Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories GPS advice

Hello all,
Trust everyone had a great Holiday. My question to the collective wisdom is about currently availible GPS devices. How did I ever get anywhere without one? Any advice as to brand, features, accessories or usefulness would be helpful. I have gift cards that could be applied to the purchase and am looking for guidance. Thanks in advance.
Warren

I have one, a Garmin Legend Etrex.

My advice is to get one with a screen big enough that you can see it easily and that has backlighting for night-time use and is readable in bright sunlight also.

The other features available depend on your personal preferences and how you plan to use it.

I've got a Garmin Quest. I use it both in the car and on the bike. Totally waterproof and after getting a headset into my helmet it even talks to me... Works like a charm even if Martyn and Gooseman call it cheating...

Whatever happened to the days when you got on a road heading in the general direction you wanted to go that was big enough that it probably actuall went someplace. When you came to a town, you stopped for gas and maybe something to eat, then looked up the town on your map and plotted a new general direction?
Travel was a lot more fun when, most of the time, you only had a vague idea where you were and really didn't care that much.

That would be the way I ride. Works for me.

That's the way I normally ride too, but when you have a far away destination in mind where you've never been before, and a limited amount of time to get there and back, it's nice to have a little help with directions. The road construction alerts are a plus too.

The only time I use my GPS is on the boat, hiking and hunting. There are no road signs on the ocean or in the woods. As far as using one on the bike I think they're more of a distraction than anything. I've brought it on the bike and never looked at it because I usually plan my route ahead of time. Not only that, most of the GPS units that would mount on a bike have small screens that make them tough to see. I have a handlebar mount for my Magellan Meridian and it's tough to see unless I stop and look closely at the screen. Actually the feature I used most was my speed and compass setting which is easier to see than the road map lines. My speedo is pretty accurate until I hit around 40 MPH then error starts increasing. At 65 my speedo is off +6 MPH.

My advice is to buy a good map or keep the GPS in the saddlebag as a backup. You may only need it occasionally when you get turned around and can't find a road sign or crossroad. I've had great luck with my Magellan Meridian but I know Garmin makes a first rate product as well.

I have a Garmin Quest and older Streetpilot III. The Quest is really neat with color, auto-routing, and voice, which is why I gave it to my wife. The SPIII, although monochrome, has a much larger screen that's easy to see on the bike. The buttons are easy enough to use with gloves (except Gerbing gloves) and mounted on a RAM mount with power from the bike, it's a great setup. I don't necessarily use it for finding my way, more for keeping accurate track of time, speed, and mileage.

I have the eTrex. Its fun and I only use it when I take that random turn to see where it goes. It is a distraction. Personally I think they can be as bad as cell phones. Best is stop and look at the GPS then go especially on the bike.

I'm a long time Garmin guy. I currently run a 2720 on my bikes. I have them both hardwired and use a RAM handlebar mount on both so I can move the GPS back and forth. I have the audio promps (UK voice, of course) routed through a simple passive mixer with my Sirus radio into my headset.

I like the 27xx series because of the great screen resolution and 3D view. The newer 2730 has XM built in which would reduce the number of devices on the bike.