[darrellj1]

Hey all, any recommendations for a cheap, but reliable GPS for an 1800? Which GPS's have people heard about that I should steer clear of?

Thank you, Darrell

 

[Two Wheel Wing]

I have had 2 Garmin Nuvi's that worked well. Bought the first one as a referb. Does everything I need..

 

[joe in calif]

I have a Garmin 765 and it works great. Many different GPS's out there, depends on how much you want it to do. Mine has blue tooth and plays MP3, and says street names. And a bunch of other stuff I don't even use. If you just want it for basic directions you can get a lower end Garmin for between $99 and $150.00 that will do just about everything. You don't need a motorcycle specific GPS. I have had mine on 3 different bikes and had no problems. The non motorcycle specific ones are NOT water proof but when it rains cover it with a baggie or remove it. This is it on my 08

 

[talam]

Hey, from Ontario Darrell
We have and '05 wing with a Zumo 550. When the 550 was new all was great, this year the amount of info that is included in the new maps is too much for the memory of the gps unit. So buy the latest models to get sufficent memory capacity.
The Garmin is reliable and easy to navigate and has voice directions etc.

 

[darrellj1]

Thanks everyone! I think I'll look into a Garmin. I just need something thats basic, that talks and thats cheap.

Best,

 

[Chopin]

Thanks everyone! I think I'll look into a Garmin. I just need something that's basic, that talks and that's cheap.

Best,

I see you got your #.

 

[joe in calif]

Thanks everyone! I think I'll look into a Garmin. I just need something thats basic, that talks and thats cheap.

Best,

I see you got your #.

You might want one that doesn't talk, it might tell you YOU HAVE THE WRONG TIRE ON THE REAR OF YOUR BIKE!!!

Only Kidding!!!!!
And chopin 114, what are you doing up at 3:02 a.m. ?

 

[darrellj1]

Joe, oh no I need the one that talks. After being married to my wife of 18 yrs who regularly tells me where I should drive and how I should drive, I wouldnt know what to do if I didnt have another voice doing the same. I love this woman totally, even if she has her own GPS thing going on...

 

[darrellj1]

Chopin, yep got the number. Next going to get the decal. I love all the stuff that goes with owning a GW. It reminds me of playing sports a little bit or being in a band. I havent warmed up to all the social things that seem to go with it though. I know these are always optional things, but also feel that I should make the effort to do some biker get togethers, join at least 1 club, but find it hard to do those things. My life seems too busy and stressful as it is...

 

[detdrbuzzard]

i was looking at the garmin nuvi 500 and 550, both are waterproof

 

[darrellj1]

Joe, decided to go with your idea of a car GPS, since they are much cheaper and just have a baggie close by to cover it, if necessary. Can get a refirbed Garmin 765T for $110 on ebay. Thanks for the suggestion. I know someone else that mounts theirs on a RAM mount, so might try that too.

Darrell

 

[Chopin]

And chopin 114, what are you doing up at 3:02 a.m. ?

Your clock's off, joe. You California retired people and your sense of time.

 

[cdneh]

I have the Garmin 660 for motorcycles. It is waterproof, has a large screen and I added an extension to get the unit at the right height. The waterproof feature has come in handy several time while riding through rain in unfamiliar areas. Also, I have over 700 songs on it with room for more, which is great for long rides.

 

[Randy Hawes]

a couple years ago I got a Nuvi1490 when I thought I wanted bluetooth and voiced street names. Four months later, I set it on mute. The screen gives me all the info I need. I can plug my phone into the MP3 connector and the radio is not interrupted by what sounds too much like (and talks as much as) my ex. And RAM has a mount that fits perfectly.

Garmin's MC models are considerably more expensive only to gain waterproof. Not worth it to me. You probably have a friend or relative that would let you borrow one for a short trip. Try one out to see if you really want and need all the features. But I would definetly go with a Garmin.

Ride safe.

 

[ThFireman]

My own personal opinion here, GPS companies (Add Name Here) gouge the crap outta their customers just to make a unit waterproof and enlarge some buttons. I mean holy crap, you can buy an upper level car unit for $350.00 that has all the bells and whistles. Then if you want a GPS that has half the funtionality but had Big buttons and is waterproof they get you for $650-$800.00 bucks or even more! BS~! I have the Garmin Nuvi 1350T I paid $135.00 for 2 years ago. I have been in the rain, sun, fog, cold and heat! Never a problem. I do cover it if I can but it has survived several rain storms with not a glitch.

I would love to have a GPS made for biking but I cant justify the cost when I can buy 4 or more auto styles for the same price. Just my 2 Cents worth.

 

[DooKoo's Friend]

I just bought a Garmin Nuvi 2595-LMT for my 2012 ST1300. Got it on sale thru Amazon for $185 shipped with free lifetime maps and Traffic alert. I use the Ram X-Grip mount which holds it perfectly. The screen is nice and large at 5" wide

The ZUMO 550, 660/665 units are over-rated, over-priced and not much better. I have no issues operating the Nuvi with my gloves on and accuracy is dead on. Better than my friend's Zumo 660. We routed to the same location that was 17 miles away. I see him make a turn - I continued on and beat him to the same location by 7 minutes .. not bad for a poor man's GPS

 

[Scooter01]

I have a 1490 LTM from tiger direct, it is very bright so you can see it in the direct sunlight and with sunglasses on. Which for me was important. Also it has the 5" screen. I have two other Garmins, both Nuvi's but they are not nearly as bright a screen as the 1490.

This unit is around 100 bucks refurbished, and 150-160 for anew unit with the lifetime maps.

I think in our group the 1490 is the unit of choice.

tiger direct:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6658195&Sku=G145-0504

everywhere else:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&sugexp=pfwl&cp=28&gs_id=4&xhr=t&q=Garmin+1490LMT+Nuvi+GPS+-+5"&gs_upl=&um=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1584&bih=757&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=452712809445676680&sa=X&ei=3vAdT6mdLMectwe9qsyNCw&ved=0CG4Q8wIwAA

 

[PhoenixRising01]

Originally Posted by darrellj1
Thanks everyone! I think I'll look into a Garmin. I just need something that's basic, that talks and that's cheap.

Sounds like my ex.

 

[Kid61]

Something to Consider

If you have a smartphone--or are about to upgrade your cell phone--consider that most all these smartphones have pretty good GPS apps available cheap. These phones have bigger and bigger displays all the time and you're already carrying the device with you anyway.

The stand-alone GPS device is going the way of the dinosaur--everyone will have it on their phone before long. I bought a Zumo 550 last summer for my bikes--it's nice--but if I'd had my iPhone already I would not have bought the Zumo.

 

[budoka]

I've got an i-phone but I don't use the GPS app on the bike (even though it would be better than the Navi on the bike. The phone is very weather sensitive so I wouldn't take the chance on ruining it, costs alot more to replace an iphone that a cheap GPS