2820 off road mount

Does anyone have any thoughts on mounting the 26/27/28xx series garmin units for off road use?

I have the Garmin mount which is fine for the road but the little tab that locks the unit into place seems a bit flimsy for off road use (as Michael suggested it might be ). I'm worried that that little tab might break off and deposit the GPS on the road at speed
http://shop.garmin.com/accessory.jsp?sku=010-10495-00

The expensive (make that VERY expensive) option is TT's version
http://www.touratech.de/Shop/enter.html?lang=en-us
available with a lock and some fancy anti vibration pads (also nice)

And then there's the RAM option - LOTS cheaper, but will it hold the unit while I am happily bouncing my way through Namibia? Has the advantage of being nicely interchangeable with the regualr mount. The cost factor makes this first choice, but has anyone used one of these for extended trips?
http://www.gpscity.com/item-ram-mount-plastic-streetpilot-26xx-and-27xx-unit-cradle/ramholga9.htm

And the first person who mentions the new zumo and it's mounting system (that was announced 3 days after my new 2820 arrived ) is likely to get told .....

Dale

Dale:

You might be able to use the Garmin mount (the standard one) for off-road riding. I just finished a trip through the Ukraine, which has far, far worse roads than any country in Africa, and my 2820 never came loose. That's more than I can say for the fillings in my teeth...

I think the main things you need to check first are how well the two little tabs engage into the GPSR, and how effectively the small rubber buttons on the forward face of the mount prevent any wiggling or movement of the GPSR when it is fitted in the mount. Naturally, you would want to make sure that the security screw is tightened down when you ride - something that is not really much of a concern on smooth pavement. The real work of retaining the GPSR in the mount is accomplished by the hard plastic pins that engage into the top and bottom of the GPSR casing - the little metal tabs that slide up and down only serve to prevent the GPSR from dis-engaging from the hard plastic tabs, if you know what I mean.

I don't have any experience with off-road riding, so, take my suggestions with quite a bit of caution. I am, however, pretty impressed at how well the mount performed in Ukraine, even when I occasionally bottomed out the suspension in huge potholes.

Michael

Michael,

Thanks for that. Will have a look at the little tabs again to see why the unit wriggles around in the mount.

Took the 2820 for a 1000km trip (about half off road) last week - performed beautifully!! havent got the audio-jack-hum problem sorted out yet, but have written to Garmin and will see what they say.

Interestingly, track log showed 42% full after 1089kms (lots of mountain passes). There does not seem to be a way to setup the logging perameters (frquency, distance, etc) to extend the logging range like with other units - perhaps Garmin will "fix" this with software releases sometime. Also I would have thought they would write the track logs straight to the mem card but I suppose not too many folk want to do a track of > 2500km.

Thanks again for all your help with the info on this unit.

BTW: you been very quiet on the Zumo and it's advertised advantages. Did you get one to play with? I think the idea of a small battery is a good one, and I like the fact that they are going towards SD cards for memory (like the 76Csx has). Also the mount looks like it has a nifty quck release mechanism. Apart from that it looks like a repackaged 2820 to me.

Dale

I've given this a bit of thought myself..

The locking tab is spring steel... I figure a lot tougher than the plastic locking pins, so I'm not too worried about the tab breaking, but maybe the bit where it locks into??? I think that's plastic??....

I wouldn't worry so much if the power connector "locked" into the socket on the GPS, as having it fly free from the mount would only result in the GPS hanging off the end of the connector... Maybe sticking a USB mini connector into the appropriate spot will give a decent connector lock??? The edges of the connector are pretty thin...

Or maybe I can find a place to secure a lanyard??

Another thought was to make a sun shade, that also "grips" the GPS onto the mount with extra force... thinking hook-plates top and bottom that secure at the back, with a shade attached to the top....

If I do anything I'll be sure to post pictures...

Al...

Does anyone know if the lockable motorycle mounts for the streetpilot from Touratach have the standard four bolt mount holes at the bottom of the unit?

As I want to replace the standard garmin mount with something a little sturdier and secure.

I'm worried about someone walking off with the GPS unit (2820) whilst I'm gettting petrol/grabbing a drink etc.

Ad.

Dale said:

BTW: you been very quiet on the Zumo and it's advertised advantages...

Click to expand...

Yeah, I am too much involved with that one to be able to say anything until it actually starts to ship. Sorry about that...

araspitfire said:

The locking tab is spring steel... I figure a lot tougher than the plastic locking pins, so I'm not too worried about the tab breaking, but maybe the bit where it locks into??? I think that's plastic??...

Click to expand...

Hi Al:

My concern is just the opposite. The plastic bits - meaning, the entire Garmin bracket, as well as the case of the GPSR itself - are tough as nails and will never, ever break.

The very first Garmin 2xxx moto mount I got (a pre-production unit, way back about 3 years ago) did not have rubber buttons mounted on it that maintain a constant tension against the back of the GPSR when it is in the mount. I subsequently made up some buttons on my own, and Garmin later incorporated rubber buttons into the production units. Since then, I have never had any worries about the security of the GPSR... and I have ridden over 60,000 km (40,000 miles) with that same, original, prototype 2xxx mount on my moto, holding a variety of 2610, 2650, 27xx, and now the 2820 and Nav III GPSRs.

I think the trick is this, if you plan to do off-road riding: Visually inspect the two metal clips at the top, and make sure that the fit all the way down into the GPSR when the bar across the top is depressed. Having done that, gently wiggle the GPSR in a fore and aft direction and ensure that there is no play (no slop, no backlash) between the GPSR and the mount. The two components should be firmly wedged together. The purpose of the rubber buttons is to ensure that there is no slop.

If the two metal pins securely engage the GPSR, and if there is no slop when the pins are engaged, then I think you can be pretty confident about how well the bracket will hold the GPSR. Keep in mind that all the 'holding' in the up-down, left-right, and tilt forward directions - 5 of the 6 possible axis of movement - is accomplished by the hard plastic bits, which are bulletproof. The two metal pins only restrain the GPSR from moving in the 'tilt forward' direction.

The greatest G-force loads will arise from us hitting bumps, and those will press the GPSR firmly INTO the mount - rather than trying to release it from the mount. If there is no 'rebound' when this happens (because there is no slop in the installation), then I don't think there is anything to worry about. That's been my experience, anyway.

Michael

I've used the RAM mount with my 2610 for the last 3 years and done plenty of road touring and plenty of hardcore off-roading with it and never experienced any problems - I like it a lot.

I especially like the ease at which the GPS detaches and can be put back on so quickly. It's never come loose in all the time i've owned it and i've never had a problem with it. In fact i like it so much I bought another one for my second bike . I've not had any experience of any of the other mounts but am so happy with it I decided to stick with what I know works for me