Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hi there!

I bike a lot and often find it annoying to use paper maps. Do you have any experience with sat navs for motorcycles?

Rick

Garmin makes a sat-nav device specifically for motorcycles, called the Zumo. I haven't used the device or read any reviews on them, but that's a place to start your research while you wait for somebody who does use one to reply too.

They're quite a bit more expensive than the base model car GPS rigs, and from what I understand the markup is justified by their extra ruggedness and water resistance.

- Jack of the Green

I have had good results with the navigator on my smart phone. Just make sure to use earphones that are just earphones, and not the kind that will answer the phone, too. That can be a little awkward. Phone goes in my left pocket for easy access. Cheap weatherproofing can be had in the form of a zippered sandwich bag. I only use it mainly in urban areas when I know I can't easily pull off the road and check a map all the time.

I use my smartphone's navigation feature, but I have it in a tankbag with a clear pocket just for that so I can see the map instead of just hearing it. That said I just picked up a used Scala Rider Q2 that is now bluetooth synced with the phone, so I can listen to directions as well.

Sometimes taking the wrong road leads to the best adventure

mogster wrote:Sometimes taking the wrong road leads to the best adventure

sure... if you call an encounter with bufallo bill an adventure.

you might wanna check out the cycling gps garmin edge 800 as well.

I like my Garmin GPS MAP 478

It's water proof to IPX7 standards, it's push button not touch screen which makes it more glove friendly. colour screen and Ram has a great mount for it... (Not the one shown)
Now, if you happen to own a boat too, this puppy has an accessory just for you, fish finder and depth sounder.. It is after all, a chart plotter as well.



http://www.gpsnow.com/gmmap478.htm

I'm pretty happy with my Garmin Nuvi 500. Cheapest waterproof Nuvi I could find (don't need the Bluetooth of the Zumos).

If you're planning on using your phone and bluetooth, be aware that the headset will have to be A2DP which the majority of the Scala's aren't. Found this out the hard way with my Teamset Pro. Thinking that I'll just use the accessory plug on my Wing to hardwire the phone into my speakers. Just trying to figure out how to do that and still have my MP3 hooked into it because I don't like the sound quality of the scala for music... lol

Scoutmedic: Here ya go.

FWIW I got ahold of a Q2 and it does have the A2DP mp3 functionality.