Garmin GPSmap 60C review

[Mellow]

I sold my GPS V unit which I had been using for about 2 years to a fellow rider at work and he hasn't indicated any problems with it so it's still a solid unit.

Pros:
-> Color, wow! I like!
-> The route calculations are very fast compared to the GPS V.
-> The unit feels like it's much tougher than the GPS V.
-> The antenna is solidly integrated in the unit, not removable.
-> The pages and sequence you scroll through when hitting the 'page' button are customizable, I really like that.
-> Very waterproof, I've ridden in 6 hours of rain from Jackson, MI to Dallas, TX.

Cons:
-> The 'knob' at the back that's used to attach the unit to a belt or mount broke the second I screwed the knob on. Not just the knob but the tension from turning the knob broke off part of the back case of the unit. I took it apart and the thickness of the plastic in that area is very thin so I used some JB Weld and rienforced it on my own. A replacement would have just done the same thing. I think my fix makes the unit bulletproof.
-> I was so used to my GPS V and using a horizontal display that it's taken some time to get used to a vertical display, I think this should have been an option however it would also mean the antenna would point horizontally instead of vertically. It's just an observation and if you were never used to the GPS V you probably won't even notice.
-> It's a good idea to put some dialectric grease no the connector which powers the unit off the bike's battery, it has shown some greenish build up from either rain or humidity and this pretty much applies to any accessories.

Price
$414 (at the time of this review)(Check GPS City for a good price (http://www.gpscity.com))

Overall Level of Satisfaction:
High.
http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap60c/gallery/pt-GPSMAP60C01Large.jpg

[tccox]

OK, since I missed the sale at Best Buy, think I'll go with the 60c. Was wondering whats best method for mounting on the ST ???

Well , change of plans. Got the GPS V cause its my first GPS and just wanted to sorta give it a try and price was just about half of the 60 c

[tccox]

Well after another change of plans (don't ask) I've had my 60c for two weeks now and love it. Basemaps are actually more complete that I expected and the 56MB memory are enought to let me load City Select Maps for just about all the mountain regions of NC, GA, TN and SC with room to spare. I have not had the problm that Mellow did with the knob on back, maybe a mid production change that strengthened that area of unit ??

Battery life is amazing, two double As and I'm gettin 20-30 hours of life. Doubt I'll even bother hardwiring into the bikes wiring system for power. Just run off batteries

Still struggling with best way to mount unit on my 04 ST with stock bars. Based on input from everyone I know a Ram mount is the way to go but I cannot figure out best way to attach to my bike. I'd like to be able to easily remove unit and mount from bike when not needed.

[georgeorge]

Well I'll give a sort of a review for the Garmin iQue 3600 Palm OS based GPS.

Got it for my wife (directionally challenged real estate agent) for x-mas. She was worried she would not be able to figure out how to use it, but after a week of using it she loves it. She can punch in an address and it automatically routes her to that address. If she takes a wrong turn it reroutes her automatically. It gives her real voice direction at each turn and even displays each street address as she drives by so she knows when she's getting close to her destination. Also can be used as any Palm OS handheld for scheduling....contact info....MS Word...Games....MP3 player....etc. Also has a directory built in of all restaurants, lodging and places of interest(malls, schools, movies....etc.).

Drawbacks:
1) No supplied way to mount it on a dashboad or on a bike.
2) The battery is a rechargable and doesn't last all that long (maybe 8-10 hours) then needs a charge.
3) Only has 16MB of built in memory. It was enough to load detail maps of all of CT, but CT is small.
4) Built in speaker is not that loud. Works but shut the radio off.

The way I solved all these problems is I bought the car kit(about $60) and a 512MB memory card(about$50). Now the cars power keeps the GPS battery charged and the car kit has a built in speaker that is a lot louder and has a cradle to keep the GPS unit on the dash (too large to use on a bike though). 512MB memory is WAY more memory than anyone would need for maps, but I loaded her up with MP3's as well. Now she uses a wireless FM modulator to play all sound through the fm radio....nice.

Conclusion: We love it. We only use it in the car though. I have not tried it on the bike. I would need to come up with a way to mount it. And also would need a harness to power it if you were going to want it for more than 8-10 hours.

[tccox]

Yep, I thought about going the PDA GPS route but theres one big drawback to using that type of system on a motorcycle, they aint waterproof. The 60c is certified to be watertight after 30 min under 1 meter of water. Not sure how well the ol ST wold hold up to that kind of test though.....

[hippo888]

tccox,

These people make the over-kill style mounts.
http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/media2/01-065-0075-01.jpg

http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/search_sku.lasso?sku=065-0075

RAM stuff.
http://www.cycoactive.com/gps/images/gps60gw.jpg

http://www.cycoactive.com/gps/gps60c.htm#gw

[tccox]

Thanps Hipp. Yep theres a lot of good mounts out there but since they're pretty much universal type mounts I'm trying to figure out how to mount on ST without screwing anything up on the bike

[Kennedy]

Just working on a system using a Dell X50 but waiting for the cradle mount. Am planing on using a magnet on the bottom of the cradle and stick it on the fuel tank.