Best GPS for a Bike

Hi Guys,

Priced BMW GPS for the RT and they are just outa thier minds.. even at staff price !!!

Any recomendations, GSing and others ??

One can read so much but it is practical experience that counts...

I bought a Quest II with a combination of RAM-bolts to secure it to the S.

Plusses:
Enough built-in memory to load all the maps I need, battery life decent as well. Can move it between car and bike as well, so could use it more often.

Negative:
My power cradle for teh bike has blown its fuse a while ago, fixed, but think now I have blown the whole thing as it doesn't charge
The buttons are tricky (small) and mostly on the riht/wrong side of the screen.

Good luck

Bear wrote:Hi Guys,

Priced BMW GPS for the RT and they are just outa thier minds.. even at staff price !!!

Any recomendations, GSing and others ??

One can read so much but it is practical experience that counts...

Bear, not sure how much you want to spend but I invested in the Garmin Zumo and find it a very biker friendly GPS with left hand controls and touch screen. They have different models depending on your requirements. Mine came with a car & bike mounting bracket. I had to get a special fitting for the RT though at Touratech. You can contact GPS4Africa. They stock all the models.

Yes - also bought mine through GPS4Africa - got an excellent price. Had the powercabling installed by bavaria for the GPS.

Hi LeRoy,

Which Zumo do you have ?

Is the Nuvi 200W any good ?

No - i bought the Garmin Map276C that is more robust and built for adverse weather conditions. Can even be submerged in water and sustain no damage. Have driven through a few hail and rain storms with it - no problem.

As far as I know, the Nuvi is not waterproof. Good GPS with handy features though.

Andre wrote:

Bear wrote:Hi Guys,

Priced BMW GPS for the RT and they are just outa thier minds.. even at staff price !!!

Any recomendations, GSing and others ??

One can read so much but it is practical experience that counts...

Bear, not sure how much you want to spend but I invested in the Garmin Zumo and find it a very biker friendly GPS with left hand controls and touch screen. They have different models depending on your requirements. Mine came with a car & bike mounting bracket. I had to get a special fitting for the RT though at Touratech. You can contact GPS4Africa. They stock all the models.

Ditto....AND the lefthand controles is working just perfectly when you mount it in a car on the centre of the front window. That is in Southern Africa though

Hi Perske,

Which Zumo do you have ??

Bear wrote:Hi Perske,

Which Zumo do you have ??

500. In hind site the 550 would have been a better choice, cause the 500 does not come with the car bracket which i bought separately

