In this months free issue (october) of Motorcycle Monthly they have road tested the TomTom Urban Rider and results are good,,,actually thinking about biting the bullet and getting one myself,,,but cant help wondering why they are nearly half the price of the zumo equivalent ??but road tests were good for an all round bike sat nav...
They list prices at...
£249.99 urban rider...UK/Ireland maps
£299.99 european maps
£399.99 Rider Pro (this one includes bluetooth headset)
The Urban Rider was road tested for a month with great results..
found a place in suffolk near me that sells sat nav holders that clip to handlebars for £20 including postage ,(message me if you want the details and i will hunt them out)
Ian n I both have zumo's as Geoff said great piece of kit, Ian has 550 and I have 660 . We have the Scala blue tooth headsets, fab for bike to bike and linking up mp3, phone sat nave to,
Earplugs if you wear them, would be a good investment to have made to measure fitted ones, we had them done last year with a noise reduction filter in them so you still hear everything clear as a bell but anything above a certain level which will damage your ears is filtered out.
Garmin or TomTom?? the way I see it, Garmin are worldwide producers of navigation equipment, TomTom is a brand. Are Garmin more expensive. Just bought a new dock for zumo £34, mate was charged about £70 for tomtom charging dock.
Pro's and con's will be there for both harry,,,but tom tom half initial cost to buy,,,,and who make tom tom ????,,,,
we all know that different makes of tv for example are made by same manufacturer ????but are tom tom getting better ?????????
caberg lids years ago were sh#t,,,but now they have a respectable market because of the way they have improved over the years,,,,can the same be said about tom tom,,,??? zumo are great by everyone who has them because they were best at time,,,still may be !!!but latest tom tom reports are good.....only time will tell !!!!!
Shell,,,everyone i speak to rate the Zumo,,,,it would be great if mcn done a road test on both,,or they may have in the past ???,,,,i will probably end up with one myself because i know peeps on here will be able to solve any issues that may come up,,,bearing in mind i have trouble switching computer on some days,,,and have never been able to programme anything to record from tv etc,,,,so gadgets are not my thing
I can plan routes ok,,,i just follow XK ,,,he's a half decent routemaster......unless we dont get there friday ...
My present sat nav Shell is directions stuck on tank with elec/tape...
but we all know what my eyesight is like.....so plug and play sounds good !!!!!
Just like to add my experiences..
When I wanted a sat nav at short notice I found few places actually hold stocks of biker sa navs...we can order one in for you sir...3/4 days...grr I off in two!
So that meant although lots of good deals on net I had to but from Heine Gerrike...and hey only did the Garmin but with the Blue tooth Scala headset £390!!
I found it worked well aside from a new road in France not on the map....1am in the morning and lost!! But only for a few miles..all came good.
The headset I would say is esseential..spoken commands far better than looking at map although it is mounted high on handlebar. Screeen is bright and clear,buttons work with goves on too. A brill piece of kit,bluetooth means I have phne an MP3 access too.
Position of speakers in the lid critical, out of place slightly an U cant hear it at all.
I tried to use a car sat nav in the tank bag but found the daylight sun overpowers the weak screen and U cant see directions. So a car one in yer bag btr than nought but u/s compared to proper biker sat nav...
Hope that lot helps! andy
Hi i've had a Garmin 660 now for a couple of years and its the best thing i've used while touring. Its been used twice on long European trips now and has worked well both times. But you do need to adjust the settings to your own personnel needs, ie fastest route or shorter distance, needs to be thought about on a daily basis. I've matched this up with a Nolan N com bluetooth helmet. Not cheap, but if you want ease of use and comfort a deffo must have. There sat nav also has a head phone socket at the back, so i always carry a set of ear bud type ear phones in case the bluetooth goes wrong. Another feature i like is the ability to check the screen on the move for the road layout. Gives a good idea if any hairpin bends ahead, or long straights, for that important overtake. Also comes complete with a car mount and charger, so you don't need to buy another for the car. The only fault i had was the bike mounting. It came with loads of cable and sockets, but i was able to modify this to my own spec, easy when you know how. Hope this helps some one in the future. :-)
Hi all! I'd thought about the 'Sat-Navs', but they all seem to cost an arm and a leg? I've always used the 'route-card' in tank-bag top. I think it has a number of distinct advantages, firstly, because you have to seriously study the map to plan your route, you familiarise yourself with the terrain of your journey, 'way-marks' go into your head, sometimes without your realising it, so, when you come to a junction, you'll have a 'sense' of which way you need to point? Then there's the blown-fuse, onboard battery failure, cold hands dropping it onto hard road when loading it on the bike..etc etc, that all those electronic devices appear to suffer from just when you don't need it too! For me, pressing in a few co-ordinates into an electronic gizmo, then sitting there while it leads me into a field somewhere on the outskirts of Brussels, when it should be the city-centre doesn't appeal...lol...just my thoughts...
Ditto Spesh - I use a Zumo 660. The mapsource planning software is excellent for route planning - saves using michellin planner which is also good and free but a bit fiddly.
I used to have the TTGo for the bike, but after I changed cars I needed another satnav so bought the bike nav instead and now use it in the car. More expensive but it's a seriously good piece of kit. Mine's plugged into my starcom box.
You can sometimes find a bargain on fleabay, happy shopping.
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