As a confirmed techno-weenie (or geek for short), I've had GPS on my bikes ever since the handheld ones got inexpensive almost 10 years ago. I've owned quite a few since, the count's well into double digits if you count the ones installed in our cars. I posted up how I installed our Garmin GPS60Cx onto our ninjette right here (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3). I use the gadgets to load waypoints and routes in ahead of time; it really helps whether I'm leading a ride or just following along. In the first case it means I'm less likely to lead the group astray; in the second case it means I have zero stress about keeping up and I can stop whenever I like, knowing I'll always know how to make it to the destination or next rest point.

After each ride, I load up the track to my computer and store it for future use. GPS files have become standardized in the past few years, and they can all be expressed as GPX files. These files can then be downloaded by almost anyone with a GPS, and loaded into their own gadgets for their own use.

So far I haven't posted much (or any) GPS-related stuff onto this board because I wasn't sure if there was an audience. If there are other GPS-junkies out there, speak up and let me know if you'd like more GPS-related features on this board (a separate sub-forum for routes could be one example). Anyone else using their GPS to do neat things on a motorcycle?

My girlfriend got one for christmas and I was playing with it and it got me thinking of how useful it would be on my bike. It was much easier to use than I thought.

Good thread idea and I'm curious how other people use/like theirs. :thumbup:

Also, do you think you could post another pic of how it's mounted on the 250? That first picture in the link in a little hard to make out.

My husband has one installed on the ZX14, we've used it a couple of times. They can come in pretty handy.

I had asked my dad, who rides a Vstrom, for a GPS for Christmas... he fell through :(

Also, do you think you could post another pic of how it's mounted on the 250?

Sure, next time I have the 250 outside in the sun I'll take some clearer shots of how it's mounted. It's nothing too exotic, it's just this mount:

http://www.cycoactive.com/ram/ram60.shtml

with the u-bolt wrapped around the left handlebar just inboard of the grip.

I save pretty much every GPS track after a ride, if I haven't been on those roads before. They are all stored in a single file back at the computer, so they can be overlayed onto a single map like this:

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I've got a couple dozen rides this year to still add to this map, but you get the gist. :) The GPS also came in very handy when Ann and I did our Europe m/c trip awhile back. We didn't need to follow the planned route exactly, and could turn off and explore whatever we wanted, knowing we'd still be able to find the next lunch stop or other sightseeing area. We became a bit like the Pied Piper and were pulling another 3 or 4 bikes along just about everywhere, which did take some of the load off of the official guides.

I have two Garmin GPS units on our boat. I like Garmin because of the incredible factory support a customer gets. I remember when the Y2K thing hit several years ago, owners of Magellan, Northstar, and Trimble, had to send their units back to the factory for an expensive reprogramming. Mind you that Trimble and Northstar cost thousands. My wife called Garmin at their 800 number and asked what we should do since our two units were down. The tech told her to save the waypoints on paper, and then gave her a key sequence she could enter into the unit. The tech also told her to leave the unit on after executing the key sequence and that the GPS would reeducate itself in about a half an hour. I dropped a Garmin 50 (1991 vintage) and sent it to Garmin. They replaced the case and programmed in their latest program.-That was all done at no charge. This spring I will need to replace the electronics on our boat. We plan to go all Garmin.

Are there any specific models that y'all would recommend for using on our bikes that don't cost and arm and a leg?

I agree, Alex, Garmin does have some great customer service, and that's the same brand that almost all of ours have been as well. They aren't perfect, with software bugs from time to time (which they fix over time), and hardware issues (broken battery contacts, in the case of our GPS60's). But if you have an issue there's always someone to talk to pretty quickly, and if you need something fixed more often than not you just send it to them, they fix it, and send it right back for no charge.

I found this one on Best Buy, but I really don't know what I'm doing - this is sadly one of those areas where I'm clueless :(
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7729773&st=garmin+etrex&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1140392383432

Are there any specific models that y'all would recommend for using on our bikes that don't cost and arm and a leg?

I guess it depends on how one values their arm and leg, but the good news is that no matter what type you get, they are less expensive than they've ever been. Right now we own two, both Garmins, a Zumo 550 and a GPS60Cx. The Zumo 550 can be found for about $500 (maybe a little less now), and the 60Cx is an older model, but can be found for about $270. The Zumo is motorcycle-specific, and comes with all of the mounting gear you need to put it on a bike; you need to pick that stuff up separately with the 60Cx, and you also need to buy a mapset separately with the 60Cx, so the price gets closer to the Zumo.

Here are some of the things that I think are important when choosing a GPS for a bike:

- Does it run on 12V power natively, or does it need an adapter?

Many Garmin units do run on 12V, which means hooking them up to a bike can be as easy as running a wire straight to the battery. You will want to hardwire the GPS, so you can keep the backlight on continuously while it's on the bike. Especially at night, when a GPS might be particularly useful. With its internal batteries, no GPS will be able to run with a backlight on for more than 2-3 hours at most. (though some can run 12-18 hrs without backlight, good for hiking, etc). If it doesn't run on 12V, it will still likely come with a cigarette lighter adapter. The problem is that the transformer to step the 12V down to 5V is sometimes in that adapter, so you need to use it and can't just strip the wires. Cigarette plugs aren't very durable or vibration-resistant, so it becomes a common failure point. (That's why most moto-accessories use the BMW-style/powerlet type plug instead)

- How many maps can it hold?

At this point, memory is so inexpensive that I wouldn't buy a GPS unless it could hold the full detailed maps of the entire US at a time. The Zumo can, and the 60Cx can (with a 2 GB microSD card plugged into it). Almost all modern GPS's have this feature, so there's no reason to go without it now and have to load different map areas as you travel.

- What maps does it come with?

Some units, like the Zumos and much of the Nuvi line, come with the full US detailed maps on board and ready to go. Often they include the full maps to load to your computer so you can create routes with them, but sometimes that is extra. Some units, like the 60Cx series, come with just a high-level basemap, and all detailed maps need to be purchased separately and loaded to the device. The basemap will have major highways and town names in it so you can get from town to town, but it doesn't have any actual street addresses to route to, and has no streets smaller than the major highways included.

- How durable is it? Is it waterproof?

The ones designed for outdoor use or even motorcycle use are more vibration resistant, typically more water-resistant, and are even more drop-resistant. Well, they still get dropped the same as any other, but they are more likely to survive the drop and keep working. :)

- How big is the screen? Is it in color? Is it readable for me? Is it readable in sunlight?

This is a preference. Larger screen may be better, as long as you have space for it, but the larger it is the less handy the gadget is to carry around with you, and the more space it takes up in the cockpit.

- Are there motorcycle mounts available, or am I going to have to find a unique solution of my own?

http://www.ram-mount.com/ is the 1st place to check, and you can buy their stuff from a bunch of places; I have had good luck with http://www.cycoactive.com over the years.

- can it load and save tracks (even multiple tracks) easily?

Here, the hiking and all-purpose GPS's do well. Both the 60Cx and the Zumo have good capabilities. The Nuvi line, and in general most of the nav systems aimed for car navigation do not have these capabilities (or they are very limited). If you plan on being able to save tracks (and/or routes) from the internet, load them to the gadget and use them, or to save tracks from the gadget and look at them later, make sure your GPS can do that. It's these particular capabilities that I think folks assume their GPS will have, and are surprised to find out that it doesn't.

- can it "route" using the loaded maps? can it load routes created elsewhere and route using them?

If you're in San Francisco, and you want to get to Bakersfield, when you put in Bakersfield, can it route you using the maps to tell you which roads to go on and where to turn, all the way to your destination? Here's where some of the hiking/outdoors GPS's fall short for our purposes, and they can't route at all. Some of them can load maps, but all the maps can be used for is to see where you are right at one point on a map, they can't be used to actually route you along the road. Some of the more car-focused GPS's can route, but only to a single point (or a via point or two), and cannot route using a loaded route file.

- Does it have audio? Does it give street directions by voice?

Here you want to decide if this is important to you. If you're not going to run headphones to the GPS, or hook it to some type of communications system, then audio isn't particularly useful. If it beeps, that's more than enough. On a bike at speed, you're not going to hear anything anyway. Our 60Cx only has beeps for audio, the Zumo does have sophisticated audio out, speaks street names, and on our RT we have it wired to a Autocom system with in-helmet speakers.


