Sat Nav Anyone got one on bike

[BigJim]

Was wondering if anyone has successfully fitted a sat nav to their bike. I imagine the vibration would prove terminal. Would be great to have an accurate speedo and odometer though. Also to find some tricksy rally sites.
Thanks for any responses.

[metalflake11]

Had one on mine for years now Jim. I just buy cheap ones from on-line auctions and put a plastic bag over them when it rains.

Wouldn't be without one now, setting them on shortest route will take you over some wonderful quiet B roads. In the Lakes mine took me over a gated road, I didn't see a living soul for over 20 minutes while I rode between the Honnister Pass and the Whinlatter Pass.

You can get them for less than £20, certainly cheap enough to try?

[Minto]

I’ve got a truck specific sat nav for work, and a load of fitting kit for a gopro type camera, I might try combining the two for the bike.

[Butch (cb)]

Been using a Tom Tom rider for years. That plugs into a hot shoe on all my 12V bolts but has good battery life for the others anyway. Over time the vibration wore the hot shoe to the point that the contacts were getting iffy (it gets used on a rigid mount Sporty amongst others). Bodged it with araldite for a while but now running on a pattern hot shoe.

It will blue tooth instructions into your headset if you have one. I soon gave up with that, you just have to keep glancing at it to keep on top of upcoming turns. I like knowing what speed limits I'm in at all times, also it is good for showing these old eyes what way the road is curving next when in unknown territory after dark.

[Sav]

Certainly possible if you read my posts on GPS Review Forums. I've been run leader in my group for years on my A10SR and my girder fork Empire Star. Various satnavs have functioned to varying degrees of success but none have failed.

You need a stable and bold font info display available on the unit as you head is not close to the screen and it must be sunlight readable which will also limit your choice.

I am limited by 6v supply and a dislike of leads hanging around the bike so long battery life is essential to me.

I've tried a 'rugged' smart phone and did not like it.

Weapon of choice at present is a Garmin Montana 680T, running on the best Eneloop rechargeables lasts a good six hours, though I think the older 650 had a slightly better display. Garmin 276CX is newer and looks brilliant but performance on mine was cr@p and I sent it back.

The next problem you'll hit is maps. garmin citynav maps are fine but little detail.

I use free OSM maps but most will route you down footpaths and over styles occasionally, http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ are my favourites here. They have far more detail than citynav maps but you have to get used to the foibles of the routing choices even on shortest, point to point car is best, pretty ride motorcycle is best.

I think that a satnav is an essential part of my enjoyment as do my group for quiet country lane riding because the
satnav takes you down lanes that you do not know and thus would not choose them!

[Greybeard]

I was using our Garmin unit from the car. I bought a mount/waterproof case for the handlebars. My bike is 6v so I run the Satnav from a rechargeable power bank. The USB socket on the Garmin got damaged as it is in the middle of back of the unit. Didn't like having the lead make a 90° bend in the case.

I then bought a cheap Satnav <£30 from Ebay. I now put the Satnav and power bank in my pocket and just have the instructions from earbuds. [Must research Bluetooth earbuds]. This unit has done a couple of years but has just packed up. Our Garmin, with lifetime map updates cost £180 about eight years ago. I'm expecting this 40 quid replacement today:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183096498628

[mikeb]

i've got a cheap chinese 5" gps called a fod sport. much cheaper than a brand name gps. its waterproof and has a sun screen. i added a small 12v to 6v regulator to be back of the mount  so i can use it on my 6v or 12v bikes to run, charge and auto power off. so it doesn't rely on its own battery. it can clip off its mount (no wires to unplug) so it doesn't stay on the bike. i made up various brackets on clamps on the bars for my bikes and swap it over with one cap head screw. i wasted a lot of time on this.

it works ok. gps is good enough with free maps but the 5" screen a bit small for my failing eyes. its hard to get a proper waterproof m/c gps thats bigger than 5". i've thought about a 7" waterproof 'rugged' tablet but am too cheap. also on sunny days its not really bright enough - gotta shade it with your left hand t read it. but its definitely better than nothing and doesn't shake around on the BSAs. worthwhile.

[beezermacc]

Yes, been using a TomTom Rider for years. My original unit, which I bought nearly ten years ago, has become obsolete as TomTom have stopped updating it; this was a Rider V2. I used a car satnav many years ago but the vibration bust it. There is an issue with some TomToms where the time clock and time v distance calculator don't work. Mine, which is a Rider 5, is affected by this issue but it doesn't affect any other aspect so be aware if you buy second hand. Would never travel without it.