yorkshire whippet
Registered user
I know I'll probably regret this but which gps device is best for a bikers needs and why? Never used gps before myself so would like some honest opinions... do you have to pay a service provider a fee to use one?
GPS which one?
- Thread starter yorkshire whippet
- Start date
I bought the V after Xmas, and have just part-exchanged it with another forum member (thanks Adam) for the StreetPilot III. For the bike only, and use in the UK, I would agree the V is probably best. If you want, or need to use it in car, or intend to use it abroad, then I think the III is worth the extra for the larger screen, voice prompts & much bigger memory. With a memory card slot, I think the V would be almost ideal for a bike.
Regards,
Charles
Regards,
Charles
If you can live without routing look at the 176/176c.
Big screen makes creating routes away from yor PC easy. needless to say reading the on screen info easier.
Make sure the V memory is large enough to hold all the maps that'll cover the area you'll travel in.
Big screen makes creating routes away from yor PC easy. needless to say reading the on screen info easier.
Make sure the V memory is large enough to hold all the maps that'll cover the area you'll travel in.
roadrider
Registered user
GPS
If your looking for door to door guided directions then the
Streetpilot 111, the streetpilot 2610 or the GPS V are your only serious options. Streetpilot 111, the streetpilot 2610 are colour and expandable memory. the GPS V is mono with fixed memory.
Do a search on GPS, theres a wealth of info on this site.
John
If your looking for door to door guided directions then the
Streetpilot 111, the streetpilot 2610 or the GPS V are your only serious options. Streetpilot 111, the streetpilot 2610 are colour and expandable memory. the GPS V is mono with fixed memory.
Do a search on GPS, theres a wealth of info on this site.
John
thesanguine
Guest
Can you fit the whole of Europe on one?
PanEuropean
Registered user
Here's a simple way to approach the decision making process:
1) Do you want the GPSR to tell you only where you are, or do you want it to also tell you where to go? By this I mean do you want to have autorouting?
1a) If you don't want autorouting, then there are many, many models to choose from, starting from about USD $80 and up. Stop reading now, and go shopping.
1b) If you do want autorouting, there are only 3 Garmin (automotive) models that provide this feature: The GPS V, the SP III, and the SP 2610 and SP 2650. (Some aviation models also support autorouting on roads, but there would be no point buying them unless your primary use would be for aircraft navigation - they are quite expensive).
2) If you do want autorouting, now the next two questions are: Do you want a large colour display or would a smaller black and white display be suitable? Do you want your unit to provide you with voice guidance for your upcoming turns?
2a) If you don't need colour and you don't need voice guidance, then the GPS V might be most appropriate - it's black and white and silent.
2b) If you want colour and/or voice, then your choice is between the SP III and the SP 2610 or SP 2650.
3) How far do you plan to go on your trips? Not the trip of a lifetime, but your average "two or three times a season" long ride?
3a) If the answer is "not farther than a day's ride", then the GPS V might be a good choice, note that it has only 21 megs of memory for storing map detail (about enough for a region containing a population of 5 to 7 million people).
3b) If the answer is "about a one week ride", then you need to get something with more memory. The SP III will hold up to 128 megs of maps, enough to cover, for example, Manchester to Geneva and back, if you are selective about what map segments you include on the chip.
3c) If the answer is "transcontinental", then you need to seriously consider getting a SP 2610. It can hold all of Europe or all of North America on one data chip (a compact flash card). You could, of course, do a transcontinental trip with a SP III, but you would need to bring a laptop PC along with you, to periodically reload the data chip with a new set of maps.
4) Do you want the latest and greatest technology? If you are a technology aficionado, then get the SP 2610. It has a lot more bells and whistles than the SP III, with more bells and whistles coming in the form of future software enhancements. If you are satisfied with something that just "gets the job done", then you can save a bit of money by getting the SP III, provided you don't need the additional touring range that having more than 128 megs of memory (the SP III's maximum) will give you.
The SP 2650 is a SP 2610 that has an acoustical gyro in it (a yaw rate sensor) and provision for speedsensor and backup light input. This provides you with precise navigational guidance even when the signal from the satellite constellation is lost, due to dense forest cover, urban buildings, or tunnels. The 2650 has not been fully proven on motorcycles yet, though - there are still a few issues to work out related to leaning into turns. But it is amazing to see it work in a car.
For what it's worth - when I go touring, I usually leave for 4 to 8 weeks at a time, and will normally go at least cross-continental, if not inter-continental. I use a SP 2650.
