Tomtom rider as a learner

Haha! I am rubbish, I will look at a route on my phone, over and over again and without fail, at some point, I’ll make a wrong turn, it’s just nerves I think, I’ll get more confident navigating on a motorbike eventually ha.

Lovely setup, I’m thinking I will wait until I get a bigger bike and setup a GPS then.

If you want a sat nav you should get one. Many old Skool bikers frown upon them but you do what makes you comfortable. As a female rider, I do not relish the idea of being lost, especially if by myself. I’m currently getting by using my Iphone in my pocket but will pick up a sat nav soon. As for carrying a map with you…really, who does that these days unless you have spare storage space on a bike.

No need to wait, unless you’re getting a big bike real soon, it’s all transferable. Wire it in via a 12v socket and leave that on the bike when you sell/trade, could be a deal clincher :wink:

I was considering the same option a few weeks ago, but some old school rider from LB recomended me to get used to maps, plan the journey ahead, write down turns on paper and when possible get yourself a tank bag with a view throught pocket. So far I followed the advice and I´ve managed a nice 290 miles round trip to the south of England without a problem. It teaches you to pay attention to signs, landmarks etc, and technology can always fail, navigation is a good skill to learn… As for getting lost, well, I prefer to call it exploring :cool:.

This being said, if you can´t be bothered to get lost around London and you want to get to places in time, I believe a smartphone mount for the bike it´s a good idea, sometimes the pressure of being late can be worst than the distraction of a little screen, just remember that google maps or similar apps will drain your battery quick. I sometimes use the trick of connecting google maps and listen to instructions with my earphones while in London, and it works very well.

A paper map won’t help if you’re already lost or struggling to find street names and will involve you attempting to stop in the flow of impatient traffic. Whatever you choose, make sure that it doesn’t distract you and that you can quickly refer to it without taking your eyes off the road ie not a satnav in a pocket. Accidents happen when you’re uncertain of your own intentions, which is also obvious to other road users who will try and get past an indecisive rider, making the situation that more dangerous. The great thing with modern powerful satnavs is they can quickly deal with you taking a wrong direction, so instead of faffing at a junction, just pick a direction and carry on.

Personally I use Copilot on my phone and rely on the voice instructions via a bluetooth headset to get around London, and save the paper maps for longer routing.

It’s all about personal preference. If she wanted the map and tank bag option she probably wouldn’t be asking about sat nav! I have personally managed to complete many journeys in various countries with and without sat nav. However, as a learner rider, getting lost can be far more stressful and as a female it’s different too.

smartphone with tom-tom, usb charger on the bike, quad lock to hold it on - picks and info on this thread

http://londonbikers.com/forums/1071271/sat-nav–loan#bm1071730

works perfectly well in the city so ignore advice above to the contrary. Been riding years, know london well (used to average 5+ journeys per day), still don’t always know the best route or one ways in certain areas.

Its also good to have a heads up that you’re riding into a world of pain traffic wise and want to avoid it. Not to mention speed camera warnings, trying to find petrol stations when you’ve ended up on fumes etc.

I keep a sat-nav holder on the bike and my car Garmin Nuvi in my pocket. I love going out for a random ride and “getting lost” - it’s a good for getting to know my way around and I can feel very pleased with myself when I figure it out. But sometimes I do need to stop, fit the sat-nav and enjoy being guided home without having to try and read every signpost.

I’ve got a Tomtom Rider v5 and its a marvellous bit of kit… Its nice to know where your going; learner or experienced.