That probably covers much of the thought process, though I'm sure I left some things out unintentionally. To get back to your first question, which specific models, here's what I'd suggest:

- If you have the $, can't go wrong with a Zumo 550. If you don't need bluetooth connectivity, MP3 capability, and a few other gadgety features, the Zumo 450 is almost as slick, and can save you $80 - $100. The Zumo does great double-duty as a car-navigator, and even comes with a suction cup mount to slap onto your car's windshield. (the 550 has that, confirm if the 450 does too)

- If you want the GPS to carry along for hiking or other outdoor activities, check out the Garmin 60Cx or CSx. They are almost identical, but the S version has an electronic compass and altimeter. The GPS chip itself does a passable job at those features, I own the Cx and have never wanted for the CSx. Garmin has come out with replacement models for the 60 series, they are called the Colorado. No first-hand experience with them, but they look to have a larger screen, and a simlar form factor to the 60's. With any of these models, you need to factor in the cost of the mapset, memory chip, and motorcycle mounting which all need to be purchased separately.

I found this one on Best Buy

Hi noche_caliente -

Nope, I wouldn't recommend the original Legend for a motorcycle. It has no routing capabilty, and it's not a color screen. While you can load a small amount of maps to it (8 MB only), that GPS can't route from one place to another. So if you enter in a waypoint for Seattle and say "take me there", it will mark a perfectly straight line to Seattle; it can't follow any roads. It's pretty much a hiking/outdoors only type GPS. That gadget would be useful to store tracks of rides, but there are much better solutions that can do the same thing and much more.

For any of the Garmin units, go directly to Garmin's site for the specs; they have a pretty comprehensive page for each unit that lays out what it can and can't do. Here's the one for the Legend:

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=173#specsTab

One thing I've started doing recently with the GPS is to geocode my motorcycling photos. Since all digital cameras embed the time you took the pic right into the file itself (as long as you set the clock on the camera), you have some key info. And since the GPS is keeping track of where you were at what time, you now have everything you need as long as you save that track log.

So after you load your pictures to your computer, and the tracklog to your computer, you can use (free) programs like this (http://code.google.com/p/gpicsync/), which automatically syncs up your pictures with your GPS track, and re-writes the picture file with the latitude/longitude/nearest town/maplink right into each picture file itself. Without doing much extra work, you'll always know exactly where each picture was taken. Many picture sites are starting to read that location data automatically, so the map links show up right below the picture. Here's a gallery (http://www.ciurczak.com/gallery/6927850_sEW8T#443306191_xSmNr) from a ride I just went on yesterday, you can see the map link below each pic:

Alex, I`m with you 99.9%. You mentioned hard wiring directly to the battery. I did that on our boat, and the unit was unable to handle the surges. For example, the GPS was on and we needed to start the engine on the sailboat because the wind died. As you know, a diesel takes a few amps to crank over--so we get a power drop. Then the beast starts and a 160Amp alternator kicks in. The Garmin craps out. We solved the problem by putting a capacitor in line--took care of the fluctuations--no problem since that time. I don`t know whether that would apply to the more modern Zumo.

Hi Alex -

The power cables for the GPS going to the battery have a small 2A fuse inline, so if there were such a surge that would be enough to damage the GPS, the fuse would go before the GPS did. I've never blown that fuse on any of my bikes, though.

Here's a link to the cable that I have installed on the ninjette:

http://www.cycoactive.com/gps/powint.htm

Also, do you think you could post another pic of how it's mounted on the 250?

I was able to take a few more pics of the GPS setup on the Ninjette today:

http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/444404281_ZMU4H-L-1.jpg

http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/444404335_BaRr8-L.jpg

http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/444404424_UqEZq-L.jpg

http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/444404746_pPv9R-L-1.jpg

http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/444419716_3y5be-L.jpg

All pics can be seen in full-res up in this gallery (http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/gallery/6944737_ZoXSH/1/444404746_pPv9R#444419124_Ncrow).

One thing I've started doing recently with the GPS is to geocode my motorcycling photos. Since all digital cameras embed the time you took the pic right into the file itself (as long as you set the clock on the camera), you have some key info. And since the GPS is keeping track of where you were at what time, you now have everything you need as long as you save that track log.

So after you load your pictures to your computer, and the tracklog to your computer, you can use (free) programs like this (http://code.google.com/p/gpicsync/), which automatically syncs up your pictures with your GPS track, and re-writes the picture file with the latitude/longitude/nearest town/maplink right into each picture file itself. Without doing much extra work, you'll always know exactly where each picture was taken. Many picture sites are starting to read that location data automatically, so the map links show up right below the picture. Here's a gallery (http://www.ciurczak.com/gallery/6927850_sEW8T#443306191_xSmNr) from a ride I just went on yesterday, you can see the map link below each pic:

Holly cow! Why didn't I think of that!! Shoot and here I was sitting looking at pictures going.. where was this again!? When I should have looked at the time stamp! :banghead:

Btb I have the Garmin Zumo 450 on Tyke. Zumo (as I have not so creatively named it) and I argue a lot though... Mainly when Someone (Phil) sets avoidances and forgets to take them off when he returns Zumo to me.

Haven't read the whole thread yet, but this is a topic I'm highly interested in, and learning more about.

Still have yet to upload my own trip, but just wanted to share with everyone a really cool site called Sunday Morning Rides (http://www.sundaymorningrides.com) which provides a place for you to upload and view your motorcycle trips.

Sunday Morning Rides (http://www.sundaymorningrides.com)

Neat site, thx for the link!

Sunday Morning Rides (http://www.sundaymorningrides.com)

Nice site!

It will be a few months before I get a GPS so I havent shopped around for them much yet. What factors/options cause some to have a monthly fee and others to not?

No GPS has a monthly fee. Things like OnStar for cars have monthly fees because of the cellular service that it requires to work. GPS satellites are free to use for anyone on the planet with a compatible receiver. (though there are different grades of mil-spec GPS that aren't available to the public)

We have had both Garmins and TomTom. Garmin is much easier and user friendly.

No GPS has a monthly fee. Things like OnStar for cars have monthly fees because of the cellular service that it requires to work. GPS satellites are free to use for anyone on the planet with a compatible receiver. (though there are different grades of mil-spec GPS that aren't available to the public)

I was just at Best Buy yesterday and both Garmin and TomTom had GPS's that had monthly fees (although may not have been required). These were the ~$600 models though. Maybe they hooked up to cell towers for live info.

If you could find a link, I'd appreciate it. GPS is free, so whatever they are selling for an additional monthly fee is a separate service of some kind. I wasn't aware of any Garmin units with any monthly fee, so I'd be pretty interested to learn more about them.

FWIW I just went through all the Garmin devices on bestbuy.com and couldn't find any with a monthly fee. I wondered if perhaps they were charging for real-time traffic updates, but they aren't, they provide the service free but you have to pay a decent chunk for the receiver itself. They do offer an XM radio attachment for some of their GPS units (including the Zumo), so there certainly would be an extra fee for a XM radio subscription if you purchase that attachment, but that's all I can really think of. :idunno:

I don't have as much experience with the TomTom units, so I wasn't sure what they'd be charging extra for either. From their website, it looks like they do charge extra for some add-on features (of questionable value, IMO):

- $19.95/year for an updated list of fuel prices for nearby gas stations
- For TomTom traffic they don't charge a fee, but they require you to have a data-capable cell phone that it can link to (which would have a monthly cell bill of its own, naturally)
- $39.95/year Safety Camera location subscription (not offered in US, but is in Europe and elsewhere)
- additional charges for custom voices (Mr. T, for example)
- $15/year for an updated list of wi-fi hotspots by location

Traffic monitor is not free. That does have a seperate sign up and fees...

I think you're right. Confusingly, Garmin offers two traffic monitoring services. One of them through MSNDirect over the FM airwaves. That one is free, with the purchase of a Garmin unit that supports it. They also offer XM NavTraffic, which works through the XM satellite network. That one does have a subscription fee associated with it.

I haven't used either of them, so I'm not aware of the differences/pros/cons of each, or even how well either of them work to help you take different routes.

More info on Garmin's site right here. (http://www8.garmin.com/traffic/)

I have never used them either.

Yeah I have no idea what that monthly fee was for. I'll look closer next time I'm at Best Buy. I just took a quick walk around the GPS area when I was there, but I'll be shopping around more in the near future.

We have never paid a monthly fee for either of these units.

Here's a picture of my garmin quest mounted. If you look at the clutch perch there is a rubber cap, you can take the cap off and mount a ram ball on it. You do however have to re-thread it. You need a 3/28-16 tap cuz it's metric. The credit goes to hickman71 from ninja250.org though.

http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq94/alvinbustamante/IMG_2730.jpg?t=1230914510

That's a very clean looking mount, Alvin. :thumbup:

My brand new Zumo craps out from time to time after starting the motorcycle. I have to pull the battery off the back of the unit to reset it. Solved by starting the bike first, then plugging in the Zumo...

