Member Contributer PhantomNext Posted June 17, 2006 Member Contributer Share Posted June 17, 2006 I'm oldschool, I still use a map to figure my basic route, or plan it at home and put it in my tank bag vinyl. Leaves me $800 for other stuff, but it all gets spent in the end :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 I just bought a Whistler WGPX-550 at Frys last week for $420.00. Nice flat unit with touch screen and lots of features. Plays MP3s and has a Photo displayer as well. Uses SDRam cards. Comes with w 1gig card preloaded with the map f the US and a CD that contains a Canadian map as well. No RAM mount for it at the moment, but that's probably because the unit is relatively new. Something could be rigged though I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 I've been considering GPs systems for both my bike and car for quite a long time now, but at 800 bucks!!!! :goofy: That's just way way way too much! Can some company please finally come up with affordable GPS systems?! The technology's been around long enough! First company to do so, would sell a ton of them for sure! Even Plasma TVs and flat screen computer monitors have dropped in price susbstantially the past few years. I wonder what's holding the GPS systems up. Beck 95 VFR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyminds Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 I've been interested in getting the Rider but more than anything worried about the mounting position for my bike. I have the Cortech 21-liter tank bag which i suppose is rather big, but still leaves my guages completely visible. Just kind of concerned if the ram mount will bring the unit up high enough over my bag for me to see. Anyone tested / had this problem? Jason - Tinyminds 04 VFR800 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gza Posted July 10, 2006 Member Contributer Share Posted July 10, 2006 I've been interested in getting the Rider but more than anything worried about the mounting position for my bike. I have the Cortech 21-liter tank bag which i suppose is rather big, but still leaves my guages completely visible. Just kind of concerned if the ram mount will bring the unit up high enough over my bag for me to see. Anyone tested / had this problem? Jason - Tinyminds 04 VFR800 Nice bike....I have the same model. And funny I have been thinking about the new 07's avalanches, honda ridgeline or a toyota tundra....just havent decided. Good pic. I have been looking for a navi system, but have been holding off at the moment, since I have a system in my car, I want a system that is almost an all in one. Phone, mp3, Palm, and navi/gps. But at the moment my wishlist is pretty full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 I've been interested in getting the Rider but more than anything worried about the mounting position for my bike. I have the Cortech 21-liter tank bag which i suppose is rather big, but still leaves my guages completely visible. Just kind of concerned if the ram mount will bring the unit up high enough over my bag for me to see. Anyone tested / had this problem? Short answer: If you can see your tach, you can see the Rider. I have a Chase Harper tank bag that's a little smaller and more rounded than yours. I mounted my Rider using a RAM mount on the front fuel tank bolts. (You've probably seen pictures of this posted elsewhere in this forum.) I first used RAM's 3" stem. No problem with the tank bag, but found I had to glance down to see the Rider. I switched to RAM's longer (5 and 1/2 inch I think) arm. Now the top of the Rider covers the first 3000 RPM on the tach, but it is right in my field of view while looking ahead. A good trade-off in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyminds Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Short answer: If you can see your tach, you can see the Rider.I have a Chase Harper tank bag that's a little smaller and more rounded than yours. I mounted my Rider using a RAM mount on the front fuel tank bolts. (You've probably seen pictures of this posted elsewhere in this forum.) I first used RAM's 3" stem. No problem with the tank bag, but found I had to glance down to see the Rider. I switched to RAM's longer (5 and 1/2 inch I think) arm. Now the top of the Rider covers the first 3000 RPM on the tach, but it is right in my field of view while looking ahead. A good trade-off in my opinion. Thanks... all I wanted to know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jgombos Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 I've been considering GPs systems for both my bike and car for quite a long time now, but at 800 bucks!!!! :blink: That's just way way way too much!Can some company please finally come up with affordable GPS systems?! Do you have a PDA? If so, there may be a GPS accessory for under $200 USD. I grabbed the bluetooth GPS Navigator for Palm (Tungsten E2) for ~$200, with software. I've seen the same hardware (w/out software) for around $140. I don't recommend TomTom to Americans, however, because it forces you to read a legal notice every time you start the app :pissed: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Do you have a PDA? If so, there may be a GPS accessory for under $200 USD. I grabbed the bluetooth GPS Navigator for Palm (Tungsten E2) for ~$200, with software. I've seen the same hardware (w/out software) for around $140.I don't recommend TomTom to Americans, however, because it forces you to read a legal notice every time you start the app :unsure: -Thread Hijack- We used the bluetooth GPS Navigator for Palm side-by-side against my Garmin Quest I on a trip to Laguna Seca a few weeks ago - not impressed with the Palm solution . It can only load one map at a time (which consists of about 1 state, or half of California) so you have to switch maps every time you cross a border. The Palm solution also lacked a lot of the functionality and had poor routing compared to the Garmin . I can't remember the details right at the moment but basically, the Palm is not anywhere near the same level as the Quest - it did have a nice 3-D display though. The Quest I can be had for about $360 on Amazon.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jgombos Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 -Thread Hijack-We used the bluetooth GPS Navigator for Palm side-by-side against my Garmin Quest I on a trip to Laguna Seca a few weeks ago - not impressed with the Palm solution . I also found the Palm accessory to be lacking at first. It has some deficiencies that take some getting used to. It can only load one map at a time (which consists of about 1 state, or half of California) so you have to switch maps every time you cross a border. Are you talking about the TomTom Navigator 5 (TTN5) software? If so, that issue has been somewhat resolved since you ran your test. My version of TTN5 s/w has the same limitation (only loading one map at a time - requiring manual switching to change maps), but now it comes bundled with larger maps. You can load a region of 7 or so different states all in one large map. You can also load different combinations of adjacent states. I currently have a TTN5 map that covers all of CA and NV. I had the option for a larger map yet, but didn't want to consume the space on my SD card. The Palm solution also lacked a lot of the functionality and had poor routing compared to the Garmin . I can't remember the details right at the moment but basically, the Palm is not anywhere near the same level as the Quest - it did have a nice 3-D display though. The Quest I can be had for about $360 on Amazon.com. The Quest costs around $450 USD on buy.com, and didn't see it on amazon. Rule of thumb: affordable usually means under $200. So the PDA accessories (for those who already own a PDA) are the only GPS solution I would call affordable. Though I have no doubt that a standalone GPS like the Quest is superior, cost aside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
house Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Just got one of the Rider's a couple of weeks ago... have to say I really like it. Got a car kit too and a bluetooth speaker for the car so I can hear it if I want too. One complaint is that you can only seem to hook up to one headset at a time. I have the Scala Rider bluetooth headset in my helmet and I have to re-pair if I use the TomTom in the car with a jabra bluetooth speaker. Also, It would not pair with my Treo 700W right out of the box, but TomTom just came out with a software update and now it works fine. They also added a few features. I also bought a bigger SD card for it (it only comes with a 1GB card.) Bough a 2GB card and did a backup... then popped in the new card and did a restore... works great and now I can add as many voices and maps as I want. I have the files to make Dennis Hppper give you the turn by turn directions if anyone wants them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
house Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Just got one of the Rider's a couple of weeks ago... have to say I really like it. Got a car kit too and a bluetooth speaker for the car so I can hear it if I want too. One complaint is that you can only seem to hook up to one headset at a time. I have the Scala Rider bluetooth headset in my helmet and I have to re-pair if I use the TomTom in the car with a jabra bluetooth speaker. Also, It would not pair with my Treo 700W right out of the box, but TomTom just came out with a software update and now it works fine. They also added a few features. I also bought a bigger SD card for it (it only comes with a 1GB card.) Bough a 2GB card and did a backup... then popped in the new card and did a restore... works great and now I can add as many voices and maps as I want. I have the files to make Dennis Hppper give you the turn by turn directions if anyone wants them By the way, the Dennis Hopper files will work with any TomTom GPS... maybe for others as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 GPS looks cool, but the prices are still too high next to the old school paper maps from AAA. And if I get one there's the 100 page RTFM to deal with. :beer: Also, how am I supposed to go for a ride until I get lost, then find my way home again? I like doing that. It expands my mental map and it's fun. :goofy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jgombos Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 GPS looks cool, but the prices are still too high next to the old school paper maps from AAA. And if I get one there's the 100 page RTFM to deal with. :blink: For rock bottom costs, you can get a bluetooth GPS for ~$60 USD at www.geeks.com, and you can probably find a Palm Zire for under $200. I'm not sure what the software costs, but you'd need that as well. You're right though.. the price isn't even close to paper maps. Also, how am I supposed to go for a ride until I get lost, then find my way home again? I like doing that. It expands my mental map and it's fun. :goofy: A GPS system is excellent for that type of riding. You set it to take you home before you even leave, and simply drive aimlessly, ignoring the GPS. It will constantly recompute the way home from wherever you are. When you're ready to go home, it's already telling you where to turn next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer jstanwood Posted August 24, 2006 Member Contributer Share Posted August 24, 2006 <snip>Have you been to: Cyclegadgets mini hijack:Yes...I just got routed to them from RAM to order parts to add my XM receiver to my bike. Very easy-to-use application wizard and great service. They emailed me the day I ordered to let me know that the RAM arm I had ordered was out of stock, and suggested I use the med. length one anyway. I got my stuff the next day. (It helps only being 2 hours away.) Excellent service! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 The TomTom site shows the "Rider" unit with a 20Gb internal HD, playing MP3's, and looking at pictures, do not all the "Rider" units have this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobie1dog Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 So what is the winner? The TomTom or the Lowrance iWay 500? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 ... Rule of thumb: affordable usually means under $200. ... OK, iffen that rule of thumb applies - Canadian Tire, ... uh, in Canada... has new (as opposed to used) Garmin GPS Map 76 for $184.99 (that's~$167 in Usonian dollars) this week... They have a website, if you're not in range for a walk in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer captainchris13 Posted August 29, 2006 Member Contributer Share Posted August 29, 2006 OK, iffen that rule of thumb applies - Canadian Tire, ... uh, in Canada... has new (as opposed to used) Garmin GPS Map 76 for $184.99 (that's~$167 in Usonian dollars) this week... They have a website, if you're not in range for a walk in. The tomtom has MP3s disabled. it has a 1 gbflash card. personally, im not sure i want to keep mine. its nice, works well, is made for a bike, but since i have speakers in my helmet i cant use the bluetooth earpeice which is one of the big plusses of this unit... like the volume increasing with speed. It auto reroutes instantly, and does a great job, but the lack of music may be a deal killer for me. Anyone want to buy a 3 week old tomtom rider for a discount? Oh, you have to use the provided saftey strap, my clamp on mount broke at the clamp when i mounted it... i was almost gonna stop tightening it, and then it snapped. good thing it did it at home before i left. since i welded the bracket back (not my best weld...)it made it all the way to colorado from California. i think the chinese casting co they used dumped some waaay crappy metal in, or overheated it it or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tob Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 The Garmin Zumo has just been announced here in Norway. The Garmin Zumo website It's not available in the shops yet. I think this would be the equivalent to the Rider from TomTom, but more expensive ($1076.91 U.S.D.). Can't find any info on how it will mount on a VFR. Product page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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