Member Contributer Polarbear Posted February 28, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted February 28, 2012 This is getting more and more interesting... Maybe if I wait another couple fo weeks they'll give them away for free?? I'm leaning towards getting one now. c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted February 28, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted February 28, 2012 Time it for your next tour or long outing. I would say it takes about a week to make sure it is working, the tracking enabled and you understand how to set up the website. Probably you should get the device at least a month before a trip in case you have to return it. I purchased mine for an Alaskan adventure but I use it now almost every time I go out on the weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted February 28, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted February 28, 2012 Good advice Bonus. I may buy it now and purchase the service and set it up just before a trip as you suggest. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted February 29, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted February 29, 2012 One of the advantages of the tracking feature is that YOU do not have to remember to operate it once you have activated the feature at the start of the day. Here we are at the end of a dirt road under a tree last weekend solving most of the problems in the world...it takes some time to do that as you can see by the ten minute tracking locations. Despite the tree coverage ..........the Spot was well spotting. I like the feature as if you have a problem the spots keep piling up at a location even when the conditions are not optimum (clear sky). This is a nice backup if you are unable to get to the SPOT to hit SOS/Help etc. Folks will wonder eventually what you are doing under that tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted February 29, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted February 29, 2012 Yes, Bonus, I can see how this is .... useful to other people. They can spot us going from coffee shop to coffee shop and coming home claiming we rode several hundreds km that day... Busted!!! So, I ordered mine a minute ago! $65 shipped to Sumas!! Woohoo!!! This should calm down the missus when I go riding--that plus a nice (nice!) insurance policy in case anything happens. I better check my brakes before I leave the house... Thanks for the info on this deal guys!! C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer NorthernVFRDave Posted February 29, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted February 29, 2012 I would be very weary of attaching it to me. Kinda like keeping keys in your pocket! They can stab you in case of a fall. Not to mention that in case of a good fall, you would probably destroy the unit. Seems it would be safer somewhere on the bike, somewhere safe (top box? saddle bag? tank bag?!?). c The idea is to keep it on you in the event you become separated from your bike and unable to get to your bike when you need to call for help. I use the arm band case with mine. Best money I've ever spend was picking up mine. The wife is much happier knowing I'm OK when traveling on the bike or snowmobile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted February 29, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted February 29, 2012 Hey, NorthernvfrDave, would you mind tell me exactly what kind of arm band case you got? Thank you, C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted February 29, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted February 29, 2012 As I remember it, the Spot II came with an armband in the kit. I used it on a couple of rides including test runs on my bicycle but eventually opted for the handlebar mount for reasons described above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted February 29, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted February 29, 2012 Yes, Bonus, I can see how this is .... useful to other people. They can spot us going from coffee shop to coffee shop and coming home claiming we rode several hundreds km that day... Busted!!! So, I ordered mine a minute ago! $65 shipped to Sumas!! Woohoo!!! This should calm down the missus when I go riding--that plus a nice (nice!) insurance policy in case anything happens. I better check my brakes before I leave the house... Thanks for the info on this deal guys!! C The yearly cost is well worth it from my wife's point of view. Especially when you are out of comms for days like I was in Alaska. She also got me a RoadID thingy from XMAS tooooooooooo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Received mine last night and, yes, it does come with an armband. Also received the RAM Mount SPOT handlebar mount from amazon. Plan to mount it on my KTM's bars for my solo desert rides. I'm operating under the assumption that if I can't get back to the bike, my wife will eventually notice I didn't come home and consult the tracking feature to see where I might be. Plan to use it on the VFR, too, as there are lots of stretches with no cell service around the Southwest. Perhaps another RAM Mount, the arm band or top of the tank bag, depending on the circumstances. Also picked up a mini Pelican case as another alternative. Popped the batteries in, activated service (including tracking and the Search and Rescue insurance), stepped outside, activated and sent an "OK" message. Left it outside, as directed by the manual and by the time I went back in the house, heard the message coming through on my wife's phone. Checked the map and it was spot-on (pun intended) locationwise. There are rather mixed reviews on various sites, but I'm getting the idea that those who were less than happy with the unit may not have exactly understood how the device works and its limitations. Looking forward to a live test desert ride on the KTM this weekend. The on-line set up was fairly straight forward. Need to look into the on-line features more and explain to my wife what she needs to do, if I send a help message or fail to come home. Device seemed fairly substantial. Will see how it holds up to the desert. So far, color me impressed. Also got 20 bucks back from Best Buy, since the price dropped to $59.99 from $79.99 a week ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted February 29, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted February 29, 2012 One of the neat things about the web setup is that you can construct different profiles. So you can not only keep folks at home informed about your progress but also folks/relatives in the area where you are touring. The Web portal has improved quite a bit since I got "spotting". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Gerrys02800 Posted February 29, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted February 29, 2012 Yes, Bonus, I can see how this is .... useful to other people. They can spot us going from coffee shop to coffee shop and coming home claiming we rode several hundreds km that day... Busted!!! So, I ordered mine a minute ago! $65 shipped to Sumas!! Woohoo!!! This should calm down the missus when I go riding--that plus a nice (nice!) insurance policy in case anything happens. I better check my brakes before I leave the house... Thanks for the info on this deal guys!! C About time you got one !!!! When Bonus started the thread and I read it what SPOT does I had to get one.My Wife, son and the rest of the family tracked me from home to Vegas etc etc and she could watch where I was from her work. funny enough, 4 wives in the same office bought it for their husbands who ride and it made it easy on them "knowing" their location and the husbands because they did not need to call every 4 hours. Well worth the money @ $200.00 or $59.99. I had the arm band on the first 2 days, then moved to the brake resivour mount. The idea of sliding on it and destroying it / more body damage to me did not appeal. Like the keys in your pocket. I have a photo... will post it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted February 29, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted February 29, 2012 Yeah, funny how we assess the price of keeping peace on the domestic front... You're right Gerry, even at $200, it is cheap--and yes, I've been known to spend more than that to keep SWMBO at ease... c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted March 1, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted March 1, 2012 Yeah, funny how we assess the price of keeping peace on the domestic front... You're right Gerry, even at $200, it is cheap--and yes, I've been known to spend more than that to keep SWMBO at ease... c Welcome aboard! When I am bumming a place on the road folks always ask me for an ETA. I just send them my SPOT link ..................so they can track me and more importantly be waiting at the door with a cold brew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted March 1, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted March 1, 2012 Welcome aboard! When I am bumming a place on the road folks always ask me for an ETA. I just send them my SPOT link ..................so they can track me and more importantly be waiting at the door with a cold brew! Now THIS has got to be the best use of the SPOT device I've heard so far!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer texasvfr Posted December 5, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted December 5, 2012 Anyone have any pics of SPOT mounts on their 6gen. Good and bad and why. Have used SPOT gen 1 since they first came out but never felt the need for the 10 minute tracking feature before. Might try it out on the upcoming multi-thousand mile run. There is a particular road in New Mexico and Texas where I have held it at 100 mph for 2 solid hours (BMW) and it might be neat to see it on a track. Plus freak out the family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 I-10? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer texasvfr Posted December 6, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted December 6, 2012 Off that grid- Roswell-Pecos-Ft.Stockton. smile , no radar, cars,trucks cams, mammals, birds, insects and BORING only one very slight curve in 200 miles ! The only saving grace the God of Speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Went up that route on my way to CO, and saw three cops the entire time in NM. Every time I saw them though, I was waiting for a perfectly clear opportunity to pass a truck. I kid you not, I would round a slight bend/hill behind a truck (mostly water trucks I think? They all waved to me, whoever they were, whatever they were hauling.) and there would be a police cruiser, as I sat there, calmly at or below the speed limit, not a care in the world, as I had all week to find my way back home. Talk about lucky. though a heavily loaded ST3 doesn't endear itself to high-speed runs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer NorthernVFRDave Posted December 9, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted December 9, 2012 Anyone have any pics of SPOT mounts on their 6gen. Good and bad and why. Have used SPOT gen 1 since they first came out but never felt the need for the 10 minute tracking feature before. Might try it out on the upcoming multi-thousand mile run. There is a particular road in New Mexico and Texas where I have held it at 100 mph for 2 solid hours (BMW) and it might be neat to see it on a track. Plus freak out the family! Don't mount your spot to your bike. Mount it to you. Why you might asked? The Spot is your life line to call for help. Should you go down and need it, having it mounted to your bike which may not be within your reach when you need it most. I pay the extra for the 10min track that way people can look for me if I'm unable to set the unit off on my own. However the track does not display speed, unless you point it out, they may never know how fast your going. Run instamapper on your smartphone if you want to freak them out :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer texasvfr Posted December 9, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted December 9, 2012 Thanks for the advise, northern dave. All of the mounts that I have found seem like they will not work on a vfr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted December 11, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted December 11, 2012 I run my Spot on the right triple clamp using a 45 degree Ram Mount. I prefer to watch my SPOT to verify the batteries are working and the signal is getting out. For me this ensures that the SPOT is in an optimum position for receiving and transmitting. I always run the tracking feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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