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Affordable Motorcycle GPS options - Looking for input

MalcolmReynolds

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Well I have been meaning since last year to put a GPS on the bike. I took one look at the price of the Garmin and Tom Tom motorcycle specific GPS and that halted those plans in my tracks.

I personally perfer a dedicated GPS. My Garmin in my car does a decent job and is frankly just easier to deal with than my phone.

What do you guys think? I saw on ADVrider some MT5001 chinese affordable GPS, but reviews seem to be sparse and some mixed reports on how well they work. So I would love some feedback on affordable GPS solutions for the bike. Thanks.
 
I don’t think there’s a clear winner in this discussion. Dedicated motorcycle GPS are easier to use, glove friendly, weather resistant, etc., but are ridiculously expensive for what they are (IMO).

I’ve used a Garmin Zumo, sold it and used my iPhone, bought an iPad mini and used that, sold that and now I’m back to a Zumo.

As far as iPhone apps, I like Co-Pilot. However it cannot share routes in any easy way, and you can’t plan a route on a laptop and transfer to the app. Glove friendly also matters - even with “iPhone friendly” gloves the iPhone screens are hard to use while riding.

So the cheapest method is a smartphone (if you have one already, or by buying a cheap older one) and an app. But there are drawbacks. A Zumo is much more convenient, but there’s a large premium to pay for that convenience.
 
I've been using my cell and Google Maps. It's working fine. And the price is right.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
I've used a Garmin 52LM. Works well enough except in bright sunlight and it's not waterproof. Used it last year on a long trip. Great for finding gas, food and motels.

A motorcycle specific GPS would be nice, but as mentioned......$$$
 
The way I use nav there isn’t a suitable solution other than a dedicated motorcycle GPS. I have held the cost down by buying used ones from friends or factory refurbished ones that are good as new but one generation old.
 
I would love some feedback on affordable GPS solutions for the bike.
I have a Garmin Zumo 590LM with TPMS and love it. Super fast CPU for recalculating, nice big screen, very robust, a really nice unit.

As Dave posted, check out used or refurbs...I wouldn't bother with a Chinese knockoff or trying to cobble up an automotive unit to work on the bike. I would just use my phone instead and save up some $$ for the real deal.
 
I picked up a used Montana and like it a lot for my uses. To me, the Zumo's have a lot stuff built in that I will never use. They also drop all the minor road detail as soon as you start to zoom out. Those are the roads I want to see.
 
I use a Kyocera Hydro Air model cell phone as GPS.
It's waterproof and costs about $33 at Walmart.

It's loaded with "TomTom GO" software (free). Live traffic costs about $20 a year.
It has no 3G/4G chip in it, so it can't make phone calls, but the WiFi works so I can update the navigation software when I'm connected over WiFi. It carries a full map internally, so navigation works even when I have NO network access.
(GPS always works... at least until the war starts.)

It is "tethered" to my cell phone (Galaxy S4) so that it has internet access while I ride for traffic routing (while 3G/4G signal is available)

For the money, it's an excellent solution.

It's powered by cable connected to a car "power" port mounted inside the Frunk. It charges while I ride, and I can turn the power to both devices ON/OFF with a toggle switch without stopping or disconnecting the wires. (see toggle switches in lower left corner of the photo.)

I use RAM mounts and make my own cradle for it.
The hand made visors keep the sun off both devices so I can see them better.
(see pictures below).

You could also use it to play music at the same time it was handling GPS navigation.
kyocera.jpg
mount1.jpg
 
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I use an old iPhone 5s and primarily use Co-Pilot or Google Maps. I really like Co-Pilot's safety view - easy to read and all the information I need.
I used an old anti-glare monitor film that I found at work and cut to size inside the case. I also made the plastic sunshield but it doesn't really work well for most sun directions.
I use Spotify with downloaded playlists on it as well so my turn by turn directions work well while playing music. I have the audio going through my Sena 20s
Power is fed into the frunk to my switched AC Outlet. It is in a rugged but not waterproof cheap case.

