Wondering what sort of GPS people prefer here.
Currently I have an iPhone with TomTom app that speaks instructions to the helmet intercom but I’ve been wondering about putting a GPS on the bike.
Seems that Garmin or TomTom are the best options.
Also thought about putting the iPhone in a handlebar mount but I guess that is pretty fragile if the bike goes down.
I have a Cardo Sho1 helmet intercom.
I have a Sony Xperia Z with the Tom Tom installed which like yours talks to my Helmet intercom. I have a Camera Mount on the Petrol tank and a Cheap Mount off ebay. It is fantastic it holds really well and on a small off at Xmas it stayed attached even though the Footpeg and clutch lever didn’t!!!
Cheers Sam- I guess it is a cheap way to try it out and maybe upgrade to a Garmin or TomTom if it doesn’t work for me.
Do you power the phone at all?
One downside of using the phone is the battery goes flat pretty quickly with GPS.
Also, can’t use it with gloves, right?
I have a USB power point in my “Boot” i’ve not used it on a long enough journey to kill my battery yet, but if i did i could always give it a boost in there and just have the voice in my ears for some of the journey.
My winter gloves don’t work with it but my RST Tracktech Evo Gloves work it, I was thinking about buying a set of those gloves that you can control Smart phones with whilst wearing them and cut the finger tip off and sew it onto the tip of my Winter Gloves to eleviate that problem.
I have a twisty iPhone mount is abit pricey
But is solid and uses ram mounts so you can Taylor you mounts to suit your bike
Most if the time though I use a cheapo garmin pratnav I cut up a car mining and fixed it inside the fairing
I use the ultimate addons tough case with yoke mount and charging system. Yes it’s £70 but it works brilliantly, is secure, waterproof and I can use my winter gloves to navigate my phone.
I understand your concerns about phone safety during an accident but the way I see it if you have a serious off, chances are an unprotected phone in a pocket is likely to be fairly susceptible to damage anyways.
‘Waze’ is a brilliant GPS app by the way. User based traffic updates which are far move reliable than google maps plus it will do backstreets for you to avoid traffic. You can even send your location to friends so they can track you on your route.
I’ve been up to my local maison de la moto and bought the Twisty Ride case for the iPhone.
Let’s see how I get on with that for a bit.
I’ve had a Zumo 550, 660 and now I have the 590LM. They are really excellent devices and work completely independently of a phone network, the 550 and 660 play MP3s, the 590LM can be paired with an iPhone or ipod via Bluetooth and play almost anything that is stored on it. They are also optimised for using with gloves on and can be used in the car. I think they are great to use on a motorcycle or in the car, however, they cost a lot more than finding a way to utilise your smart phone.
Ok, so I CAN use the iPhone through my Dainese Carbon Cover gloves.
I need to press a bit harder- but that is conductivity required is just enough when through the gloves and the plastic case film.
This might be enough for me- I probably need to power it for longer rides though- the GPS apps seem to chew through the battery.
Cheers for the recommendation of Waze, Jarrod.
Looks cool- any idea of battery use?
Is it better than Tom Tom?
cheapo waterproof sat nav holder + 12V socket + Tomtom one + old software were my choice
Yes you couldn’t hear the instructions but it wasn’t a huge issue. If I couldn’t look, the next turn is always fine 
No problem.
I reckon it’s six to one half a dozen to the other with regard to battery life. At least as far as phone apps are concerned. Satnavs obviously have much better battery life. There’s loads of super cheap USB charging harnesses on eBay though. I reckon that’s your best bet. Take the battery usage problem usage out of the equation.
Nice one, cheers.
Yes I want to find a harness that does ‘auto off’.
I don’t fancy walking back to the bike after I’ve forgotten to turn off the harness to find I have a flat battery.
I’m a phone navigation convert. My phone is off at the moment, and I had to use tom tom today. Doesn’t respond nearly as fast as my phone when I take a wrong turn, takes about a month to ‘connect to satellites’, nice display but that’s about the only bonus. Also my phone recognizes what I’m trying to look for and suggests sensibly what I might mean. Also recognizes most company names.
Phone is much slicker imo.
+1
TomTom One running v7 software connected via a 5v regulator pack, re-fabricated stainless tea bag tongs have replaced the 22mm plumbing fitting to form the handlebar mount.
Not as elegant as some may prefer but at less than £50 for the whole set up it’s almost as cheap as chips. It’s not Kelloggs but it does get me exactly where I want to go via the exact way I want to get there.
If you are in an area with poor network coverage, or running out of data allowance then having Navfree on your phone is a good backup.
It stores the maps on the phone so only needs gps to work, not perfect but pretty good.
