Finding the right GPS...

[ButterSmooth]

I use and understand the benefits of using a GPS. I don't like being distracted on a ride, and preferring "the music of the road", I don't even listen to music while riding. To me, a bar mounted GPS would be a huge distraction. While a flip up/down mount would be ideal, my alternate plan is to keep it in the frunk, since I don't need to refer to it often, and when I do, I'm usually prepared to stop. Freeway interchanges are a challenge, but I almost never ride in urban areas (2 1/2 hours to nearest freeway) and while GPS is a great help in those circumstances, I don't have enough brain cells left to multi-task without increasing risk. The GPS will fill four needs: "Is that my road?", "Where does that road go?", "Where can I get fuel?", and rarely "which lane do I need to be in?".

My priorities then are:
1. Great maps, clear gravel road distinction
2. Ease and control while entering routes
3. Easy to see (cell phone screen is too small)
4. Flip up/down mount would be ideal (flipped up it is ok to obscure instruments)

Any ideas which GPS units I should be looking at?

 

[JayBros]

From my PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE ONLY over the past six years using my Garmin 590LM on my 2014 RT-S with Tri-Axis handlebar mount and Robert Becker Kradellock:
1. The GPS is a distraction ONLY if you let it be one.
2. You can set the GPS keyboard to QWERTY mode and entering routes is just like using a computer keyboard.
3. The Garmin 590/595 series has an excellent, easy to see screen that can be easily adjusted depending on the direction of sun. Yes, they can be pricey but mine has proven its reliability in frog strangling rain storms and low visability.
4. You can easily flip the screen down so it is not a distraction.
5. IMO, keeping the GPS in the frunk would be a PITA; e.g., if you decided to change a route in mid-ride you must stop and retrieve the device from the frunk to make change(s) to the device.

Caveat: IMO, because I am very hard of hearing, am going deaf, and because I wear ear plugs to protect what hearing I have left I use a Sena 20S EVO headset as opposed to having the GPS bark out turn by turn directions over the Spyder's speakers. I also intensely dislike noise pollution coming from cage, truck or motorcycle speaker systems.

I know nothing about the new Zumo XT.

Learning Garmin BaseCamp to create routes that you can download to a GPS is another whole story but once you learn it it is quite powerful route creation software. There are numerous help resources on the web including the superior Garmin support technicians.

 

[ButterSmooth]

...pricey but mine has proven its reliability in frog strangling rain storms and low visability...

HA! I experienced a 'Frog Strangler' while at New River MCAS. Quite the experience!

4. You can easily flip the screen down so it is not a distraction.

So, finding the right mount may be more of the issue.

Thanks! I appreciate the response.

And the Army ADA byline: "Shoot 'em all down. They're easier to sort on the ground!"

 

[Bfromla]

1. The GPS is a distraction ONLY if you let it be one.

:clap::2thumbs::agree:
Old Zumo 660 here & usually blocked by chin guard on helmet just listen for audio alerts opcorn: & before got the SENA headset would pipe through radio. Handy digital map if needed,
(Any & all not always accurate however)have also done phone GPS in frunk as well, again piped to radio was able to find & zoom location in easier on phone than the address that was going off in sticks:sour::yikes: also quite enjoy the save locations features for return trips hyea::bbq:
Use them don’t “depend“ on them. Many various ones & mounts available. Operating software & parameters to play with see what you like. Might find a combination of units/apps.

 

[RayBJ]

Ditto on the 590/595 Zumo with no info on the XT.
Lamonster has a machined gps mount for whatever you choose.
Having GPS 'at hand' is very nice when you want to bypass delays or just want a fun route to grandma's house. It does it's work whether you're paying attention or not and now & then, you glance down for direction. You will never be lost, just tell it to go home. and follow the yellowbrick road. You can turn it off when you don't need it.

 

[Warfels]

Zuno XT has better capability but for me they are still working out some BT connect to phone problems and their Garmin Drive. once they get them solved you should be able to listen to anything from your phone and also get weather and next RAD radar for rain via Garmin drive. I had next Rad on my wing with zumo 665 (with XM). When the BT issue is solved I'll have XM via phone for free since I have xm in my car. I mounted my zuno XT on the right handle bar at eye level. Easy to read and work with left hand. Yes if you stare at the GPS it is a distraction, but you can since see everything on the 2020 RTL. They only thing on the right side is speed control and kill switch

 

[jaherbst]

Garmin Zumo 665 hear with XM radio. Always listen to XM radio which plays through the Spyder entertainment harness or Sena Helmet bluetooth. GPS comes in very handy especially when in large unfamiliar cities.

