GPS RAM Mount

[blueklr]

I'm going to add a RAM Mount to our 2008 Ninjette to mount a Tom Tom Rider GPS. Which mount is the best and where's the best place to mount it? This bike is my daughters bike and when I take it out to her in the spring to Vancouver BC she wants a GPS on it. I'll also be adding a plug in for the GPS.

[Triple Jim]

If it were my daughter, I'd suggest she keep the GPS receiver in the tank bag or elsewhere, and stop when she wants to look at it. That's what my daughter and I do. Any time spent looking at the display is time not watching what's happening in front of you.

I know not everyone agrees with me.

[VaFish]

Originally Posted by Triple Jim

If it were my daughter, I'd suggest she keep the GPS receiver in the tank bag or elsewhere, and stop when she wants to look at it. That's what my daughter and I do. Any time spent looking at the display is time not watching what's happening in front of you.

I know not everyone agrees with me.

I prefer a Sena Bluetooth headset to listen to the turn by turn directions. I turn the screen off on my phone.

[Kevin1956]

I agree with Triple_Jim and VaFish. GPS is too distracting, best to keep your eyes on the road and use Bluetooth to listen to your phone's GPS. Look at a map and know where you're going beforehand. Even doing as little as 45 MPH you're traveling at 66 feet per second. Taking your eyes of the road for even a quick glance can be disastrous.

[Alex]

Here are a few threads with different GPS mounts. It's not hard to find a place on these bikes. RAM makes a mount that can screw directly into those unused mirror holes on the handlebars, or just run a simple u-mount around the handlebar.

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=107301
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=115665
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3056
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=20009
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=43745

[cbinker]

Originally Posted by Kevin1956

I agree with Triple_Jim and VaFish. GPS is too distracting, best to keep your eyes on the road and use Bluetooth to listen to your phone's GPS. Look at a map and know where you're going beforehand. Even doing as little as 45 MPH you're traveling at 66 feet per second. Taking your eyes of the road for even a quick glance can be disastrous.

just curious, do you use that same idea when you check your speed?

[blueklr]

Thanks for the input. I'll review this over the winter. I'm planning on giving it a complete service, replace ALL fluids, etc, even if not needed yet as well as a total detailing and check of everything before I take it out to her and the GPS will be part of that work.

[CaliGrrl]

Checking my speed is quick. Looking at a GPS takes more time and mental energy. I use one in the car, sometimes, but I kind of have to wait until I'm at a stoplight or something to look at it. There's a lot more information on the GPS than on my speedo or tach gauge.

[Triple Jim]

What CaliGrrl said is true, if you need to check speed, only a glance is required. Really though, once I'm at a speed I want to go, the sound of the engine allows me to keep it there pretty well without looking at the speedometer very often.

I've posted this before, but I had a pretty bad crash about 35 years ago, when I looked in the mirror for only a second or two, and since then I've been very conscious about taking my eyes off what's happening in front of me. To me, looking at a GPS display while riding isn't much different from texting while riding.

[Kevin1956]

Originally Posted by cbinker

just curious, do you use that same idea when you check your speed?

I can estimate my speed with a high degree of accuracy through 44 plus years of street riding experience.

[cbinker]

Originally Posted by Kevin1956

I can estimate my speed with a high degree of accuracy through 44 plus years of street riding experience.

[InvisiBill]

My buddy had a RAM hollow-stem mount that he ended up not using on his bike, so he gave it to me to try out. I discovered that the screw it used just happened to match the thread on my 500's dash trim screws. I was able to use it in an unconventional way to add a RAM mount ball right on my dash, so my phone is protected by the windscreen.





RAM's modular system does give you infinite ways to mount stuff, but keep in mind the size of all the components. By the time you get a 1" ball on each end, the lockscrew in the middle of the arm, the mounting plate/ball adapter, and the actual device holder, you can end up with a pretty long stack of plastic.

[adouglas]

That's pretty slick, Bill.

I have one on my GSX-R, mounted to the steering stem using the same mount. Frankly I'd prefer something with a lower profile... when you add in the arm and the device mount it's pretty bulky. Problem is that on a supersport, there's not a lot of room. It's a work in progress.

I recall that Teri (@littleredninjette) had a RAM mount on her newgen. She might have some insight.

Re the whole GPS distraction thing...

For destination-less recreational rides I either use nothing or fire up Waze for police alerts via Bluetooth.... I never look at it.

To me distraction is more a matter of having to interpret too much information than getting fascinated by the display. The latter is a question of simple discipline. If you can leave your phone alone in the car, you can keep your eyes off of the GPS.

The big issue in my view is the fact that map displays aren't terribly well suited for quick interpretation of key information. Basically all you REALLY need to know is how far to the next turn, and which way to go. If you had a person navigating for you, that's what they'd tell you, right? All the other crap on the display is just context.

If i need to find my way somewhere, I use the CoPilot GPS app specifically because it has a very clean display option that allows that essential info to be absorbed with a very quick glance.

First one is a typical amount of information, but on an iPad. Second one is how it appears on my phone. Most directions aren't as complicated as shown in that pic.






On those rides I often have Waze running in the background for police alerts.

[akima]

I can't comment on where to create a mount, but this may be an alternative simple solution for you.

Get a tank bag with a big flap on top like this:


Keep the GPS device / phone / tablet inside the bag and keep the flap unzipped.

You can then conveniently and quickly check the gps system when you come to a stop. It's what I do. On the rare occasion that I have to interact with the GPS system (a tablet in my case), I only have to remove one glove.

I use clothing to make a nest for the device so it doesn't move around.

If the road conditions are safe I sometimes lift the flap with my left hand while riding and glance in. The flap acts as shade so that I can see the screen. It's obviously much safer to stop and check it though.