GPS Systems

littleredrooster

littleredrooster

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Any of you knowledgeable guys out there wanna give me a (brief) run-down on what's available, what's good and bad?

I am a complete GPS numpty, but saw a system at the NEC which fired my imagination. How much do you have to spend for a starter system (UK only initially)?

Thanks, guys
 
Knowledgeable? Me?

Anyway, here's my far from humble opinion :D

Buy a second hand receiver on ebay [search for Garmin] and resell it once you've learnt enough about GPS to really know what you want. It's what I should've done. A Garmin III+ would be good - it was for me. A good one off ebay should be about £200.

The good:

Large memory to download maps and the bigger the better. Therefore the ability to use removable datacards [128mb max] is better than 19mb [max ?] non expandable internal.

Large screen.

Auto route - Some people think its an essential other don't. I think the above 2 points are more useful. Must be a nice option to have though.

Lots of route waypoints.

You could try GPS Warehouse for private sale and a test drive.

Bottom line is *get one*. GPS is one of the bestest things you'll buy......unless you're house bound.
 
Rooster my man

If you buy a Garmin III, III+ or V I happen to have an immaculate Touratech mounting bracket for sale - yours for only £30 (over £50 plus p+p from Brackens).

We must be almost neighbours as I live in Redditch...where you from?
 
GPS

I am in the exact same situation and will buy the BMW Navigator.

Study the options available thoroughly, get all the manuals and tutorials so you can try them out first.
Then decide YOUR requirements irrespective of cost to decide which is best for YOU.
Then compare the various suppliers of your chosen solution to see what the advantages of one over another will be.

And finally go purchase the right one first time, and enjoy using it.

My decision to buy the BMW over the SP III+ was
2 year warranty
guarranteed waterproof to 2m
128mb memory
Internals stressed specifically for motorcycle use
Included on the bike ins with BMW insurance
dealer on my doorstep

There you have it, as someone once said to me " Study the options and start out with what you are going to end up with"
 
Snooty, my man!

Live close to Dunchurch, Rugby.

Don't get across to your neck of the woods very often, only on an occasional sojourn to Welsh Wales. Most riding is done North and East of home away from the giant car-park called the Midlands. Gimme a shout if you fancy joining a ride one day - out somewhere most weekends.

May take you up on the offer of the bracket - need to find more info first.
 
Keith Chapman said:
A word of warning.

If you go for second hand (or new) make sure you get a Europe spec GPS not a USA spec
Click to expand...

Why?
Does not make the slightest bit of difference. I should know. I bought mine in the USofA. I found that the base maps are so UNdetailed and are next to useless so I load up the Mapsource mapping. The unit features are exactly the same so don't be put off.
You'll probably get the unit cheaper because the vendor would have paid significantly less for it in the first place. e.g. Garmin 196MAP :- UK £715 (internet offer) USA $899 (£580)
The difference would buy another 64MB memory card.

ANYWAY my advice is to buy the best one that you can afford. The more you pay (generally) will get you more features to play with.
 
Jimb: I'm with you on that one. I got the BMW one for all the reasons you stated and not forgeting the screen - Has special anti-reflective properties but unlike the SPIII it isn't coated and liable to peeling or scratching off (Heard that of the SPIII and the one I saw had a very shiny screen).
 
Slightly off topic but I had a run out to Bury yesterday (bought a Tivo for £119-new) and put the shop in my GPS V as a waypoint. I rode over the pennines but could`nt aquire any satelites. My V is mounted on a touratech gizmo on the cross bar and would only aquire when I took it off the mount. I then remounted it and it worked ok. Anyone else had this problem and would a remote ariel help?
 
Rooster my man

I know Dunchurch, funnily enough I'm going to a do at Dunchurch Park on Saturday night...I also know the Dun Cow pub.

Will have to swap phone numbers to arrange a ride sometime.
 
which gps

don't get conned!!! - BM dealers will tell you the navigator series garmin is specially adapted for bike use - b***s**t!! - ALL garmins are waterproof to a depth of 1m for 30 minutes (will your GS work at that depth?) there is no such thing as a special internal mod for motorbike vibes, they all now come with an anti glare screen and 128mb card - ask swooper, he's just taken delivery of the SP111 and paid LESS than £1000 - the only thing the navigator has is preloaded BM dealers for when we break down!:p
 
Sherpa

And double the warranty,
And is covered by your BMW insurance,
And comes with the car mount,
And comes with the Touratech bike mount,
And mine came with the Car speaker/ power cable,
And you can take it back to your dealer if a fault should arise.
 
GPS - what you get

Hey Jimb!!!
I can't hear a damn thing with these yellow things in my ears!!
Re: the SPCIII the only things you don't get from the Navigator unit are Touratech bracket (£50 on the web) and 2 year warranty (but electronic stuff - in my humble experience - goes wrong pretty quick if you've got a duff unit - you'll have any problems in the first 12 months if it's gonna happen
Is that worth £350+ ?
See you soon! Sherpa;)
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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