Gps On Bike

[robblok]

After having read a lot on the board i know that the zumo550 and the garmin 60csx are good for it. But i wonder what about the garmin nuvo 205 or the 265 the problem would be the sound because i doubt you could hear it.

Has anyone ever tried it ? Money is the problem at the moment im not willing to pay a real lot so im looking for an economic choice.

I got a kawasaki 175 cc and im sure i can get someone to make a mounting and put a ziplock around it. The battery life could be a problem but most of my rides wont be real long.

The bad thing is that the nuvo 205 and 265 dont have an output jack so you can put a headset on. So still the question is can it be heard or is reading it ok. I will be mainly using it in the city outside i know my way now.

[johnefallis]

I just use my Nokia 6220 mobile phone/aGPS with a waterproof pouch that I can hang around my neck. Pouch is available lots of places, so are the phones. I can use my headphones for phone, music and GPS, if I wanted to. If I need power, I just use a 12v charger that I have a plug in for on my bike. It wasn't difficult to get used to since I use it all the time, especially when I am travelling, even when not on my bike. I have an extra phone battery too, but rarely use it. The phone provides me everything electronic I might want with me, including a Phone, GPS, 5 Mega Pixel camera MP3 player and Radio, plus a lot more. A mount might be useful, but it seems safer hanging around my neck. Since it is "assisted" GPS with the cell towers being used also, I get a much better fix than the standard GPS does.

John

[Travelmate]

You can buy convertors/transformer, to supply power. First you need to find out how much voltage is needed for your GPS unit. Most that came with a cigar lighter charger would convert 12volts to 5 volts. Thus as mentioned you would need to purchase a unit that can be wired up on your bike to supply 5volts to your GPS.

Check with Ram mounts online. They provide all kind of mount for all makes and series.

I have Garmin Nuvi 200W mounted and powered up on my bike and it works a charm.

[Gary A]

If I wanted a cheaper GPS on a bike, I'd avoid the Garmin Nuvi series. I have heard guys say that the Nuvi doesn't like vibration and are known to reset themselves. If they reset themselves often, it's hard telling how long it would take to do permanent damage.

The old 2610 Street pilot would be a better choice. They are no longer made but there are still some new and reconditioned units for sale. They ARE waterproof and are a rugged unit. Garmin handlebar mounts are available.

The hand held units such as the eTrex models are also waterproof and rugged but they don't have speech capability. If you buy a hand held, make sure the unit will accept a memory card because the internal memory is not big enough to hold the Thailand map.

If you are going to use your GPS in a city like Bangkok, get one with a Sirfstar chip. They are much more sensitive. My 2610 does NOT have the high sensitivity chip and loses the signal on underpasses and around very tall buildings. It works fine out in the open.

[Travelmate]

If I wanted a cheaper GPS on a bike, I'd avoid the Garmin Nuvi series. I have heard guys say that the Nuvi doesn't like vibration and are known to reset themselves. If they reset themselves often, it's hard telling how long it would take to do permanent damage.

Well it not cheap for starters. Secondly the reset is a load of <deleted>. No issue on mine whatsoever.

[robblok]

You can buy convertors/transformer, to supply power. First you need to find out how much voltage is needed for your GPS unit. Most that came with a cigar lighter charger would convert 12volts to 5 volts. Thus as mentioned you would need to purchase a unit that can be wired up on your bike to supply 5volts to your GPS.

Check with Ram mounts online. They provide all kind of mount for all makes and series.

I have Garmin Nuvi 200W mounted and powered up on my bike and it works a charm.

How did you get yours watertight ?

What did you use for power ?

And do you have problems like resets that Garry is talking about

And can you still hear the voice or not ?

Sorry for so many questions but i want to make a good buy.

[robblok]

A lady friend of mine who works as a stewardess will pick one up for me in Hawaii for 290$ its the garmin 265wt. I think its a good deal and considerably cheaper then buying it here in Thailand. I will have to get some maps but read about it on this forum. Im just trying to figure if its the smart thing to do.

[Travelmate]

You can buy convertors/transformer, to supply power. First you need to find out how much voltage is needed for your GPS unit. Most that came with a cigar lighter charger would convert 12volts to 5 volts. Thus as mentioned you would need to purchase a unit that can be wired up on your bike to supply 5volts to your GPS.

Check with Ram mounts online. They provide all kind of mount for all makes and series.

I have Garmin Nuvi 200W mounted and powered up on my bike and it works a charm.

How did you get yours watertight ? Put it away when it rains.

What did you use for power ? As mentioned a power convertor connected to the bike's wiring.

And do you have problems like resets that Garry is talking about Reset a load of codswallop. Pure utter nonsense.

