Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
Well Fred (Frustrating Rebellious Electronic Device) was actually quite well behaved on my recent 19 day trip to Alaska. He suffered through all sorts of temperature extremes (105F to 40F) and plenty of rain dousing. He also saw lots of road vibration including a 44+ mile bouncing on a gravel pot-holed road to the Salmon Glacier near Hyder, Alaska, not to mention the entire AlCan highway and the Cassiar highway. Also, I managed to drop him twice and he took it all in stride. This is sold as a ‘Motorcycle GPS’ and lives up to its billing. Easy to buy directly from the source, and they had my GPS to me in 3 days. So here’s what I know –
1. Having used a ZUMO550 for a short while in Ireland before it crapped out, I found the Peaklife unit to be functionally comparable when just using the GPS functions. It does the ‘find gas stations’, zooms in and out, trip calculations, POIs, etc. I have not used the EReader, MP3 player or video function so I cannot address how well those work.
2. The backlighting is a bit weak when in bright sunlight coming from certain directions. I used a Glare-Stomper sunshade that was decent but it did not completely solve the problem. I found the glare on the screen could be much like the ST1300 dash wash out I’ve experienced when I rented them. Still looking for a better solution and I am working on some simple ideas. But most of the time the screen was very readable with my polarized sunglasses. There are probably some anti-glare screen protectors that would help solve this issue also.
3. I have a Valkyrie CB/Intercomm system which is hardwired. I cracked open the case to see if I could install a smart jack since the GPS does not have a headset jack, but there was just no room. It would have to been a dongle (pretty easy to do) but I didn’t like a cord hanging out of the unit to break. The unit appeared to be very well soldered and I was impressed by the waterproofing solutions used to seal the case (like double rubber plugs in the case screws). So I bought the Bluetooth music receiver and cigar plug to USB power adapter to get around it since the GPS has Bluetooth capability. They live in my right lockable pocket plugged into an ‘always hot’ cigar plug. When you switch off the bike, Fred asks you if you want to power off or not. I just tell him ‘no’ and he stays on his internal battery power. This keeps the Bluetooth connect live and going. Otherwise, you have to back out of the IGO8 software when you power him back up and reconnect the Bluetooth connection. This setup probably needs an isolation cable from the music receiver to the input cable, but I wear earplugs and it was no problem. I also added an Amplirider to merge my independent MP3 player, radar detector and GPS voice into my system. Voice instructions were easy to understand and hear.
4. Comparing to the Garmin GPS system built into the Goldwing 1800 along the way, they were usually in agreement. In one place, Fred picked a better, quicker route than ‘Mary’. Accuracy of roads and places was very good as well as the mileages given. I stayed at a lot of Super 8 motels, and Fred had them in his POI file. Estimated time arrival was usually pretty close to actual.
5. I use Microsoft Streets & Trips to plan my routes and I did find occasional disagreement between where Fred thought a place was and S&T thought it was. (This is not unusual as I have encountered this with Garmin systems also). It could make Fred do some unusual ‘looping’ to get to the via point. But there is an option to delete the via point if need be, and he straightens up.
6. Route conversion from S&T is simple and I wrote a VB app to make it quicker. I create the routes in S&T and my app invokes GPSBabel, a free GPS file convertor, to change them to kml and download them to the Peaklife.
7. I did encounter one issue that I have to research on downloaded routes. There does not seem to be an option to delete the start of a route for downloaded routes. So if you do a route recalculation mid stream, Fred wants to go back to the start of the route.
8. I did a reset twice during the 19 days on the road. He locked up only once which appeared to be a result of when he lost his satellites and was trying to do a route recalculation. Easy to reset with a pencil or ink pen and he generally finds his brains back in a little while. The Garmin on the Goldwing also occasionally lost her satellites in some of the taller mountainous regions.
9. When you go off route, he lets you know a couple of times, then shuts up. If you miss a via point, he will continue to try to route you back to it, so deleting it is a good thing – which is pretty easy to do on the fly as mentioned above.
10. All in all, I was impressed with the functionality regardless of the price point. I am pretty familiar with the Garmin GPS systems, as I’ve routed on the NUVIs here at work and played with the ZUMO550 while in Ireland.
11. Considering for the price of a ZUMO550 or ZUMO350LM, you could probably buy four of these units. Chinavasion warranty is 1 year but I have no idea as to how well they will stand behind them. But a new one is slightly less than the price of the ZUMO ‘refurb’ charge. Also, since the IGO8 software runs on the microSD card and contains all of your routes, maps and software, you can just pull the card out and put it a new unit and be good to go. You can also backup the microSD card to any PC hard drive if you have a microSD reader.
