Modern Vespa

I use one of the hiker style GPSes, an older Magellan Meridian, on my scooter.
I wouldn’t use it as a map/navigator while moving. The map display is too hard to make sense of, and is too distracting while riding for me. I use mine pretty much only as an accurate speedometer

Harvey

I agree, the Powerlet products are quality, once it is set up, you'll be more than happy with it, I have been.

2007GTS, I really like the looks of your new Zumo 660, I'm a bit jealous of the larger easy to read screen and the rear speaker. One of my friends had his new Zumo 660 set up yesterday and the addition of the verbal instructions from the speaker was great.

Thank you Benito! Yes the verbal instrutions are loud and clear when you are riding and it is a nice feature if you are not wired to your helmet. The larger easy to read screen with better graphics and the whole screen being a touch screen was the driving factor in my pursuit of the right GPS. If I could do it over again I would buy the same model. I am a very happy Garmin customer. It was painfully expensive but I am glad I pulled the trigger given I have it set up on two bikes and I use it daily in my car.

i just bought a tomtom go 720. it's an in-car satnav but i'm very happy with it. i've used tomtom software before; i like the ability to plan an itinerary and i find the spoken instructions very clear. i carry the unit in a little tiny shoulder bag, and charge it through a 12V outlet on the dash. i've never had an issue with being unable to see the route - in fact i appreciate not having the additional distraction, and not having to clutter up the scooter with a load of mounting hardware. the unit i bought has a headphone jack rather than bluetooth - a much simpler and cheaper option - buying a bluetooth-only unit would have meant having to charge the headset every 4-5 hours or so (tricky when you are on the road for 8 hours), and it would've meant a new helmet.

If any mods would like to post my review to the review forum, I would be honored. I don't know how to do it, so I would be humbled and thankful, too.

Your wish is my command my friend.

I have the Tomtom Rider 2 and love it. I got it on Amazon. It was listed as refurb, but guaranteed new. It was. It is super accurate and allows nightly downloads of changes that people report. It came with the mount and Cardo Scala headset. I have not hard wired it in, so I get about 6 hours of run time. I have the power port on my GT, so can plug it in and let it charge, it just has to be off the base. The Tomtom knows which mount it is attached to and the bike mount does not allow for the power adapter to plug in. I did a lot of research and there were as many good comments as bad ones. I love it and would highly recommend it.

Also, it is waterproof and glove friendly!

As you know, genie, a GPS would be a huge help navigating both the roads here

Do any of the units under discussion provide for planning an itinerary on your computer and transferring that route to the GPS? Sure would make itinerary building a bit more convenient.

Al

One of the cool new features for the Garmin Zumo 660 is the ability to import maps created from Google Maps. LINK

Thanks. Answers my question head on!

Al

there is some third party software that's meant to let you plan a route and upload it to the GPS unit but we've been having some issues with file compatibility. for now, we're planning the routes on google maps, creating waypoints, and entering the waypoints into the itinerary planning function on the GPS unit. it's a bit labour-intensive but it works.

The third party software is call Tyre http://www.janboersma.nl/gett/index.php

It's free, and so far I've found it easy to use. It links to google maps (i prefer using this) or google earth, so you can polt your route straight onto the map, using a large screen from your PC (couldn't find a mac version). As Genie mentioned we found that the file type for the itinary file produced were compatible for some reason, but you can just pop the waypoints onto your tomtom using Longatuide and lattitude grid references (Tyre gives this to you when you click on your waypoint)

We've not tested a planned route via the waypoints, but it looks as though it should work, also I'm not sure the route plotted via the third party software will match up to what tomtom will generate, I'm guessing it should be close.

+2. Or, cheaper still (but maybe at the cost of some loss of functionality), if you have a smartphone: just get some GPS software and a cheap GPS receiver for that.

Al, my Garmin (and I assume this goes for other Garmins as well. Mine's an old model Street Pilot III) comes with a Garmin program called Mapsource, which you load on your PC and can use to plan all sorts of routes, and then upload them to your GPS. It also works in reverse (i.e. you can turn the GPS "tracks" function on, put the GPS on your bike, go for a ride, and then come back home and download your track into Mapsource, which will then show you where you've been and allow you to use that as the base for another route). I find that's all I've ever needed.