And can you still hear the voice or not ? At standstill yes. Cruising along no.

Sorry for so many questions but i want to make a good buy.

[Gary A]

If I wanted a cheaper GPS on a bike, I'd avoid the Garmin Nuvi series. I have heard guys say that the Nuvi doesn't like vibration and are known to reset themselves. If they reset themselves often, it's hard telling how long it would take to do permanent damage.

Well it not cheap for starters. Secondly the reset is a load of <deleted>. No issue on mine whatsoever.

Suit yourself, it's your GPS. A 203 Nuvi at Gadgetrend costs 9,900 baht a Zumo 550 costs 41,100 baht. The Nuvi is NOT waterproof or shockproof.

[Travelmate]

If I wanted a cheaper GPS on a bike, I'd avoid the Garmin Nuvi series. I have heard guys say that the Nuvi doesn't like vibration and are known to reset themselves. If they reset themselves often, it's hard telling how long it would take to do permanent damage.

Well it not cheap for starters. Secondly the reset is a load of <deleted>. No issue on mine whatsoever.

Suit yourself, it's your GPS. A 203 Nuvi at Gadgetrend costs 9,900 baht a Zumo 550 costs 41,100 baht. The Nuvi is NOT waterproof or shockproof.

Nothing to do with it being waterproof nor shockproof.

The "reset' issue never materialized.

[AnthonyR1]

i have a zumo550.....1st i have to agree they are ridiculously over priced. having said that they are perfect for bikes. water proof, east touch screen, direct power, great mounting, big screen, etc... bluetooth works perfectly too.

BUUUUUT if i had to do it again i would get the hand held 60CSX or whichever hand held has the biggest screen. simply because of cost. hmmmmm......maybe i sell the 550????....NAH!

[dotcom]

I am running the 205. You can get it & RAM mounts at Gadget Trend in Thonglor.

It just pops into & out of the mount for when you get home are if you are worried about rain. You don't need the voice part. It tells you where to turn etc.

I bought a cigarette adapter & had it wired into my bike. Works a treat. at 12,000 baht I felt it was a good starter unit.

The problem with a 60 CSX is having to pull it out of your pocket all the time.

For Hawaii. I would just get it here because the maps are gonna cost you.

[LivinLOS]

For Hawaii. I would just get it here because the maps are gonna cost you.

[panto]

Oh no they are not..

[/panto]

he he

[AnthonyR1]

The problem with a 60 CSX is having to pull it out of your pocket all the time.

For Hawaii. I would just get it here because the maps are gonna cost you.

60csx can be mounted using ram and wired to the bike.

maps expensive? nah...just have to know where to look

[davidgtr]

The Garmin 76CSX for me. A marine GPS - waterproof & totally reliable.

I've had 2x 76S & both did thousands of kms & hours in all types of weather - high 40C + temps, bright full sunshine & torrential rain - on the bike 24 hrs a day for weeks on end.

The problem after 50+ thousand kms was that the screen eventually faded on both of them.

Another problem was weak battery connector springs on the earlier? models. I had to replace them with bigger stronger springs. But if you have a strong secure power supply no problem.

Make a good solid secure power supply - the el cheapo cigarette power supply sockets are not good enough - they vibrate, get wet & rust if not protected properly.

I will try to find & post photos of a strong secure power supply made locally, that is perfect.

I also think you will find that the 76CSX has a slightly bigger screen than the 60CSX.

Ram mounts are also essential.

Edited March 23, 2009 by davidgtr

[johnefallis]

A lady friend of mine who works as a stewardess will pick one up for me in Hawaii for 290$ its the garmin 265wt. I think its a good deal and considerably cheaper then buying it here in Thailand. I will have to get some maps but read about it on this forum. Im just trying to figure if its the smart thing to do.

For that much money why not pick up a Nokia phone with Nokia Maps, voice navigation, free updated and downloadable maps for the entire world, changeable memory cards, completely portable, many power options, designed to be dropped and rattled around, speaker, headsets, AND assisted GPS along with the high speed sirf chipset? Not to mention the many other features it has besides being a phone. (which means you can download data on the go if necessary also). You can carry it in your pocket too (I'd like to see you fit the Garmin there, haha). Oh yeah, it fits in the clear map pocket on my tank bag nicely too.

Edited March 23, 2009 by johnefallis

[Bard]

1. A Nokia is not waterproof, shockproof nor vibration proof

2. The maps suck compared to Garmin

I still vote for 60CX, mine has been through hel_l and works great never found any prob with the screen size either. Just had it on the EPIC ride where we did 6250 km in 2 weeks, had a friend with a mobile phone GPS which was off most of the time due to battery was eaten fast, mine was on all the time with full backlight. I dropped it to the ground 5 times, I had a lowside on my bike with it, it did 42 degrees in the sun, had it through a rainstorm and dirt road with jumping around, also used it as my track time recorder, all in all works great, not one single problem the entire trip with it.

