GPS

[Zombie Master]

After my Alps tour last month, I find myself interested in this technology. As you can see above, there were some glitches. But forty years of the Beaches Alps riding experience made it possible for the GPS to be loaded with incredible pre-programmed maps, and a choice of up to six possible routes each day. I was able to select a route that fitted my style, and most importantly, ride alone, sometime passing groups of follow the leader tours in the more popular Alpine passes. The back road journey I took would have never been possible without these GPS maps.

My questions:

How useful are these units when you do no have the route pre-programmed?

Are there models best for motorcycle use, or would a cheaper automotive unit work stuffed into the map sleeve of a tank bag?

Your thoughts would be most appreciated.

[Deleted User 287]

Waterproof (i.e. not an automobile unit).
My GPSr, while it does have a very small screen, it has a waterproof rating of IPX7.
Here is more about Garmin's waterproof definitions.

Too hard to read/manipulate in a tank bag window (I've tried it).

Very useful, even without pre-planed routes.
I like it best plugged into the bike's electrical system so I don't have to worry about batteries.

And I think that route pictured above looks delightful.

[Garnet]

I still don't see the need for one, but I sure could have used one to get out of downtown Portland last weekend.

[Zombie Master]

I still don't see the need for one, but I sure could have used one to get out of downtown Portland last weekend.

I was in Interlaken Switzerland a couple of weeks and they were having their Yodeling celebration. Many of the downtown streets were blocked, and let me tell you the GPS was useless. I thought yodeling would be silly. Man was I wrong, with these large groups gathered together in singing circles, the harmony and ethereal resonance was breathtaking. Maybe I need an Alpen Horn and some Lederhosen to get my groove on....It could happen!

[Zombie Master]

Waterproof (i.e. not an automobile unit).
My GPSr, while it does have a very small screen, it has a waterproof rating of IPX7.
Here is more about Garmin's waterproof definitions.

Too hard to read/manipulate in a tank bag window (I've tried it).

Very useful, even without pre-planed routes.
I like it best plugged into the bike's electrical system so I don't have to worry about batteries.

And I think that route pictured above looks delightful.

Getting lost isn't always a bad thing. The units we were using were older marine units. Thanx for your opinions.

[Ross]

Long distance ride I use a map. I have GPS with me but it is as back up.

[SteveD]

Long distance ride I use a map. I have GPS with me but it is as back up.

That's all we need here in Oz. The gps is great in a unknown urban area though, via the earphones.

Europe on the other hand is much more chaotic than our Oz road network, many more squiggly lines and small towns close together amongst very big hills! Much easier to get lost fast and a map whilst useful would become tedious if in constant use. If I was riding around Europe, for ease and time saving it'd be gps everytime. Getting from major point A to major point B doesn't require a gps as signage is usually good enough, but once familiarity wains it'd come into its own pdq.

[Duane Ausherman]

In my work a GPS saves me a lot of time. I used to use specially made up maps that were OK, but not in the ball park with a GPS.

I preprogram 10-20 sites into the map with pins. This is on a monitor of my laptop. Then I look at what seems like the best route to minimize the driving miles. Then I hit the calculate button and it gives me the route, mileage and time. Of course at each stop I use up 15-30 minutes for my job. Sometimes land irregularities show me that I can do better with putting the sites in another order.

This is Street & Trips by Microsoft software on my lap top. It is the industry standard for cellular work. The usual GPS is great for point to point driving with standard addresses. I don't have that situation, so my Garmin is not so useful. I keep it for a backup. Recently I have had to resort to using it from time to time. My program seemed to mess up. Finally, it just quit working and I discovered that my antenna was bad.

It has turned me into an idiot, as I just follow the computer and have little idea of where I am. After a few days in one area in the olden days, I would starting getting "feel" of how the area is set up. Now I have no clue, but I save a lot of time.