Pleased to help, but if you do fit in this way don't forget the back to back abrasive paper between Ram and Support Bar! The 550 sits forward of the pivot point so does need the extra grip, but mine has never slipped since fitting last summer.
Sat Nav
- Thread starter Morety
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fredaroony
Registered user
You can do them on your phone too but I typically use my laptop before I leave.
Even if the Tom Tom is cheaper, replacing the integrated nav V / VI in my book will be like buying a nice Porsche and replace the wheels with 185/70 tires on steel wheels…
In my experience, the nav V has always taken me where I programmed it to go. Additionally, I love the integration with the bike, the lockable setup and the ability to zoom with the wonder wheel. Pricy? Heck, it's mounted on a BMW. The savings on a Tom Tom will as noticeable as a mouse peeing in the ocean...
In my experience, the nav V has always taken me where I programmed it to go. Additionally, I love the integration with the bike, the lockable setup and the ability to zoom with the wonder wheel. Pricy? Heck, it's mounted on a BMW. The savings on a Tom Tom will as noticeable as a mouse peeing in the ocean...
fredaroony
Registered user
How so? The Tomtom is a far better as a GPS than the Garmin with its 10 year old looking software. Tomtom also make a lockable mount.
With the exception of the bike info dashboard, the bike integration on the Nav V/VI is poor. They could have done a lot more with it.
I do agree that there is a vast potential for the Garmin GPS to do more. But even as it is, it integrates better to the bike than any TomTom.
I'm not saying the Tom Tom does not work, and we all have different ambitions for what we expect from our GPS.
For my use, the GPS does what I want from it, that is pointing me in the right direction, and when driving I dont have to take my hand off the handlebars to operate it for the functions I want while driving.
I have not seen all TomToms, but the ones I have seen are inferior built when it comes to being able to handle abuse compared to the Garmin (even if that probably is no big deal for all practical purpose), and being able to use the bike key to lock/unlock is a + in my book
To each their own. Other people have other preferences, and that's fine. But this is how I see it. And on my 1250 there will be a nav VI. I don't put old stuff on new bikes either.
Even so, my wet dream is for BMW to integrate the GPS into the dashboard car style, and like they showed on their scooter a couple of years ago. It seems like a waste not using the TFT screen for navigation as well (I don't regard the pointer instructions from the phone as proper navigation.)
Anyway, I wish the OP the best of luck in his choice. Whatever solution is selected, there will be pros and cons..
The reasons that I use the TomTom 550 and not the Nav 5 or 6 being that I bought the GS used, with the Garmin mount but no Garmin included. I already had the TomTom 550 from my previous bike so it was an obvious choice. Had the Bike been fitted with the Garmin I would probably have used that, but in the past had tried an older more basic Garmin and preferred the TomTom system because of familiarity.
For route planning when away from home I use MyRoute-app either on a Phone or Tablet and this transfers the new route direct to the 550 via WiFi. Is this possible with the Nav 5 or 6?
I've owned Garmins for years now, both for the car and the bike. After comparing my Garmin to a mate's Tom-Tom, it was inferior on refresh rate, inferior on flexibility of programming (the Tom Tom was much easier to programme for way points and selected journey routes and most importantly, UNLIKE the Garmin, you could bypass a pre selected waypoint without the nav trying to re-route you back).
That was the most infuriating thing of all....not having an easy way to cancel a set waypount on the fly as you can with a Tom Tom. I got fed up stopping to re-programme the thing and after one tour last year, thought I'd check out newer Garmins like the Nav V and VI only to discover they used basically the same OS! I don't get why anyone considers paying close on £600 good value for a garmin that presents bike data that mostly can be brought up on the lCD screen anyway (ok it's easier to read) and the lack of thumbwheel control wouldn't bother me as I don't like playing around on the fly except perhaps to press one button to cancel a way point or to zoom in or out....programme the machine and off you go otherwise.
The speedo benefit isn't a unique selling point. You can bring up GPS speedo details on almost all satnavs these days and it's all about the same accuracy. The 550 could be used on it's own as a digital speedo, the bike's LCD panel brings up all the other data anyway (if needed) so this leaves me with just one other consideration: reliability.
If the Garmin is more reliable and better built, that isn't the swinger. The swinger for me is if the Tom Tom is KNOWN to be unreliable or suffers early failures of battery or some other issue like it won't withstand a drop etc. My Garmins are all very robust (I have dropped them both at some point or other and they've been fine) but I just hate the satnav interface hence the option of looking at something else.
Can anyone convince me that the Garmin used a better satnav interface? Can anyone confirm if the Nav V or VI allows cancellation of a waypoint as a prompt on screen if you miss one deliberately and will it then navigate to the next one? These are all things that the Tom Tom scores on.
For route planning I always use a good old fashioned map and also google maps for zooming in for detailed planning then chose a route to programme into the satnav. I never rely on gadgets. Old fashioned paper maps always accompany me as gadgets can and do fail.
