Kawasaki Concours Forum
Mish mash => Open Forum => Topic started by: kzz1king on August 02, 2019, 04:55:50 PM
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After my recent trip to the mountains I discovered a phone is a poor substitute for a GPS.. looking for something cheap ad it most likely will one be on the bike a week a year for trips out west. Not concerned with waterproof
Just good satellite acquisition and usability. Did I mention inexpensive?
Wayne
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The GPS I use is a Garmin Nuvi 270. It's hard to see in sunlight and hard to hear with helmet and earplugs, but it works in the mountains where phones don't even act as phones.
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I also use a Garmin Nuvi.
Ride safe, Ted
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Since it won't be on the bike THAT much a Garmin Nuvi would be the way to go. Get lifetime maps.
If it was going to be more bike-specific, I've been very happy with my TomTom Rider. They are 2 very different animals though.
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Does the Nuvi have audio out? Thanks
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I'm still running an ancient Garmin 2610, and some how I lost my cable that allows me to plug into a computer to "update" stuff... now it's useless, and won't aquire the sat's..
I think I'm going another route now, and picking up the Garmin "remote" plug in Sat antenna, and software, and mount it on the bike, and use an older un used now "tablet", for my screen, inside the clear cover on my tank bag.
That gives me a screen like 4x larger than my GPS... old eyes like that idea...
just have to find a work around to get power to the tablet.... it only has one micro USB, as a data or charging port.. and even tho the Sat antenna has a usb for power, it has a data wire to computer output usb also... hmmmm gotta call Garmin...
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I use a Nuvi but if the sunlight is intense I see nothing !!! Still looking to find the one I can see under sunny conditions.
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The tablet idea sounds interesting
Like the idea of a bigger screen. Finding one I can see in daylight maybe should become a priority!
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Kzz1king, the Nuvi I bought is a Nuvi 2599LMT.
It says; Voice operated navigation allows you to keep your hands on the wheel".
It has Bluetooth technology and I assume will connect directly to my Sena 10R headset.
{I've never used it in this manner}.
I've also had some problem's seeing it in bright light, but found out that flipping up my dark shield and changing the angle slightly solved the problem.
Ride safe, Ted
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Audio out (hard wired, plug in type) has become almost impossible to find on new GPSs from any mfg. I have been looking for a while and they just are not being made anymore, and my Starcom system requires it the way my bike is set up.
If you really want to keep the price down and want something daylight readable, you might look at an older used or refurbished Zumo 550. I am currently using one of those along with a Garmin 665, and the 550 is the only one that works in direct sunlight. It is fairly old and no longer supported by Garmin but they are 'around' via Ebay and third party electronic houses. Again, tough to get maps for and POI but they do work well for motorcycle use, especially because they have real buttons instead of touch screen, which I find tough to use on a moving motorcycle. And the 550 does have audio output in stereo, as well as Bluetooth.
Brian
Does the Nuvi have audio out? Thanks
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This might be just what your looking for. GPS and mount.
http://forum.cog-online.org/c-14-emporium/techmount/ (http://forum.cog-online.org/c-14-emporium/techmount/)
Ride safe, Ted
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I cannot access it. Am not a member .
This might be just what your looking for. GPS and mount.
http://forum.cog-online.org/c-14-emporium/techmount/ (http://forum.cog-online.org/c-14-emporium/techmount/)
Ride safe, Ted
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Kzz; I'm unsure how to assist as he is a Forum subscriber there.
I PM'd him, to try to get a post to you here.
Or you can go there and become a Forum Subscriber?
Ride safe, Ted
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Ah hell...here you go....
Offline Berk
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Techmount
« on: July 17, 2019, 04:41:34 pm »
Quote
I have a Techmount milled aluminum mount in a titanium finish that mounts on to the C14 handle bar base. It is well made and a great looking product. It put my GPS in a perfect viewing position. My new bike has Helibars and it came with a Garmin Zumo with a Ram mount. I think the Techmount looks better and is more solid than the Ram system, but it won't fit on the Heli bars. It comes with a Ram holder for a Garmin Nuvi GPS and an adapter plate so you could switch holders for other accessories. I have the longer bolts the you need if you have risers, otherwise I think you just use your existing bolts. Only takes a few minutes to install and matches the factory aluminum very nicely
New it was $80 for the mount, $15 for the holder and about $20 for the adapter. I'm thinking $50 plus shipping for the whole package. For $75 I'll even include a Garmin Nuvi 285W, it is a blue tooth model that has very limited battery life but works well when plugged in with a 12v mini usb (not included). It isn't a motorcycle specific unit so they are hard to see when it is bright out but a good deal for the price.
If everything goes well there should be a few pics attached.
Thanks,
Al
* IMG_2152.jpg (334.19 kB, 3024x4032 - viewed 56 times.)
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Thanks guys. Sounds like a great deal. SEE what I can do.
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Thanks for the effort gpink and connierider. It is sold but at least you guys got me checking out the other forum. I appreciate the help.
Wayne
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It's a good forum and good people with a lot of information.
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The tablet idea sounds interesting
Like the idea of a bigger screen. Finding one I can see in daylight maybe should become a priority!
