Which GPS system do you use aside from your phone | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Which GPS system do you use aside from your phone

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Already recommended a Zumo 660 as I have one. But Google play and other systems will come to the forefront in cars and one day once a weather proof glove friendly screen becomes optional or standard on touring bikes. Until then I will keep on using a dedicated Bike GPS.
 
The Zumo series is the best in my opinion. Comes with everything you need from wiring to mounts for both car and bike, as well as being waterproof and usable with a glove (no need to mod or add something to a glove). A key feature for me is the offline routing with Basecamp. There is no option for that on cell phones, at least no one has shown me anything that works without an internet connection. Not a big deal for some, but when you are out on a trip somewhere and staying somewhere that does not have internet (yes, these places do exist!), you can still route and plot and plan on your pc/mac. I would hate to try and route out trips on a small device like a phone or gps.

I have a Zumo 660 that has served me well for years, had 550 before that and currently using a BMW Nav V, which is based on the Zumo 660, but updated and has some fantastic bells and whistles that no phone or other GPS has with integration into my bikes computer. I keep my Zumo 660 as a backup now, it has been banged up pretty good, but still works well. When I bought the 660 it was in the $900 range, now you can get them new around $500 I believe, which is a good deal for a great GPS device.
 
Ditto. I was looking at hard wiring my iPhone to the bike but the reality is that the Nuvi is the better setup. I may have to finally upgrade my maps though.

shanekingsley said:
I rock the Garmin Nuvi 550 w/ Ram mount. Perfect for bikes!
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Joe Bass said:
Data charges. *depending on app
Battery drain.
Glare.
Stone will eff up that screen real good.

My personal issue is that phones are more of a "jack of all trades, master of none" deal. If you will be using it enough, then a dedicated GPS may be a worthwhile purchase.
*imho*
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Well...
Avoid Google Maps to reduce data.
Battery drain is a chronic iPhone problem.
I keep my phone in my jacket and use audio for directions. No visual distractions, use Waze and you get real time traffic and safety warning, including police locations, which makes it better than any dedicated GPS.
 
CafeRay said:
Well...
Avoid Google Maps to reduce data.
Battery drain is a chronic iPhone problem.
I keep my phone in my jacket and use audio for directions. No visual distractions, use Waze and you get real time traffic and safety warning, including police locations, which makes it better than any dedicated GPS.
Click to expand...
Isn't Waze reliant on data and when most of us tour in the states is impractical.
 
shanekingsley said:
Yeah i actually just upgraded my maps about a month ago from my old 2010 set. I can't remember what I was able to fit on the unit directly, but it might have been only eastern Canada and eastern US. I'm glad the unit has a slot for the external card. What size card did you use and have you had any problems running the new map off the card?
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I read somewhere (will have to find the link) that you can only use a 4GB micro SD card at most. The device cannot recognize anything beyond that. I've found the 4GB to be more than enough memory anyway.

So far the only problem I had was that I had my 2013 (last set i was able to install directly on the GPS before the new map sets got too big to fit) and 2015 map set enabled at the same time, so it was causing some weirdness. Once I disabled the 2013 map set, everything was good after that.
 
I use Osmand+ on my Samsung Galaxy Note 4. It has offline navigation and track recording/following etc. It does work quite well for an app that only cost me a couple dollars.

I would rather use a dedicated GPS, but my Garmin GPSMap 62s is kinda hard to read. I also dislike that it will automatically restart if the charge cable comes loose, despite there being batteries in it.
 
CafeRay said:
Well...
No visual distractions, use Waze and you get real time traffic and safety warning, including police locations, which makes it better than any dedicated GPS.
Click to expand...

Police locations and speed traps are of no concern to me, I am not racing on the road, I am not exceeding the speed limit to a point where they would pull me over. If you are looking for speed and to avoid, then yes, you would need something like that. To completely rely on something like that is not fool proof either, you are only getting what people report, could be a ton of places no one has reported, so again you never really know... unless I am wrong on how Waze works.

It is great that there are so many options out there though now, something for everyone to fit everyones needs. There is no real right or wrong, it comes down to personal preference and it is a great thing to have so many options out there.
 
How much are you guys spending to update maps? Seems cost prohibitive (I usually search google, which is faster, then input the found address into the Nuvi).

Chaos said:
I read somewhere (will have to find the link) that you can only use a 4GB micro SD card at most. The device cannot recognize anything beyond that. I've found the 4GB to be more than enough memory anyway.

So far the only problem I had was that I had my 2013 (last set i was able to install directly on the GPS before the new map sets got too big to fit) and 2015 map set enabled at the same time, so it was causing some weirdness. Once I disabled the 2013 map set, everything was good after that.
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Hey guys, having trouble posting pics/ links, so sorry, but Costco has the Zumo 660LM on for $449.99 until 8/13/15
 
Chaos said:
I read somewhere (will have to find the link) that you can only use a 4GB micro SD card at most. The device cannot recognize anything beyond that. I've found the 4GB to be more than enough memory anyway.

So far the only problem I had was that I had my 2013 (last set i was able to install directly on the GPS before the new map sets got too big to fit) and 2015 map set enabled at the same time, so it was causing some weirdness. Once I disabled the 2013 map set, everything was good after that.
Click to expand...

I know with my old Nuvi (not Zumo) 350, it won't read map files over 4GB even if there is room for it on the card or in memory. I got around this by splitting the maps, so I have Canada and border states on the GPS, and the rest of the US, Mexico, and Alaska on the SD (along with music, etc). That way if something kills the SD card, I should have the maps I need on the GPS for 99.9999% of the time.
 
Ridin2TheGym said:
Hmm think I've decided on the 660. Thanks. u the man
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That is a great unit and a great price. All of N. America will on the 660, but there is still a micro SD card slot. I had a 32 gig card for all of Euro maps and music (streams via bluetooth to my helmet) and still have 20 gigs or so free.
 
coyo said:
How much are you guys spending to update maps? Seems cost prohibitive (I usually search google, which is faster, then input the found address into the Nuvi).
Click to expand...

I bought the lifetime updates for my unit about 5 years ago. I believe it was $100 at the time.
 
Chaos said:
I bought the lifetime updates for my unit about 5 years ago. I believe it was $100 at the time.
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Via Garmins website it is $89.99 USD for lifetime maps of N. America. A lot of new devices come with Life Time maps. It is a real cash grab when they do not include it on the higher end models like the Zumo. I think all the new stuff now comes with LM. When the first Zumo came out and even the 660, they did not come with lifetime maps, while cheap $100 Garmin car GPS devices did.
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/prod33379.html
 
Ridin2TheGym said:
Hmm think I've decided on the 660. Thanks. u the man
Click to expand...

That is a good price but if you want to do more than use the unit with the bike or car look at the Montana series which you can use for car, bike, hiking, geocaching and on the water too. The thing is waterproof and rugged. It costs more initially but I have lifetime maps on it now and won't need to upgrade anytime soon.
 
jc100 said:
That is a good price but if you want to do more than use the unit with the bike or car look at the Montana series which you can use for car, bike, hiking, geocaching and on the water too. The thing is waterproof and rugged. It costs more initially but I have lifetime maps on it now and won't need to upgrade anytime soon.
Click to expand...

Forgot to add... if you ever feel like going off road on a bike... this is the unit to get.
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