Also it proof the integrity of the RAM mount, it works great...

The Garmin maps are easy to get by download for anywhere in the world if you just look, so no worries.

Cheers Bard

[LivinLOS]

A lady friend of mine who works as a stewardess will pick one up for me in Hawaii for 290$ its the garmin 265wt. I think its a good deal and considerably cheaper then buying it here in Thailand. I will have to get some maps but read about it on this forum. Im just trying to figure if its the smart thing to do.

For that much money why not pick up a Nokia phone with Nokia Maps, voice navigation, free updated and downloadable maps for the entire world, changeable memory cards, completely portable, many power options, designed to be dropped and rattled around, speaker, headsets, AND assisted GPS along with the high speed sirf chipset? Not to mention the many other features it has besides being a phone. (which means you can download data on the go if necessary also). You can carry it in your pocket too (I'd like to see you fit the Garmin there, haha). Oh yeah, it fits in the clear map pocket on my tank bag nicely too.

Sorry used all kinds of phone GPS and none of them so far have come close to a dedicated GPS unit.. Yes the cell tower info does help initial lock on (which takes maybe 20 seconds on a 60csx) but route calculation takes a long time, installing maps and GPS software was a major hassle on one phone (the base route 66 or nokia maps was quite poor.. To get garmin XT on it needed loads of tweaking), the battery life of a phone left in gps mode is really compromised, then options like logging, tracking, waypoint handling, dedicated buttons etc etc etc. Well none of them were anything other than a compromise solution and I have tried a few. I think of it like a camera in the phone, sure it nice to have but you dont take your wedding pics on one !!

Now maybe the garmin GPS phone will be a game changer ?? I will keep an eye out but I get the feeling its might be the same as the Sony 'game changing' cybershot phones which did make improvements but still are not as good as a dedicated unit.

Thats having used PDA and Bluetooth GPS unit, a nokia 'navigator' phone which I think was a 6xxx model ?? and the samsung omnia and trying both the standard nokia maps and garmin XT (the best IMO).

I ended up with the 60csx and love it.. I also go sailing and it will handle the bluewater charts and coastal maps, its waterproof and mildly shockproof, its handheld and carryable for my visa runs to strange cities on foot, I can chuck it in my car for when I need that option or on the bike for that task. It does all my base needs well. Its not perfect, I wish it had a panel more designed for car use like the nuvi, the battery life of a couple of days use is good but could be better and garmin mapsource handler app is a nasty piece of poorly made software (if only they would open the interface and allow for google earth / google maps interaction) but its the best compromises I have yet to use. Maybe next year theres going to be a phone thats got it all, or a better handheld unit, or something that better suits my needs, and if so I may upgrade but its currently hitting all the high notes. Plus its pretty cheap if bought in the US.

[Gary A]

I too think the 60CX is a great all around unit. I also agree that the GPS phones are OK if you get lost but they simply cannot compare to a dedicated GPS. You should also have a close look at the eTrex line. They are a little cheaper than the 60CX and when on battery power, the battery life is better. I used NiMH rechargeable batteries. My charger held four AA batteries and each set of two would last about 30 hours. I carried the extra two batteries in my pocket.

ADDED - I loaned my eTrex to a (Former) friend and I think it is now in the UK. I still have a Street Pilot 2610 and a Nuvi 750. The Nuvi is easier to use and the satellite chip is much more sensitive but the 2610 has more functions that can be customized. The 2610 is waterproof and I think it is a much more rugged unit. The Nuvi has extra features that the Street Pilot doesn't have. I like the "Where am I" and the audio jack that plugs into my car radio. I can listen to audio books and MP3 music. My truck doesn't have the audio jack on the radio but I can use the FM transmitter for that. Both the audio jack and the FM transmitter interrupt whatever is playing to give you directions through the vehicle radio.

Edited March 24, 2009 by Gary A

[robblok]

Does anyone know the voltage on the garmin nuvi 203 ? I want it running on my bike but i need to find out what votage it works on.

[Bard]

Pop by Gadgetrend they have adapters for 12v to the Garmins. They also have RAM mounts for anything, GPS, mobile phone, laptops, camera mounts and you name it, even a beer holder including the condom for the beer can is available...

I bought a cigarette adapter, but cut off the cigarette adapter and bought the 3 lead pro phono connectors which I installed on the bike and replaced the cigarette plug on the cable with, works great and the phono plugs which has a snap lock when you put them in is about 30 baht at Amporn shop. The plug never comes loose as it is locked and there in no corrosion problem. Works like a charm.

