Cheapo GPS

[Art FJR]

I would like to get a GPS on the FJR but I don't want to spend the money for the latest and greatest ($600+). I don't have the bluetooth helmet and I don't really want to spend the money for that either. I would like to be able to plug some headphones into it and listen to music (that would be a plus) and have the GPS interupt and give me directions via headphones (that would be nice).

At EOM I followed folks with the nice GPS's and that was Ok. As best I remember, it rained some while we were there. I guess waterproof would be nice, but in reality I rarely ride in the rain.

In our local group, at times I lead and it would be nice to be able to plan a route and then drive that route. No other bike in our group has a GPS. We have done Ok without the GPS, but at times it would be nice to say "take us to civilization". Or "where can we eat something quick". Or "where is the nearest gas".

I am tossed up between buying the cheapo GPS (maybe battery powered) and just call it done. Then I would have "maps" and some assistance. I saw a refurnished Garmin 2820 for $215 and this would get me a waterproof unit.

Just for piece of mind or in the event of an emergency, I would like to have a GPS.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I am leaning towards the 2820 and mounting it on the bike and calling it done.

Art

 

[escapefjrtist]

A 2820 would be a nice unit being waterproof and such. I went the really el-cheapo route and put a Nuvi 205W (or the SO's 255W) on Ram mount hardware. Use a plastic freezer bag for those rainy days and you are covered...pun intended. Good luck with the decision.

--G

 

[sporto]

You will want to run power to your bike, the modern day color GPS displays seem to be very power hungy (two hours of use and batteries are drained on my Nuvi 660). I use my 660 along with: Gilsson hardwire cord/ FZ1 Fuseblock, techmount stem mount, quick change adapter plate and Ram cradle. A one gallon freezer bag and rubber band make it waterproof (gloved finger inputs are still recognized with it bagged).

I run the Nuvi headphone output to a Mix-It2 (mini stereo jack), which is device that allows you to pipe the sound from multiple sources to a single set of speakers. I have my V1 Radar Detector, IPOD and GPS plugged into the Mix-It2. Etymotic ER-6i's earbuds carry the sound to my helmet. This setup has worked very well for me over the last year.

I cannot do Route Planning on my 660 put Gramps bought a newer 750 Nuvi that has some route planning/storage capabilities and is actually less expensevie than my 660 was 2 years ago.

 

[Harvey]

You will want to run power to your bike, the modern day color GPS displays seem to be very power hungy (two hours of use and batteries are drained on my Nuvi 660). I use my 660 along with: Gilsson hardwire cord/ FZ1 Fuseblock, techmount stem mount, quick change adapter plate and Ram cradle. A one gallon freezer bag and rubber band make it waterproof (gloved finger inputs are still recognized with it bagged).
I run the Nuvi headphone output to a Mix-It2 (mini stereo jack), which is device that allows you to pipe the sound from multiple sources to a single set of speakers. I have my V1 Radar Detector, IPOD and GPS plugged into the Mix-It2. Etymotic ER-6i's earbuds carry the sound to my helmet. This setup has worked very well for me over the last year.

I cannot do Route Planning on my 660 put Gramps bought a newer 750 Nuvi that has some route planning/storage capabilities and is actually less expensevie than my 660 was 2 years ago.

So this would be in Art's GPS budget?

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

My wife made an impulse buy on a Mio GPS two and a half years ago. About $125-$150 at the time. Ram Mounts made a holder, and some accessory place (? Aerostitch) made heavy plastic bags with drawstrings to place over it (and my XM radio) during rain. I hard wired the GPS to my Blue Sea using the car-charger (just take the plastic off and wire up the guts). Worked great the summer of 2008 for 7000+ miles. This year it was a little weird and sent me odd places but I wasn't sure. In Montana last month, it kept sending me in literal circles, and was deleting waypoints as I rode. The Mio was done after two riding seasons. YMMV.

I will not put another "car" GPS on my bike. I'd rather use maps until I can get a fair to good waterproof GPS that keeps at least one trip planned. Audible commands via earphone jack is, also for me, a non-negotiable feature. Speakers in the unit are useless, as I found out after my mud bath (see crash link below) destroyed my custom ear pieces with built-in speakers.

You asked, and that's been my experience and view on relatively inexpensive units. I think motorcycle environments (vibration, moisture, potential for more drops, etc.) are too severe for the cheaper automotive-designed models to last long. Others will disagree.

 

[dcarver]

The ultimate cheap?