That was the most infuriating thing of all....not having an easy way to cancel a set waypount on the fly as you can with a Tom Tom. I got fed up stopping to re-programme the thing and after one tour last year, thought I'd check out newer Garmins like the Nav V and VI only to discover they used basically the same OS! I don't get why anyone considers paying close on £600 good value for a garmin that presents bike data that mostly can be brought up on the lCD screen anyway (ok it's easier to read) and the lack of thumbwheel control wouldn't bother me as I don't like playing around on the fly except perhaps to press one button to cancel a way point or to zoom in or out....programme the machine and off you go otherwise.
The speedo benefit isn't a unique selling point. You can bring up GPS speedo details on almost all satnavs these days and it's all about the same accuracy. The 550 could be used on it's own as a digital speedo, the bike's LCD panel brings up all the other data anyway (if needed) so this leaves me with just one other consideration: reliability.
If the Garmin is more reliable and better built, that isn't the swinger. The swinger for me is if the Tom Tom is KNOWN to be unreliable or suffers early failures of battery or some other issue like it won't withstand a drop etc. My Garmins are all very robust (I have dropped them both at some point or other and they've been fine) but I just hate the satnav interface hence the option of looking at something else.
Can anyone convince me that the Garmin used a better satnav interface? Can anyone confirm if the Nav V or VI allows cancellation of a waypoint as a prompt on screen if you miss one deliberately and will it then navigate to the next one? These are all things that the Tom Tom scores on.
For route planning I always use a good old fashioned map and also google maps for zooming in for detailed planning then chose a route to programme into the satnav. I never rely on gadgets. Old fashioned paper maps always accompany me as gadgets can and do fail.
After TomTom refused to handle (well known problem of not charging in the holder) warranty claim on my Rider I decided never to spend any of my money with them. The units hadn't been out for a year at the time - the reason given (seriously) was that I might have stolen it.
It was a present and because I never had the receipt they wouldn't look at it. Eventually I gave up arguing with them.
Ended up buying a locking mount that pulled the TomTom tighter to the contact pins - cured the problem but cost another £100.
Since then I've bought three Garmin's and Nav's and been happy.
It was a present and because I never had the receipt they wouldn't look at it. Eventually I gave up arguing with them.
Ended up buying a locking mount that pulled the TomTom tighter to the contact pins - cured the problem but cost another £100.
Since then I've bought three Garmin's and Nav's and been happy.
It's sad isn't it that no-matter what we go to buy these days that such quality and poor customer service issues exist? Perhaps plan A is the safest route (second hand Nav V and put up with the clunky OS).
Weird Bob
Registered user
I have used Garmins for years. I have also used TomTom.
I could just never quite gel with the tomtom interface/way of doing things. I found the Garmin interface more logical.
Yes the development of both has been poor with very little real advancement (lane assist was the last really good one in my opinion).
The thing is that the way the garmin misbehaves is a known quantity for me so I automatically compensate for it so it’s not a problem. I will confess that I never do complex routes when I’m lucky enough to get a trip abroad so probably don’t share some of the frustration of others.
I also tend to fact check my destination with something like google maps so that I know me and the sat nav are both talking about the same place
I could just never quite gel with the tomtom interface/way of doing things. I found the Garmin interface more logical.
Yes the development of both has been poor with very little real advancement (lane assist was the last really good one in my opinion).
The thing is that the way the garmin misbehaves is a known quantity for me so I automatically compensate for it so it’s not a problem. I will confess that I never do complex routes when I’m lucky enough to get a trip abroad so probably don’t share some of the frustration of others.
I also tend to fact check my destination with something like google maps so that I know me and the sat nav are both talking about the same place
Sounds like you need to spend sometime mastering the software thats available for route planning, I only ever have one waypoint and thats my hotel for the evening, all the rest of route criteria is made up of shaping points only and they dont behave the way you describe above, Ive had my Zumo 660 since 2010 and use Mapsource to plan routes for trips, rarely any dramas .
I don't know about the Nav VI, but I know for sure that the Nav V does not support WiFi. The files from MyRoute are Ok, but needs a USB cable to be transferred. I have tried it, but as most of my routes contain no more than 3 - 4 positioning waypoints the terrible interface of Basecamp stil makes planning quicker than any other program I have tried. Planning is painful, but you catch up the time by the easier rout transfer.
I think preferred planning tool depends on how you like to work and how detailed you want your routes. There is no real truth or false. When each of us state their preference and give the reason why, this makes it easier for everyone to make their own choice, based on their own preference.
Personally I prefer Garmin since it is integrated with the bike, but it is far from perfect. Searching for Hotels etc. can be quite painful, and so is BaseCamp. But over the years I have learned it shortcomings and gotten to the point where I can plan routes, serach for POI's and transfer them fairly quick. When traveling, I use a Microsoft Surface Pro, which runs BC. If using a Android board and MyRoute App, the transfer to Garmin is far more cumbersome.