It is all connected to a very sturdy bicycle phone mount (which I got years ago in Winners so I don't know where to get one) which is clamped onto a round bar I mounted to the top of the MadStad brackets. And no, it is not in the way at all... I see right over it all just fine and it is really nice to have the GPS in the general field of view without taking my eyes off the road too much.

aj97EFD.jpg


FYI, that bar is this:
KUNGSFORS Rail - IKEA
You pop the bolts out of one end, cut to length and push them back it. I hammered the end afterwards to re-crimp it as best as I could. A little sanding and flat spray-paint and done.

gE3NaZQ.jpg
 
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Lue42, wow! love how it's mounted high like that.

...and it isn't in the way from a seated position (I am 6'2" fyi). I like having it right near the line-of-sight. I had it attached to the handlebars at first before the rod and didn't like looking down and changing my focus.

Anyone with a MadStad - I highly recommend going by your local ikea and grabbing that cheap rod. I stuck a big bolt in the end with the same thread size, grabbed it with some pliers and the friction-fit bolts came right out. There are actually two of them in there but I only put one back... worked great. It's diameter is a little small... like, 1/2 inch, but it worked for my mount. I believe the hardware that comes with it is stainless as it is still shiny and was meant for kitchen use. You only lose about 1/2" of downward adjustability of the windshield but I don't move mine around much other than tilt anyway.
 
I would love some feedback on affordable GPS solutions for the bike. Thanks.
Your title suggests you are looking for affordable <motorcycle> GPSs am I correct? If so, I don't think there are any ;-)

If you are looking instead for an affordable GPS solution that you can use on the bike there are a bunch of inexpensive solutions. I started with a $100 GPS wrapped in a sandwich bag and zip tied to the handlebars ;-)

One challenge with using some automotive GPSs is getting audio to your headset since many of them don't have audio outputs. Hence a lot of inexpensive solutions revolve around your phone and using bluetooth helmet speakers.
 
I dont know if there is going to be a single clear winner. Well, apart from everyone's own solutions that work for them. I looked forever for something stand-alone, but never found any that were both affordable and useful enough for me. I have settled on using my phone (iPhone X, but iPhone 6S+ before that) with a couple different apps, depending on the trip. I am swapping out the base on the phone mount from the RAM X-Grip to the Perfect Squeeze from Hondo. I am keeping the RAM handlebar mount and arm, just replacing the X-grip part as it kept dialing 911... Along with that, I have a heavy duty case (not Otterbox) to protect the rear of the phone. Since the iPhone X is waterproof enough for motorcycling, I dont have any special waterproof case.

I am testing out a couple apps now to see which I like best.
1. Navigon Cruiser - this is awesome. Downloads the maps for offline use. Not exactly cheap ($50, I think), but one of the better motorcycle GPS apps out there. I use it for discovery and when I am not custom planning the whole route out, and really just want directions from A to B and it has a great system of varying how complex/curvy the route is. It has led me to some awesome spots and routes. I use it in my car as well, just leave the curviness and complexity set to minimum values. This one is my goto and what I fall back on if the other app fails. I used a previous version of Navigon before Cruiser was released.

2. Scenic - The biggest + this one gets is that it will import the routes I create in Furkot directly into the app without a bunch of dancing and conversions. It can be a pay as you go, or a full lifetime unlock for $50. Problem is you have to pay for each state/area you wish to download, and if you want turn by turn audio routing, you have to pay for it as well. I am still testing this one (I was in the beta, so I was given some credits to use) and he has a big update scheduled for some time this summer. I keep holding out this one will be great for one reason alone - Furkot. The dev of Furkot and Scenic (not the same people) are both members and riders on the ADV forums, so they are really gearing their development around motorcycling.

So, that's what I have found to work for me. Is it more or less expensive for the stand-alone? I guess it really depends on how you think about the devices. Personally, even though the phone is more than the GPS, I will always have a phone with me. And now I dont have to worry about trying to pair multiple devices together - Phone to Sena and that is it. I'm not worried about interacting with the screen anyway - I pull over for that - though my gloves do allow me to manipulate the screen.