Alex, I`m with you 99.9%. You mentioned hard wiring directly to the battery. I did that on our boat, and the unit was unable to handle the surges. For example, the GPS was on and we needed to start the engine on the sailboat because the wind died. As you know, a diesel takes a few amps to crank over--so we get a power drop. Then the beast starts and a 160Amp alternator kicks in. The Garmin craps out. We solved the problem by putting a capacitor in line--took care of the fluctuations--no problem since that time. I don`t know whether that would apply to the more modern Zumo.

Doug -

First make sure you've got the latest firmware on the zumo. Use WebUpdater (can download it from Garmin's site), and don't stop updating until when you try to there's nothing left to update. There were some firmware revs that had some real stability problems.

Once you've got the firmware updated, then clean up all the electrical contacts. Get some dielectric grease. Take the battery pack off, rub some of that grease on the battery terminals and the zumo battery terminals, and reinstall the battery. Put some grease on the bottom terminals that attach to the bike mount, and put some on the pins on the bike mount as well.

At the end of all that, I think your shut-off problems will be a distant memory. (I had the same issue with the same Zumo, and all of the above cured it completely).

Like 'grease' grease? The stuff I use on the axles and such?

I last downloaded FW in November, but then it took a while for me to install the thing on my bike...I posted some pics on that other website. It looks pretty cool. I can't see the speedometer or the blinker indicator so well but most of the tach is visible and I know the bike so well now that I feel the RPMs anyway.

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I'm planning to pick your brain some about downloading and creating routes. The download seems straightforward enough...think I'll try that but I"m completely mystified as to how to create a route for a ride and load it into the GPS.


Doug -

First make sure you've got the latest firmware on the zumo. Use WebUpdater (can download it from Garmin's site), and don't stop updating until when you try to there's nothing left to update. There were some firmware revs that had some real stability problems.

Once you've got the firmware updated, then clean up all the electrical contacts. Get some dielectric grease. Take the battery pack off, rub some of that grease on the battery terminals and the zumo battery terminals, and reinstall the battery. Put some grease on the bottom terminals that attach to the bike mount, and put some on the pins on the bike mount as well.

At the end of all that, I think your shut-off problems will be a distant memory. (I had the same issue with the same Zumo, and all of the above cured it completely).

Like 'grease' grease? The stuff I use on the axles and such?

Nope, like this (http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=8196):

369

Any hardware store would have it for a couple bucks. It's good for electrical connections under vibration.

Doug -

Here's how I create a usable route on a computer and get it to a GPS (I posted it awhile back on another board):

Well, I think I've found the holy grail. Almost, at least. For years now I've tried a million different ways to create an electronic map for club rides, along with a loadable GPS file. Up until now, that usually meant doing duplicate work, and if you do a careful job at it, it will take hours to create both files. The typical process is to create a Microsoft Streets and Trips map for printing, then duplicate the effort in Garmin's Mapsource for the GPS. That could be shortened slightly by converting the waypoints on the S&T map, but it still took some time and tweaking on the Mapsource side.

Google, bless their hearts, have continued to upgrade their online mapping tools. And in its latest iteration, it has a better and easier interface than any of the standalone pc-based map tools. Which is amazing to me in a web app. Anyway, all you need to do is go to http://maps.google.com, enter in a starting and ending destination, and hit go. You'll have the blue line for your route. Then the neat part is you just drag parts of that blue line onto the roads that you want to use, zooming in and out as necessary, and it will immediately calculate the route using that waypoint and modify the blue line accordingly. It takes just a few minutes to finalize a great route from beginning to end. But the next trick is getting that information from the web app to something you can load on a GPS.

Enter GMaptoGPX (http://www.elsewhere.org/journal/gmaptogpx). Go to that webpage and follow the instructions to add their bookmark to your toolbar. Though it should work on IE and Firefox, it tends to work better for me on Firefox. Once it is installed, you just go to your handy-dandy google map, and you hit the GMaptoGPX button in your toolbar, and it pops up some text. If you hit "Full", it populates the text with an extremely complete list of waypoints representing your route. All you need to do is copy that text, and save it as a .gpx file somewhere on your PC. And now you have a .gpx file of that route. In seconds. The hitch is that there may be thousands of waypoints, and some GPS's can only handle 500 waypoints per track or even only 50 waypoints per route. So just load the .gpx file into MapSource, and double-click on the track, hit filter, and you can filter down to 50 to 100 waypoints or so. To make the track into a route, you can use WinGDB (can be downloaded from here (http://www.elsinga.net/206.html)). Then once it is a route, you can re-open it in Mapsource and hit recalc, and the route will follow the roads exactly once again, and is simple enough to load right to a GPS.

In paragraph form this may seem clunky, but I assure you it has changed a 2 - 4 hr process into a < 10 minute process. Here it is in step-by-step form:


Open firefox browser, go to maps.google.com. (If you don't have the GmapToGPX bookmark installed, do that first)
Click "get directions" link. Enter starting and ending point, hit "get directions" button.
Pull the route onto the roads that you want to go on, just like taffy. If you add a waypoint that you no longer want, just right-click on it and hit remove. Repeat until the route is right on the roads that you want.
Right-click on "Link to this page" on the upper right to copy the link, and then paste/save said link somewhere else (text file, clip-board, email, anywhere). That link will let you come back to the full map any time later without redoing anything.
Print the route right from Google; it has good printing options and is all one needs to navigate from a paper map.
Hit the GMaptoGPX button. Once the textbox comes up, press "FULL".
Copy all of the text in the textbox and paste it into a blank text document (Wordpad works great for this), and save it. Change the file suffix on the text document to .gpx.
Open the .gpx file in Garmin Mapsource, confirm that the track is identical to your chosen route (but has thousands of points).
Filter the track (double-click on the track name and choose "Filter"), and select a set number of points (100 seems to be a good option).
Save the file as a GDB v2 file (not the default v3, since WinGDB can only deal with v2 files).
Run WinGDB to convert the track to a route.
Open the converted file in Mapsource again, and right-click on the route and select "recalculate". The calculated mileage should be very close to the google numbers.
Sync your GPS with Mapsource, and make sure the route is on your GPS.

You're done. Spend the hours you saved in front of the tube with a beer in your hand. Either that or on motorcycle maintenance.

If anyone tries this and finds some shortcuts or corrections, just let me know so I can update this post.

- Alex

:thumbup: Oh Yeah! Now, I'm going to have to try that!

Doug -

Here's how I create a usable route on a computer and get it to a GPS (I posted it awhile back on another board):

I am using my old Garmin Geko 201 in the map pocket of my tank bag to log rides but unfortunately the battery life of this little bugger is only about 6-8hrs... Buying a power adapter and routing a power plug - Well, I'll have to think about that. Don't know if it's worth it...



I am using LoadMyTracks for MacOS to load and save .kml/.gpx files. Works great.

The GPX conversion from Google Maps routes is a good tip! (Google Earth is able to export tracks to .kml but you cannot edit routes in Google Earth as opposed to Google Maps)

It seems that Google changed something, and now the GmaptoGPX output sometimes can't be read by MapSource. But there is a workaround. If you load the file to EasyGPS, then save it as GPX again, then MapSource can load it. Clunky, but least there is a workaround until things get fixed. EasyGPS is available right here (free):

http://www.easygps.com/

and I've also attached a zipped version of the application to this post as well.

Your so good to us Alex :)

Ok, so it's about that time that I get a GPS - birthday present from my parents.

I'm pretty sure I want to get a Garmin because of their customer service and I'm already familiar with their user interface. I went to Garmins website to learn about the features. Great website! You can just select the certain features you want and it lists the GPSs that have those features. It seems like the Nuvi 760 is the best choice for me. It has the features I want most - multiple point routing so I can choose my route, widescreen to easier viewing, mp3 player since I might use it sometime, bluetooth since I might use it sometime. Lastly, it can be bought now for under $250.

Does this look like a good one to get?

It's good that they give the specs ahead of time, but it's even better that they let you download the instruction manuals as well.

Here's a link (http://www8.garmin.com/support/userManual.jsp?market=4&subcategory=41&product=010-00657-10) to the manuals for the Nuvi 760. (I attached 'em below as well)

There is the same manual for the 750/760.

Check the manual for everything that you might want to do with it. If it's not in the manual, the unit can't do it; it's really as simple as that. The 760 looks like it does allow you to load routes into it. I'm not sure whether it lets you load tracks, from the manual it appears to not be able to do that. Also, it doesn't appear to manage a trip log / track log at all, so you may not be able to save your track and upload it to your computer later. For $250, it's definitely a good deal, but I do think that it is missing some things that I'd want in a motorcycle GPS. :2cents:

The 760 looks like it does allow you to load routes into it. I'm not sure whether it lets you load tracks, from the manual it appears to not be able to do that.

Hmm.. whats the difference? Seems like if I were able to pick a route, thats all I would need.


Also, it doesn't appear to manage a trip log / track log at all, so you may not be able to save your track and upload it to your computer later. For $250, it's definitely a good deal, but I do think that it is missing some things that I'd want in a motorcycle GPS. :2cents:

Just a guess.. but is the trip log/track log the feature that allows you to see what times you were at certain places in your route (which goes along with the picture geocoding)?

Thanks for the Manual links!

A route is a collection of a few track points that imply a connection between them. A route might have 5 waypoints in it, and the route basically says you'll go to 1 first, then auto-route using the loaded maps to get you to 2, then to 3, then to 4, etc. For on-road routing, in many cases a route makes sense.

A track is also a collection of of waypoints, but that's really all it is. There is no implied connection between them. There are typically many, many more waypoints in a track. Think of a track like an electronic breadcrumb of the ride. I have my GPS's set to save a trackpoint every 30 seconds, for example. After the ride, I can load the track up to a PC and I have a record of exactly where I went.

If you're looking to download somebody else's ride from an online site so you can do the same ride, many times they are saved in track format, rather than routes. (all off-road type rides are track format, but that doesn't necessarily apply here). There are some conversion programs to switch things back and forth between routes and tracks, but that doesn't mean that a GPS that can only do routes isn't missing something. Often it is limited to as few as 25 - 50 waypoints in a route, while a track may have many more. And if the track is filtered down to the right number of waypoints so it can be loaded, it's possible that the auto-routing on the unit will take you on a different way than was intended by the track.

And you're exactly right, it's that tracklog feature that allows for geocoding pictures afterwards. Both routes and tracks have their place, and there are good reasons to use both, depending on the current task you're trying to do with the GPS. I wouldn't want to go without either.

I have the Zumo and though we may argue I wouldn't go with another GPS unit. It tracks where I've been, let me upload routes, make my own routes, and it will do MP3's with bluetooth capabilities. Beyond that I haven't played with it to much. :D

Can't go wrong with a Zumo. It does pretty much everything, though there are some things that it's clunkier at or more limited than other Garmins due to a simplified user interface (trying to deal with multiple tracks on board for a longer trip, for example, or trying to create a screen with the specific pieces of data you want rather than just the stock choices). But as for feature set, there's not much that's left out, it is their top motorcycle GPS for a reason. Many folks flinch at the cost though, as it is quite expensive, and it's a common question to wonder if a less expensive model will be just as good. Answering that question depends on what people want to do with the GPS, so with any luck they've figured that out before they purchased anything so there isn't any buyer's remorse when they find out they really needed a feature that the one they purchased doesn't include.

I would be interested in hearing more reviews of different systems as well as any innovative mounting solutions.

I've been thinking about getting a gps for a while now, but I would like a more stock looking mounting system. I came up with this that I might try should I decide to pull the trigger and buy a system.

It would mount to the back side of the upper windshield mount bolts and sit behind/under the windshield. I think you would need a taller windshield for this to work. With my Sport Touring screen it will def. fit, but may also fit with a Double Bubble. It might shake too much, but I would have to try it out.

The Mount
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/Ninja/GPSMount.jpg

My Windshield
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/Ninja/PB240966.jpg

Got the idea from something I saw on a Versys.

Looks like a good idea for your setup

For people who have one of those SPoT gadgets, and want to get their data into a usable GPS route that they can share with their friends, check out these posts (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?p=27068&postcount=16) in the SPoT thread.

I'll still save the GPS tracklogs directly from the GPS if I want to do geocoding or have a record of the trip. But that takes some time to massage those files, link them together if needed, etc. For a quick route file with almost zero work, getting the data from the SPoT works perfectly.

AMA members get a 20% discount on Garmin GPS. I don't use one because I'm so old I already know every road and short cut in the US.

The AMA discount for Garmin GPS's seems nice in theory, but the MSRP of Garmin devices is so horribly inflated that 20% off MSRP is often more than the average sale prices for the gadgets anyway. Take the Zumo 550 for example. MSRP of $899. You can buy it from Amazon for $655 and get free shipping. If you login to Garmin's AMA affinity site to buy the same gadget with the AMA discount, they want $675 + shipping.

Ok so I've been thinking more about this lately. I want to have a simple GPS that I can use on the fly (don't have to plan out the route beforehand), but I don't want to dive too deeply into it yet, like spending the money on a Zumo.

I came across some older Garmin units that are waterproof (a requirement to me), the Street Pilot 2720, 2730, and 2820. I have found all 3 fairly reasonably priced (<$150), but the 2820 is a little harder to come by for cheap as it is newer and has bluetooth.

My question is for you guys that have GPS already do you listen to directions or just glance at the screen every now and then. If you just look at the screen there are other options which are less expensive (they don't have text-to-speech like the Street Pilot models).

Basically what I want to know is would I be better to spend $50 on a non-TTS Magellan or Garmin, or spend $100 on a TTS Garmin. I do use my iPod on long trips so I would like a way to listen to music and the GPS, but from what I've read there really aren't any cheap ways to do this.

I run TTS on the RT with a Zumo, as I have a headset in the helmet already for all types of audio. On the ninjette I run a 60Cx without TTS, and just look down at it from time to time. I have it configured to show miles to next turn, so with just a glance I can peek and see when I need to be ready for it.

Ok that's good to know. I just saw that the 2730 has a built in FM transmitter. So could I set that and a transmitter on my ipod to the same frequency and listen with a headset (Scala Rider FM maybe) that way?

I've found the fully wireless systems to be more costly than the benefit they provide. Once you start wanting to have audio in the helmet, and you want to hook up a GPS as well as music, a wired system starts to make more sense. Much more reliable, will work all day long without recharging, can hook up many more devices to the same system if you like (radar detector, for example), and it's not as expensive as some might think.

That said, the only gadget I have on the ninjette is a GPS without TTS, so I don't run any audio to the helmet on that bike.

Well I bought a Garmin 2720 on ebay for $75. The motorcycle mount and wiring is $36, and I will make a bracket like I posted about before. Should be a cheap and easy way to get myself into GPS.

Here it is.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/Ninja/P3171084.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/Ninja/P3171085.jpg

More info here (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?p=34475)

*tag*
(sorry, I don't see a 'subscribe' button)

*tag*
(sorry, I don't see a 'subscribe' button)

right there under "thread tools".

Has anyone heard anything about the TomTom Rider2?

The main feature I'm looking for is to hear the directions in my ear because I really don't want to be looking down at it while riding. I'm hoping there's a more economical alternative with the bluetooth 'voice" in your helmet... but I haven't found it... any suggestions?

The Rider2 seems to have almost all the features of the Zumo, and it's on sale for half price at Amazon right now: ($365)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Aj1XXShwL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Product Features

* A rugged waterproof device, anti-glare screen, integrated sun visor, and gloves-on operation give bikers just what they need while riding; universal mounting kit fits most bikes
* Spoken turn-by-turn instructions and 3D graphics will guide you to any address in the United States and Canada
* Navigation instructions are spoken via in-helmet Cardo scala-rider Bluetooth headset for great audio quality, external noise cancellation, and added safety and convenience
* Itinerary planning helps riders make the most of their time on the road; with a choice of routes--including shortest, fastest, non-toll roads, and avoiding highways--you can explore the world your own way
* Makes riding even safer with Bluetooth hands-free calling (compatible mobile phone required)

Technical Details

* CPU: 380 MHz
* System Memory: 32 MB RAM
* Display: 3.5 inch, 320 x 240 TFT color LCD touchscreen
* Dimensions: 4.46 x 3.79 x 2.08 inches
* Weight: 11 ounces
* Battery: Internal rechargeable Li-Ion
* Approximate battery life: 5 hours
* Operating temperature: 14 to 130 degrees F
* Waterproofing: PX7--protects against any wet-weather conditions
* Bluetooth headset battery talk time: 7 hours
* Bluetooth headset battery standby: 1 week
* Alternative power source: 12V motorbike battery

The TomTom devices always clean up on the feature set checklist, but seem to fall short once someone actually uses them for awhile. The initial Rider unit was very much anticipated, with features that Garmin hadn't released or even contemplated yet, but once released, reviewers were generally unkind. The Rider2 model seems to be an improvement, the pricing is reasonable, and the fact that they are throwing in a bluetooth headset is definitely a plus.

If I was going to spend $400 though, I'd probably save up just a little bit more and get a Zumo 550 on clearance with a headset, or even the new Zumo 660.

Any idea where they would have the Zumo 550 on clearance???

For now I'm using the iPhone but in the middle of a ride this weekend it died (battery lost charge really fast) and I was left GPS/phone/music-less... it was terrible to say the least... couldn't tell the riders I was going to meet that I was lost!!