Wapping added a few YouTube links that give good basic instruction of Basecamp - my understanding and route planning now flow and make sense. If any are having difficulties have a look..
http://ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/455445-Some-good-BaseCamp-tutorial-videos
That's all probably quite true but for me isn't that relevant. I don't use route software. I just want a plain simple device that doesn't need pre-planned routes on a computer. I want to rely on punching in a route direct to the satnav. Where I normally go, I don't have the luxury of a laptop to accompany me, so if (as happened last year) I get to a destination and decide after a few days at base-camp to alter the destinations or routes, I only have the satnav with me. I have the phone which I pull google maps up on as that's usually my go-to for route planning when at my first destination and looking for, say, local rides to sort for a day or two. I can see the logic of a tablet or laptop for route planning but I don't use either when travelling. I just travel light and take essentials, not risk high value items being damaged or go missing. My mate uses a Tom-tom and you can input set points to plan a route, and if you go wrong or decide to take a detour it just looks for the next point en-route and ignores the one missed. I can't find any way of doing that on my Garmin, because there isn't that functionality on it (It's a Nuvi Traffic car satnav which I have in a waterproof housing).
For what it's worth:
Garmin offers to types of waypoints, Shaping points that are transparent when navigating but are used to force the route onto preferred roads, and Viapoints. The Viapoints are shown on the map, and the GPS is able to show distance and time to such a point. If you happen to have put the point to a position that you do not want to drive via (lets say you screwed up and put it to i side -street along your route) then you have two options:
Nav V (and probably Nav VI) have the options of customizing the dashboard. There is a button for it, and you can get to the button by hitting bottom right and the menu comes up with "Skip the viapoint" (or whatever, my GPS is in my native language, so I don't know the exact wording in English). I think the need of a menu list when driving is a lousy solution. But you may customize the dashboard and may put two buttons on the screen, they will be located on RH side. On my GPS I have the Media player and Skip Viapoint as the two buttons. And the Skip viapoint button is hidden until there comes up a viapoint that may be skipped (I.e needs backtracking).
Soo.. Whenever I pass a viapoint that I may skip (or return to), the button becomes visible, and I simply push it.
I do the same as knutk but have a route cancel as second on-screen button. Using Garmin 390 and don’t have whizzy wheel on my antique.
Had many tt units for car use over the years but went Garmin on bikes, starting with a quest then a 550.
Haven’t used any of the riders but did use to like the tt interface.
Had many tt units for car use over the years but went Garmin on bikes, starting with a quest then a 550.
Haven’t used any of the riders but did use to like the tt interface.
I'm a dafty. I've only (to my shame) just looked at the trip planner app again and realised where I've been going wrong for two years now! I first have to plan the route using "via points" then once saved, I can go back into the route planner and change way (via) points to shaping points allowing detours on the hoof or skipping of shaping points.
I haven't yet found a way of just adding them as shaping points in the first place which is a bit annoying. I found the skip next destination button, but in gloved hands my car satnav (encased in it's weatherproof housing) won't respond if the buttons are pressed. I hadn't realised that in trip planner that I could change destination points to shaping points until today. Holding your finger over any destination point in the trip planner app changes it to a shaping point so that when on a journey, it doesn't matter if I skip a shaping point as the satnav continues towards the next shaping point. That's all I'd been after for ages....must say it's not that intuitive. Seemed much easier to do on the Tom-Tom.
I haven't yet found a way of just adding them as shaping points in the first place which is a bit annoying. I found the skip next destination button, but in gloved hands my car satnav (encased in it's weatherproof housing) won't respond if the buttons are pressed. I hadn't realised that in trip planner that I could change destination points to shaping points until today. Holding your finger over any destination point in the trip planner app changes it to a shaping point so that when on a journey, it doesn't matter if I skip a shaping point as the satnav continues towards the next shaping point. That's all I'd been after for ages....must say it's not that intuitive. Seemed much easier to do on the Tom-Tom.
But bear in mind any shaping points up to the next waypoint will get discarded if the route is recalculated.
There are many ways to skin a cat.
When I plan a route in BaseCamp i define the starting point and the destination. I load them into the route planner, check my routing filter (avoid list) and then see where it takes me.
If I want i different choice of roads than what BC has selected, I hold the Alt button on my computer, and I click and hold on the route. Now there comes up a line and a pen symbol, and I can position a shaping point to the road I want. Then the route recalculates, and I keep repeating until I got the desired rout. Usually 2 - 4 shaping points will do.
A desired Viapoint is made in the same way. It starts as a shaping point, and after I'm happy with my route, I enter the Route list, and any shaping point may be altered by right click and select the option "Report passing this point" (or something like that, ref my native language).
Compared to MyRoute app, Google maps etc. it is cumbersombe. But once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature and doesn't take long.
At the end I also click through the points in the route list. Double click each point will show where it's at in a zoomed in view, as I tend to sometimes miss the main road and hit something nearby when I drag the shaping points into the list. If the point is not on the desired road, right click it, choose the option Move the point and drag it to where you want it.
Also, the key features in BaseCamp have short cut keys so you dont have to keep hitting the different buttons on the menu bar. When you open the Tools menu, the shortcuts are shown next to the tool, I.e Move shapingpoint: M, Zoom: Z, Insert shaping point: I, and so on.
Again, not intuitive, but after a while you move around with ease.
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