Hope this helps,
PanEuropean
1) Do you want the GPSR to tell you only where you are, or do you want it to also tell you where to go? By this I mean do you want to have autorouting?
1a) If you don't want autorouting, then there are many, many models to choose from, starting from about USD $80 and up. Stop reading now, and go shopping.
1b) If you do want autorouting, there are only 3 Garmin (automotive) models that provide this feature: The GPS V, the SP III, and the SP 2610 and SP 2650. (Some aviation models also support autorouting on roads, but there would be no point buying them unless your primary use would be for aircraft navigation - they are quite expensive).
2) If you do want autorouting, now the next two questions are: Do you want a large colour display or would a smaller black and white display be suitable? Do you want your unit to provide you with voice guidance for your upcoming turns?
2a) If you don't need colour and you don't need voice guidance, then the GPS V might be most appropriate - it's black and white and silent.
2b) If you want colour and/or voice, then your choice is between the SP III and the SP 2610 or SP 2650.
3) How far do you plan to go on your trips? Not the trip of a lifetime, but your average "two or three times a season" long ride?
3a) If the answer is "not farther than a day's ride", then the GPS V might be a good choice, note that it has only 21 megs of memory for storing map detail (about enough for a region containing a population of 5 to 7 million people).
3b) If the answer is "about a one week ride", then you need to get something with more memory. The SP III will hold up to 128 megs of maps, enough to cover, for example, Manchester to Geneva and back, if you are selective about what map segments you include on the chip.
3c) If the answer is "transcontinental", then you need to seriously consider getting a SP 2610. It can hold all of Europe or all of North America on one data chip (a compact flash card). You could, of course, do a transcontinental trip with a SP III, but you would need to bring a laptop PC along with you, to periodically reload the data chip with a new set of maps.
4) Do you want the latest and greatest technology? If you are a technology aficionado, then get the SP 2610. It has a lot more bells and whistles than the SP III, with more bells and whistles coming in the form of future software enhancements. If you are satisfied with something that just "gets the job done", then you can save a bit of money by getting the SP III, provided you don't need the additional touring range that having more than 128 megs of memory (the SP III's maximum) will give you.
The SP 2650 is a SP 2610 that has an acoustical gyro in it (a yaw rate sensor) and provision for speedsensor and backup light input. This provides you with precise navigational guidance even when the signal from the satellite constellation is lost, due to dense forest cover, urban buildings, or tunnels. The 2650 has not been fully proven on motorcycles yet, though - there are still a few issues to work out related to leaning into turns. But it is amazing to see it work in a car.
For what it's worth - when I go touring, I usually leave for 4 to 8 weeks at a time, and will normally go at least cross-continental, if not inter-continental. I use a SP 2650.
Hope this helps,
PanEuropean
yorkshire whippet
Registered user
Thanks everyone and Pan thankyou very much indeed. Youve answered a lot of questions that my brain is still thinking about asking! Didn't realise that some were so limited. I would be using it when travelling abroad and usually travel through lots of different countries so it looks like the 2610 would be favourite. Is there a big difference in price between units?
I've got the Garmin GPS V.
It is a superb unit, but only let down by the fact that you cant store loads of info on it.
However, the GPS V does come with a pre-installed "base map" which holds major routes for loads of countries. The base map is not as accurate as the detailed downloadable maps, but is perfectly adequate for navigating your way on long journeys. I used the GPS 3 for ages and found that fine for doing continental trips.
With the base map only, autorouting does not work as the accuracy isn't there. However, you can load the maps containing just the main towns on your route, and leave the gaps between the towns to be handled by the base map. That way, you get auto routing once you get to the town so you can find your hotel or whatever.
In short, I'd like a GPS V with a 1Gb memory facility and a processor running at 10x the speed of the current one. However, I'm well chuffed with the GPS V itself - it's lovely.
It is a superb unit, but only let down by the fact that you cant store loads of info on it.
However, the GPS V does come with a pre-installed "base map" which holds major routes for loads of countries. The base map is not as accurate as the detailed downloadable maps, but is perfectly adequate for navigating your way on long journeys. I used the GPS 3 for ages and found that fine for doing continental trips.
With the base map only, autorouting does not work as the accuracy isn't there. However, you can load the maps containing just the main towns on your route, and leave the gaps between the towns to be handled by the base map. That way, you get auto routing once you get to the town so you can find your hotel or whatever.
In short, I'd like a GPS V with a 1Gb memory facility and a processor running at 10x the speed of the current one. However, I'm well chuffed with the GPS V itself - it's lovely.