It's gonna come down to personal preference in which device works best for you.
 
...and it isn't in the way from a seated position (I am 6'2" fyi). I like having it right near the line-of-sight. I had it attached to the handlebars at first before the rod and didn't like looking down and changing my focus.

Anyone with a MadStad - I highly recommend going by your local ikea and grabbing that cheap rod. I stuck a big bolt in the end with the same thread size, grabbed it with some pliers and the friction-fit bolts came right out. There are actually two of them in there but I only put one back... worked great. It's diameter is a little small... like, 1/2 inch, but it worked for my mount. I believe the hardware that comes with it is stainless as it is still shiny and was meant for kitchen use. You only lose about 1/2" of downward adjustability of the windshield but I don't move mine around much other than tilt anyway.

That’s a great use of the space afforded by the Madstad.
 
I use a Kyocera Hydro Air model cell phone as GPS.
It's waterproof and costs about $33 at Walmart.

It's loaded with "TomTom GO" software (free). Live traffic costs about $20 a year.
It has no 3G/4G chip in it, so it can't make phone calls, but the WiFi works so I can update the navigation software when I'm connected over WiFi. It carries a full map internally, so navigation works even when I have NO network access.
(GPS always works... at least until the war starts.)

It is "tethered" to my cell phone (Galaxy S4) so that it has internet access while I ride for traffic routing (while 3G/4G signal is available)

For the money, it's an excellent solution.

It's powered by cable connected to a car "power" port mounted inside the Frunk. It charges while I ride, and I can turn the power to both devices ON/OFF with a toggle switch without stopping or disconnecting the wires. (see toggle switches in lower left corner of the photo.)

I use RAM mounts and make my own cradle for it.
The hand made visors keep the sun off both devices so I can see them better.
(see pictures below).

You could also use it to play music at the same time it was handling GPS navigation.
View attachment 36030
View attachment 36031

Thanks for the suggestion on the low cost water resistant cell phone. I see Walmart is out of stock on these phones, but that may make a usable work around solution that I can leave mounted on the bike. Thanks for mentioning it. I like your visors over the dash, phone, and navigator. I don't know why more companies don't make these for motorcyclists. Seems like a no brainer product to sell.
 
Thanks for the tip on Navigon Cruiser. I also discovered another app, Kurviger. Both are dedicated motorcycle routing apps with some interesting features. I'll be checking them out next week.
Kurviger can generate a round trip route with simple inputs: general direction, length, "curviness." Then you can make adjustments.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the suggestion on the low cost water resistant cell phone. I see Walmart is out of stock on these phones, but that may make a usable work around solution that I can leave mounted on the bike. Thanks for mentioning it. I like your visors over the dash, phone, and navigator. I don't know why more companies don't make these for motorcyclists. Seems like a no brainer product to sell.

Well.. you don't have to use that particular Kyocera. Any older cell phone that's cheap enough would work.
for $45 (used), you could also use [h=1]Kyocera Hydro Elite[/h]
Doesn't even have to be waterproof ....
ANY out of date, cheap, touch screen cell phone would work. (that can run tomtom GO)

The visor started out as cardboard!
Version two is made from a black plastic report cover ($5 Walmart).
 
Thanks for the tip on Navigon Cruiser. I also discovered another app, Kurviger. Both are dedicated motorcycle routing apps with some interesting features. I'll be checking them out next week.
Kurviger can generate a round trip route with simple inputs: general direction, length, "curviness." Then you can make adjustments.

This sounds really fun! 'going to go and look for it now....
 
Thanks for the tip on Navigon Cruiser. I also discovered another app, Kurviger. Both are dedicated motorcycle routing apps with some interesting features. I'll be checking them out next week.
Kurviger can generate a round trip route with simple inputs: general direction, length, "curviness." Then you can make adjustments.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Kurviger looks good. The 'round trip' option is a great idea. I just tried it to see what options came up, and it looks a good one. Thanks for mentioning it.
 
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