The Carver-Map! :lol:

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

The ultimate cheap?The Carver-Map! :lol:

Is that the one drawn in crayon because the men in white coats wouldn't let you use pens Don? :lol: :lol:

 

[Reldeed]

I would like to get a GPS on the FJR but I don't want to spend the money for the latest and greatest ($600+). I don't have the bluetooth helmet and I don't really want to spend the money for that either. I would like to be able to plug some headphones into it and listen to music (that would be a plus) and have the GPS interupt and give me directions via headphones (that would be nice).
At EOM I followed folks with the nice GPS's and that was Ok. As best I remember, it rained some while we were there. I guess waterproof would be nice, but in reality I rarely ride in the rain.

In our local group, at times I lead and it would be nice to be able to plan a route and then drive that route. No other bike in our group has a GPS. We have done Ok without the GPS, but at times it would be nice to say "take us to civilization". Or "where can we eat something quick". Or "where is the nearest gas".

I am tossed up between buying the cheapo GPS (maybe battery powered) and just call it done. Then I would have "maps" and some assistance. I saw a refurnished Garmin 2820 for $215 and this would get me a waterproof unit.

Just for piece of mind or in the event of an emergency, I would like to have a GPS.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I am leaning towards the 2820 and mounting it on the bike and calling it done.

Art

I have been looking for a deal on GPS units also. spending all that money on that when I still need to get gear for the wife just won't work. So... I bought a universal mount with a suction cup on it from Ebay and put my black berry with google maps on it. I happen to have a GPS on my phone so it was a great deal for me.

Eventually, I'll get a GPS when I find a deal. Until then, this is geat.

If you don't have a phone with Google maps, I would recommend trolling ebay for one of the refurbished Nuvi's with a ziplock bag for weather.

 

[Fred W]

A 2820 is a very nice unit, especially if you can get it at ~$200. It will do all of the things that you mentioned and is waterproof. The waterproof thing may not seem all that important, but really is better than having to worry about bagging your GPS and/or running the risk of trashing it.

A Zumo 450 would also work for what you want to do and can be had at about $400. It is discontinued and was never as popular as the 550 so you may be able to find one for even less.

The Zumo 550 is the current state of the art (660 is not "better") and can be had for ~$550 if you do your homework. It comes with everything you need (including a ram mount) and will probably not need to be "upgraded" for many years. Since there are so many of them in use, they should be supported for some time to come. Also, you may not think you need some of the features, (like bluetooth) but when you have them you may find they are quite handy. In my mind it is the best total value. That's why I have one.

 

[dsmack]

I have been looking for a deal on GPS units also. spending all that money on that when I still need to get gear for the wife just won't work. So... I bought a universal mount with a suction cup on it from Ebay and put my black berry with google maps on it. I happen to have a GPS on my phone so it was a great deal for me.
Eventually, I'll get a GPS when I find a deal. Until then, this is geat.

If you don't have a phone with Google maps, I would recommend trolling ebay for one of the refurbished Nuvi's with a ziplock bag for weather.

Reldeed's mention of using a Blackberry triggered memories of my son's setup he uses on his m/c as well as his bicycle. Not sure which particular cell phone/device he is using, but it is the schiznitz!

Full mapping and route planning (Google Maps?), real time weather, real time road conditions/traffic, full GPS functions including route profile information... it's all there!

If anyone is interested, I can get full details from him easily. Let me know.

Don

 

[KYRider]

Go to www.getfeetwet.com and get a refurbished unit. I am on my second one and have never had any problems. I have a Garmin 2720 that I also uee in my car.

 

[FJR-RemingtonRider]

Good info.

Keeping an eye on this thread.

Looking for a gps unit myself.

Had a Sanyo unit with alot of features, bluetooth, route planning, and had memory for songs and headphone output. It got wet by a bottle spilling on it, and it's kaput'.

So back in the market I am. Keep the ideas coming.

 

[FJR-RemingtonRider]

Try this over at Amazon.com

Lowrance 000-0125-19XOG 3.5 screen and waterproof.

Crossover gps....$249.99

Got some great reviews from guys who actually use it on their dualsport bikes. Apparently has a lot of storage for several trips to be kept in memory, to share routes.

I am liking this one alot.

 

[dsmack]

Hello, All ~

After my earlier comments about the setup my son has been using, I received two PMs from forum members wanting some more information. As luck would have it, Ross had just gotten back last night from a little vacation back in DE, and was available to talk to Dear Ol Dad.

He is using a TMobil G1 phone (also known as a GooglePhone), running proprietary software to accomplish what he wants. The std T-Mobile software is somewhat crippled, but there is an open source program known as Android which he has loaded to replace the std software. The Android software is all free or shareware, with the usual suggested donation to the developer.