Jaq Draco
Guest
i have a SPIII with a 128mb card. (BMW one). I can get most of europe (if i miss out scotland) on it. I can at least get all of the UK with room to spare. Colour display is good, even in sunlight, and I have a headset in my helmet so I can hear the directions. Great to stop you looking at the screen all the times for the next roundabout exit. Invaluable in Milton Keynes!!!!! found it invaluable at times, but get a touratech lockable mount, or you will forever be taking it off even when you go to pay for fuel.
Pre-owned
All of the above is sound advice but focused on buying the latest kit i.e. new. For your first GPS why not consider a pre-owned unit ?
Having decided what it is you want (according to Pan) then look for something that will serve 90% of your initial requirements. For example the Streetpilot Colourmap with accessory 128mb chip will give you a workable basemap, street level mapping in towns/cities but NOT a voice prompt, all for relatively little outlay. Once you have used it and determined your exact requirements then flog it on to the next newbie !
Just a thought.
All of the above is sound advice but focused on buying the latest kit i.e. new. For your first GPS why not consider a pre-owned unit ?
Having decided what it is you want (according to Pan) then look for something that will serve 90% of your initial requirements. For example the Streetpilot Colourmap with accessory 128mb chip will give you a workable basemap, street level mapping in towns/cities but NOT a voice prompt, all for relatively little outlay. Once you have used it and determined your exact requirements then flog it on to the next newbie !
Just a thought.
PanEuropean
Registered user
Oblertone:
Good point, but novice buyers need to be really, really careful about buying out of production units, such as the StreetPilot Colourmap.
Even if they are aware that the unit will not (in the case of the SP Colourmap) support autorouting or support use of the latest cartography such as CityNavigator or CitySelect, novice buyers may not be aware that these out of production units have other limitations, such as the number of map segments that can be stored on a card (regardless of card size), or the size of card that can be used (e.g. for some out of production units, you can physically fit a 128 meg chip in them, but the unit can only read the first 32 megs of the chip).
For newbies, I think it is safer to suggest that they stick with buying "used-but-current-production" GPSR's, and stay away from the out of production ones. It's kind of like buying used computers - you can get kind of burned if you are not really, really familiar with the limitations of the older units.
For those of us who are really familiar with the out of production units, yes, certain of the old ones can be very useful. For example, the StreetPilot Colourmap would be a great choice for a courier driver who stays in the same city all the time, and wants an "electronic map", rather than a routing device or touring device.
Whippet: If you plan to visit lots of countries and will be using a car or bike to travel to them and between them, then the SP 2610 would be best for you. But if you plan to visit lots of countries, and will be flying to different cities and just using the unit in a rental car within a major city at your destination, the GPS V or SP III would do the job for you. There is a hell of a price difference between a good used GPS V or good used SP III versus a new SP 2610. The difference is less between a new SP III and a new SP 2610. If you are thinking of getting a new unit, and are considering the SP III new, then think about perhaps getting the SP 2610 instead, just for future growth possibilities.
PanEuropean
Good point, but novice buyers need to be really, really careful about buying out of production units, such as the StreetPilot Colourmap.
Even if they are aware that the unit will not (in the case of the SP Colourmap) support autorouting or support use of the latest cartography such as CityNavigator or CitySelect, novice buyers may not be aware that these out of production units have other limitations, such as the number of map segments that can be stored on a card (regardless of card size), or the size of card that can be used (e.g. for some out of production units, you can physically fit a 128 meg chip in them, but the unit can only read the first 32 megs of the chip).
For newbies, I think it is safer to suggest that they stick with buying "used-but-current-production" GPSR's, and stay away from the out of production ones. It's kind of like buying used computers - you can get kind of burned if you are not really, really familiar with the limitations of the older units.
For those of us who are really familiar with the out of production units, yes, certain of the old ones can be very useful. For example, the StreetPilot Colourmap would be a great choice for a courier driver who stays in the same city all the time, and wants an "electronic map", rather than a routing device or touring device.
Whippet: If you plan to visit lots of countries and will be using a car or bike to travel to them and between them, then the SP 2610 would be best for you. But if you plan to visit lots of countries, and will be flying to different cities and just using the unit in a rental car within a major city at your destination, the GPS V or SP III would do the job for you. There is a hell of a price difference between a good used GPS V or good used SP III versus a new SP 2610. The difference is less between a new SP III and a new SP 2610. If you are thinking of getting a new unit, and are considering the SP III new, then think about perhaps getting the SP 2610 instead, just for future growth possibilities.
PanEuropean
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