Looks like the going rate for the 550 is between $500 & $600 right now. That will drop as more 660's hit the market to replace the 550. I'd expect the 550's to be going for $400 - $450 on ebay in 3 months or less. The 550 comes with all maps you need, comes with a great motorcycle mount, as well as a nice car mount. It looks like the Rider2 may include these as well, but other cheaper GPS's may not so it's important to keep in mind what the total price will be for your setup.

I just wish there was a cheaper alternative... $400 is still a lot... :(

My phone isn't bluetooth so I don't really care for that. I'd like one with voice prompts, spoken street names and an audio jack but there's so many devices out there it's dizzying.

How does this one look?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9006915&type=product&id=1218010613502

Garmin 2820 has bluetooth and is waterproof. $235 on ebay right now with free shipping. It is the same as the one I posted above only with bluetooth. The only bad thing is you have to wire it to the bike, but then again you never have to worry about the battery going dead that way.

Sorry didn't see you said about wanting an audio jack. In that case the one I have is great if you just want to try something out. I got mine for $75. Has the same no battery issue, but is really good. You can get others nearly as cheap, but I wanted to make sure mine was waterproof.

hm, I'm liking the 2820. Does it have a slot for memory card?

^ Not sure if the 2820 does... I just found it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-00517-05-StreetPilot-2820-Navigator/dp/B000FGDNVM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1239716268&sr=1-1

Also looking at the 2720 from there as well...
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-StreetPilot-2720-Portable-Navigator/dp/B000A5T7AO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1239716932&sr=1-2

Sorry didn't see you said about wanting an audio jack. In that case the one I have is great if you just want to try something out. I got mine for $75. Has the same no battery issue, but is really good. You can get others nearly as cheap, but I wanted to make sure mine was waterproof.

Do you just plug regular headphones from your gps to your helmet?

And Ryan, does you gps tell you something like "turn left in 3 miles on Concord Ave" and if you miss it then it recalculates the route?

Yes and yes.

Well the headphones plug into the wiring harness that powers the unit.

Yes and yes.

Well the headphones plug into the wiring harness that powers the unit.

Is that like an additional attatchment one has to buy?

Do you have any pics?

I'm not a fan of the Nuvi line for motorcycles, as the lower end models in that line leave out a ton of features I like. But the top of the line Nuvis do include most of the features I look for. They don't include any real track management, though. The Streetpilot 2720 and 2820 are nice units. I'm not sure if they say "turn left on smith street in 3 miles" or just "turn left in 3 miles", though. Pronouncing the actual street names is a pretty new feature and some of the older units don't include that.

They definitely say the street names. They have full text to speech.

Here is the Garmin mount and wiring harness for motorcycles.

http://www.mountguys.com/v/vspfiles/photos/010-10495-00-2T.jpg

http://www.mountguys.com/product_p/010-10495-00.htm

Ryan, I think I'm going to go with your idea of getting the 2720...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515b1BcrDrL._AA280_.jpg $108
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-StreetPilot-2720-Portable-Navigator/dp/B000A5T7AO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1239716932&sr=1-2

+ this so I can hook up my headphones to it:
http://www.mountguys.com/v/vspfiles/photos/010-10495-02-2T.jpg $28
http://www.mountguys.com/product_p/010-10495-02.htm

and this RAM mount:
http://www.mountguys.com/v/vspfiles/photos/RAM-B-149Z-GA9-2T.jpg $35
http://www.mountguys.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RAM-B-149Z-GA9&CartID=2

Do you think this'll work?

Sounds like a plan. Hope it works as good for you as it has for me!!

The headphone jack on the harness is 2.5mm mono (only left ear). Most headphones are 3.5mm (unless you have one for a phone). If you use this adapter (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062471), you will get the sound in both ears and can plug any 3.5mm headphones into it.

Looks like a plan! The 2720 is a nice unit, and you've found some great pricing on a full setup. :thumbup:

As soon as you get it set up, make sure to hook it to your computer and run Garmin Webupdater; it's very likely that the unit will be a couple revisions back on its firmware, and webupdater will step you through getting it to the current version.

So I just recently posted in the thread about the speedo being off on our little ninjettes, and this has me really interested in getting a basic GPS unit now (so I can know my speed a little more accurately). I'm not too concerned about too much else as I'll probably rarely use it for actual GPS (though who knows, this may change in the future). The Garmin 2720 has quite a few more "bells and whistles" than what I truly need, but its cost point is not that bad. Anything that will specifically help me with accurate speed? What do you GPS junkies recommend?

Just about any GPS you can buy will show speed. You could likely pick up a used Garmin emap or etrex on ebay for well under $50.

Cool, I'll give it a look later on. Thanks Alex!

I have a Magellan Maestro 4200 that I bought for travels in the cage. One day I tried sticking the suction cup mount to the windscreen and it stuck very well. I took it on the bike for a trip and it worked well except for the fact that I could not here the voice prompts. I should have got one with Blue Tooth.

I have a Nuvi 265WT (recently bought it but haven't gotten it hooked up yet). The gps end of the power cord is a mini usb..... is it safe to assume the car charger (with mini usb) will work, or could they be different voltages?

Just about any GPS you can buy will show speed. You could likely pick up a used Garmin emap or etrex on ebay for well under $50.


Hey Alex, one more quick question: I've found several different emap and etrex units on EBay and I think I'll be getting one shortly, but I see that I can also get the "handlebar mount" for around $8 as well. Does that mount work on our ninjettes? I just figured you had a better idea than I did!
Thanks for the help and suggestions!

I have a Nuvi 265WT (recently bought it but haven't gotten it hooked up yet). The gps end of the power cord is a mini usb..... is it safe to assume the car charger (with mini usb) will work, or could they be different voltages?

The mini usb plug is putting out 5V; the car charger has a step-down transformer in it to take the 12V down to 5V. You need to use the car charger or an equivalent gadget to get things to work; you can't just use a bare wire connection from the motorcycle battery to the GPS.

Hey Alex, one more quick question: I've found several different emap and etrex units on EBay and I think I'll be getting one shortly, but I see that I can also get the "handlebar mount" for around $8 as well. Does that mount work on our ninjettes? I just figured you had a better idea than I did!
Thanks for the help and suggestions!

Depends; the handlebar mount could be the chintzy plastic one that Garmin sells that is intended to mount on a bicycle. If so, it will be useless as the vibration on the m/c will break it in short order. If you want to mount it on the ninjette, it really needs to have a motorcycle mount of some sort.

Depends; the handlebar mount could be the chintzy plastic one that Garmin sells that is intended to mount on a bicycle. If so, it will be useless as the vibration on the m/c will break it in short order. If you want to mount it on the ninjette, it really needs to have a motorcycle mount of some sort.

OK, cool, that's what I figured. So, take this EBay auction (http://cgi.ebay.com/Garmin-eMap-Bike-Motorcycle-Mount-P-N-010-10204-00_W0QQitemZ360092922553QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGPS_Accessories_Cables?hash=item36009 2922553&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1 %7C294%3A50) for example. The price is right and shipping is cheap. It claims to be for bike and/or motorcycle use, but I'm just not sure. What do you think man?

That's the bicycle mount. It's all plastic, and terribly insubstantial. Here are some motorcycle mounts for the emap:

http://www.cycoactive.com/ram/ramemap.shtml

Wow, I'm glad I didn't listen to the description! :eek: I'll probably make up my mind and order one of the units today, then search for a nice handlebar mount (one I know which will be sturdy). Thanks again for all the help Alex!

I got a charge-through A2DP adapter for my iPhone 3G, a Lobser Mount, and the Parrot SK4000 helmet kit. I installed a socket to charge the iPhone, but it's still nowhere near ideal. You can't operate it with a gloved hand, but at least the AVRCP handlebar remote works for music (it'll work better when the phone natively supports it this summer) and the GPS is nothing more than Google Maps with a location marker (no real-time calculations or voice prompts).

Doing some research I came across this website: Moto Guide (http://www.moto-guide.com/motorcycle-gps.htm)

I'd highly recommend this site for people just starting out with GPS (like myself). It has a lot of information and easily explains things for newbies to understand. :D

**EDIT
Alex, what do you think about this auction (http://cgi.ebay.com/Garmin-eTrex-Legend-C-GPS-with-Segway-mount_W0QQitemZ150339550073QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGPS_Devices?hash=item150339550073&_trksid=p4295.c0.m299&_trkparms=240%3A1318)? I'd hate to keep bugging you about this, but I had a specific question about the Segway mount. It looks like this bundle comes with a RAM Segway mount and I was wondering if you knew whether or not I'd be able to connect this to the handlebars on the Ninja. I thought this particular auction was pretty good b/c it looks to be brand new and it comes with City Navigator. Whatcha think?