Cheers Bard

[robblok]

Pop by Gadgetrend they have adapters for 12v to the Garmins. They also have RAM mounts for anything, GPS, mobile phone, laptops, camera mounts and you name it, even a beer holder including the condom for the beer can is available...

I bought a cigarette adapter, but cut off the cigarette adapter and bought the 3 lead pro phono connectors which I installed on the bike and replaced the cigarette plug on the cable with, works great and the phono plugs which has a snap lock when you put them in is about 30 baht at Amporn shop. The plug never comes loose as it is locked and there in no corrosion problem. Works like a charm.

Cheers Bard

Ok so your saying it works on 12 volt ?

And with phone plugs you mean the things for headsets ?

And i always thought a battery had a plus and a minus.. the third one is what ground ?

Just to make it a lil bit clearer to someone who isn't that technical yet.

Thanks in advance.

[Travelmate]

Does anyone know the voltage on the garmin nuvi 203 ? I want it running on my bike but i need to find out what votage it works on.

Check your charger. It will tell you. Should be 5 volts.

[robblok]

Does anyone know the voltage on the garmin nuvi 203 ? I want it running on my bike but i need to find out what votage it works on.

Check your charger. It will tell you. Should be 5 volts.

I did not get a charger with it only an usb connection and a sigarette lighter connection.

[Travelmate]

Does anyone know the voltage on the garmin nuvi 203 ? I want it running on my bike but i need to find out what votage it works on.

Check your charger. It will tell you. Should be 5 volts.

I did not get a charger with it only an usb connection and a sigarette lighter connection.

Then look at the cigarette lighter connection. That itself is a charger. There should be a sticker on it. Mine shows 12volts input 5 volts output.

[robblok]

Does anyone know the voltage on the garmin nuvi 203 ? I want it running on my bike but i need to find out what votage it works on.

Check your charger. It will tell you. Should be 5 volts.

I did not get a charger with it only an usb connection and a sigarette lighter connection.

Then look at the cigarette lighter connection. That itself is a charger. There should be a sticker on it. Mine shows 12volts input 5 volts output.

Thanks got it it says 10-30VDC 1a Input

5Vdc 1a output

Now i just have to find something to take an imput of 12v and convert it to 5vdc 1a

[basjke]

Thanks got it it says 10-30VDC 1a Input

5Vdc 1a output

Now i just have to find something to take an imput of 12v and convert it to 5vdc 1a

I assume that if you have the cigarette lighter connection it will have the converter build in.

[robblok]

I got a ram mount now and i must say that it is real quality. I bought an other mount b4 (150baht) and i did not trust it that much so i knew i needed a ram mount. I just did not have the time to buy it. I did today at gadget trent and i must say there is nothing better then those ram mounts. They are real sturdy and you can easy put them in any setting you like.

[johnefallis]

Does anyone know the voltage on the garmin nuvi 203 ? I want it running on my bike but i need to find out what votage it works on.

Check your charger. It will tell you. Should be 5 volts.

I did not get a charger with it only an usb connection and a sigarette lighter connection.

Then look at the cigarette lighter connection. That itself is a charger. There should be a sticker on it. Mine shows 12volts input 5 volts output.

USB is 5 volts.

[johnefallis]

1. A Nokia is not waterproof, shockproof nor vibration proof

2. The maps suck compared to Garmin

I still vote for 60CX, mine has been through hel_l and works great never found any prob with the screen size either. Just had it on the EPIC ride where we did 6250 km in 2 weeks, had a friend with a mobile phone GPS which was off most of the time due to battery was eaten fast, mine was on all the time with full backlight. I dropped it to the ground 5 times, I had a lowside on my bike with it, it did 42 degrees in the sun, had it through a rainstorm and dirt road with jumping around, also used it as my track time recorder, all in all works great, not one single problem the entire trip with it.

Also it proof the integrity of the RAM mount, it works great...

The Garmin maps are easy to get by download for anywhere in the world if you just look, so no worries.

Cheers Bard

Which model mobile phone did you get that wasn't designed to be shock and vibration proof?

The lanyard pouch around my neck and my tank bag are both waterproof. Maps are great, free, whole world, and can even be downloaded and updated on the go via gprs. Sorry, I've been using GPS for over 15 years now (also own/owned many Garmin and Delorme products, top rated in world) and my NokiaMaps is more than adequate, not to mention comes with my cellphone, camera, mp3, etc. all in one. Great on a bike, and I carry an extra battery (very small) and charger on my bike. Both of which are easy to get anywhere.

Sure a Garmin is good too. You just have to spend twice as much, then deal with mounts and power adaptors, not to mention fitting it in your pocket when you get off your bike. Better to leave it in the car.