satnav's and phonenav's

[seth]

i dont have a satnav but do use an app on my phone OsmAnd+ (maps diwnloaded to the phone memory ) sometimes to find place in cities or remote campsites things like that
does anyone else and what holder/fixings do you use to hold the phone ect .

seth

[ARH]

Can't be doing with the faff of phone navigation, prefer to have dedicated sat nav.  2 Reasons... data connections can be iffy... usually just as you need it... and I like having a voice in my lug telling me which direction to take.  Bit like the wife really....

Each to their own... I still know folks who only trust bits of paper 

[seth]

The app i use keeps its maps in the phone memory so don't need wifi/4g to use it
i normally just use paper maps but in town or remote places a nav of somekind would be handy

[Celtic32]

I'm pretty sure you can now save areas from Google maps in the same way. Handy if you're going abroad and don't want to get violated with roaming charges. I'm not sure how confident I would be using many of the brackets I've seen to hold my phone in place though. I'm sure they're up to the task I would just have visions of it coming off.

[ARH]

Has to be said... using a satnav like TomTom or Garmin does have a downside.  You end up riding for longer without stopping.  In the 'olden' days I would stop fairly often to consult the map and have a fag, blether with my mates etc.... nowadays I want to maximise the time riding... maybe not such a good thing?

[Kiwifruit]

Use GPS from phone in pocket, bluetooth to intercom. Usually once I get close to destination. That works ok.
Damn thing did take me over 15kms of gravel road once when I used it from home all the way to destination......... 
Good point ARH. A mate took phone to China but didn't use it, and didn't turn it off. Got a $200 bill when he got home because the phone was roaming the whole time.

[VladTepes]

Woman here yesterday was paying so much attention to her satnav rather than looking out the window, she drove straight into the river... 

But back on topic,  dedicated motorcycle GPS units are by far superior BUT they are also hellishly expensive, and most of us already have smart phones.  I have also been looking for a mapping app which meets that essential requirement of downloading maps to the phone rather than relying on an internet connection.

When it comes to safe and secure mounts - the industry leader, for a good reason are RAM mounts.   http://www.rammount.com/activity/motorcycle-mounts

A mate has one mounted direct to the top of the steering stem on his *cough* kwakasucki  but that's not an option for me due to the renthal bars (probably same issue with standard bars anyway). Fortunately there are brackets to fit cross bars as well, so getting a good mount is quite easy.

[froudy]

I use my smartphone with Google Maps linked to my lid via Bluetooth so it talks to me with directions...Works well for me.

[Blubber]

I use my smartphone with Google Maps linked to my lid via Bluetooth so it talks to me with directions...Works well for me.

Same here.

Not on holiday though.. then i rely on 2 mats with their tomtom riders

[ARH]

The one thing I do like about my TT rider is that it gives a little bing bong in my lug when I'm over the speed limit.... that's been damned handy and saved more than a few on the spot fines.... not sure if that sort of functionality is available via a smartphone?

[Bob]

I bought a cheap car Tomtom and mounted it in a waterproof cycle mount, disaster, overheating, maps spinning upside down (usually when you are looking for exits) so have got a Tomtom Rider but not used it yet

[VladTepes]

When it comes to motorcycle Satnavs there are really only two providers in the market which offer quality purpose-designed products - TomTom and Garmin.

Both are good, and offer a few models, each has it's pros and cons as compared with others.

This article offers a good summary of the main 4 units currently available.
http://www.satnavdebate.co.uk/best-motorcycle-sat-nav-brand-name-garmin-tomtom/
and is an interesting read.

Another article http://bestmotorcyclegpsguide.net/

Getting one is definitely on my 'wish list' but the $ are not inconsiderable...

The TT rider is $600ish and the Zumo 595 $1K (395 is $700)

[KiwiCol]

I've got a Garmin 350 (LM) pleased enough with it. The box that came with it (a special deal) had car mount & cables & topo map of Aus & NZ for off the beaten track journeys, as well as set up disc & other bits n bobs.


Had it running in the car this weekend, did a 925k drive & worked distances & times very well.  It has the over speed warning (which is adjustable to whatever tolerance you want) which is a good feature, it's accurate too as to where the speed changes from 100 to whatever (not road works though), within a car length on average.


You can see a pic of it mounted on the bike in my gallery, just one of the sample pic's uploaded during start up testing.

[2Seventy5]

Same combo of smartphone, Google maps and Bluetooth to helmet comms works well for me. If IT feel like it I can have music playing and Google maps interupts with voice directions.

[Celtic32]

I've just downloaded this app:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.calimoto.calimoto

Not had chance to plau around with it yet but I like the idea of it planning routes to avoid the straight and direct route. Plus it's all offline so works with no signal and abroad.

Could potentially end up costing more than its benefits are worth over Google maps with in app purchases but time will tell.

Anyone else had experience with it?