The Garmin Zumo is designed specifically as a motorcycle GPS.
Garmin's press release for the product follows:
With a glove-friendly design featuring left-handed controls and oversized touch-screen buttons on a bright display, Bluetooth “hands-free-to-helmet” wireless technology capability, and a rugged, dependable locking mount, zūmo is at home on virtually any motorcycle or scooter.
“The Garmin zūmo is designed by motorcyclists for motorcyclists, so it naturally includes hardware and software features that make the device stand out from any other navigator on the market,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing.
“Garmin has long been known as a pioneer in satellite navigation in aircraft, boats, cars, so we’re proud to be able to offer a unit that stands up to the demands of motorcyclists and a motorcycle’s demanding environment.”
The Zūmo [sic] boasts a 3.5-inch (diagonal) high-bright, sunlight readable touch screen display, encased in a waterproof (IEC 529 IPX-7 standards) housing made of plastics that resist damage from fuel splashes and UV light.
In addition to the touch screen, zūmo has four dedicated left-handed buttons for quick input. Zūmo is equipped with a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, which acquires and maintains a GPS signal even in heavy foliage or “urban canyons” created by city skyscrapers.
The navigator also features solid state memory, which mitigates the effects of vibration, shock, cold, heat – and displays and redraws maps faster.
Zūmo is secured to the motorcycle with a locking mount that has waterproof power and data cable connections and is able to withstand the severe vibration environment commonly experienced in motorcycle riding. A rechargeable user-removable lithium-ion battery (three hour typical use) is integrated into zūmo for trip planning or use on foot.
Bluetooth capability makes it possible for riders to retrieve and dial numbers using a supported phone’s contact list or from the phone’s call history log. A user can also make calls from zūmo’s huge points of interest database that includes hotels, restaurants, stores, and much more.
In addition, the Bluetooth connectivity also gives motorcyclists the ability to receive and place phone calls as well as receive turn-by-turn voice prompts wirelessly to Bluetooth enabled headsets or helmets. More than 200 Bluetooth phones are supported.
Zūmo features a 10-thousand point track log, allowing users to record even the longest of rides – and the included MapSource DVD even lets motorcyclists relive a memorable tour on their home computer through the 3-D Google Earth interface. Riders can also plan upcoming trips on their computer, and swap routes and waypoints with other zūmo owners via the unit’s SD card slot.
Users can also access zūmo’s trip computer page for trip information like speed, heading, and a customizable fuel gauge that allows users to define their motorcycle’s maximum fuel range.
When zūmo calculates that the motorcycle is low on fuel, it automatically reminds the rider and suggests a route to a nearby gas station. Zūmo even has a compass page and accepts electronic topo maps -- making it the ultimate off-road navigator. For those long trips, riders can stay entertained with zūmo’s built-in MP3 player.
Zūmo comes pre-loaded with Garmap Africa Series 2008 Southern Africa Streetmaps data, and includes millions of points of interest – places like hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and attractions.
Zūmo gives turn-by-turn directions via multiple language and gender voice guidance with spoken street names and either 3-D or 2-D maps. The device also allows customers to load customized points of interest (POIs) such as safety cameras and school zones, and zumo is compatible with Garmin’s Tour Guide – a free utility that allows users to build and upload a database of POIs that are encoded with photos and MP3 files. For added versatility, zūmo is also compatible with Garmin Travel Guides and SaversGuide.
Real-time traffic is an option through either an FM RDS-TMC (Traffic Message Channel) traffic receiver (U.K. only) or XM NavTraffic (U.S. only) receiver. When the optional traffic service is activated, zūmo calculates routes that navigate around traffic.
Accidents, road construction, or other incidents affecting traffic are graphically represented as icons on the navigation map. Information relating to a traffic incident is also available including the precise location, lanes affected, and the predicted duration. Customers selecting the XM NavTraffic receiver can also access XM’s weather forecasts, current conditions, and county warnings as well as over 170 channels of XM Radio. ( Not Available in Africa)

Riders can personalize zūmo to match their particular bike’s color scheme and attitude with custom caps. Silver and black caps come standard with the unit, and others are available on the Garmin website. Owners can also customize zūmo’s opening splash screen to depict a one-of-a-kind photo with the help of the unit’s jpeg picture viewer. And because even the most dedicated rider sometimes travels by car, zūmo comes with an automotive mount and speaker – making the unit ideal for virtually any type of road trip.
Zūmo is also equipped with Garmin Lock, an anti-theft system that disables the unit until the owner types in a specific 4-digit PIN or takes the unit to a predetermined secure location.
Zūmo comes with pre-loaded Garmap Africa Series 2008 Southern Africa Streetmaps data, a motorcycle mount and mounting hardware with 12/24 volt power cable, an automotive mount with 12v cigarette lighter power cable, carrying case, logo stickers, AC charging cable, dashboard adhesive disk, USB interface cable, owner’s manual on disc, and quick reference guide. Zūmo is expected to be available in November 2006.
• High-sensitivity GPS receiver
• Display: 2.8” W x 2.1” H (3.5” diag.), 320 x 240 pixels; high bright sunlight-readable, UV-resistant, touch screen display
• Unit dimensions: 4.8" W x 3.9" H x 1.6" D
• Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Removable lithium-ion battery; up to four hours of use
• Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling and navigation audio prompts
• Supports optional FM TMC traffic alerts
• Supports optional XM NavTraffic with XM weather, and XM Satellite Radio
• Preloaded maps for all of North America or Europe
• Voice announces streets by name
• Look up addresses and points of interest
• Choose 2D or 3D map perspective
• Upload custom POIs, including alerts for speed zones and safety cameras
• Built-in MP3 player and JPEG Picture Viewer
• SD card expansion makes it easy for storage and route sharing
• Export and review your travels in Google Earth with a free account from MotionBased.com
• Glove-friendly touch screen with left-handed controls makes it easy to operate
• Sunlight-readable, UV-resistant display makes it easy to view your screen
• Motorcycle console for trip information, including fuel gauge to warn you when its time to fill up
• Motorcycle mount with standard 4-hole AMPS pattern so you can mount it anywhere
• Included motorcycle mount for riding and automotive mount (with integrated speaker) for driving
Includes Garmin Lock, an anti-theft feature
• Custom caps, available in a variety of colors, to reflect your style
• Waterproof: IEC 60529 IPX7 standards (submersible in one meter of water for up to 30 min

You can get more information by following this link on the Garmin Zumo range.

Link - http://www.gps4africa.co.za/component/option,com_virtuemart/page,shop.browse/category_id,8/Itemid,26/

Is this for the 400, 500 or 550 ?

In my opinion it’s worth going for the Zumo 550.

Reasons:

1. Comes standard with the automotive suction mount and cigarette lighter adapter (Optional for Zumo 500/400 at R1400),
2. The Zumo 550 gives you the “text to speech” option(prenounce street names),
3. European map set included in Zumo 550 (Optional at R1350),
4. Zumo 550 comes standard with 2GB internal memory (Zumo 500/400 – 512MB),
5. Zumo 400 doesn't have Bluetooth, protective case, AC Charger and stickers.

Phew, then the BMW one is abouot the same price of R8850.00

I have the ZUmo 500 - I feel that the price difference between it and the 550 is not justifiable. How often will I use the European maps? Streetname pronunciation - the streetnames change so often, it will become a nightmare. Besides, i prefer switching the lady's voice off, and rather to look at the screen, because her continuous talking breaks up the music every time. The 400 is too low end for me (no bluetooth). Yes, the 500 has less memory, but all you have to do to up is to buy a bigger SD card (up to 4Gb). And they are dirt cheap...

that is my 2c worth...

I also have the 500, and am very happy with it. I pair the Zumo with my phone, and also with my Scala Q2 headset. Therefore I can receive telephone calls (it gives you the option of answer or reject).
I pair the headset with another, and then have a conversation with a buddy while riding - excellent to warn a friend of potholes, traffic dangers, etc.

I also do the zumo to Nokia E50 to Scala rider teamset. It gives me issues sometimes, though... If phone rings, it sometimes disconnects when I press answer. Or when I dial somebody, the call does not connect through. If the zumo is inactive for a while (music on pause, GPS navigation off), it disconnects the headset....

any help out there?

and yes, I do have the latest firmware upgrade for the zumo.

steyngert wrote:I also do the zumo to Nokia E50 to Scala rider teamset. It gives me issues sometimes, though... If phone rings, it sometimes disconnects when I press answer. Or when I dial somebody, the call does not connect through. If the zumo is inactive for a while (music on pause, GPS navigation off), it disconnects the headset....

any help out there?

and yes, I do have the latest firmware upgrade for the zumo.

I configured my Nokia profile to "Auto answer on" and never had a problem with disconnecting calls to my Scala Teamset, however, I do have a problem that I sometimes loose the intercom to the pillion and it does not come back again. Do you have any intercom problems with your Scala Rider Teamset

yes I do!! it comes and goes. i then need to press the little button again to reconnect her. this happens when we both listen to music. she also complains about poor sound quality - probably because the music is relayed first to my headset then to hers, and not directly from the Zumo. it even drops it mid conversation as well. VERY irritating for something I spent R2k on...

Hey Steyngert,

How did you get your Nokia communicator to talk to the Zumo?
Kry did nie reg nie...!

I have the supertooth headset and have no problems that you experience. Friend of mine and his better halve use it with intercom and also no problems. The supertooth has a 30 day standby time which beat scala's 7 days.

The supertooth is only mono (one speaker) and this is because it is in some countries against the law to have coms in both ears on a motorcycle. It does not have FM , at leaset yet, but I guess this technology need some more development.

Richard H wrote:Hey Steyngert,

How did you get your Nokia communicator to talk to the Zuma?
Kry did nie reg nie...!

Zuma only listens when he wants to listen and only talks to whom he want to talk to...

Give the Zumo a shower...that usually cure it..