug Sept on an extended Woolly Euro tour!

Now and then I have found out that I am on a road that doesn't exist, and now and then I have thought I was smarter than it, usually to my embarassment.

I find it most useful when getting up in the morning and trying to remember through the previous evenings haze, which way is the hell out of town!

I didn't need it crossing the Nulurbor.

 

[macvette]

I've had a Garmin Quest now for about 5yrs. It's mounted on a Ram cradle on my handlebars. The screen is smaller than current offerings but it is very accurate,reliable and waterproof. Like others I have tried earphones (the Ram mount has a connection for them) but standard Ipod phones aren't loud enough above 50. I suspect that the tailormade earplugs with phones as favoured by rock stars would cure this but they are about £150 so I just use the on screen directions.Some Garmins including this one come with DVD with mapsets on them which when loaded onto your computer (if you have one) allow you to load both mapsets for your region and detailed routes which you plan on your computer and download to the sat nav. I have found it excellent, having been caught in a jam on the motorway in Spain, I used the detour option and it routed me through the back streets of Malaga to the airport ( twice, you'd think I'd learn). Garmin send out emails when the map sets are updated, the last update for GB and Europe cost about 40 pounds. Unfortunately the Quest 2 is now discontinued although still supported but you can find someone selling end of stock. Anyhoo I can that if the new generation is as good as this one, you won't go far wrong with Garmin. I did a quick Google and found Quests advertised at around £140. Originally over £300.

Regards
PS They require 12volt supply if you wire them into the bike. The battery life on these is 20 hours and you can get a plug in mains charger

 

[John Appleton]

I had a garmin quest2 and, whilst working fine on my BMW , would inexplicably "sieze up" at irregular intervals when vin mounted. There was no indication that this had happened as the arrow, representing the bike , showed changes in direction but the map did not move. After the Quest disappeared in the dark on the coll de madelleine I bought the garmin 550 and it rendered the quest so old fashioned that I would never consider going back. If John should be interested, I have a Quest 1 which works fine in UK and he is welcome to borrow it for a long term trial just to get his brain used to what is on offer. John

 

[BigEd]

I have the Garmin 660. It is water proof so that it can operate out in the elements on a motorcycle. The waterproof satnav's are usually much more expensive than ones designed for in car use. The 660 operates like the 550 but has a larger screen and as it has a flatter shape it is more convenient to put in your pocket when you stop.
The maps are good and the “Lane Assist” feature is good on motorway junctions. It shows the junction and clearly indicates the lane you require with a BIG arrow.
I sometimes use it without audio and I am able to navigate with it OK. You just need to remember to look at the display more often.
With audio you get plenty of notice before a turn so you can concentrate on your riding.
Wind noise is a problem with most/all helmets. I have poor hearing so I always wear ear plugs to protect what hearing I have left.
When I want audio I use Etymotic ER-6 Isolator In-Ear Earphones. More information at: http://tinyurl.com/7tj2s
These are the type of thing that you would use with an mp3 player or Walkman and offer high audio quality. They have flanged ear tips that push into the ear cavity. These are the best ear plugs I have ever used for reduction of wind/road noise. Even the Rapide seems quiet! Really. They are not cheap. You can find them online for around £60 - £70. There are probably similar, cheaper alternatives if you do a bit of research. They are far, far better from a noise reduction point of view than the custom made moulded ear plugs that I had made at a bike show. (These weren't particularly cheap either.)
The Garmin kit came with a car mount too so it is a moments work to unclip from the bike and stick on the car windscreen. It operates on 12 volts but the inbuilt battery has enough capacity for around 4 hours if you only have 6 volts or are walking.
The unit also stores mp3 files so you can listen to the music of your choice as you serenely waft along in apparent silence.

 

[Albervin]

Who's your friend.

ello.
Yes I have been playing on the net but there is nothing quite like solid recomendation or absolute "don't bother" is there. I really don't want to get one and then find it loses signal in the middle of a city, or as one did recently got me all the way there by motorway and then 1/2 mile from my destination it got itself lost, I had to find a police station and ask .

I used a TOMTOM Rider on my trip around Europe. I was on my own & I NEVER got lost due to TOMTOM. I also clip it in my car & it is fine for that too. Map downloads from the internet are dead easy & way cheaper than Garmin.I even have a nice Australian girl telling me where to go. Used in conjunction with a bluetooth receiver in my helmet . I would need some seriously strong argument to change my mind on this!!

 

[Comet]

I knew I would get some help from you all, thank you. I have been having a play on the web and found this place https://www.cheapsatnavhire.co.uk this is an option I had not thought of, they seem fairly reasonable rates. They only seem to have the TomTom optionbut it may be a consideration for someone who only wants a satnav occasionally.
Thanks for the offer Graham that would be handy to have a play for a day or two if possible.

 

[stumpy lord]

HI pete and every body else,
both roger and I use garmin zumo 550 with starcom intercom and kenwood bike to bike. We both started of with built in head sets and both found them to be a disappointment at any speed above town work, wind and exhaust roar being to great. what we did find that works is a product that is a custom made ear plug that has built in speakers that are tailer made to fit your ears. they are not cheap, but if you want the benefit from all your expensive gear you can not beat them, music,intercom, bike to bike garmin instuctions, all become audible at normal cruising speeds. Even higher on on more quiter modern machines. It is quit amusing to ride behind Roger and watch him noding away to his music.
for more details see www.themp3company.co.uk This company is £20 cheaper than any other company that I have found their price being £170. nearly forgot the product is called Duocom.
cheers norm.

 

[wld50]

UK Traffic
I do a lot of miles by car for work and used to use a TrafficMaster which gave warning of traffic grounded to a halt on the motorway and trunk road system.
It had some problems ie it was slow in responding, and you'd sometimes find it displaying the jam you were in twenty minutes after you'd parked on the motorway, but it was actually quite useful for deciding which way to go round Brum, or to use the M6 or the A5 to get to Wrecsam. The subscription was about £120 per annum but it seemed worth it until it died and they wanted as much again to repair it (and it didnt have colour or satnav!)

I see the Garmin Zumo 660 has a traffic gizmo for in- car use, the GTM 21 FM TMC, has anyone experience with it? If so what do you think of it?

wld

 

[Comet Rider]

Hi wld and all,
I use a Garmin Zumo550, and as wld has noted you can get a traffic receiver which plugs into the cradle that the Zumo sits in.
It uses the same info as trafficmaster, and mostly works well, but a point to note is that in most of Europe (except France) the service is free, so your lifetime subscription that comes with the TMC device for the UK will also be useful if you travel accross Europe.
TomTom also have a similar service called TT Live which is fitted to my works supplied GPS unit and when running the 2 side by side they tended to agree 95% of the time.

Garmin also offer a map update service for life (life of system not user) for a one off fee of £100, and you get a minimum of 3 updates a year.

Cheers
Neil