Greg, I am glad you disagree.   Disagree leads to "better" and that is what we are all after.

http://copilotgps.com/us/personal/

CoPilot app is only $8.99 right now on Google Play and it looks to be a well designed item that does keep the maps on the device itself.

Is it better than Google Maps 8.0 ??   Likely it is easier to use since its normal mode is to save the map locally and Google 8.0 you have to go do the steps to save it locally yourself.

So, $49.99 plus $8.99 equals a good motorcycle GPS that you can take off the handlebars and then go into a McDonalds and post about your trip?

As for storage space, the recommended Tegra 3 based tablet has a SIMM card slot that can hold thousands of map sized files, and the stock built in memory allocation can hold a dozen or more.



Are we getting closer to a real solution to "the best motorcycle GPS" humanly possible?

Those that do this trick, tell us about the mounts you use, we need to ID the very best handlebar mount.

Then you can tell us about how you stole some power from the bike to keep her all charged up all the time.  

We got key controlled hot wire connectors running inside the headlight -- you can stick a stripped and tinned wire into the back side of the connector to get you some juice.  

Tablets don't draw enough current to upset the standard fuses, not unless a wire wears through and shorts, that is.   In which case a standard fuse would blow cutting off part of your bike.   A separate lower amp fuse rigged in-line to the charger cable would work better, and that would keep your bike running on all functions if the in-line had to blow for some reason.

We are looking to use a easy disconnect handlebar mount type and a stock charger plug into the standard tablet charger jack  (cut off a dead charger or else adapted from a USB type replacement cable).

End result of this thread might well be a tech post, a pictorial "how to".

Yes, you used Garmins you bought on sale (because you LIKE Garmins) which was still a good bit more expensive that the trick we are talking about.   Unless you got a really good sale on Garmins -- a 4.3" Garmin is currently $79 and Garmins tend on only last two or three years or thereabouts before they die.

(my experience anyway as an old Garmin and TomTom user)

Refurbed tablets offer a nearly 2x bigger screen than a Garmin and I hope they have better "sunshine definition" than your Garmins do.

I am also hoping that an out of date, replaced, non-plan supported wifi cell phone (like a Galaxy S3) will be able to work as a wifi only GPS device --- I know it works well as a in use data plan supported GPS right now because I use it in a car that doesn't have a in-dash GPS unit.

We are developing a longer lasting, Yoda style super cheapie trick, we are.

Garmin and TomTom and all the other dedicated GPS's have lost their place in the world because tablets and phones can do all their tricks just  as well as they ever could, and they can do it for FREE instead of with a yearly subscription price.   Plus you can take a tablet or a phone off the handle bars and carry it into the McDonalds and do lots of other stuff with it.

Some do, some don't.

Cell phones have hard backed protector case thingies (yeah, that rubber and plastic thingie you had such a struggle to get on to the phone when you first put it on) that also have replacement backs that you can drop into the protector case set up that you already use -- this leads to a pretty secure grip on the unit using the ball type mount.

If you don't have a replacement ball back sold by your case vendor,  you can epoxy on a generic ball back thingie on to your stock protector case.

Or buy something that mounts the phone directly (although not using a protector case on a phone means that the screen will break the first time you drop it)

If it starts to rain, take your phone off your handle bars and put it in your saddle bags inside a zip lock baggie, it isn't water proof you know.


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Buying used cell phones for GPS units only works cost wise if you go back 2 or 3 generations (and they still cost more than the Tegra 3 processor 7" tablet we are talking about in this thread).

I agree that a tablet or phone may not handle the bright sun very well. I used my cell phone a couple of times for GPS. Since the display is always on, it got hot. Too hot and kept shutting down. Especially with the sun beating down on it. That just may have been my model. I was using Google maps and along with the backlight, GPS and cell data was constantly running. Plus trying to find wifi. I do use a TomTom wide screen unit. Free map updates for life. I have a model specific cradle that attaches to a ball mount which replaces a bolt in my riser cap. I have a cigarette lighter port added near the battery for my trickle charger and 12v items. I just lace the cord under the tank. I use Co-Pilot on my phone while in the car or when I need to find something by dragging (like my previous issue). I got the pay version for the voice guided directions. If I were to use it strictly on the scooter, I would consider the free version.

And OF, I meant no disrespect or to sound short. As you know, I have a real nut for anything Google.

..... and remember we enter into these discussions in a friendly and jocular fashion because they are a lot of fun if taken that way.

You can't be too serious in a discussion where you might turn out to be wrong !!!

  .... and sometimes I am you know,  wrong that is.  

Ask your kid, they always know what this cryptic stuff is and can tell or show you since they likely have one tucked away somewhere in their room.

If not, think of a 7" screen cell phone like he has .....   a bigger screen so you can actually SEE it out on the handle bars.

Here's their video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmc4kOuZSN4

And here is their stuff: http://www.rammount.com/Products/MotorcycleMounts/tabid/128/Default.aspx#/