12. The mounting bracket that comes with the unit is designed for a handlebar mount (it also comes with a car mount), so I had our shop fabricate a simple bracket that bolts to the top of the brake (or clutch) reservoir. I then took the ball clamp loose from the provided bracket and bolted it to my bracket. The clamping bolt is a little too loose and heavy road vibration tended to make the GPS move – but we are talking about the AlCan highway here.
13. The more you use it, the smarter it gets. One nice feature is you can select up to three data streams to be displayed on the main map screen. I picked compass, total miles left and estimated arrival time. You could also choose speed limit for the highway, time left on the road, and other features. The ‘detour’ button on the map screen brings up the vast array of other POIs such as gas stations, restaurants, etc. You select the category, pick the place and then add it as via or a destination.
14. The cradle has 5 protruding pins – 2 are hot and 2 are ground so it appears you have a bit of built in backup. The unit also comes with a cigar plug USB charger which would allow you to use the unit if the powered cradle dies which is a nice ‘backup’ option.
The part list of the stuff I purchased –
CVUG-TR16 – Peaklife Motorcycle GPS - $124.68 + shipping
http://www.chinavasion.com/search?q=CVUG-TR16&Submit=GO
CVSB-A135 – Bluetooth Music Receiver - $14.98 + shipping
http://www.chinavasion.com/china/wholesale/Cheap_Mobile_Phones/Cell_Phone_Accessories/Bluetooth_Music_Receiver_for_iPod-iPhone_Sound_Dock_and_Home_Stereo
CVRL-G270-2GEN - Car Cigarette Lighter USB Charger - $1.31 + shipping
http://www.chinavasion.com/china/wholesale/Car_Accessories/Car_Accessories/Cheap_Car_Cigarette_Plug_USB_Charger_Adapter
IGO8 North America Maps - $49.99
http://yehob.ecrater.com/p/10235152/igo8-2011-q4-north-america-usa
Glare Stomper 3.5” GPS Model 316 - $16.95
http://glarestomper.com/316.html
Amplirider with built in volume control - $63
http://www.electric-avenues.com/amplirider.html
If there is any interest, I might make up a batch of the brackets but I'll have to see what they would cost first. They will work on either the clutch or the brake reservoirs on the ST1100 and appear to fit on the ST1300 – but I have not tested that for sure. They could be used for about anything you wanted to mount – cup holders, phones, etc. I can also make the VB app available for those interested - it's been tested on WIN XP and WIN 7.
Phil Derryberry
***ADDITION NOTE***
Ron E. figured out that the 4 screw mount on the motorcycle cradle can be replaced with one from Ram (direct bolt on with 4 new screws) and then all of the Ram mounting options are available.
1. Having used a ZUMO550 for a short while in Ireland before it crapped out, I found the Peaklife unit to be functionally comparable when just using the GPS functions. It does the ‘find gas stations’, zooms in and out, trip calculations, POIs, etc. I have not used the EReader, MP3 player or video function so I cannot address how well those work.
2. The backlighting is a bit weak when in bright sunlight coming from certain directions. I used a Glare-Stomper sunshade that was decent but it did not completely solve the problem. I found the glare on the screen could be much like the ST1300 dash wash out I’ve experienced when I rented them. Still looking for a better solution and I am working on some simple ideas. But most of the time the screen was very readable with my polarized sunglasses. There are probably some anti-glare screen protectors that would help solve this issue also.
3. I have a Valkyrie CB/Intercomm system which is hardwired. I cracked open the case to see if I could install a smart jack since the GPS does not have a headset jack, but there was just no room. It would have to been a dongle (pretty easy to do) but I didn’t like a cord hanging out of the unit to break. The unit appeared to be very well soldered and I was impressed by the waterproofing solutions used to seal the case (like double rubber plugs in the case screws). So I bought the Bluetooth music receiver and cigar plug to USB power adapter to get around it since the GPS has Bluetooth capability. They live in my right lockable pocket plugged into an ‘always hot’ cigar plug. When you switch off the bike, Fred asks you if you want to power off or not. I just tell him ‘no’ and he stays on his internal battery power. This keeps the Bluetooth connect live and going. Otherwise, you have to back out of the IGO8 software when you power him back up and reconnect the Bluetooth connection. This setup probably needs an isolation cable from the music receiver to the input cable, but I wear earplugs and it was no problem. I also added an Amplirider to merge my independent MP3 player, radar detector and GPS voice into my system. Voice instructions were easy to understand and hear.
4. Comparing to the Garmin GPS system built into the Goldwing 1800 along the way, they were usually in agreement. In one place, Fred picked a better, quicker route than ‘Mary’. Accuracy of roads and places was very good as well as the mileages given. I stayed at a lot of Super 8 motels, and Fred had them in his POI file. Estimated time arrival was usually pretty close to actual.