I would not recommend this. Lots of vibration, and plenty of hard hits even on our squishy bikes. Plus the Cell chips in tables are even less superior to their cell phone counterparts. They are often 3g, older chips. I would not expect a good quality cell signal in the mountains out of a tablet.
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I would not recommend this. Lots of vibration, and plenty of hard hits even on our squishy bikes. Plus the Cell chips in tables are even less superior to their cell phone counterparts. They are often 3g, older chips. I would not expect a good quality cell signal in the mountains out of a tablet.
I can't comment for certain, but I think a tablet laying flat on my tank bag, is pretty robust construction...we did use it briefly in our truck, for guidance/mapping when it had an active SIMM chip, but when the screen got a crack in it, we retired it to be used at home, wi-fi only.. and when I mentioned it, I also mentioned using a remotely mounted GPS antenna to pull signal.. ( not using a simm card, or phone services for location), but plugged into the tablet to be used as a simple "screen".. I also have a small Laptop computer, ACER model, with a 9" screen, it has a solid state hard drive,multiple USB ports, a 12v lighter plug for aux power, and has been carried for thousands of miles in my side bags without failure.. it's really compact, and I've considered using it strapped to my tank bag also in combo with a GPS antenna, and programs.. Garmin and a few others make them, and they are very low $$
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Very good points, inserted into a tank bag pouch would certainly be pretty safe.
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This gadget was what I was thinking about...
https://www.gpscity.com/dual-xgps160-skypro-gps-receiver (https://www.gpscity.com/dual-xgps160-skypro-gps-receiver)
Link to my old non-phone tablet via BlueTooth.. power both from USB charger on bike...
viola.. big screen GPS ...
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plus it makes everyone think you're using old school paper map in your map pocket.
Brilliant really.
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OLD school?... just Old Eyes my friend... and bifocals on a bike really suck, very dangerous... 8)
I have some really nice "sunglass/safety glasses" with a small Bi-focal spot on the bottom, but man, they make your eyes get very tired after a couple hours.. to much "re-focus" time..
about 12 years ago, I got some "mini" glasses, and tried to wear them on a 3 hour ride, just reading type magnifiers.. worn down on my nose, as I don't need glasses to drive, just read at arms length..
Bright sunny day, and after 2 hours of riding, and the glare off the plastic on my tank bag map holder.. it felt like I was arc welding without goggles.. man, that was painful.. got sunburned eyeballs..
Now, when I use that map holder, I slip a "dark" nylon stocking over the bag, and it cuts the glare, but still allows perfect vision on the maps or scribbled "routing sheets" I have in there.. cheap solution, cost like $0.50 at a Goodwill store, for a pair...
just have to add, while I was searching for the remote, I was talking to wife, about doing this whole switch over.. and when she told me just how much she paid for my Garmin SP2610... I freaked.. she said that package she bought for me, (It had just come out, back around then, '04 iirc, ) cost her $1,000...... wow. times have changed. Oh, she can't read the screen either, and uses her Tablet with connectivity for a navigator in the truck.. the phone is too small for her also..
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fiddy cents at Goodwill?.....Good God man...are you buying used nylons? :o :rotflmao:
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fiddy cents at Goodwill?.....Good God man...are you buying used nylons? :o :rotflmao:
no, they actually had packages of brand new, unopened, ones there.. surprised me... the one by me has a bunch of "new clothes", with tags on them.. I guess when people clean out the closet, they end up there.. not bad, can't complain, I bought 5 pairs of brand new shorts (shorts, not underwear) there, still had the tags on, for like $3 a pair.. size/price tags still on, from Kohles, and a couple other nice stores, showed them as between $30 to $45..each.. shoes go fast tho.. meh, it pays to stop in and look sometimes..
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fiddy cents at Goodwill?.....Good God man...are you buying used nylons? :o :rotflmao:
I'd say it's safer than used condoms....
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I'd say it's safer than used condoms....
what are those?...
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what are those?...
If you ever had a job at a drive in movie theater cleaning up the lot at 3AM you'd know exactly what those are.
Trust me on this, we actually preferred picking up those to the used diapers, especially the used cloth leaky diapers.
The used condoms didn't draw flies, the diapers were covered with them.
Ahh yes the good ole days. ::) :P :-[ :(
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Yeah, sure but they gave you a stick, right? Maybe nose plugs?
;D :o
If you ever had a job at a drive in movie theater cleaning up the lot at 3AM you'd know exactly what those are.
Trust me on this, we actually preferred picking up those to the used diapers, especially the used cloth leaky diapers.
The used condoms didn't draw flies, the diapers were covered with them.
Ahh yes the good ole days. ::) :P :-[ :(
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If you ever had a job at a drive in movie theater cleaning up the lot at 3AM you'd know exactly what those are.
Trust me on this, we actually preferred picking up those to the used diapers, especially the used cloth leaky diapers.
The used condoms didn't draw flies, the diapers were covered with them.
Ahh yes the good ole days. ::) :P :-[ :(
OMG...... TMI marty... :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :pukeface: :yikes: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: