Recommend Me a GPS

ddemair

ddemair

Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
68
Location
central NJ
Bike
2010 Honda ST13
The MCL riser bar I just installed on my ST1300 has a Ram Ball that I'd like a GPS to attach to.

Ride With GPS (https://ridewithgps.com/) provides turn by turn navigation which I could use on my phone, but it's too hard to see.

So what I'm looking for is a reliable GPS unit with Bluetooth that I can pair to my phone and then use Ride With GPS.
 
I've used a Garmin Zumo 660 for many years, and it works well and is still being updated, but it is an older, discontinued model and the screen seems to be harder to see in bright sunlight. I'm now looking at Apple CarPlay/Android units. I have one, relatively cheap, from Walmart, and it works and I guess you can put in multipoint custom routes in Google Maps (I haven't tried yet) but the 5 inch screen is a little too small to see details while riding. If all you have is a Bluetooth headset, then you can take and make phone calls and listen to music through these, but Sena and Cardo units already do that. Mine is also not pressure sensitive, so you have to put something on the gloves or take them off to use your fingers to touch the screen. Looks like there are bigger units which are pressure sensitive out there. I would look at these type of units. Carpuride is heavily advertised.
 
Garmin XT. I think this might have been supplanted by the XT2 but I'm not sure. This Garmin is designed for motorcycles and has a number of preferences that you can tick on or off - avoid toll roads, curvy roads, shortest distance, shortest time, etc. You can set it for cars, walking, or bikes (it is a bit big and heavy for walking). You can import routes in the .gpx format, you can program using the device itself (@jfheath used to have a link to how to do this), and you can link it to your phone, cardo/sena, etc......

I did a quick search for Garmin XT and a bunch of threads came up. You might check out what some of those said (I did not open any of them)

I like mine, and we use it in our car (along with the car's GPS) on every trip. I've either imported routes planned by my local BMW club or set my own routes. This replaced my Nuvi, which was not bright enough in sunlight on my bike. Basecamp is a bit of a pita to use, mainly because it is so flexible and allows you to do so much, however any mapping program that will save the file in the .gpx format will work with the XT.
 
If you want to use the GPS in a car, buy a car designed GPS. If you want to use it on a motorcycle...buy a motorcycle designed GPS. Sounds simple. Some people want to use a car designed GPS or GPS program on a motorcycle, and it isn't optimal. :rolleyes:

Initially, I tried to use a car GPS on my bike. The screen wasn't bright enough, even with a six inch long sunshade I'd Macgyvered together. What's worse, it wasn't waterproof and I needed to use it in the rain. I was trying to come up with a navigation solution for my epic post-retirement ride and after that trip, I gave up.

My cheap soul just really balked at the prices Garmin wanted for a "motorcycle" GPS. But on the trip over to Coeur d'Alene, I almost missed the freeway off-ramp and did one of those crazy maneuvers we all shake our heads at to make the exit. And I made a turn down the wrong street and had to turn the bike around in a very tight side-street. If I'd wrecked the bike getting off the freeway, or dropped it turning around on the narrow dead end side street...it would cost far more than the GPS. I also had visions of stopping on the side of the road in 95F temps to try reading on the faded out screen where my next turn would be. I think I've ridden well over 100,000 miles since then. The cost of my Garmin Zumo XT is less than a half-cent per mile.

Garmin used to make the Zumo XT. It now has the XT2...which is being phased out in favor of the XT3. The XT or XT2 will do you fine if you can find one at a good price. The Visor Shop has the XT at a fairly low price. https://www.thevisorshop.com/en/us/Garmin-Zumo-XT-All-Terrain-Motorcycle-GPS/m-29768.aspx FWIW, I used the Google search engine to find that under the "Shopping" tab. (It's about all I use Google for.)

When I look at the price of an alternative...and then the effort needed to load software onto that alternative that'll act as a GPS...and then the learning curve...the price difference of something trying to be a "motorcycle" GPS and the real thing becomes much smaller.

Oh, and by the way, using your iPhone as a GPS on the handlebar, even in a shock-proof mount is a recipe for buying a new iPhone. I've talked to people who've tried it, and even in a shock-proof, vibration free mount, their iPhone still died. It just took a little longer.