5. I use Microsoft Streets & Trips to plan my routes and I did find occasional disagreement between where Fred thought a place was and S&T thought it was. (This is not unusual as I have encountered this with Garmin systems also). It could make Fred do some unusual ‘looping’ to get to the via point. But there is an option to delete the via point if need be, and he straightens up.
6. Route conversion from S&T is simple and I wrote a VB app to make it quicker. I create the routes in S&T and my app invokes GPSBabel, a free GPS file convertor, to change them to kml and download them to the Peaklife.
7. I did encounter one issue that I have to research on downloaded routes. There does not seem to be an option to delete the start of a route for downloaded routes. So if you do a route recalculation mid stream, Fred wants to go back to the start of the route.
8. I did a reset twice during the 19 days on the road. He locked up only once which appeared to be a result of when he lost his satellites and was trying to do a route recalculation. Easy to reset with a pencil or ink pen and he generally finds his brains back in a little while. The Garmin on the Goldwing also occasionally lost her satellites in some of the taller mountainous regions.
9. When you go off route, he lets you know a couple of times, then shuts up. If you miss a via point, he will continue to try to route you back to it, so deleting it is a good thing – which is pretty easy to do on the fly as mentioned above.
10. All in all, I was impressed with the functionality regardless of the price point. I am pretty familiar with the Garmin GPS systems, as I’ve routed on the NUVIs here at work and played with the ZUMO550 while in Ireland.
11. Considering for the price of a ZUMO550 or ZUMO350LM, you could probably buy four of these units. Chinavasion warranty is 1 year but I have no idea as to how well they will stand behind them. But a new one is slightly less than the price of the ZUMO ‘refurb’ charge. Also, since the IGO8 software runs on the microSD card and contains all of your routes, maps and software, you can just pull the card out and put it a new unit and be good to go. You can also backup the microSD card to any PC hard drive if you have a microSD reader.
12. The mounting bracket that comes with the unit is designed for a handlebar mount (it also comes with a car mount), so I had our shop fabricate a simple bracket that bolts to the top of the brake (or clutch) reservoir. I then took the ball clamp loose from the provided bracket and bolted it to my bracket. The clamping bolt is a little too loose and heavy road vibration tended to make the GPS move – but we are talking about the AlCan highway here.
13. The more you use it, the smarter it gets. One nice feature is you can select up to three data streams to be displayed on the main map screen. I picked compass, total miles left and estimated arrival time. You could also choose speed limit for the highway, time left on the road, and other features. The ‘detour’ button on the map screen brings up the vast array of other POIs such as gas stations, restaurants, etc. You select the category, pick the place and then add it as via or a destination.
14. The cradle has 5 protruding pins – 2 are hot and 2 are ground so it appears you have a bit of built in backup. The unit also comes with a cigar plug USB charger which would allow you to use the unit if the powered cradle dies which is a nice ‘backup’ option.
The part list of the stuff I purchased –
CVUG-TR16 – Peaklife Motorcycle GPS - $124.68 + shipping
http://www.chinavasion.com/search?q=CVUG-TR16&Submit=GO
CVSB-A135 – Bluetooth Music Receiver - $14.98 + shipping
http://www.chinavasion.com/china/wholesale/Cheap_Mobile_Phones/Cell_Phone_Accessories/Bluetooth_Music_Receiver_for_iPod-iPhone_Sound_Dock_and_Home_Stereo
CVRL-G270-2GEN - Car Cigarette Lighter USB Charger - $1.31 + shipping
http://www.chinavasion.com/china/wholesale/Car_Accessories/Car_Accessories/Cheap_Car_Cigarette_Plug_USB_Charger_Adapter
IGO8 North America Maps - $49.99
http://yehob.ecrater.com/p/10235152/igo8-2011-q4-north-america-usa
Glare Stomper 3.5” GPS Model 316 - $16.95
http://glarestomper.com/316.html
Amplirider with built in volume control - $63
http://www.electric-avenues.com/amplirider.html
If there is any interest, I might make up a batch of the brackets but I'll have to see what they would cost first. They will work on either the clutch or the brake reservoirs on the ST1100 and appear to fit on the ST1300 – but I have not tested that for sure. They could be used for about anything you wanted to mount – cup holders, phones, etc. I can also make the VB app available for those interested - it's been tested on WIN XP and WIN 7.
Phil Derryberry
***ADDITION NOTE***
Ron E. figured out that the 4 screw mount on the motorcycle cradle can be replaced with one from Ram (direct bolt on with 4 new screws) and then all of the Ram mounting options are available.
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I've never been a big GPS fan as most folks know, but at this price point for the features, it's sort of hard to pass up. The biggest question in my mind is how it will hold up over the long term. But it took a lot of 'abuse' on the trip and seems to be doing well.
