GPS - What does the Motorcycle version offer?

[unicorncomputer]

I am going to get a separate GPS for my bike. I have noticed when I started looking that there are versions specifically for Motorcycles.

Does anybody out there know what the differences are and are they significant enough to warrant spending the additional money?

Thank you,

Steve

[natemoen]

Usually they are waterproof and you can use the touch screen with gloves on. I am sure there are more but thats at least a start.

[CatatonicBug]

They often have audio outputs as well, so you can plug your helmet headset into them and hear the spoken directions. My cell phone does that just fine, so I don't see a reason to get a separate GPS for anything.

[650mark]

gps

i bought a garmin nuvi 40lm and a ram mount for my handlebars. the touch screen works just fine with gloves on and the volume can go up pretty loud. i can here her with earplugs in and helmet on even on the freeway. the ram mount puts the unit right in front of and just below the gauges so i can easily see everything going on. it's my first gps and i love it. either look at it or just listen. either way it sure makes life easy. about $120 with lifetime map upgrades at best buy. btw, battery life is a miserable 90 minutes so i bought an accessory cable and i've strung it through the bike from the battery to the unit. works great. i also found a vinyl "pouch" that just fits over the mounted unit so if it rains(yeah, right. in aridzona?) no problem

[ManagerMike]

I'm guessing they're easier to fold at the rest stop on a windy day

[DiverRay]

I use my car GPS when I need one. A plastic bag keep the water off of it, and I only look at it some of the time, so the sound doesn't need to be on.
As for Arizona,

rains(yeah, right. in aridzona?) no problem

I think MONSOON, as I HAVE lived in Glendale for a year.

[650mark]

point taken. but we know well in advance when it's going to rain so we can avoid it nearly all of the time. we had more rain this year than most but i stayed inside and whined about it

[unicorncomputer]

Thank you for your responses. What I am taking away from this is that the main differences is that they are water proof and have screens that work with gloves better.

Thank you,

Steve

[TomB]

The main difference for me (in the UK at least) is the £400 ($650) difference to buy a motorcycle specific GPS instead of a car GPS.

I use a car Garmin wide screen on my handlebars which is easy to use with a gloved finger, and throw a plastic bag over it in heavy rain, in light rain it stays dry as the Euro 5K7 Sport has a small fairing.

A mate I ride with has a motorcycle Garmin the same but has Blue Tooth to his crash helmet, so no wires, but it cost £400 more than my car GPS.

What are the cost differences between car and motorcycle GPS systems on your side of the pond??





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[unicorncomputer]

I can get a decent Garmin or TomTom for the car for around $90-$125 I can get a water proof mount for about $25 that has a spot on the bottom for cables to come out.

From what I have seen the Motorcycle versions seem to start around $350 and go up from there.

The main difference for me (in the UK at least) is the £400 ($650) difference to buy a motorcycle specific GPS instead of a car GPS.

I use a car Garmin wide screen on my handlebars which is easy to use with a gloved finger, and throw a plastic bag over it in heavy rain, in light rain it stays dry as the Euro 5K7 Sport has a small fairing.

A mate I ride with has a motorcycle Garmin the same but has Blue Tooth to his crash helmet, so no wires, but it cost £400 more than my car GPS.

What are the cost differences between car and motorcycle GPS systems on your side of the pond??





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[MaximPhil]

Hi Unicorn,
As already stated the main difference is Waterproof and some also have Routing. having just done 3800 km in the rain my car unit worked fine in its "Lunch Bag cover" however it was difficult to see the screen at times.
I was able to control it through the bag with gloves on.
The extra $ 400 + is hard to explain though if it has routing capability perhaps worth it.
This is a great site for doing comparisons between models. They are in Canada. http://www.gpscity.ca/gps-receivers Look for lifetime map updates
Mine has lifetime traffic too.
The last time I ordered something they shipped within 40 minutes and I received in 3 days on the 4 to 7 day service

Phil

[unicorncomputer]

Thank you for this site Phil. I will definately check it out.

There are many places selling waterproof cases with mount for motorcycles. They have spot in bottom for charge cable and headset if needed. May be easier than plastic bag.

Steve

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Unicorn,

I have a cheap Tom/Tom unit that I use in my car/SUV. I used it's suction cup type mount to mount it onto the face of one of my bike gauges...the Speedo, since it would provide speed data. BUT the vibration was too much for it, and it would not keep locked onto the satellites with the engine running. I then got a tank bag, and mounted it inside of it, and then it worked okay there.

SO...one of the differences with the MC specific models is that they are designed to work with the heavier vibrations encountered on MC's, especially like on HD's! With the hard fixated mounts like the RAM or such, vibration could be problematic with just a normal car type unit.

During our recent SE rally, one of our group leaders used a Garmin550. They also have the ability to load/store several routes pre calculated on a PC and then downloaded to it. My Tom-Tom is a real PITA to plan actual routes or use an itenarary type function!

One concern I have is the visibilty thru either a tinted visor, or also Polarized sunglasses, not just regular sunglasses? But being full color vs. just monochromatic, it should retain it's visibilty, but will have to test it in the local Best Buy or such!

T.C.