**EDIT
Alex, what do you think about this auction (http://cgi.ebay.com/Garmin-eTrex-Legend-C-GPS-with-Segway-mount_W0QQitemZ150339550073QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGPS_Devices?hash=item150339550073&_trksid=p4295.c0.m299&_trkparms=240%3A1318)? I'd hate to keep bugging you about this, but I had a specific question about the Segway mount. It looks like this bundle comes with a RAM Segway mount and I was wondering if you knew whether or not I'd be able to connect this to the handlebars on the Ninja. I thought this particular auction was pretty good b/c it looks to be brand new and it comes with City Navigator. Whatcha think?

Sorry about that, I missed this edit (I must have come to this thread before it showed up). I'm not crazy about that unit. Only 24 MB of memory, so you need to keep reloading sections of the US as you travel, and 24 MB doesn't hold much. The price is pretty good, granted, but I think you'll grow out of this unit pretty quickly and want for something with a little more capability. I don't know anything about the Segway mount, and it's hard to tell if it will work from the pics in the auction. :idunno:

Ok, so i need some advice...

I'm driving down to Hatteras, NC this weekend and next weekend and I dont particularly like the route my Garmin nuvi 760 will take me. How do I load a route onto it? For example, how do I make a route on Google maps and send it to my GPS?

Hi Nick -

Post #36 (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showpost.php?p=17131&postcount=36) in this thread describes the method I use to create routes and get them to a GPS. I've found that it is easier and quicker to do it that way rather than manually adding waypoint after waypoint using mapsource alone.

Thanks Alex!

Do you have to buy MapSource? If so, are there any free programs that can do the job?

It should have come with your Nuvi. It's not free, but it comes with every Garmin. Mapsource isn't really the maps themselves, it's a shell program that all of the maps you buy from garmin are loaded into. If you don't have any additional mapsets, the base Mapsource with no maps is called Trip and Waypoint Manager. If you have no CD's/DVD's that came with the GPS, you can likely call Garmin to get a replacement disk for little or no cost. I'm not aware of any thirdparty software that can be used to push routes to a Garmin GPS. Actually, I take that back. I know that you can just mount the Zumo up to any PC as a drive, and drag the GPX file itself over to a specific folder on the Zumo that's labelled GPX. But none of my other Garmins have that capability, and I'm not sure if the Nuvi's do.

In order to convert and send/receive data I recommend GPSbabel. It does basically all known format translations and file transfers.

(However, it is not a mapping tool)

Neat! I hadn't realized that those tools could be used to actually push things to the gadgets, I thought they were only conversion tools on the PC itself. Looks like G7ToWin (http://www.gpsinformation.org/ronh/g7towin.htm) (another free tool) can push things back and forth as well, though they do say that support is iffy with the USB-specific Garmin gadgets. Though it does appear to support the Nuvi 760. Here's a note on their site about it:

•USB, Partially Supported: Several of the more recent Garmin units provide a 'disk drive' when connected to the PC and many if not most of those units do not support the Garmin Interface Protocol. Communications with these units is often accomplished by the PC reading/writing a file on the 'disk drive' provided by the unit. G7ToWin may support those units. For example, the following nüvi units have been tested: nüvi 760 and nüvi 885T and G7ToWin will work with those units.
For Garmin units not falling into one of the above categories support is unknown. To my knowledge they have not been tested with G7ToWin.

Working with the Garmin nüvi series
The nüvi line of Garmin car units do not use the Garmin data transfer protocol. These units utilize .gpx files on the 'disk drive' mentioned above. These files can contain waypoints, tracks, and routes. G7ToWin can read the .gpx files found in X:\Garmin\GPX where X: is the drive created by the nüvi when a USB connection to a PC is established. The files which are of interest are Temp.GPX and Current.gpx.
The nüvi's current Waypoints, Tracks, and Routes are stored in the file Current.gpx which is created by the unit. G7ToWin should not be used to write to the file Current.gpx. After arranging your data in G7ToWin, save it as X:\Garmin\GPX\Temp.GPX and then disconnect the nüvi from the PC. Upon restarting the GPS the data in Temp.GPX will be read and merged into the file Current.gpx.

Please note that the nüvi will not automatically read the routes from the Temp.GPX file, you must go into the 'My Data' menu on the GPS and tell it to read the routes from the file. You also have to do this when MapSource writes routes to the unit.

As far as I know, no disks came with my GPS. I checked the box last night for them and there were none. Although, there is the chance that I took them out when I first bought it. If thats the case, they are 4 hrs away at my other home... :(

When I get home from work, I'll check to see what was supposed to come in the box.

Interesting. Looking online at Garmin's site (link (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=164&pID=37420#inTheBoxTab)), it appears that it doesn't come with any such disk:

What's in the Box:
◦nüvi 760
◦Preloaded City Navigator® NT for North America or Europe (full coverage) or other country (click versions tab to view all)
◦FM traffic receiver with vehicle power cable
◦Real-time traffic services*
◦Vehicle suction cup mount**
◦USB cable
◦Dashboard disc
◦Quick start manual

I didn't realize Garmin was shipping some of these with no software at all; I guess they feel that the Nuvi's really are just plug and play and most folks won't be hooking them up to computers. I'd still call Garmin support to see if they'd send a disk anyway.

Is anyone else who is using a Nuvi (or any other device that connects via mini-USB), having problems with the power cord falling out or loosing contact while riding?

While riding, i dont use the mini USB. I use the other connection that clips on the back.

While riding, i dont use the mini USB. I use the other connection that clips on the back.

Which unit GPS are you using? My Nuvi 265W ONLY has the mini USB, so there are no other options.

I do have an update from last night on this issue. If interested, check out this post http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showpost.php?p=60591&postcount=11

Oh I didnt realize they were different. I'm using a Nuvi 760.

Alex, When you do the Gmap2GPX and Wingdb method for converting Google maps, is there anyway to not get all the points to show up as waypoints. I tried to make them hidden. I just don't like how in the directions, every waypoint is called out.

The method worked pretty well, though there were some points that made my route go all over the place. I just deleted them and all is well.

I think that WinGDB3 has an option to make the points waypoints or hidden via points... EDIT: Yup, it's there at #10.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=10&pictureid=1622

I'm not sure if choosing the via point option would do what you want, or if the via points are still announced as well.

I'll have to try the via points out. The hidden points don't show up on the map, but are still announced.

I spent ALL DAY trying to get this to work on my nuvi265. Conclusion = don't by it if you want routes. There is no work around, because even if you can make routes, it won't play them. It will ONLY load single destinations, period. The CLOSEST thing you can get to a route, is to load your destination, and then manually scroll and create via points.... but you can't save these. If you shut down, they are gone. The only other way is to create destinations for each and every way point (number them for ease of use), and manually select them once you get tho the previous wpt.

I would love to be proven wrong, but I don't think it will happen.

I think you are correct, Bob. One reason I bought my nuvi 760 is its ability to follow routes. But, as of now, i dont have a program that will create them... :(

It isn't very often that an electronic device can't be hacked :(

Yup, most of the Nuvi's have very limited track and route capabilities. It's a shame that Garmin rips those features out, but it's how they differentiate via price when the hardware across the line has got to be almost identical. Only the Nuvi 750's and up seem to have some decent track & route capabilities, but even those are limited compared to what is offered on some of their other model lines (Zumo, GPS60/76/Colorado/etc).

I think you are correct, Bob. One reason I bought my nuvi 760 is its ability to follow routes. But, as of now, i dont have a program that will create them... :(

There are a number of free programs you can use to push tracks and routes to your Nuvi, one of the most popular is GPSBabel (http://www.gpsbabel.org/). You can use the techniques described earlier in this thread to create a route from scratch using Google maps and GMap2GPX to get the route into a GPX format; the Mapsource part of that isn't strictly necessary. WinGDBv3 (http://www.sackman.info/) is also free and can do a bunch of tweaking of the routes/tracks as well. (but you may need to use GPSBabel to convert the GPX file to GDB first).

I got a charge-through A2DP adapter for my iPhone 3G, a Lobser Mount, and the Parrot SK4000 helmet kit. I installed a socket to charge the iPhone, but it's still nowhere near ideal. You can't operate it with a gloved hand, but at least the AVRCP handlebar remote works for music (it'll work better when the phone natively supports it this summer) and the GPS is nothing more than Google Maps with a location marker (no real-time calculations or voice prompts).
Any chance you have pictures? I've got an HTC Dream on the way ( Google phone), which is similar in dimensions to the iphone, and I'm thinking of doing some kind of mount. Also, if you haven't seen it yet, pick up 'trapster' off of the itunes store. It is free, and very useful :D

I'm seriously looking into a GPS for myself sometime in the near future.
Wondering what ya'll use and how satisfied you've been? Complaints, nice features, wish it had ___ feature, etc would be awesome.

Research has been focusing on Garmin just because I've been pleased with the one my father has, but their 'motorcycle-friendly' models are prohibitively expensive for my budget.

