As you may know, I recently managed to blow up my little Garmin i2 GPS. I loved this little unit, because it was light enough to mount at eye level using the "super simple GPS mount" idea described elsewhere on this forum, uses AA batteries, and most of all, is grayscale. This last item means that unlike every color unit, it actually gets more readable as the sun gets brighter.
I have located a used replacement, but in the meantime I have been back to my old Garmin Zumo. At first blush, this would seem to be the perfect solution: sturdy, big screen, runs directly on 12 volts (thus avoiding the conversion issue that blew up my other unit), waterproof, and in fact made for motorcycles. But it has two major drawbacks: first, its color screen, like all color units, becomes washed out in sunlight and in fact is essentially invisible in direct sunlight (but not as badly as its competitor, the TomTom Rider); and secondly, its weight requires it to be mounted someplace other than line-of-sight such as on the handlebar or, in my case, atop the handlebar center. Some members, notably mjm50cal, have engineered clever solutions to this last item, but to my knowledge nobody on MV has posted a completely satisfactory solution to the first.
I saw an ad for the "Glare-Stomper," available in two sizes, on Amazon. One size fits widescreen GPS units and listed my Zumo as one of the models it fits. I ordered it for about $20 from Amazon (manufacturer's website: http://www.glarestomper.com/) and it arrived two days later.
As shown below, it simply velcros around the screen. It is made of nylon and seems very durable. The idea is that unlike a hard hood (more on that in a momemnt), it can simply fold up around the unit and not have to be detached on a regular basis.
A quick drive with the Zumo fastened to the RAM ball mounted atop the steering column showed that this simple device really does work. Unless the sun is directly behind me (and even then, slightly offset because otherwise my body will be blocking the sun), the screen is completely, indeed brilliantly, readable even in the brightest sun.
However, that's hardly line-of-sight, and I consider it a safety issue to be taking my eyes off the road to see my speed (the main thing we use a GPS for on an MP3!). I moved the ball-on-a-disc RAM mount (don't remember what its official name is) to the top of the bugscreen. I considered mounting it under the bugscreen, but then the huge Zumo blocked much of the instrument panel. I should point out that although the manufacturer claims that the Glare Stomper will hold on at highway speed, I didn't test this since I have a cruiser windsheild directly in front, and the Zumo and its new hood sit in practially still air. I also know that RAM sells a ball with a single screw, and if I were to do this again, that would be a much simpler install than the three separate screws required for the mount I had on hand (and no doubt cheaper, too).
This worked very well, except that going over bumps the whole unit shook violently. Sure, the Zumo is shockproof to a point, but it was distracting and probably putitng unnecessary stresses on the bugscreen mounting holes. I decided I would physically connect the cradle to the bugscreen to keep it from shaking.
I tried rearranging the mount orientation and found that I could not quite get the bottom of the Zumo cradle to contact the bugscreen - the RAM mount would not permit it to declinate that far. I then had a brainstorm, when I realized that the closest distance I could get the cradle from the bugscreen was just about the thickness of one of those 3M "Dual Lock" super-duper velcro discs, which I happened to have a bunch of from my Laminar Lip days. A little cleaning with alcohol, and one little disc applied to the bottom, and voila! Possibly the best solution short of major engineering a la mjm50cal.
Conclusion: the Glare Stomper works. It looks a bit amatuerish, as its soft nylon sides tend to mush around nonsymetrically. A much better solution would be a hard plastic hood, but that would have to be specifically designed for a particular GPS model. Short of that, the Glare Stomper may be the best solution. Appearances aside, the thing works. Some GPS units come with shallow glare hoods, maybe half an inch, and they are a waste of time. This thing, which is several inches deep, truely allows perfect viewing of a color GPS in any lighting conditions. Anybody who owns a color GPS and uses it on a motorcycle or in the direct sun anywhere should look into getting one.