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Gps

3K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  Ilya 
#1 ·
I researched GPS units for motorcycles and was somewhat discouraged by the high cost needed to get the screen size and features I wanted. I started looking into car GPS units and the feasibility of using one on a motorcycle. You can. I have been using a Garmin DriveSmart LMT50 for over six months. I love it and do not leave home without it guiding my way.

I do want to clarify that I am a fair weather rider. If I can avoid rain, snow, tornadoes, etc., I do! Despite my best efforts, I have gotten caught in the rain with the GPS. If it was more than a mist, I placed the GPS in my tank bag which has a clear top and kept on riding.

Okay, with that said, here are the parts I used:

(1) Kawasaki DC Power Outlet
(2) Scosche USBC242M USB Car Charger
(3) GPS Unit: Garmin DriveSmart 50LMT
(4) ScreenPatronus: Garmin DriveSmart 50LMT GPS Anti Glare Screen Protector
(5) RAM Zinc Coated U-Bolt Mounting Base with 1 inch Ball
(6) Ram Mount Composite Short Double Socket Arm for 1-Inch Ball Bases
(7) 1" Ram Mount to Garmin 25mm-17mm double ball for Garmin nuvi GPS Cradle ASP25MM17

I already had the DC power outlet installed. I chose the Scosche adapter (item 2) because I have used them in the past, plus I liked having two USB ports.

I went with the Garmin DriveSmart LMT50 (item 3). The GPS has a glass face and I thought there might have too much glare so I bought an anti-glare (item 4) and put it on straight out of the box. Maybe there would not have been much glare, I do not know, guess I should have tried first, oh well. The GPS does have a larger DC power adapter that is required for the traffic alert to function, but I rarely need that, so I just use the regular USB cable.

Going with the RAM Mount (item 5 & 6) was a perfect choice in my opinion. This allowed me to place the mount on my handle bar in the manner I desired with minimal interference. The circular Garmin GPS mounting connector that goes on the back of the GPS has a hole for a smaller ball (17mm) than the 1" (25mm) ball the RAM Mount uses. I purchased the double ball (item 7) from eBay and it was a perfect fit.

So how does it work? Great! The only time the GPS gets a bit hard reading the small map details is when the sun is high and not a cloud in the sky. That is where the RAM Mount comes in handy. I can easily swivel the GPS up/down/left/right to find a good viewing angle. Even in glare, the street I am on, turn directions, upcoming street and speed limit information are still very readable. Any other time, morning, evening and night, everything is clearly readable.

I took three pictures to show how it looks, but will reply to post those pics, guess I went over the limit.

The touch screen does work with gloves but not all. I took a pair into the store in order to test before I bought. Leather or heavy gloves did not work for me, but I have a stylus handy for those times I am too lazy to remove my gloves. There are so many glove options, you'd have to test for yourself.

Sorry for rambling on, but figured I would share my set up in case others were considering a GPS. If you have any questions, post a reply and I will do my best to answer.

Keep in mind, to each their own. This set up works perfectly for me and may not suit your needs. Peace!
 

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#2 ·
GPS Pictures

Here are the three pics promised...

All were taken on the same day, first one around 2:00pm, the other two about 30 minutes later when the sun came out. GPS1 was taken with the sun hiding. GPS2 was taken with the sun at my back and GPS3 was taken at the same time, I just tilted the GPS down a bit.
 

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#4 ·
I considered using my phone, but did not feel comfortable doing so for a variety of reasons. Theft. I have forgotten my GPS on the bike. I can survive without a GPS, my phone, I would rather not try. Especially if I am venturing relatively far from home. Damage. Same logic. Built-in GPS features. I am sure I could replicate most features with my phone, but I like the way the GPS gives me all the information I want.

One other reason was that some of the trips we have gone on and ended up in unfamiliar areas, at times way out in the boonies, some riders lost signal on their phone GPS, but the Garmin never did. Those guys thanked me. Of course if a riders phone never loses a signal, that is not an issue.

Again, to each his own...
 
#7 ·
I went down the road of mounting the phone on the bike but quickly discovered the risk of looking down all the time, taking eyes off the road. Taking it in/out of the waterproof holder all the time was a pain in the butt too.

I found it so much easier to connect to the helmet headset via blue tooth and listen to directions if I needed to and simply keep my phone in my jacket pocket.
 
#8 ·
I've been using a regular Garmin for years (and many thousands of miles) mounted on my handlebars and waayyy prefer it over using my phone. There is a video on youtube, , that shows how the poster "rainproofed" his Garmins. I did the same to mine and have ridden in wet weather, fog and mist with absolutely no problems. I don't know if I would drown it with a garden hose like he does, but it's never let me down.
 
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