Sat Nav Choice

[half man half pie]

HI, having bought the GTR I'm looking to go on roads never explored and have thought abuot getting a satnav to stop me going round in circles all day and just missing the best road, caf, pub etc

The Garmin ZUmo 660 gets a lot of coverage but seems to have some issues where it seems to either work well or not at all

Are there any other ones worth a look ?
I'm going to the NEC on the last day and will hopefully have a chance to hang my nose over a few but having a play in the NEC is nothing like someone having used the kit on a regular basis.

I've already got a shopping list but it might still have a little room on it !

[O.C.]

Tom Tom is your other main choice, and they have a number of devices to suit all requirements, dont overlook the obvious that a bike sat nav needs to be waterproof. and can also be used in your car, but not vice versa. 

I had a Tom Tom Euro rider for years and it served me very well, Tom Tom even sent me a brand new device after about 3 years of use when I had a problem 

Check this site for information

http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/products/bike-navigation/

As you're probably aware I now use a garmin Zumo 660 which is also very good

No Sat Nav is without its niggles.

[Boomer]

When riding the bike I prefer to ride to the road signs and use my sense of direction rather than use SatNav.
Yes, I take the wrong road every so often but that's all part of the fun.
If you follow the SatNav then it will keep you on the trunk roads and that's just dull.
I have nothing against SatNavs (I have a Garmin Nuvo 205, as well as 2 Android smartphones that can access Google Maps and have inbuilt Navigation) but you miss out on what to me is an important part of the ride,.... the discovery of new and unexpected things.
I will use the SatNav if I have to be somewhere specific, if I am in the car, or if I get truly lost.

[half man half pie]

thanks for that

The car satnav is selectable in terms of route to a limited extent but I tend to use that for getting from A to B  as a means to an end, not for pleasure

The bike satnav would be to ride some roads that people have recommended and perhaps use say google maps or similar to plan them into some sort of route either circular to and from somewhere.

I live in Mansfield and my girlfriend lives near Redcar so I tend to ride to hers via Bawtry, Selby, York, Pickering, Whitby avoiding the A1 and motorways which takes about 3 hours.

My plan was to look at other roads that are near that route and ride them and still get to her in less than a day which is what would happen if I went wandering

There is also the prospect of a trip to Ireland where as satnav would definately be a help as I dont know where towns are in relation to each other.

If that goes well, France beckons especially around the time of the Tour de France

[Boomer]

If you want a bike specific one then the Garmin 660 and TomTom Rider are the only ones I know of that are waterproof and usable with gloves on.
They are both quite pricey though.

My Zumo is a car one. If I want to use it on the bike I put it in the top of the tankbag.
This has the advantage that I have to stop, remove gloves and remove it from the tankbag to change anything.
Stops me from fiddling whilst on the move.

You can get waterproof containers for many SatNavs some of which still allow you to change the settings.
It depends on your budget and needs.
I often still use my old method of printing out maps from Google Maps.

[flatfour]

I use the BMW Navigator IV (Garmin 660 in BMW guise) as I had it on my BMW K1200 before buying the GTR. It is fully waterproof and the BMW mount cradle fits neatly onto the existing GTR mount between the handlebars.
The operation is slightly different to the Garmin (I understand that it is more "tuned" to motorcycle use) and I have found it really excellent over two years of ownership, far better in fact than the equipment in my car (although in fairness the car is an older installation).
The dealer who supplied the GTR said that the Navigator IV was so easy to fit that he would waive any charges in connection with changing it over between the two bikes!

[Kevin]

<snip> If you follow the SatNav then it will keep you on the trunk roads and that's just dull.
I have nothing against SatNavs (I have a Garmin Nuvo 205, as well as 2 Android smartphones that can access Google Maps and have inbuilt Navigation) but you miss out on what to me is an important part of the ride,.... the discovery of new and unexpected things. <snip>

(Where the 'shaking head' smiley?!) Nope, that's just not correct, in fact I'm afraid it's nonsense. First of all no-one is forced to follow the satnav's directions, it's a tool to be used or ignored. With a bit of pre-planning, the sort of pre-planning you'd have to do to know which signs to follow if going somewhere unfamiliar, you can programe your satnav to take you along as many scenic roads and tiny country lanes as you want. The satnav may even throw in the odd goat track to keep you on your toes!

Can't be bothered to pre-plan? Set your satnav to take the shortest route rather than fastest and you'll find yourself down all sorts of roads you didn't know existed (and some you may never want to see again!).

As I've said in another thread, see a road that takes your fancy but you don't know where it goes? Just take it and follow your nose for as long as you want. When you'd had enough let the satnav take you back to your route or just tell the device to take you to your destination. You don't need to know where you are as the satnav will find a way to get you to where you want to be.

If anything a satnav gives you more freedom to explore not less.

Kevin

[Cartman]

Totally agree with Kevin, planned some beautiful scenic routes throughout the Alps, Pyrenees, Eiffel mountains and other places using the Garmin software.

I would also look at the Zumo 220, which i have, bike specific, waterproof etc and much cheaper than the 660. Has no MP3 player, and the 660 screen is bigger but the 220 is a fantastic little unit. They also have one in betwwen now, have a look here http://www.garmin.com/uk/products/motorcycle-sat-navs/

I've had Tom tom but in my opinion the Garmin units are better, but you pays your money...

[Cartman]

you can also get the Zumo 220 for £248 as opposed to £430 for the 660 or 350 LM

[Mogster]

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=135&pID=107979

Yeah I'd go for the 350LM tbh... I have a 660.. and the 350 looks to be a better bit of kit... Smarty's got my old Garmin 400 which is gonna get swopped for the 350 later this year..
The problem I have with the 660, is the re-fresh rate.. 'specialy at 'Mog speeds' it lags behing at juntions when it does it's zoom thing.... leaving monetarly with a blank screen!!

[Boomer]

That's why I said "If you follow the SatNav.." and I was talking about default routes.

If you choose to ride with the SatNav then enjoy.
Personally I find that they change the feel of the ride (too damned organised!) and are a major distraction when riding, especially if yer fiddling with it on the move.
Most often when on the bike, I will only get the SatNav out when I'm either short on time or very lost.
Even then I'll be parked up before I touch it.

[Lonewolf]

Dont dismiss the Garmin Zumo 550, in my opinion its more robust than the Tom Tom Rider and because it's an older model it's pretty cheap and can be picked up for about the £200-£300 mark. If you are seriously interested in a sat nav, I'll sell you my Zumo 550 for £250 plus a bit of postage.

[JohnnyTh]

I have a 660 and totaly love it. It have given me so much freedom on my bike. I used to tour Europe with a map in the tankbag. Reading map while riding take the focus away from evrything else. Now i pre plan the route or set a destenation and a friendly female vice tell me where to go. Dont even need to look at the GPS.
And when exploring big citys its god sent. I remember 15 years back when trying to find my way in Paris. Gf reading a map on my back trying to find our way around. It did not work well. Took us 4 hr to find Notre Dame, when entering from the north.
Never have this issues whit a GOS on board.

[viper]

ebay yourself a cheap 2nd hand zumo 550 , great deals now the 660 is out, use it for a few months, see how you get on and then you can re sell with a minimul loss and grade up to a 660 or jump ship for the tom tom.

[Bumpkin]

Just come back from France using my Garmin 550 - Had some great routes planned out using Mapsource on my PC, tailoring the route preferences alongside a motorcycling map and various tourist sights I wanted to visit.

Very easy to tailor and you can make it as flexible or rigid as you fancy.

Naturally the ferry strike mullered using it fully and so had to do an overnight replan of 1,000 miles, so not quite such attention to detail, but then....

I think the 550 is great, my mate prefers his 660. I'd suggest dipping my toe in the 2nd hand market myself, but I think what makes the satnav really deliver is the PC software support as, in biking it's the roads at least as much as the destination, so I pick Garmin these days.

I don't know whether or not TomTom offer the same PC flexibility, but I think Garmin's version is a free download, so I'd start there trying out how to use the satnav as they'll all get you where you want to go, so would suggest trying how you get on with the "peripherals" first