TOURATECH OR RAM MOUNT

[Ethopia]

Hi all,

Doing a trip thro Africa starting in September, deliberating over GPS and mounts, Do not have GPS as of yet, was thinking of 2610/2620 as it will come in useful for car and getting around Europe later.

Was considering handle bar touratech lockable mounts for obvious reasons, but liked the sleek Ram mounted also, any guidance please would be appreciated.

 

[cookie]

got both.

RAM
cheap
smaller
cheap

TT on RAM arm
not cheap
gadget freaks delight
large, obscures a lot more of dash, unless shifted well off to the side. i like it in the middle.
it locks. i would definitely have lost my 2610 when i got robbed earlier in the year if i had been using the RAM (i hadn't left the bike)
MvG anti vibration mount allows gps to float about in a very strange yet appealing way
stylus is handy
as is connector holder
not cheap at all

i rarely use the RAM mount.

 

[Ethopia]

Thx Cookie, Touratech it is then

 

[BTBR]

My two pence worth, having tried both.

Touratech is very well made but friggin' expensive for what it is. When the GPS unit is not in the cradle its bloody eye sore. As for the locking device on it..............well........


RAM mount, quick & easy to use, cheap and allows you to put the GPS unit exactly where you want it.

Actually takes longer to remove the GPS from the RAM mount than it does to remove it from the Tourtech mount.

Therefore the RAM mount gets my vote everytime.

BTBR

 

[Pukmeister]

I wouldn't buy the 2620 if offroading, it uses a microdrive for map storage which may get trashed. Better off with the 2610 and its compact flash storage cards.

 

[cookie]

one thing i forgot to mention. TT mount adversely affects satellite reception & works best with an external ariel that will cost you another twenty quid odd.

it's certainly takes longer to get my 2610 out of the TT mount than the RAM which is just one quick twist and it's off. TT lock is hardly high security but when bastard tried to wrench mine off he couldn't do it.

 

[judge]

TT mount is a work of art from a construction point of view but the way it obscures clocks and affects satellite reception means I haven't bothered with it.

Oh and if it encouraged me to leave it in place when I got off the bike then it really would be a bad idea!

RAM cradle - very simple but one piece moulded plastic doesn't give me the confidence of use when I'm on the rough stuff.

I use Garmin's own cradle which is a good compromise, more robust and a security screw to back up the mounting mechanism.

That and miGSel's mount and a short RAM arm, ball and diamond and I'm in my GPS Nirvana.

Oh and what Puckmeister said - leave that 2620 well alone

 

[judge]

TT lock is hardly high security but when bastard tried to wrench mine off he couldn't do it.

After helping themselves to the Aladdin's cave of a tank bag they had little need to I'd say.

 

[sn1p3r]

Just thought I'd share a quick note on the Microdrives. I read a report written by NASA on IBM microdrives. Microdrives was used as the memory of choice during some space missions and were tested to their limits including massive vibration and shock tests and performed flaulessly.

It wasn't this particular review but an official document which had similar content and had more on vibration during shuttle launch sequences etc. (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0105/01050202nasaibmmicrodrive.asp)

Has anyone actually had one fail due to it being used off road or is this another one of those hear-say scare stories with no fact behind it?

 

[cookie]

After helping themselves to the Aladdin's cave of a tank bag they had little need to I'd say.

it was after failing to get the gps that the cnuts pulled the bag off. f*ckwit didn't know what it was anyway.

2610 on a migsel mount bounces around like a kangeroo on a pogo stick on a bouncy castle. i had one of those too, but not for long

 

[Kropotkin]

Has anyone actually had one fail due to it being used off road or is this another one of those hear-say scare stories with no fact behind it?

A search on Advrider produces the goods:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63639&highlight=2620+problem

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1492667&postcount=14

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1496638&postcount=25

 

[Beemer]

Oh and what Puckmeister said - leave that 2620 well alone

Leave the 26 series alone and get yourself an up to date GPS, buy a Quest

 

[gowenwilliams]

I just bought a Quest and a TT mount for my Dakar, Very impressed with both!! Especially the lockable TT mount which is a real saviour! (well, I do live in Swansea!)

 

[shready]

I use the TT mount with my 2610 and am very happy with it. Well made bit of kit.

Try and put a switch in the power lead though 'cos mine was permanently live and one of the copper contacts corroded when stored on the mount. Something to do with it being live I understand. On my new cable I have put a switch in the cable run and now store the cannector with the plastic cover on it.

As regards signal strength using the TT mount I can honestly say that in my year of using it I have had no problems.