GPS mount: Anyone see a problem??

[Columbia]

Upon further reflection. You could remove the cable/wires from the cradle as per the youtube video I cited above and wire the GPS from below, i.e. from under the tupperware, going up to the GPS cradle. After plugging everything in down below, you could plug in the two wire looms in the Cradle, reassemble the cradle, and get by with a much smaller hole.
Upon further reflection, I think that's what I should have done.
1. Remove cradle and disassemble as per the video
2. Push(Carefully!) wiring down under the dash through the hole it came up through
3. Route the wire to where you want it to end up, e.g. in my case, in the speaker area (probably need a stiff wire and tape to help feed the GPS wiring and remember to protect the two plugs which you detached from the cradle)
4. Drill a hole in the grille, feed the wire upward
5. Reassemble the cradle and mount in its new location.

Totally confusing? No? Let me try it again! Maybe you could PM me and can exchange phone numbers and talk it through??

 

[UtahPete]

Upon further reflection. You could remove the cable/wires from the cradle as per the youtube video I cited above and wire the GPS from below, i.e. from under the tupperware, going up to the GPS cradle. After plugging everything in down below, you could plug in the two wire looms in the Cradle, reassemble the cradle, and get by with a much smaller hole.
Upon further reflection, I think that's what I should have done.
1. Remove cradle and disassemble as per the video
2. Push(Carefully!) wiring down under the dash through the hole it came up through
3. Route the wire to where you want it to end up, e.g. in my case, in the speaker area (probably need a stiff wire and tape to help feed the GPS wiring and remember to protect the two plugs which you detached from the cradle)
4. Drill a hole in the grille, feed the wire upward
5. Reassemble the cradle and mount in its new location.

Totally confusing? No? Let me try it again! Maybe you could PM me and can exchange phone numbers and talk it through??

I think you explained it well, actually. Thanks a lot!

 

[Columbia]

Well, I've hit a snag with the GPS mounted as shown a few messages back: vibration. The mount attaches to the bike through an expansion nut, AKA a "well nut. (No unhealthy nuts allowed. Gotta be well.) Too flexible for the mount; the rubber allows too much wiggle.
I'm now looking for an expansion nut of some sort that isn't mostly rubber.
Ah well, these are the things that challenge creativity and allow for the formation of such virtues as patience and perseverance.

 

[Snoking1127]

Well, I've hit a snag with the GPS mounted as shown a few messages back: vibration. The mount attaches to the bike through an expansion nut, AKA a "well nut. (No unhealthy nuts allowed. Gotta be well.) Too flexible for the mount; the rubber allows too much wiggle.
I'm now looking for an expansion nut of some sort that isn't mostly rubber.
Ah well, these are the things that challenge creativity and allow for the formation of such virtues as patience and perseverance.

Well I read each post waiting to make mine asking it vibration was going to be an issue? Guess I was right from the get go. You could create a couple secondary supports for the upper RAM Ball.

 

[Bfromla]

Fine tuning:thumbup:

 

[Columbia]

Fine tuning:thumbup:

Yeah, but what key? G? E flat? I'll get it sorted.

 

[Snoking1127]

Yeah, but what key? G? E flat? I'll get it sorted.

Take your pick!

 

[Peter Aawen]

Fine tuning:thumbup:

Yeah, but what key? G? E flat? I'll get it sorted.

Take your pick!

Oh come on!! You can't fool me, there's no picks there!! :lecturef_smilie: Those things is forks! :gaah:









Sorry pps: but I just hadta! :shocked: She >> made me do it!! :dg2:

 

[Columbia]

Peter, you beat me to it! But our ride is made by CanAm, not Yamaha, so there are no forks.

 

[Columbia]

"A pun does not commonly justify a blow in return. But if a blow were given for such cause, and death ensued, the jury would be judges both of the facts and of the pun, and might, if the latter were of an aggravated character, return a verdict of justifiable homicide.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes

 

[Columbia]

I reworked this setup recently. Vibrations are mostly gone. The vibrations that remain aren't sufficient to either irritate or make seeing detail on the GPS difficult.

I picked up a RAM mount, RAM-B-367U, which is designed to attach the ball to a handlebar, replacing the clamp bolts with the bolts RAM provides.

I also picked up a LONG bolt, 10mm, if memory serves. My memory is a part time worker who, when it does show up for work, is quite lazy. That's to say "Don't trust me on the 10mm." I believe it was 3 inches, maybe a bit more. I also found in my washer collection a washer with a hole the size of the bolt diameter and the outside diameter of the washer sufficient to fit into the top of the RAM mount.

The next thing I did was rough up the aluminum collar on the RAM mount. I used a file. You may use whatever you want to get away from smooth. When satisfied, clean what you just roughened. I used acetone. Alcohol of the rubbing variety would probably do well too. Then I mixed up some JB weld, not much. Applied a thin layer to that alu collar, trying to taper it a bit, wider at the top of the collar tapering to nothing at the bottom of collar. Let me emphasize: it don't take much! Let dry 24 hours.

Remove the existing screw and rubber expansion nut.

Tried fitting the alu mount in the hole. Too big. I dremeled the JB Weld, slowly and very gradually, testing frequently for fit. I wanted it to fig snugly, with as much of aluminum shaft in the hole as possible. BUT: keep in mind that too much in the hole means the ball might be too close to the dash to be able to fit the RAM arm.

Look at things for a few minutes. You'll see what's right. "Right" equals what will work best for you.

Eventually I got it sanded to the right fit. Then:

Thread the 10mm bolt down through the washer in the RAM mount and into the expansion nut. Insert into dash hole.

Tighten. I tightened with care, lest I crack the dash hole. Got it quite tight without cracking. "Quite tight" equals a fit that left the GPS jiggling a bit but not excessively nor such that seeing and following the GPS was difficult. Is it rock solid? No. But it's where I can easily see it and it's "small rock" solid, with thanks to Monty Python.

The new mount works a treat. I have a locking RAM bolt holding the arm tight and not easily removed. (The arm is RAM-B-201U-A, which I had in my RAM collection already. You could try a longer arm, but I'd wager vibrations will increase with length)

I've lost bike stuff to thieves in the past. So I remove the Garmin when I leave the bike unattended. There are lockable mounts. Not worth the expense or hassle for me to go that route. I DO have a small, very small, keyed padlock that I can fasten around the Garmin's mount-eject-button which keeps the button from being depressed and the GPS mostly safe. Of course, if someone wants it badly enough, they'll just break the mount to score the GPS.

I'm sure there are ways to improve what I've done. This works well for what I need. Improve away to your heart's content.