Chris
 
I've used at least SIX Garmin devices through the years, I was an early adopter.
The XT is the best I've used, and don't feel the need to spring for the XT2 or newer.
I'll be away from the interstate and cell towers sometimes, so the Carpuride / Chinese products won't work for me.
I'm have to admit though, Garmin's customer support is nowhere near as good as it was 10 years ago.
Fortunately, no problems with my XT.
And I'll second the linked thread in advrider, mentioned above.
 
Sadlsor said:
I'll be away from the interstate and cell towers sometimes, so the Carpuride / Chinese products won't work for me.
Click to expand...
The Carpuride products might be worth looking at. I did some quick reading on them earlier. Most people buy them to listen to their music. The GPS function they have from what I read, not personal experience, comes from the smartphone you pair it with. As one reviewer put it, it is a smartphone extender.

Almost all GPS programs that use a cell phone, will allow you to download the maps beforehand. I just find that one more thing to remember and something I'd probably forget to do till I got out of cell phone range and needed the map.

The price of that Zumo XT above that I linked to and the Carpuride W702B Plus are the same price at $380. It makes for an interesting comparison.

Chris
 
docw1 said:
I've used a Garmin Zumo 660 for many years, and it works well and is still being updated, but it is an older, discontinued model and the screen seems to be harder to see in bright sunlight. I'm now looking at Apple CarPlay/Android units. I have one, relatively cheap, from Walmart, and it works and I guess you can put in multipoint custom routes in Google Maps (I haven't tried yet) but the 5 inch screen is a little too small to see details while riding. If all you have is a Bluetooth headset, then you can take and make phone calls and listen to music through these, but Sena and Cardo units already do that. Mine is also not pressure sensitive, so you have to put something on the gloves or take them off to use your fingers to touch the screen. Looks like there are bigger units which are pressure sensitive out there. I would look at these type of units. Carpuride is heavily advertised.
Click to expand...

Yup - I've got a ZUMO 660 which I like very much, although it is a tad clunky (big and chunky).

I also use a RAM-ball phone mount with the 4-arm flexible fixture to hold a more modern NUVI-2590 model (and several others) that are intended for cars. Even though I live in Canada and we are the world's leading experts in crappy weather, none of these car-units have ever shown any signs of distress in rain (or worse).

I used this very simple process to "weather-proof" the Garmin car units:
  • stick a piece of Post-It note paper on the screen,
  • gently trim it with an X-Acto knife just a tad smaller than the size of the screen (accuracy is not important)
  • run a very small bead of silicone bathtub sealer around the screen
  • smear it down into the edge of the Post-It note with a wet fingertip
  • allow to cure for 30 min or so
  • remove the Post-It note paper.
....and WAH-LA - you now have a motorcycle-rated GPS unit that will survive on your handlebars (see attached photos).

GPS-1.jpeg

I installed a cheap "chinoise" USB power supply/battery volt meter on a simple home-made bracket in the fairing of my '83 BMW R100RS long distance machine. I use a "curly-coily" USB cord (Amazon - about $8.00) to power the GPS and I am in good shape for whatever comes my way.

Oh - and these Garmin units have Bluetooth, which can interface with my CARDO PackTalk Bold headset and give me audio directions (although I have never wanted the electronic mother-in-law to be yakking in my ear and drowning out the Doors, the Travelling Wilburys, or the Stones....). I find the visual cues of the Garmin to be quite sufficient.

GPS-3.jpeg
 
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I have the 590, 595, XT and XT2. They all have issues out of the box but with know-how they are excellent devices and will give you what you want.

The XT1 and XT2 rely on BT for their connections but they work well with BT headsets and with phones.

The XT3 is unknown to me, but I have been following threads on ZumoUserForums and so far there is nothing that makes me want to update. Some of the issues with the XT2 have been carried over to the XT3.

It is the XT2 that I have on my bike/trike. The (very big) issues that we unearthed on ALL XTs with the imported GPX file (from any mapping software) we have found solutions for and now on the road, they are reliable, screen is bright, and I have no problems.

I use my XT2 with android phone and Cardo Packtalk edge. I also have the handlebar controller. The Tread app which Garmin developed as a way of getting routes into the XT2 using BT is not as reliable as I would have hoped. It alters my routes during creation and during the synch process - so I still transfer routes to the SD card using traditional methods. The best solution for the XTs has been a program developed by FrankB on zumouserforums - called TripManager. It requires a PC and a USB cable but it bypasses Garmin’s import process which often changes my routes, and makes the route behave ‘properly’.

The Tread App can still be used to relay traffic info, weather info, provide up ahead info eg fuel, attractions, hotels etc.
Messages, emails, texts and other alerts can be relayed to the Zumo screen - or not. Up to you.
The XTs all have an excellent mp3 player built in. With so much relying on BT, I have found music relayed from the phone to be less than reliable, so I don’t bother with that. But the voice commands hey Google can be relayed to the phone from the ZUMO screen if required.


I have a series of XT2 screen displays in an interactive mock up here. https://zumouserforums.co.uk/XT2-P309
 
MaxPete said:
Yup - I've got a ZUMO 660 which I like very much, although it is a tad clunky (big and chunky).
Click to expand...
I really liked the 660. A big improvement over the 550 in terms of calculating ETA.

It produced a route that you could join and rejoin at any location and it would pick up from there. So figure of 8s were interesting at the cross over point. If you started at the bottom and went round the bottom loop to the cross over and took the wrong turn it would navigate the other half of the bottom loop. Double back to the cross over and take the top loop - it would navigate ahead from there. (You can do the same with the 590s and XTs providing that you don't use via points.) That feature attracted a lot of complaints from people who do competition rallys. Following the satnav blindly failing to recognise that there were two possibilites at the junction ahead. I put the development of the via / shaping points down to pandering to the needs of those with poor map reading skills, and following the satnav blindly. These were the days when stanvas would 'lead' drivers up very narrow country lanes with nowhere to turn round and no tarmac, or over the edge of a cliff into the sea, or into the middle of a farmers field, or onto ministry of defence land...... They should put a warning on the box - must be operated by someone with an IQ that has at least two digits.

Yes I know IQ doesn't have digits, it has two letters. ..... Never mind.

But as the maps grew bigger, the 660 would start to run out of memory and go slow - so the map did not redraw. Pull over, reboot it, and all was well again - and as above, it wouldpick up the route from where you left off.

I got talked into an 'upgrade' - trade in the 660 for a big discount on the 590. A steep learning curve, but worth it in the end - but I do wish that I'd kept it and bought the 590 outright. I got to keep the cradle though, so if I ever spot one.....


Photo: My first ST1300 and Zumo 660 taken in March 2012 (odd - I don't remember it having a grey body). Seemingly about to lead me along an old Roman Road, but not so - I just pulled off the tarmac for a bite to eat and a photo - remember the photo relays that we used to do ? @Uncle Phil would have spotted this location immediately. I've removed the caption - see if I am right !

1778142732769.jpeg
 
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ddemair said:
The MCL riser bar I just installed on my ST1300 has a Ram Ball that I'd like a GPS to attach to.

Ride With GPS (https://ridewithgps.com/) provides turn by turn navigation which I could use on my phone, but it's too hard to see.

So what I'm looking for is a reliable GPS unit with Bluetooth that I can pair to my phone and then use Ride With GPS.
Click to expand...
I don't know much about that ridewithgps app. Looks like a paid option but also a free one but likely limited. If that is a must-have then I would suggest a carpuride or Aoocci and many other phone mirroring android versions and they would be cheaper.

If you have a stand-alone gps like a garmin, you won't need any app for turn by turn directions and it can pair wth your phone just fine. I have less than optimal results with that pairing. Instead, I only use gps pairing (headset to gps) to hear the directions and I get all other info with the headset paired to my phone, music, phone calls, etc... anything FROM the phone.

As far as the Garmin XT or XT2, XT3 - the 2/3 use Garmin's Tread app and I'm not crazy about it. I prefer the XT and us their Basecamp software to create/download gpx files to the XT. You can still use it with the 2/3 but the gpx file has to be sent to your phone so the tread app can import.. that's just a but odd to me.

Anyway, probably more than you want to know but I prefer a stand-alone gps. If google would allow importing gpx files for turn by turn directions I'd be very happy but no joy on that one.
 
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