With his existing setup he has full Google Maps, including MyTracks which lays down the route covered, much like SPOT does, the difference being that he has to download the record rather than having it transmitted via satellite as does the SPOT system.

The system does not give turn by turn driving directions, but will store a route that has been planned using Google Maps, and displays that route on screen to follow.

Additionally, the unit accesses the internet to capture information from sites giving real time Weather and forecasts, and in metropolitan/populous areas, also real time road and traffic conditions.

In a nutshell, it seems that his solution gives most, if not all the functionality of a dedicated GPS receiver, plus being a fully functional cell phone with pretty much the ability to perform most if not all the functions of a computer, including storing and playing MP3 and other sound files for those tunes many find enjoyable while on a ride.

Having seen this system in operation a couple of different times, I'm blown away by it's capabilities... oh, I forgot to mention that he has another program loaded which allows him to turn the phone into a router for wireless capabilites. He recently was on tour with his band, doing a SW tour through Oregon, CA, AZ, NV, UT and back to Seattle. With his phone doint it's router thing, the other members on the bus were able to utilize their laptops to access their normal e-mail, etc using a wireless card running from the signal off his cell phone router...

The one potential downside to all this is simply this: It is NOT simple Plug-n-Play like a typical GPS receiver. Pretty much need to be somewhat of a "Techo-Geek" to be willing to use the proprietary software, getting it all to play nicely together, etc. For any among us who happen to fit that profile though, there is some amazing stuff available if you're willing to work with it a bit. I'm guessing that Googling "G1 Phone" and "Android operating system" would give you a wealth of additional information.

Hope this helps those who expressed interest.

Don

 

[E.T.]

I would like to get a GPS on the FJR but I don't want to spend the money for the latest and greatest ($600+). I saw a refurnished Garmin 2820 for $215 and this would get me a waterproof unit.Any suggestions would be appreciated. I am leaning towards the 2820 and mounting it on the bike and calling it done.

Art

A 2820 is a very nice unit, especially if you can get it at ~$200. It will do all of the things that you mentioned and is waterproof. The waterproof thing may not seem all that important, but really is better than having to worry about bagging your GPS and/or running the risk of trashing it.

+1 for waterproof
The 27xx,28xx series are very capable units and in their day were the 'top of the line' models and as such sports an option no other model that I know of offers.

--> Category <--

This allows you put your Saved Locations into user named Categories. I keep all the food type locations under "Food", Friends locations under "Friends".. etc...

Taking a trip to Maine?, you can build up your Locations and create a Category named Maine for all those and have easy access to them.

I use this option all the time to manage the waypoints (Locations) I have gathered over time and want to keep.

Just a thought...

Eric

 

[Big-D]

Garmin just recently came out with a bunch of new GPS units, which means there are a lot of good deals on the units that have been discontinued. I have and use a Garmin Nuvi 760. It's not water proof, but it works great. I installed an 8 gig SD Card in it that holds more music than you could listen to in a month. It works perfectly. I secure it to my FJR using a RAM mount system, which hold it in place securely. In the event of rain, just cover it with a sandwich bag and a couple rubber bands. I have had mine for two years and no problems. I've seen them on Amazon for under $200 now. Great buy, with all of the fancy features and much cheaper than the Zumo.

Check it out, you'll be happy you did.

 

[rvnmaniac]

I've been using a Tom Tom 3rd Edition for the last 2 years on my bikes. It is not waterproof but glove friendly...

 

[Rolavine]

I've never been able to listen to music on my bike, the best I've managed to do while trying a dozen different headphones and earphones and earcanalphones is to get something that sounds like music mixed with white noise. If I turn the volume up it is painful and dangerous. I love music way too much to consider what I can hear on the bike to be even slightly satisfactory. So, I subject myself to the far more horrible effects of my singing voice. Lucky for me, the white noise actually improves my singing almost as much as not having it at all.

 

[Fred W]

Try this Rolavine:

First insert 33dB earplugs. I like the Howard Leight Max's best. But I have to take a pair of scissors and snip a bit off the small end so I can get them seated further into my big ear canals comfortably.

These kill almost all the wind noise. Yet, interestingly, as your ears adjust to the low sound levels you can begin to hear a lot of frequencies through the plugs including some traffic noise, the GPS and music.

Then install some decent helmet speakers, You do need to drive 'em pretty hard to get through the 33dB plugs, so they will have to be decent quality speakers or they will distort.

Even though you are overcoming the loud wind noise with louder music, because of the high attenuation of the ear plugs the sound pressures delivered to your ears are still low enough to be quite safe.

Works for me...