Motorcycle GPS - Information & Online Shop
With a Motorcycle GPS you won't ever have to ask for directions again. A GPS fitted to your motocycle can make the difference between an adventure or disaster.They open up a whole new world for riding motorcycles, adding more fun to the whole experience of outdoor adventure riding. Instead of just simply following a trail or road, as the owner of a GPS you are now planning and plotting your trips on your home computer, downloading your routes to the handheld motorcycle GPS unit, and using your GPS unit to guide you to trails and roads you never would have experienced before.
There are two GPS devices designed for motorcycles – the Garmin Zumo 550 and the TomTom Rider. You can also explore using portable GPS devices on your bike, such as the Garmin Quest 2 and Street Pilot.
The Current Top 4 Motorcycle GPS Units
1. Garmin Zumo 550
The Verdict: Despite some very minor operational issues, the Garmin Zumo 550 is an excellent motorcycle GPS unit. It is far the best GPS unit purpose made for a motorbike that you can buy. This unit has Bluetooth integration.
2. TomTom Rider
The Verdict: With some operational issues, the TomTom Rider is a good performing GPS device specifically designed for a motorcycle. This unit has Bluetooth integration.
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3. Garmin Quest 2
The Verdict: A portable GPS unit not specifically designed for motorcycle use but can be a solid performer if fitted to the motorbike with the correct mount. An added benefit is that it can be used on foot.
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4. Garmin Streetpilot
The Verdict: While not specifically designed for motorcycle use, this portable GPS unit can be a good alternative with the correct mount fitted. Has integrated Bluetooth.
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A Guide to Buying a Motorcycle GPS Unit
Buying a motorcycle GPS system can be one of the best investments you make if you are an avid motorcycle rider. The GPS technology can allow you to find places, locations, and POIs (points of interest: restaurants, hotels, repair shops and gas stations, etc) with much greater ease and convenience than if you tried to rely on the unfolding of paper maps.
The GPS system can save you time and frustration, and that can be very crucial if you are lost or in need of fuel in unfamiliar territory. GPS units can be preprogrammed with maps of certain areas so that POIs, streets, addresses, and turns can be much more easily found.
The Different Types of Motorcycle GPS
There are three basic types of GPS units that can be used by a motorcycle rider:
a) GPS units designed specifically for a motorcycle;
b) portable or hand-held outdoor units; and
c) GPS/PDA hybrids.
Motorcycle Specific Units
Those GPS units that are specially designed for motorcycle riders include features such as anti-vibration-sensitive and weatherproof casing and vibration-resistance mounts, a anti-glare touchscreen designed for use by a gloved hand, and a Bluetooth-enabled voice communicator that reads out directions (turn by turn if you pay for that feature) which can be implanted in the motorcyclist's helmet.
Bluetooth integration also allows two-way communication with other riders and cellphone use via wi-fi.
As a motorcyclist, you should also get a unit that has the longest lasting battery life (probably about six hours) and can be easily recharged at home beforehand and then in a hotel or restaurant on the road.
Look for all of these features in the GPS unit you're buying if you do indeed wish to get one designed just for motorcyclists. You can also consider yet more features if you are willing to pay the price: real-time weather and traffic tracking; on-demand traffic monitoring feeds; even warnings about speed traps and cameras with a GPS Speed Camera Detector!
Portable or hand-held outdoor units / GPS-PDA Hybrids
Hand-held GPS units are designed to go "off road" and can be used in any vehicle, even boats and airplanes. The GPS/PDA hybrid is like either a GPS with a large screen and Microsoft Office installed, or a small "palm top" computer that happens to have GPS software in it--either conceptualization is accurate! These are designed to be highly portable for people who travel a great deal on business...or just geeks.
Many of the more recent GPS units include a WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) capability; this gives them mapping accuracies of three to four meters nearly every time, making them the most accurate GPS systems to date. Some of these units also come with the recently developed SiRF Star III Chip sets, which provide increased accuracy of reading in areas of thick undergrowth and foliage or dense urban areas. You might want to consider looking out for such GPS units, although you need to be prepared to pay the price for them.
Another important thing to research is how easy it is to update your GPS unit. You should pick one that can plug into a computer and receive updates via the Internet.
Conclusion
When choosing a GPS unit for your motorcycling needs, take a careful assessment of your personal riding situation. Where do you usually ride? How far do you usually ride? What are your future riding plans? Do you consistently ride no matter the weather?
Answers to these questions are important unless you have unlimited funds, which most people don't have. You might be tempted to get every advanced feature in a GPS unit--and you may be right, you may need them all. But you always have to weigh the cost of the unit vs. what you really will be using it for. If you're one of the types who will usually just refer to a fold-out map anyway, you might not want more than a basic unit if any at all. On the other hand, if you like to ride 500 miles a day, you could go for a super deluxe unit that comes with every conceivable feature.
One final note: take your fold-out maps with you, too. Just in case. GPS units are still being programmed with ever better digital maps. Sometimes they aren't perfect - but they offer too much to be ignored.