Using Google maps on the new Zumo over MapSource on the prior GPS units is a dream come true.

Thanks again to all. Not contemplating a GPS in the near future, but if and when we do another serious trek, it might be something to consider. We can do Crete next month the old fashioned way, as well as the Peloponnese in Oct.

Al

Genie - Have you tried this set up on the highways? I am wondering if one would have difficulty hearing the spoken words while dealing with highway noise. Right now, I ride with ear plugs, and would have to remove one to use the earphone.

Just as an FYI, since I was the OP, I have purchased a Garmin Nuvi 550 GPS system. I checked reviews from several sources (including the one here) and for the price and my uses, it seems the best system, even if it doesn't have an earjack.
I purchased the RAM scooter mount and appropriate Garmin mount.
Used my REI annual dividend to take $67 off the price of the unit. I intend to use it on both the 300 GTS and in my car.
Thanks for all the insight on the thread, and the recommendations. I will let you know my experiences when I use it for awhile.

Leia

i only use the satnav for getting directions when i'm in the city, or in rural areas on minor roads - i don't find i need it on the highway, i just point the scooter in the same direction as the road and go

Maybe my use of the term "highway" was misleading. What I am really interested in learning is whether you can hear the spoken directions over the wind noise while riding at highway types of speed (50-60 mph). I don't know if the minor roads in the UK allow speeds at that level or not.

I just wanted to let everyone know if you are an AMA member and log in then you will see a 20% discount directly from Garmin. Taking 20% off a unit selling a $799 was a huge help or I likely would not have bought it. You need to log into your AMA account and go to discounts and then click on Garmin. It will open up the Gamin online store with all of the discounted prices and the best part is you are guaranteed to get new products directly from Garmin. Good luck.

so far, so good - a lot of our minor roads have a 60mph speed limit and i've never had a problem hearing the spoken instructions. my earbuds fit pretty tightly and block out some - though not all - of the wind noise.

Oh, I see now. You guys think that even our minor roads are more minor than your minor roads

It's just so unfair that it's all bigger and better in the colonies

Just as long as you remember that we invented the long straight road, and then you lot stole it off us (OK, the Romans might have had something to do with it)

That wasn't my term. I borrowed it from Genie's post.

She's a sleeper, doncha know?

To take a small step sideways, Mapsource software is one of the main reasons I started checking out Garmins. I wanted to get to my destination my way.

The apparent ability to plan a route, save it as a file, and then share that file with others who would then be able to upload it to their own compatible GPS is intriguing. Couldn't successful and interesting blue road routes or touring routes could be shared over the net? I can see sub-forums of "Here is a good, scenic way to get between X and X," for example, where the route files can be downloaded.

Maybe I don't have the knack for using Google maps. For example, I planned last year's long trip on Google Maps and that little blue routing line, in spite of my best efforts, would often get itself tied up in a knots as I tried to plan routes. Often, I had to give up at start fresh. I lost a lot of time over this.

The other problem I have with Google Msap is that while you can import a route to your GPS from Google, I've not been able to do this unless the final destination was a business. The "send to GPS" link doesn't show for residential addresses. Also, once sent, the GPS would still use its own routing to the destination, not mine. All
of this can be accomplished directly with any GPS so why use Google at all? (I don't want this to be a statement of fact, though. Am I missing something?)

My (limited) experience with MapSource to date didn't have either problem. It was a lot easier to drag the route line around.

Still, if you don't add enough viapoints between your waypoints when going through an area with a lot of roads, the GPS may still route you it's own way between the waypoints rather that the exact way you want. Liberal application of viapoints in areas congested with roads solves the problem, though.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Neither did I at first. A nice person made a nice beginner tutorial here that helped me a lot:

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=6aceb0b09c03d048207a4873ccd2dc67&f=278

Big thumbs up for the link, Menhir.

I love Mapsource, but I'm sure I'm not getting the most efficient use out of it. That link should take me a good few steps forward, thanks.