Jack

 

[Steve W.]

The "right" GPS will depend heavily on how you will use it.

I use my GPS (Garmin Nuvi 1450) all the time. Most of the time, it's just sitting there recording where I have been. Using that feature, I can upload my tracks every week and sort them into "work" miles and "personal" miles for reimbursement purposes. Of course, I have many waypoints entered, if I need a route to a favorite place. I also use Garmin's Map Source (yeah, I know it's old and not supported, but so am I) to plan routes for upcoming trips.

My Nuvi 1450 does not have Bluetooth, neither does it have an audio output jack, so its only audio is through a (small-ish) speaker on its back. Not exactly something that you can hear on a motorcycle, but I look at it often enough to see when my next turn is coming up. It's not waterproof like the Zumo series, so we carry a Zip-Loc bag that fits over the GPS. It works well, and still responds to finger inputs.

We are old school enough and have enough resources invested in old-technology devices, it's not worth updating at this point. We don't use our phones for navigation. We don't have our phones connected to our helmets. We don't use Bluetooth for ANYTHING in ANY of our vehicles. For entertainment and communication, we have J&M CB radios on the motorcycles. There is an AUX IN port that plugs into the XM radio receiver. The output of the J&M travels via wires to the helmets. Basic. Simple. No BRP (non-)Connect. :thumbup: Her Spyder does not have the entertainment package on it, so only FM radio comes through the speakers, which we basically don't use at all.

As far as "distraction" is concerned, it's only as distracting as you make it. There might be a short period where you will be looking at it rather often, but after a while, it is no more distracting than the speedometer.

.

 

[Flamewinger]

It's kinda why BRP decided on the smartphone and the GPS apps that show up in the dash. You can have the music showing but still hear the GPS. You can have the tach showing and still hear the GPS. You can manipulate the GPS to find a gas station very easily and not have to look away from the road, just glance down at the screen.

 

[WilcoJunoHotel]

FWIW, I use the Value Accessories ramball mount ($20) that replaces one of the top handlebar clamp screws on my '20 RT. Along with the short ramball extension (2-1/2"?), there is a great deal of 3 axis adjustment room. I have the top of the Nav sitting just below the bottom of the dash in my line of sight so it really doesn't require much more eye travel downward from the road than looking at the dash. Even with the voice turn by turn into my Sena headset, I still check the Nav to my next turn and then check it as I am about to turn.

Using a standard Zumo 660 motorcycle cradle mount w/wiring harness. I alternate between a Zumo 660 and a BMW Nav VI (sort of equivalent to the XT) in this cradle.

The only negative to where I have it mounted is that the navs vibrate quite a bit at idle - I may wind up doing something about that later.

EDIT: I gave up on the BRP Connect and since my phone wouldn't pair with the bike I wound up pairing my phone to my nav. Someone here (Flamewinger?) gave me tip on how to pair 2 devices to my Sena so I have the radio on the bike paired to channel 1 on my sena and the Nav is paired to channel 2 on the sena. I can make and receive phone calls this way (from the nav). The music is muted automatically when the nav issues a voice instruction. So far everything is working fine. Since I am using 2 different navs, the sena will remember both of them (once they are paired) and will automatically pair up (can only use one at a time though).

It seems a bit complex but it really isn't. I spent a lot less time with this setup than I did trying to get the BRP Connect to work.

 

[Lamonster]

We stock and sell the Zumo XT and it is by far the best GPS we've used. We have a few mounting options too.
http://www.lamonstergarage.com/search.php?search_query=zumo&section=product

This is how you can Bluetooth the XT to your 2018 on up dash

This is a really cool feature I use all the time now when traveling. It's great for finding new places to ride to

 

[ButterSmooth]

We stock and sell the Zumo XT and it is by far the best GPS we've used. We have a few mounting options too.
http://www.lamonstergarage.com/search.php?search_query=zumo§ion=product

This is how you can Bluetooth the XT to your 2018 on up dash

This is a really cool feature I use all the time now when traveling. It's great for finding new places to ride to

Thanks Lamont. We talked about mounts about two weeks ago, and you sent me an XT and the new mount. I've been using it the last few rides. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Lamonster]

Thanks Lamont. We talked about mounts about two weeks ago, and you sent me an XT and the new mount. I've been using it the last few rides. Thanks again for your help.

Hard to tell by your handle Hope you like it as much as I do. Take care :doorag: