gps units, which one?

[dan filipi]

I have a Garmin nuvi and love it but they charge way too much for map updates so I'm looking for another one.
Do all the GPS makers charge for updates?

Which one do you have and what do you like or dislike about it?

 

[mcgovern61]

I use the old fashioned GPS.....paper maps and road Atlas! :cheeky: (Never got a bad set of directions yet! :smilie_happy: )

Sorry....I know. :wave:

 

[slabghost]

I go with Gerry on this one. If I need gps to find my way I'll just stay home.

 

[digr]

I have a Garmin 550 and love it! I purchased the "life time map update" for it for $125, now I see its going for less. Rain or shine it has served me well.

 

[bk2valve]

Hi guys,
I can't add much to this but am watching the thread to find out stuff....
Like Gerry, I am usually quite happy with maps and atlases, guide books, etc.

I am planning on a nice long Mexico trip and have decided it would be handy to have a GPS unit for the occasional use while there.

I bristle at the cost of motorcycle specific units. I have friends who have various other units, none costing more than $200 and they seem quite adequate for my needs...

So let's see what you guys have to say about your GPS's....

Brian

 

[digr]

I guess I won't leave home without one, one year a man from Cal. planed our trip threw Idaho,Utah,Nevada and California for us using mapquest. He had us on some great roads that we would never had found on our own. One can sit in front of your computer and plan a entire trip, if you want to know what the road is like Mapqwest will show your route on Google earth and you can fly down and take a look around and look anywhere along the route. Last year we took a trip to D.C. and from Duluth Minnesota to the capital we maybe put 30 miles on a freeway, the rest was on back roads where the real people live. When its time to look for a room or fuel the Garmin will show you the way. It {I call it the bitch} will get a little confused once in a while but not very often. By the way I have a Garmin 550. Also I have talked to people who have gone with the Garmin 650 but had some problems with them and have gone back to the 550

 

[scdmarx]

I use Google Earth before I leave the house. Where things get real confusing, I will highlight my route on Google Earth and then print it out. It's good for picking out landmarks and such. But a GPS would be nice to tell me where to turn and all that.

 

[aslatk]

I would like to get a blue-tooth set-up that I could use for my helmet. I have a Samsung Captivate phone (Android) and with it a free Google map application. It's surprising how well the turn-by-turn directions work which can be blue toothed to a headset, plus you can hear your music and receive calls. Don't even have to text a destination...just speak into your phone. I can't believe the technology available today :shock: . Hard to see a display, especially on a bike (phone or GPS). An idea only at this time. Anybody use this type of set-up :?: I may look into specifics.

 

[54Greybeard]

Nothing beats GPS for rerouting mid trip. You can make a wrong turn and the GPS just reroutes you. Also, when you're someplace unfamiliar and need to find anything, the GPS will get you there. Screens in direct sunlight, especially a phone is hard to make out.

 

[bk2valve]

In my world, most of my touring has been about taking a small road to see where it goes and if and when I get lost, it just means I see new stuff that I didn't know was there and I get to have a new adventure. My last trip around the US was like that...I found places to eat, people to meet and things to do I never would have if I had an agenda. Half the time I look at a map in the morning, decide on how to start the day and before an hour is up I have seen a different way to go and I'll take that...

Somehow it seems that all this planning and seeing where you are going and what you will be seeing could knock a lot of the adventure out of the trip....?

Maybe that is just me....I like adventure and as they say, "if you know what's going to happen, it's not an adventure!" That is why I travel, and especially on a bike.

I think I'll pass on one. Thanks for the help deciding.... opcorn:
Brian

 

[mcgovern61]

I use the old fashioned GPS.....paper maps and road Atlas! :cheeky: (Never got a bad set of directions yet! :smilie_happy: )

Sorry....I know. :wave:

I should probly clarify my statement......years ago (hard to remember back that far :cheeky: ) I drove tractor trailers over the road. The Interstate highway system pretty much is brainless. For example...start on I95 in New Jersey......close your eyes for about 26 hours and you will be in Fort Lauderdale without a whole lot of thinkin. I like Brian's idea of starting a trip and just taking an adventure (With a paper map as a general backup)! No matter which way you go....ultimately, you will most likely hit an interstate at some point with north, south, east or west on the sign.

I am not against using a GPS, they most definately have their advantages....but you are also talking to a guy that has a cell phone that is only used as a......well.......a phone! (No texting allowed!) Besides, my fingers are too big to type on the phone keyboards and without my glasses I can't see it anyway! :smilie_happy:

Hey....I like technology! But you are also talking to a guy that rides a 30 year old motorcycle because it isn't new technology! (And it is fun!)

 

[paddy.shadow]

I'm with Gerry, and my theory (or at least what I tell the missus) is I may not know where I'm going, but I know where I've been! :yes: https://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... kwCjCECjCE This is where I purchase my electronics, I've had good experiences with them, in fact the pc I'm typing on right now came from there. :laptop:

 

[dan filipi]

For getting around day to day in my service company nothing beats GPS navigation.

Usually when I ride out I don't use it because I have no particular destination but there are times it comes in handy for finding points of interest and fuel, and shopping etc when the phone doesn't have signal. I haven't used a map since I bought my first one over 10 years ago but a map is handy for picking a route for group rides.

 

[toytender01]

My GPS sits beside me and when i miss the turn she dosen't say "RECALCULATING"....She just inhales with a deep breath and mumbles something I think is "dumb sh--" and stares out the window. :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :Egyptian: :Egyptian: :whistling: :head bang:

 

[mcgovern61]

My GPS sits beside me and when i miss the turn she dosen't say "RECALCULATING"....She just inhales with a deep breath and mumbles something I think is "dumb sh--" and stares out the window. :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :Egyptian: :Egyptian: :whistling: :head bang:

:smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy:

 

[Rat]

I've got an old Nuvi, never bought an upgrade.

Use it mostly to find an address that an internet 'Wing buddy has given me so I can help him drink his beer before I sleep on his couch. :music2: .

Gord (but you're welcome at my place too) Jones

 

[paddy.shadow]

:hihihi: :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :hihihi:

 

[sledge]

we used to have a Magellan Mastero ........it quit on us..in the middle of a Teardrop trip. now we have a Garmin Nuvi 1300 , and no problems so far...... about a year old maybe . never have had a need for any updates as far as I know. but when we had the Magellan , I could download updates for free...........but, I had to hunt for them , without paying for them.