Phone mount versus full time GPS

I had an old navman and simply used the suction cup to mount it on the RGS screen. Easy. It stayed dry as a bone and was far enough away for me to see (long sighted, like Piet). Didn?t need sound, only need to glance at it when I was getting lost...
Then it went blank and wouldn?t restart. So I bought a Garmin. It kept shutting off and not restarting too. Then I looked at reviews on the web and it seems that plenty of motorcyclists have the same trouble with garmin due to vibration! Well, the vibration probably won?t go away so bugger the GPS, now I navigate by memory and practice my u-turns  ::) :LOL: :LOL:
 
Navigated from Adelaide to the Storey Bridge for the 2008 concours without once stopping to check the way, lots of memorising the route before leaving home though.
 
Navigating with maps is all good and well, but I was truely happy when GPS was made available.  I adopted a mobile unit intended for a car to my RGS way back in 2000 (no bike-specific units availble yet), not quite waterproof, but protected well enough behind the windscreen to ensure reliability.  Took me criss-crossing through Europe several times, with a minimum of fuss.

Because I'm the unlucky bugger that is burdened with leading the pack on group runs, I had to put up with a lot of stick from my riding buddies when I once again took a wrong turn and got ourselves lost...  Stopping at every 3rd. or 4th. crossing/intersection to check directions simply takes up loads of time, time that is better put to use with an extra coffee/ice cream stop.  GPS now allows us to run un-interrupted from one petrol stop to the next, without worrying about our actual heading.  Maps are still carried for back-up, but haven't really been needed.

With my amount of travelling in the past, I can now also ride the 1100km to Breganze without assistance of maps or GPS if needed.  But that's only if I stay on main thoroughfares, back roads are a whole different story.  Take one wrong turn and you could well be heading back to where you came from, which may not be imediately apparent, depending on weather or time of day/night. :D

piet
 
My GPS story is similar to yours Piet, I adapted my car GPS for a first for me as well. A mate took on a job sorting out Insurance Work after a massive Hail Storm smashed thousands of roofs around western Sydney maybe 15 years back, I needed to visit dozens of houses in downs of suburbs all over western Sydney dayly and a GPS was absolutely nesasary for my sanity and safety. So I bought one and liked it a lot and thought it would help on the bike as well.
 
I've similar experience too. This was intensified when I needed glasses to read. Stopping, taking off gloves, taking out map and glasses,
all of this takes time. And is not exactly relaxed when the lot behind you is chomping at the bit ...
 
Jo said:
I've similar experience too. This was intensified when I needed glasses to read.
Click to expand...

Is why I listen to the Garmin girl in my helmet. Screen on the Garmin is a blur without glasses, but fine when I put glasses on, but I can?t ride with reading glasses on. But I can listen.

It is a bit different in a group, and others with outdated GPS?s showing the way. In that circumstance I turn the girl off and sit back and watch the comedy unfold :D
 
You may require a road map from a local Gas station (If they still Have them) other words, a Clock and GPS is useless as it constantly reminds you to get home.
 
chrisk said:
Is why I listen to the Garmin girl in my helmet. Screen on the Garmin is a blur without glasses, but fine when I put glasses on, but I can?t ride with reading glasses on. But I can listen.
Click to expand...

Chris,

I recently bought a set of Hydrotac stick-on bifocal reading lenses.  They're intended to upgrade sunglasses, simply placed on the inside and adhere by themself.  They work equally well on a helmet visor, just need to get the spacing right for each eye!  They do have a limited view because a visor is further from the eye than sunglasses, but I'm quite happy I can now at least recognise the screen.  They don't really interfere with normal sight either.

https://www.amazon.de/Hydrotac-Stick-Bifocal-Lenses-OPTX/dp/B01B5085PU

piet
 
Blimey. I wasn't aware of those little stick-on lenses. What a brilliant idea! 

I don't need long-distance correction, but need reading glasses for close stuff. It's a bugger getting old eh?
I spent a fortune getting prescription sunglasses especially for motorcycling with the close-up reading bit built-in (multi-focal).

Actually, I'm quite pleased with my riding glasses. They have very thin and flexible titanium frames that are pretty much indestructible and very comfortable to wear under a helmet. They're also photo-chromatic so they're good for day and night use. The multi-focal function allows me to see the road and the bike's instruments clearly.
 
Does indeed suck getting old! And i have my kids and low-talker other half hassling me to get hearing aids on top of the sight issues  :D :o I generally don't have a prob outside home with hearing - but do wish I'd worn earplugs during the decades i was blasting around the country on motos. Definitely caused more damage than my decades drumming I reckon.

Once I get back into more consistent riding I'll have to look at alternative glasses - the $20 pharmacy jobs are OK for road but like otyheres here, can't read with them.
 
The trouble you go too. I have a lot of variability sight wise in my left eye that affects my depth perception, I have had this twice. Once 15 years ago and it self corrected and now when it has not. A small vein on my Macula had a bleed that causes swelling and distorts fine vision in my central area. It scared me when it was discribed as a miny stroke but really thats what it was. So I have crap vision when these injections begin to fall off over time and better vision right after its done. The time between injections is appox one month. So I had my Opthalmolagist test me at both times and split the difference with the prescription with my new glasses. You got to think outside the box if you want to keep riding as long as posable
 
I switched to contact lenses so as not to need glasses on the bike.

As for hearing, when it goes down, one hears a lot less crap.

Paul
 
I was gifted at car TomTom that is only a few years old, but needs a new cable. I will pick one up tomorrow normal phone charging cable by the looks of it. I also ordered from eBay a waterproof case with sunshade for the princely sum of $16 with free delivery. I will plumb in a charging docket and make a bracket to hold it off the 2 bolts on top of the Jota fairing, so it should fit nicely behind the bubble of the screen. I?ll post a photo of the setup and test it out.

Cheers
Marty
 
Be a tad careful Marty - last year the satellites changed their configuration somehow and older TomToms no longer work properly. Worth a check.

This killed my use of my old [car] TomTom which I had used in a weather proof housing on my bike for years.

======================================

Generally, I find Tom Tom a bit too keen on making your device obsolete via their software updates. It sure is part of their business strategy.

I use an phone with google maps / waze / HERE Wego. Taking care to download maps in case of loss of signal. HERE WEgo is nice and simple. Phones are a pain in the ass for pressing the screen through a waterproof membrane though - so often mount it without a cover and hope it's doesn't rain.

 
A while back Tomtom stopped updating the map on my 720 car GPS, but it didn't matter as its touch screen had died and no one would take on repairing it.Thats when I went to the Tomtom App on my phone. They as a company indulge in a lot of planned obsolescence, at your expence.I used a couple of waterproof aquaboxes and found them a pain in the arse, hard to connect the wires and close plus way to bulky.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top