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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> GPS? /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1239926314 Message started by S40Geezer on 04/16/09 at 16:58:34 |
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Title: GPS? Post by S40Geezer on 04/16/09 at 16:58:34 I own a couple of TomTom One GPS units, and I'd like to use one on my S40; albeit with the last possible cosmetic impact on the bike. The first thing I need is a 12 volt "cigarette lighter" receptacle on or near the bars. Any recommendations for something that will mount to the handlebars or to my mini-Switchblade Deflector windsheild? Additionally, am I a total moron for thinking I could simply use the TomTom's suction cup mount to affix it to the Switchblade without it falling off mid-ride? Any other better suggestions as to either attaching the GPS or cleanly installing the 12v socket? Thank you in advance for any insight! |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by SimonTuffGuy on 04/16/09 at 17:43:23 I wouldn't truthe GPS to stay on just by suction. The make a handlebar mount for most GPS's if you can find them. Probably best to go that route so that you don't lose it along the way. The 12 volt plug should be pretty easy... Run the positive wire off the battery. Take it up along the frame, under the tank, and then bring it out to the handlebars area. You can grab the ground from anywhere along the way. I don't think a GPS will take too much power from the bike to drain the battery. For myself? I'm looking to get a mount for my GPS too. I've got a handheld Garmin GPSMap 60CSx. Runs off 2 AA's and lasts a long while. If I need to, I'll splice in a power wire the way I mentioned above. Good luck! |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by prechermike on 04/16/09 at 19:15:39 Geezer, I have been thinking along those same lines. I have a garmin, but the concept is the same. I do not think mine would stick to the curved windshield and I would be afraid to try. If it falls off in the truck that is too bad, if it falls off of the bike it is gone. I am thinking about some kind of tank bag, magnet mount thing under the speedometer. This is in the early thinking stage. I also thought about fixing a power outlet and putting it in the tool box (I think someone else suggested this somewhere). The garmin has an internal batter that would last long enough for me to use without power. I have not got anything definite though. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by marshall13 on 04/16/09 at 19:25:01 check jc whitney for a handlebar mount cig lighter... used to be way cheap.... use velcro tape instead of the suction cup... superglue the adhesive side(couple drops).... a magnetic mount might be a bad idea for a gps, as they use radio to get a fix....pretty sure alot of aftermarket parts folks make bar mount gps holders too.... |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by savagedml on 04/16/09 at 20:28:07 Here's where I mounted my 12v accessory plug for my GPS: http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/1574633/ |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by savagedml on 04/16/09 at 20:31:33 The suction cup mount has worked out pretty good for me on my windshield. http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/1574636/ http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/1574644/ |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by Skid Mark on 04/16/09 at 20:42:09 Savage DML: Do you have the details on yor GPS holder. Looks good. I myself was considering drilling the windshield and using small bolts with rubber washers to attach the GPS mount. I haven't come across any GPS mounts that look like they will attach to the stock handle bars easily. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by Jay on 04/16/09 at 20:59:49 Don't get me wrong. I've got nothing against GPS. Might've come in handy on a couple of occasions; but this topic certainly has conjured up some memories for me. It doesn't seem all that long ago that I used to just get on the bike and ride. No cell phone, no AAA card, no itinerary, no map, nobody knowing where I was going, or when I would get there. No protective gear, other than a helmet. Just denim and the open road. Nowadays, I wouldn't dream of leaving to go across town without at least half of the aforemention stuff on the bike. Ah, the good ol' days. How'd we ever survive them. :) |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by savagedml on 04/16/09 at 22:24:02 Skid: The suction cup mount came with my Garmin. It has only come off 1x and because of it's size/configuration, it won't fall through between the the bottom of the windshield and the tree, handlebars etc. I just reattached it at the next stop light. I have 1500 miles on this setup and move it between my cage and the bike as needed. Now I only spent $120 on my Garmin 205, but as you can see I added the rubber protector (from Walmart), and a $10 2-year replacement warranty. Still ALOT cheaper than the $500-$700 dollar special motorcycle GPS units offered. Great touch sensitive screen and was awesome navigating The Tail of the Dragon last weekend! |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by il67bp on 04/16/09 at 22:44:13 i have a garmin. i used an all weather cigarette lighter from wal mart. it cost $8. i have that zip tied to the frame near the seat. for the gps i use the clip that came with it but i detached the suction cup so its only the clip. i then zip tied the clip through its holes to the handle bars. believe it or not this setup is ver sturdy and isnt ugly. i can take some pics if you would like. also if you wanted to make it neater you could wire it under the tank to the lighter. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by Jack_650 on 04/16/09 at 23:14:13 Come on guys. If you read the options for the Garmin in the "please spend more money" section of their info sheet in the box they mention a handle bar mount for motorcycles. I'm sure the other companys have the same. Suction cups seem never to work on curved surfaces anyway. Then when you add our thumpity little engine that can . . . I did the 12 volt socket with two 16" or so pigtail wires from a department store wire tied to the frame under the right side of the seat. It's been there two years and can be rotated around the frame just enough to make it handy for whatever gets plugged into it. I used it mainly for jump starting before I got the new battery. I'm sure the leads are long enough to go under the tank and let you put it somewhere unobtrusive up front. Of course the 12 volt cord with my Garmin 205 is long enough to reach my sissy bar from the front of the bike so all I need is a passenger to hold it and tap me when it's time to turn. Jack |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by verslagen1 on 04/16/09 at 23:33:39 search RAM mounts. A set came with my veypor, very sturdy. Attachments for everything. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by Skid Mark on 04/17/09 at 11:48:41 Just found this site. Looks like it would work, but its gonna be close to $100 usd. :P http://www.leadermotorcycle.com |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by Skid Mark on 04/17/09 at 15:16:22 Checked out the Ram site. Their search wizard came up with this for trhe S40 & Magellan GPS. Much cheaper!!! :D http://www.ram-mount.com/CatalogResults/PartDetails/tabid/63/partid/082065077045066045049052057090085/Default.aspx |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by prechermike on 04/20/09 at 05:36:39 I tried my Garmin GPS suction mounted to the windshield. I realize there is alot of difference between it sitting in the shed, nice and still and thumping and bumping along the road. I put the GPS on yesterday morning and this morning it had fallen off, never having moved. That was what I suspected would happen. If yours stays stuck on, great but mine didn't. I've never had a problem in the truck with it. I am still going to think about this. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by verslagen1 on 04/20/09 at 07:17:05 I would suggest tethering it. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by Skid Mark on 04/20/09 at 14:35:29 uUst got the Ram mount RAM-B-149 and the attachment to hold a Garmin Nuvi 260. Just attached it and it seems quite stable. Drove for 3 city miles and no issues. The mount is a ubolt on the handle bar. I put right next to my cycle computer on the lft side. Will do a couple of pics when I get a chance. If any issue arise, I'll post asap. Will finally be able to know where I'm going ;D |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by Skid Mark on 04/21/09 at 18:16:51 A quick update. Used the Ram mount with the Gps on the freeway and in town. It's rock solid. Also the mount puts the Gps up high behind the windshield allowing for easy reading w/o taking your eyes off the road. In short works well and glad I got it. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by sockmonkeygirl on 04/22/09 at 14:14:01 I bought a small Cortech magnetic tank bag with the map pocket to put my GPS in. Mine isn't huge, and it fits ok, I guess, but not ideal. http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/skinandink/DSC01160.jpg http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/skinandink/DSC01162.jpg |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by prechermike on 04/22/09 at 14:17:20 That's what I had in mind sockmonkey, but not as big. I have a friend with a tank bag I might see if I can borrow it and try it on for size. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by sockmonkeygirl on 04/22/09 at 14:24:30 This one also fits well on my rear fender. (I sold the one in the pic and bought the magnetic one version.) |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by Skid Mark on 04/22/09 at 15:16:22 And the tank bag will keep the GPS dry when it rains. I'll have to pocket mine if I'm caught in a rain storm. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by prechermike on 04/25/09 at 08:07:14 OK, My resourefulness has been working hard on this one. What do I have that I can use to hold the GPS, I was really thinking tank bag type appliction. So I found one of the zipper pencil bags, like you put in a three ring binder (97 cent at Wal-Mart). Son says, "Daddy I have one of those you can have." Even better. I read the traffic signal thread about the earth magnets in a computer. I took an old computer apart a couple of weeks ago, son and I took out about 95% of the screws, jsut to see what was in there. We found a couple of good magnets in the hard drive. OK, I should be able to do something with this. I also read earlier maybe the magnets would affect the GPS picking up the radio signals from the satelittes. Only one way to find out. I folded the pencil bag in half, put one magnet on either side of the GPS and slapped it on the tank and off I go. http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/70/m_6ca473a5ee4345db8eacfb483cd413e7.jpg http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/73/m_9168c473257c4b3d8f04b5e6c3cec8c6.jpg I had a bout a 30 mile run to make, with a couple of turns. I knew where I was going, so this seemed like a good test. And here is what I found out. I could see no problem with the magnets and the GPS, everything was right on, turn by turn. It was a little hard to see the thing there on the tank. It would be better up on the handlebars, but I could look down every so often to check. All I had to do was remember about how far it was to the next turn. It was hard to see in the direct sunlight, when I was shading it with my body, it was alot more visible. I could not hear the instructions at highway speed, even with the volume turned all the way up. The speak is on the back (bottom) side and there were two layers of bag under it, in addition to the normal noise. I did not use the power cord, but I guess I could have and just not zipped the bag tight. I do not think rain would be an issue here, I have a windshield to protect me and the GPS is in a bag. I did find this on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/MOTORCYCLE-BIKE-HANDLEBAR-MOUNT-HOLDER-GARMIN-NUVI-GPS_W0QQitemZ110360125347QQihZ001QQcategoryZ73353QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and am considering ordering one of them. Anyone have any feedback? |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by Skid Mark on 04/25/09 at 16:35:49 It works, and you can't complain about the price. I like it |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by John_D on 04/25/09 at 19:15:23 405C50585E5C5D58564A545A415F330 wrote:
Sorry to threadjack for a second, but wanted to get this in while its fresh on my brain: I like that highway peg bracket Sockmonkeygirl. I've been toying with making my own, and something like that looks fairly simple. Who makes it? If it's cheap enough I may just save myself the trouble and buy one. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by bdearlove on 04/26/09 at 06:02:58 One thing with the RAM-Mount is it is metal to metal contact to your bars, so after time of vibration, etc it will scratch where it is mounted. Just a warning... One way to avoid a 12v socket is (if you haven't purchased a GPS yet) to buy a Garmin Nuvi 500/550. They are sunlight readable and have a 8 hour battery life (usually less, but still good) which should last you most rides. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by sockmonkeygirl on 04/26/09 at 19:18:14 The pegs were on the bike when I bought it. I have looked, but can't find any manufacturer id. Sorry. I've got no clue who made them. |
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Title: Re: GPS? Post by John_D on 04/26/09 at 22:30:43 2C303C34323031343A2638362D335F0 wrote:
Ah well, thanks anyway! ;) I'll just have to play around when the time comes, and see what I can come up with. Have to start checking the scrap iron bin at work. ;D |
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