Edit: I've found the following threads. Alex, do you mind merging this onto t=11228 or t=15687?
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11228
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=19243
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=25469
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15687

I use a Garmin 60CSx, mounted with a RAM mount U-bolt and ball to the handlebar.

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=163361&d=1274283829

I love it -- I have the standard North America map and it's never let me down. I've even ridden a little bit in Mexico with it and, while the map I have wasn't terribly detailed for Mexico, I was able to find my way around.

I have pretty much zero sense of direction, so I've used this GPS on almost every "meandering" ride since buying it in 2007. Rain, snow, wind -- no issues. I had a different Garmin from 2001-2007 and the only issue I had with that one was that the antenna popped off and I had to duct tape it back on. The antenna on the 60CSx is integrated into the GPS unit itself, so no chance of that failure.

I've wired a standard SAE pigtail to my battery and plug the GPS into that for long rides, but the GPS's internal batteries last a decent amount of time, too.

It doesn't have a touchscreen, but I prefer the tactile buttons for riding anyway -- they're easy to use even with gloves on.

Honestly, I've never found a downside to this particular GPS unit. Maybe if I had to come up with something, I'd wish the screen were just a little bigger? But otherwise, it's really a great motorcycling GPS.

Garmin Nuvi 200 w/ RAM mount

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4085/4839442126_28be71a2be.jpg

Paul,

have you seen this thread?
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11228

Paul,

have you seen this thread?
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11228

Yep, found it as you were writing the reply and edited the OP accordingly. Kkim and the search function to the rescue once again :thumbup:

I know Alex is a tech weenie...er, I mean enthusiast, and has a lot to offer on the subject. :D

In fact, I was just thinking about a GPS yesterday and if I could use it with the dirt bikes to plot/draw trails on mountain/valley maps... wonder if it can do that???

gl... :thumbup:

Edit: I've found the following threads. Alex, do you mind merging this onto t=11228 or t=15687?


:thumbup:

I learned from EMDSD on www.ninja250.org how to install a RAM ball mount in 2007, and have done it on my '05 250 and '07 650R. The day after buying my '08 250 (in between engine-loading break-in sessions) in 02/2008, I installed one.

The purpose of this mount is to have a permanent place to attach accessories (GPS, Sirius radio, cell phone, radar, etc) to the cycle.

Tools needed for this project:

* RAM ball RAM-B-236
* small flat head screwdriver
* 3/8-16 tap
* needle nose pliers
* blue thread lock

The first step is to pry off the plastic cover from the mirror thread hole:

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_01.jpg

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_02.jpg

Here is the RAM-B-236 ball:

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_03.jpg

Here is the 3/8-16 tap tool to re-thread the hole:

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_04.jpg

Tapping the hole:

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_05.jpg

The key to successfully tapping the threads correctly is to keep the tool angle in line with the hole, so that your threads are evenly created. Take your time here, and do it right the first time.

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_06.jpg

The next step is to put some thread lock on the RAM ball threads:

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_07.jpg

You then hand tighten the ball into the threads. Afterwards, I used some needle nose pliers to apply about 12 ft/lbs torque to the mount.

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_08.jpg

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_09.jpg

Here is how the RAM ball looks installed:

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_10.jpg

With the RAM short arm and Garmin 60CSx cradle in place:

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_11.jpg

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_12.jpg

With the 60CSx installed:

http://www.hickmans.us/ninja250/2008/ram_mount_13.jpg

Total installation time, 10 minutes. Documentation time, 20 minutes. :D

Looks great! :thumbup:

M, that's an excellent writeup. I found a metric-threaded RAM ball that just drops in to the same mount though. Also working on fabricating a mount across the triple clamp like Nick (NJD022588) did here (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=27497)

Looks like that's two votes for the Garmin 60CSx

Alex, perhaps a DIY link is in order?

RAM came out with a new thread/pitch ball, compatible with the 250 handlebars threads late summer 2008. It makes the installation a bit easier. I don't recall the part number off the top of my head.

Anyone else using their GPS to do neat things on a motorcycle?

I toss mine around like a baseball and see how fast i can record some speed. fastest i've gotten is 200MPH. i don't know how...

RAM came out with a new thread/pitch ball, compatible with the 250 handlebars threads late summer 2008. It makes the installation a bit easier. I don't recall the part number off the top of my head.

Can't remember where I found it cited, but I've been told the M10 post size with a 1.25 thread pitch is the right setup for our handlebar aux threads. The RAM-B-349 (http://www.gomobilenow.com/RAM_B_349_RAM_BASE_W_M10_X_1_25_PITCH_1_BALL_p/ram-b-349.htm) should be right on for that.

Does the Zumo, or any GPS for that matter, have the ability to avoid interstates and still give you the quickest route? I want a GPS that can upload tracks but that still has the ability to give me a route without interstates if I change plans mid way through a trip. I've looked around online and messed with different maps (google, mapquest, etc). I did the whole drag the blue line to the desired roads, but that's a pain to do for long trips when all I want to do is avoid interstates.

Does the Zumo, or any GPS for that matter, have the ability to avoid interstates and still give you the quickest route? I want a GPS that can upload tracks but that still has the ability to give me a route without interstates if I change plans mid way through a trip. I've looked around online and messed with different maps (google, mapquest, etc). I did the whole drag the blue line to the desired roads, but that's a pain to do for long trips when all I want to do is avoid interstates.

Both the Garmins I've had, have the ability to avoid highways. The one I'm using currently, a Nuvi 200, doesn't do tracks, though. You have to go with a better model to do that.

I've been using the same GPS model since 2000, Garmin StreetPilot3, it been dropped from my various motos on and off-pavement, it doesn't have fancy graphics, 3D view, fuel consumption calculator, etc.. just a plain old GPS that gets me home when I get lost.:thumbup:

I turn off the auto-zoom feature an just leave the map scale small so I can see the road curves and judge my corner entry speed accordingly. Many times it had saved me in unfamiliar areas with blind curves or during spirited rides following inexperienced group riders.

Alex - I know you're big on GPS and techy stuff. I'm looking for a GPS unit to do a lot of things, are you up to date with the latest Garmin units? I am looking on their site and I feel overwhelmed with all the choices. I would like to use GPS for my motorcycle, car, hiking and have maps for Canada, Mexico and North America (maps around the world would also be a plus). Also, reading through this thread it looks like I want something where I will be able to load my own routes/maps, so I can follow others, etc. Do you have any recommendations, or does anyone who is reading this have recommendations? The more versatile the GPS unit the better, but at the same time I don't exactly want to break the bank.

I have also heard that "motorcycle GPS" units are hit and miss? You're basically paying the extra cash because of the waterproofing, ruggedness/vibration, visibility during sunlight, etc? What's your thoughts on that? Handheld (60 series, Montana, Oregon, etc) vs Motorcycle (Zumo line) vs Car (Nuvi line)?

I still like the Garmin units. I use a 60Cx on the Ninjette; on the BMW I use both a Zumo 550 and the BMW Navigator IV, which is a branded version of the Zumo 660. Their current motorcycle specific units are the 390LM (a little less than $600), and the 590LM (a little less than $800). Both are quite pricey. They do come with motorcycle mounts, motorcycle power cables, have large glove-friendly screens, and have free lifetime map updates, and can speak to you through your bluetooth headset. If you're just using it for mounting on the bike, you can't go wrong with either.

If you're planning on using it for hiking, on the bike, and in cars, you might look into something like the GPSMAP 64. It goes for less than $300, but you then need to add City Navigator NT for $80 for the full US mapset. The device has enough memory that you can put it all right on the built-in memory, but it also supports microSD cards if you need even more memory (and want to load all street maps, plus hiking/topo maps). You would need to add a Ram Mount (like this (http://www.thegpsstore.com/RAM-Rail-Mount-for-Garmin-GPSMAP-62-64-Series-P3125.aspx)), and a 12V power cable (like this (https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/shop-by-accessories/cables/serial-data-power-cable/prod26668_010-11131-00.html)). All in, it's probably $450, but that's still cheaper than either of the motorcycle specific ones, and it's more capable for one that's used for a variety of different use cases.

You can also go much cheaper with the Nuvi line, but make sure that you can add routes to it, some of the lower line ones are surprisingly limited. I don't know much about the differences between the Montana, Monterra, Oregon, or some of their other product lines; but none of them seem to be better than what's already listed for motorcycling use.

Thanks Alex, very helpful!

I am so glad you started this thread. I want to set up a GPS and tracking on my bikes soon so I can see where I have been and know where I am going.

I have been lazy and not working on my bikes for the last year or two because all my good tools and equipment are back home in my moms garage.

Has anyone experimented with the cameras that record in sync with the GPS for use during accident claims and what not>

Wow, that is $$$ for a gps. Is there any advantage to having a dedicated gps over using a smartphone? .

