Gedgetrends Has A New Sotre - Rama 9

[Timthai]

First, a plug for the guys at Gadgetrend... They have a great range of GPS gear and RAM mounts, as well as other nifty gadgets, waterproof baggies etc, and reasonable prices (for LOS)... (sorry, I know there's another GPS vendor who is a forum sponsor.)

Now, my service experience...

I went to the Amarin store on Monday looking for a new Garmin Zumo 220, forgetting they are closed Monday. (every time I go they are either closed or have a "Back in 10 mins" sign on the shutters (which really means back in 1 hour, so be patient!)

Back to the office, I called the new Rama 9 store which I noticed on their website. (listed as their new main store.). But the English was just so-so, so I decided to call past there on the way home. I asked the girl if they had the Zumo in stock and she looked blankly, then said "no stock", so I asked when? "maybe one week... Maybe Friday...". I asked if the other store had stock? She tried to call, then said "Closed Monday... Thinking no stock there.". (not once checking the computer stock system). She took my number and offered to call when they had stock. (wonder if I'll get a call?)

Not so confident in the answer, I went back to Amarin store on Tuesday. (she was just taking down the "back in 10 mins" sign :-). She had at least two 220's in stock, so I made the purchase. (great service on this occassion, the lady there is very helpful.)

Why do they need to make up an answer rather than just say "I don't know, they're closed today, can I check tomorrow and call you?". (sorry, rhetorical question!)

Not sure I expected anything different, that's why I went back to the Amarin store I guess.

Hardwired the 220 to the nice little GPS plug tail they provide on the Multistrada, and mounted the stock RAM mount... Very impressed!

Ordered the Touratech lockable mount and the custom Multistrada bracket so it will mount fairly flush on the centre of the handlebar mount, just below the instrument cluster, with a secure mount and key lock so I don't have to remove it every time I stop at a gas station and go for a leak. Once finished, it should be a very elegant solution.

Cheers.

[wana]

how much is a decent gps for a bike ?

last time i went into fortune to get one they told me they had nothing suitable for a bike because it would be destroyed by rain ,is there waterproof ones now ?

(they had loads of them in the shop though )

[Timthai]

how much is a decent gps for a bike ?

last time i went into fortune to get one they told me they had nothing suitable for a bike because it would be destroyed by rain ,is there waterproof ones now ?

(they had loads of them in the shop though )

The Garmin Zumo range are specifically designed for motorcycles, and comes with both car mount and motorcyle mounts. The motorcycle cradle is more secure, and comes with a set of RAM Mounts, plus a wiring harness and power supply that is waterproof and fused, and has bare ends to hard wire to the battery or ignition system (best wired to the ignition so it turns off with the bike). The 220 is the cheapest of the Zumo models (21,000baht). It's waterproof and oil and chemical resistant. The software is also bike friendly, with "glove friendly" buttons and icons, which just means thy're larger than normal and more spread out. The down side of this is you need to scroll a couple of extra screens to get to some functions, and the keyboard for input has the 26 keys of the alphabet split across 3 screens, so you need to select A-J, K-T, U-Z to jump between keys... this might be glove friendly, but it's not user friendly! It also has a fuel guage function so you can enter your average tank range and a warning distance. It also has Bluetooth to connect to a Bluetooth headset.

The Garmin Nuvi 550 is almost the same unit as the Zumo 220, but no motorcyle mounts or wiring harness, and I assume the software is not glove friendly, so you can get to all the keys on one screen. The Nuvi 550 is waterproof, and it's cheaper than the Zumo 220. I don't think it has Bluetooth either. (don't remember the price difference)

There are two more expensive models in the Zumo range, but the main difference is screen size and MP3 player, so the 220 was fine for my needs.

The cradle on the 220 has a positive locking catch which keeps it more secure on the bike, but I ordered a Touratech lockable mount which is metal construction, and opens/closes like an audio cassette door, and has a key lock. there is a custom mount for my bike, but they also have an all purpose mount. There are two models, one with shock mounts between the main mount and the GPS cradle, and one without. I read some reviews that the shock mounted unit wobbles too much, so I ordered the non shocked version, and will rely on the Ohlins to keep it in one piece! The lockable TT mount was around 5,500baht. There is a Touratech Thailand website if you''re interested. They also sell the Zumo 220, but it's about 2,000 baht more that Gedgetrends.

Cheers.

[Garry]

installed photos? :-)

[thaicbr]

Wow.. as usual we get creamed on prices... 12,500b ($399) on Amazon !!!!

[Timthai]

Yep, but I have a problem waiting for stuff... When I want it, I want it now!

By the time they add freight and duty, I'm often happy to pay the extra to touch and feel before I buy than not be happy once it arrives.

Garry, will post photos when I get back in two weeks.

Cheers.

[thaicbr]

Yep, but I have a problem waiting for stuff... When I want it, I want it now!

By the time they add freight and duty, I'm often happy to pay the extra to touch and feel before I buy than not be happy once it arrives.

Garry, will post photos when I get back in two weeks.

Cheers.

I agree but it still takes the piss when it's so much different in price. I actually got a price in the Uk of the equivalent of 10,200b. But maybe as they sell more and biking becomes more prolific the prices will come down

ummm maybe its not sooooo bad they are 17,000b in Australia

Edited September 30, 2011 by thaicbr

[Garry]

Yep, but I have a problem waiting for stuff... When I want it, I want it now!

By the time they add freight and duty, I'm often happy to pay the extra to touch and feel before I buy than not be happy once it arrives.

Garry, will post photos when I get back in two weeks.

Cheers.

I agree but it still takes the piss when it's so much different in price. I actually got a price in the Uk of the equivalent of 10,200b. But maybe as they sell more and biking becomes more prolific the prices will come down

ummm maybe its not sooooo bad they are 17,000b in Australia

Looking forward to seeing some photos. One good thing is that we are in a world where we can easily research prices and let our wallets do the talking.

[madjbs]

Garmin have recently released the Montana GPS, which is the perfect model for adventure touring. There is a huge long thread about it on advrider forums and many adventure riders are buying them.