GPS recommendations

Discussion in 'Gear & Accessories' started by headshrink, May 28, 2018.

  1. headshrink

    headshrink New Member

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    I'm considering blowing all my birthday money on a Garmin Zumo 595LM ($699). Anyone have one of these? Would you buy it again?

    Features MOST important to me are:
    viewable in sunlight
    glove friendly
    able to upload custom routes
    Bluetooth to Sena (voice directions, phone, music)

    EDIT: Also considering the Zumo 396 LMT-S ($399). It seem to have most of the features foe a lot less.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2018
  2. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    A good source for reviews is to go to Amazon and look for that product, then read the customer reviews. Disregard the best review. That is the product advertisers. Forget the worst. That person hates his twin brother. Then read everything in between. You will get a pretty good overall review of the product.
     
  3. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    You can totally ignore this post if you want since it is my take on a GPS for the bike. No harm,
    no foul. :Focus:

    I use a Garmin Nuvi 760 on my bike. However it isn't waterproof, which wasn't on your list. :)
    I bought mine off Craigslist for about $75. It still works just fine and has a click-type power
    connector rather than a standard USB connections. It is a little hard to see in direct sunlight, but
    not impossible. It has Bluetooth so I imagine it will connect to a Bluetooth compatible device. I
    use Delorme Street Atlas and Garmin Basecamp to plan my routes and upload them to the Nuvi.

    I think the motorcycle specific units are pretty cool, but I'm just too damn cheap to spend that
    amount of money on a GPS.
     
  4. Doug7200

    Doug7200 New Member

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    I have the exact same Nuvi GPS on my 6th Gen., and it works great. But I found mine for $50.00!

    Mine is mounted in front of the fuel tank, with a Ram ball mount attached to the front tank mount bolts. A short Ram clamp and a cradle.

    Easy to read, looks good, and cheap.
     
  5. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    Yeah, here's mine:
    [​IMG]
     
  6. fink

    fink Member

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    Have a 590 lm, great bit of kit. No problems getting i5 to work Bluetooth with my phone and autocom.

    Base camp takes a bit of getting used to but once sussed dead easy to use. Easy to use with gloves , music can be put on an sd card.
     
  7. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    Yeah, I've got a load of routes down in Arkansas that I created using BaseCamp. Sure works nice
    not having to look at the map all the time when you come up to a 4-way stop. :)
     
  8. Doug7200

    Doug7200 New Member

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    Very similar set ups!

    IMG_6876.JPG
     
  9. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    Great minds... :)
     
  10. BCAl

    BCAl New Member

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    I just got a TomTom rider 550. It is the latest offering from TomTom and as far as I know it does all the things you want and it is cheaper than the Garmin. It is my first GPS and I haven't used it much but from what I have used it seems good. It links with my Cardo packtalk so I see no reason why it wouldn't link with your Sena. You can upload maps to the unit from Google and it comes with Lifetime of the unit maps for the world. IMG_5400.JPG
     
  11. headshrink

    headshrink New Member

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    Here's my old setup. I used it for a while, but was never really happy with it. I was only adapting to the Nuvi I already had.
    My biggest complaint is that the screen is too dark outside to be practical. The other major issue is I couldn't download custom routes, and believe me I tried everything. It was pretty much a point to point route designed for cars. This thread is because I want to treat myself to something nice and purpose-built.
     
  12. VFR4Lee

    VFR4Lee Member

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    Lifetime map updates is handy. I am glad my TomTom has that, but have never tried to use it on the bike.
    The suction cup to mount on the car windshield is not detachable.
    Well, maybe with a saw.
     
  13. Trakrat

    Trakrat New Member

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    I just bought a garmin 5" drivesmart at bestbuy on sale. Suction cup is large and clamp compresses to the windscreen. I have a usb connector/voltmeter. works great in bright sun and works with the REVER and google app. I only used it on one 200 mi trip so far ( and used it along with my phones google). I thought the it was easier to read than my iphone7. I was actually impressed with the mount staying on the windscreen so well.
     
  14. dlp

    dlp New Member

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    Just installed a Garmin 396 on my 8th gen.. screen size is smaller than the Zumo 660 I had before but it functions equally well. communicates with my Sena unit without a problem.. so far so good... mounted it using a Telferezer and RAM long arm... wiring to 10 amp Switched acc wire under seat...
     
  15. tyarosevich

    tyarosevich New Member

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    In this day and age, you also have the option of just using your phone. I have a steering stem charging plug (that BMW standard, I forget what it's called) and a RAM mount on my tank bolts. Poof, GPS for around $150. As a work around to use with gloves, I've seen some clever touchscreen pen setups velcro'd somewhere convenient, or just kept in the pocket (since u probably wanna pull over to do that anyway). Everything you mentioned is covered - upload custom routes on google maps, viewable in sunlight if you have a nice phone, bluetooth that can even be used for voice control of music and stuff ( again phone dependent), waterproof (all current flagship phones), can take phone calls etc.

    Obviously, this all depends a bit on your phone, but I thought I'd just mention it.
     
  16. headshrink

    headshrink New Member

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    I received mine the other day too, and was also surprised by how small the screen is. It's the same size as my old Nuvi 265W, which was big over 10 years ago. My Note3 screen is certainly bigger, but there are a handful of reasons I don't want to use my phone for GPS (I've tried with varying levels of success, but always more weaknesses than strengths). If I used the GPS all the time I'd pony up for the big one, but this is really only for occasional use, so I'm choosing to be satisfied with it. One plus of having a small screen is less distraction, although if it takes longer to process information on a smaller screen eyes may linger on it too long. It's all a balance I guess.

    I haven't installed it yet, but I bench-tested it a little. I got it to pair with my Sena SMH10r & phone, but I'm not doing it right because If the phone is paired to the GPS it plays all audio through it. If I get the GPS and phone audio to pair and play through the Sena, the GPS won't display call info (which was a deciding factor for this purchase). I know the Sena has several complicated methods of pairing multiple devices, which is currently above my head, so I will need to research and play with it for a while.... I'm really hoping this function will work.

    I have a drawer-full of RAM parts, and will mount it to the stem. Since my bike is primarily used for commuting, I don't like leaving mounts and accessory wiring visible, and like to have it set-up to put on and take off easily. I'm working on a method to modify the power plug so I can remove the exposed end with the cradle. I'll likely splice in a waterproof plug (I just hate cutting into new stuff, as I'll be committed to keeping it at that point).
     
  17. reg71

    reg71 Poser Staff Member

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    I bought a TomTom because I also am cheap. What I noticed on the bluetooth is that my phone pairs to it just fine, but it turns the GPS into a hands free device, not into a useful controller for talking in my helmet. The moto specific ones I think work better for that. I seldom use it, but I'm going to play around with it this weekend.
     
    RllwJoe likes this.
  18. reg71

    reg71 Poser Staff Member

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    When you figure this out, let me know. This is exactly the problem I ran into with my SRC in my Schuberth which I think is made by Sena. If this worked I'd prob use the GPS more. Otherwise I'll likely just give it to my wife or something.
     
  19. headshrink

    headshrink New Member

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    WILCO
     
  20. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    I've never tried to pair my GPS to my Sena, so I don't know how it would work. I really don't pay a whole lot of attention to the
    GPS, mostly just when I'm coming up to an intersection I'll take a peek to see which way I go. I've got a new Nolan N100-5 and I
    think I'm going to get the Nolan specific com system, and we'll see how that works.
     
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