I know you can run a camera through an android or iPhone. Not sure if it would Geo tag it for you but it does on normal videos so idk why it wouldn't for am external.

Is there any advantage to having a dedicated gps over using a smartphone? .
Yes, a huge advantage. A dedicated GPS unit is way more accurate than a smartphone. Also, you need data for the use of a smartphone GPS, which can drain your battery really quickly because it's pushing data as it uses your location. Dedicated GPS units use satellite and is more reliable, lasts longer battery wise, etc. If you have no cell phone coverage in a particular area, you're screwed. This is where dedicated GPS units shine, as you're covered everywhere, pretty much. Cell phone GPS is cool if you do light navigating and or around major city areas with coverage, but beyond that it's limiting.

Alex - I did a comparison chart on the Garmin site with the 64, 64st, 62stc and 62st. I love the price of the 64, however you're not able to preload maps on that, nor can you use it for unit-to-unit transfer, which can share data wirelessly with similar units. As I was doing more reading, I also found out that between the 64 series and 62 series, they added a security feature to deter piracy of the maps (more info here: post 19 (http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=319339&view=findpost&p=5364432)). I won't say anything more on that, but just a general FYI to anyone interested.

I was leaning toward the 64st or the 62stc and here is what I found:

64st - 8 GB of internal memory, 5,000 waypoint, no camera, smart notification and live tracking w/use of your cell phone, Glonass, 250,000 preloaded geo caches, free 1 yr subscription to birds eye view.

62stc - 3.5 GB of internal memory, 2,000 waypoint, camera, no smart notification.

I can't think of anything else that I missed with those two units. Both are priced the same at $499.00 on Garmin's site. On Amazon there is a difference, with the 62 being cheaper.

I think I will go with the 64st, when I decide to pull the trigger on one. I really love that it has Glonass and more memory. Also, thanks for an informative thread on GPS. :)

Edit: Ok, now I'm looking at the Zumo 550, like the touch screen and easier GUI, ahhhhh decisions, decisions!

Your right about battery, I had to buy a USB port for my bike for just in case. But is is my phone/mp3/navigation/internet/PDA/game console. So I don't expect it to last more than a day.

location is pretty good. It can tell the difference between my front porch, back porch and which way I am facing. I get an average of 3-5 satellites more out of the city.

I am not sure if you know this but if you save the maps you don't need data. Not sure how much you can save at a time but I have 1/4 of pa saved from when I was using it for geo-catching. I never looked into it but with 65g of storage I'm sure I could fit the us maps.

It just seems redundant to carry 2 things that do the same thing. I will admit that the HUD GPS it pretty cool though.

You can load maps on the 64; it just doesn't come with preloaded topo (hiking/elevation) maps. If you are going to use those maps, great. If you aren't, it saves you some money. To load them onto the 64, you can find freeware topo maps, or here are Garmin's official US topo maps (https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/digital/maps/on-the-trail-maps/topo-100k/topo-us-100k/prod127633.html) for $100. It has 4GB of memory to load a whole pile of maps in, and it can take a microSD card to add even more if needed (you can get a 32GB card for less than $20 at this point). What it is missing is an electronic compass and altimeter, but those are reasonably low value for most cases anyway. All you need to do is start moving the gadget a foot or two in any direction and it works as a compass anyway based on the GPS movements, and the accuracy of the GPS elevation is more than good enough without having an additional altimeter. I wouldn't want to pay for the extra sensors, nor would I want them to take any battery power when not powered by the bike or car.

The wireless features may be useful, but I'm not sure if they are $200 useful. To directly push routes or other info, it can only share with another Garmin unit that has the same feature. However, I would want to learn more about the live tracking with Garmin Connect. It says that it is compatible with it, but then when you go to Garmin Connect Mobile directly, it's not listed. If it can really push to your cell phone, and have your cell phone with an app push directly online for live tracking, that is a neat feature (but I'd carry an extra cell battery along! :))

@jschoor - Yes, I'm aware of saving maps, so you don't need data. I'm also aware of the app Co-Pilot, which I've heard good things about and dl'd.

Alex - Ah, thanks for the clarification. Very good point on the compass, plus I have one on my phone too, so those features are redundant. You're also right about the wireless feature, it's neat, but I don't know lots of people who have Garmins, so I wouldn't be using that feature. It's a waste of $200 for me. Livetrack is cool and yes I have an extra battery - New Trent 11,000 mAh (http://www.amazon.com/New-Trent-Powerpak-11000mAh-Smartphones/dp/B00GH0JXAK/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1400435527&sr=1-2&keywords=newtrent) to charge all my techy stuff on the go, so no worries there. I've been looking at the 390 zumo as well. Will have to take a hard look at those two.

I use a Garmin 260 Nuvi. I use the same one on both bikes and in the car. It is small and simple. I am so used to having the GPS that I would not consider leaving town without it. My smart phone is my backup GPS.

You don't need a special "motorcycle GPS", even the cheaper models can do fine. It is worth the trouble to wire-in a power supply in each bike.

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1426&pictureid=11275

Lemme see if I can export the gps data from the contour. Your guys route data may be interesting when compared against my track data.

Yeah, my ultimate goal is to get a PDM 60, a couple of powerlets, then wire up some heated gear, camera(s), gps, phone, etc. I love my techy stuff and I'm a tech geek. :D

I'm sold on the GPSMAP 64, takes up less room, has Glonass and it's more versatile for my needs.

I use my iPhone for GPS. It does have some drawbacks compared to a dedicated GPS unit, but it also has some benefits being connected to the internet. I already have it on me, and it's good enough for what I do most of the time. I'm OCD about using Waze (https://www.waze.com/), and I also bought MotionX GPS (http://gps.motionx.com/) a few years ago for my annual camping trip to Canada. Even Google Maps is often good enough.

Waze is nice in that it's a realtime app made for driving. You can flag hazards (pothole, roadkill, vehicle on shoulder, police trap, etc.) for other drivers. It automatically flags traffic where cars are going slower than normal and can suggest alternate routes. The data is originally based on Google Maps, but allows for crowd-sourced editing (https://www.waze.com/editor/). For a free app running on a device I'm already carrying, I think it's very valuable.

I have a USB power port installed on my bike also, so I don't have to worry about battery life. The GPS still works even without data service, but the app won't be able to load new map data. I have a Sena BlueTooth headset in my helmet, so directions are piped right to me. I have a LifeProof nüüd (http://www.lifeproof.com/en/iphone-5-nuud/) case, but I haven't figured out a good way to mount a cradle (http://www.lifeproof.com/en/iphone-5-nuud/accessories/) for it on the Ninja yet.

Has anyone experimented with the cameras that record in sync with the GPS for use during accident claims and what not>

I seen 3rd party software that loads over your video...a bit of manual time syncing is needed.
Search the RC Planes/copters forums I'm sure you'll find a link...
I pretty sure I ran across some vids and name of software when I was buying my Mobius camera.

Has anyone experimented with the cameras that record in sync with the GPS for use during accident claims and what not>

Contour GPS + Dashware = easy brah

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showpost.php?p=852131&postcount=27

^^ That was it...

Chris got vids of you on track w that??

Yea, but I haven't upload anything yet. I will have some soon, still playing catchup from the past 2.5 weeks.

GPS mapping tech bump! :)

-------------------

I had to create a GPS-compatible route for an upcoming local ride, and was sent a google maps version of it. The method described earlier in this thread has become less reliable over the years, as google updated their map api, so I hadn't used it in quite awhile. It turns out there appears to be a much easier process available now.

The first thing I needed to learn is the difference between the "normal (https://www.google.com/maps/)" google maps page, and the "my maps (https://www.google.com/maps/d/)" area. Once in "my maps", you can edit and save maps with directions on them, and it also has a critically important feature: you can export the map as a KML/KMZ file. So - to get a useful route from Google all the way to your (or your friends') GPS units, all you need to do is:


Go to google maps. Click on settings to go to My Maps. (direct link (https://www.google.com/maps/d/))
Create map with directions. Add start, end, and any key stops. Drag around until it is going on all the right roads.
Export to KML
Go to Garmin BaseCamp (http://www.garmin.com/en-US/shop/downloads/basecamp), import KML
Right-click on Track, convert it to a Route
Export directions as GPX file

Couple things to add; if you have a relatively new Garmin GPS, some can route directly from tracks, so that last conversion may not be necessary for those with relatively recent units. But cheaper and/or older units (and non-garmins) may not work unless it is an actual Route contained in the uploaded file. Also, some people find creating new routes in Basecamp directly to be just as easy as Google, making it more of a one-stop shop without any needed conversions. Garmin added the very helpful "click and drag" method to move the route around on a map, you just need to hold alt down when dragging and it works the same as the Google feature.