Which GPS for Adventure riding?

[Aslan]

Hi - my loving wife kindly gave me a Garmin nuvi 1390 for my birthday ( a KTM990 Adventure being too much to ask for :facepalm: )

No seriously I'm really lucky.

However, acquiring a GPS was not really on my radar (no pun intended). However, I believe the model I've been gifted is not really this most suited to ADV riding (specially when you drop your steed as frequently as I'm known to).

I'm now considering going back to Dick Smith's where my wife bought this GPS and exchanging it with cash for the GARMIN GPSMap 62 Handheld GPS or the Garmin Montana 650T Handheld

I'd value people's advice / experience please - Seasons Greetings and all the best for health and safe riding in 2012 - cheers Aslan

[Jantar]

Up to recently I have been using a Garmin etrex Ledgend Hcx. Yesterday was my first time trying out my new Garmin etrex @30, and I am impressed. (the Ledgend is now relegated to the glider)

The GPSmap 62 you are considering has a slightly larger display than the @30 while the @30 has a slightly higher resolution.

My requirements were: waterproof, long battery life, easy to read display, configurable, able to store long tracks, routeable, mounting hardware available, NOT touch screen (too hard to manage when wearing gloves).

Have a look at https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145 and select various models to compare.

[Eddieb]

For your use both would do the job so it's probably going to be down to any paticular features you like. For example one is touch screen and the other button controlled. I think the Montana would have a bigger screen which is always useful.

[cold comfort]

Hi Stephen. As you may have noted i have a 60 cx so i presume you are looking at the upgraded version. Mine has been very reliable, and bullet proof. Only issue with the unit is the intermittent "operator error". I got it as i wanted something for tramping as well. There seems to be slightly more user friendly options for motorcycles on the market now though particularly for trying to read directions on the fly with failing eyesight. Happy birthday for yesterday btw!

[sudman]

Go for button model, I have had two touch screen models die on me both Garmins.

[Gman71]

Not sure what you got but If If its a vehicle one, it's far better than a 60 csxxxx etc I have both, 60csxxx for tramping etc and a zumo for the bike. Get something bike/ vechicle specific. Trust me.

Look for garmins off road/ bike units.

[topo]

does anyone know if the nuvi 1390 work with new topo maps like the higher spec models?

[cooneyr]

I'd be wary of buying any of the Garmin units with a 't' suffix. They supposedly come with Garmin generated topos which I've no idea of the quality of (or if they actually exist). Also NZT topos are easily accessible, though at varying costs. Might be better to buy the model one down and choose the topo's you prefer.

Has anybody actually bought a 't' model in NZ and are the topo's any good?

Cheers R

[_Shrek_]

Hi - my loving wife kindly gave me a Garmin nuvi 1390 for my birthday ( a KTM990 Adventure being too much to ask for :facepalm: )

No seriously I'm really lucky.

However, acquiring a GPS was not really on my radar (no pun intended). However, I believe the model I've been gifted is not really this most suited to ADV riding (specially when you drop your steed as frequently as I'm known to).

I'm now considering going back to Dick Smith's where my wife bought this GPS and exchanging it with cash for the GARMIN GPSMap 62 Handheld GPS or the Garmin Montana 650T Handheld

I'd value people's advice / experience please - Seasons Greetings and all the best for health and safe riding in 2012 - cheers Aslan

give Timg a pm, call etc... he's got one for his KTM water proof with all the toys.... can't remeber what model or make it is

[cooneyr]

give Timg a pm, call etc... he's got one for his KTM water proof with all the toys.... can't remeber what model or make it is

TimG has a Zumo. Not sure which model, but they are all a little on the spendy side. Though if it is what you want.....

Just learn how to change the navigation mode to the off road preference before the DB1k! Zumo's are set up to prefer nice sealed roads which ain't what we're about right!

Cheers R

[Aslan]

huge thanks to all who've offered helpful advice / experience

I've yet to pull the trigger so please keep the comments coming .

I'm tending toward the http://www.dicksmith.co.nz/product/D2222/garmin-gpsmap-62s-handheld-gps since it is able to be used with a micro SD card - something a pal suggested is an important feature to have enabling easy access to free maps without needing to use the Garmin software

There's useful info about this model here http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=617828

[Waihou Thumper]

I have been using 60cx, csx for a few years now. I have had two of these units and the newer model, the 62S is a nice unit.
Advantages being, I can take it off the bike, plug unit into car and also it can use the SD card, handy for NZ free maps, Topo and others.
Waterproof, dustproof (DB1K) and powers through the battery and AA. I have both just in case and AA batteries (eneloop AA) will easily last 5-6 hours riding.
They take a little bit of time getting used to, being a handheld over a touch screen, but it has all of the features of the others, but the plus is, navigable OFF ROAD which is what it is designed for. The Zumo and others, whilst being designed for Motorcycles, are tending more toward tar seal only....

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=89557 This is the latest and greatest in the 60 series, nice unit.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=383&pID=6380 (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=383&pID=63801) Your potential unit, 62S, no camera but that is neither here nor there. 1.7Gb internal memory is huge and plenty for NZ and the world, but having the SD slot is a bonus as well.

The 60cx, csx is fine also Stephen, has SD slots and enough memory for all maps especially the opensource NZ ones...

Mounting said unit - RAM mounts are by far the best and most versitile IMO, I have had enough.
I used the bar mount, got a small arm and ball, plus the locking mechanism, which is really handy, comes with 2 keys. I bought all of the accessories from http://www.gpscity.co (http://www.gpscity.com/) The prices were a huge reduction in what I could get the attachments for here in New Zealand, plus the range was oustanding for everything. ​The postage was ​real prices and cheap, all got here within 7-9 days.
The power issues were solved with the pin connection and cable, by far ample length to get to battery and under tank to the bars.
I hooked it to the battery, fused and the drain is negligible, in fact I have left it on the bike overnight by mistake and no dramas at all. IMO it is better to have it straight to the battery rather than wired to ignition. The reason being it is ON all of the time, even when resting, bike turned off....
The units take a little time to source satellites, once done all good, but if they have to boot up each time, find the satellites, it can be a bit of a PITA, so having it ON is best suited.

I hope this may be of help to you Stephen. There is a wealth of information out there, I got a lot of it from Garmin site itself, then went searching. When I first went looking, I thought of the needs - Tramping, riding, driving etc, and these units were by far the best for that need. Of course, there is a huge database here and now GPS units are almost as common in vehicles as A/C, i.e. almost becoming a standard feature...:)

The 60 series was used on the DB1K, I did over 3500Km that week and navigated with it, no dramas at all. The waypoints for the ride went in effortlessly, the only small thing I did notice, was glare from the sun and dust on the screen, both solved with a wipe and a careful gloved hand. It is like anything, have a look at it, see the direction you want to head, look for the next waypoint and then navigate :)

[_Shrek_]

Just learn how to change the navigation mode to the off road preference before the DB1k! Zumo's are set up to prefer nice sealed roads which ain't what we're about right!

Cheers R

aye nail on head etc...!! what about a Tomtom R? (or anyone else that knows) I got one in my santa sack, is it any good for what we do? & do you know how I get onto the stuff I've loaded off the DB1k site

cheers :apint:

[Taz]

I have the Garmin Zumo 220. Love it. It is smaller than the 660. Was $720 and included all manner of mounts.

[NordieBoy]

Montana is sweet. Larger screen than the Oregon, micro sd card, touch screen and can switch from portrait to landscape.

I used a Nuvi 500 which is the Zumo 220 without the mount kit. Not as good off road, but nice big screen.

[Taz]

Nuvi 500 is not waterproof tho is it?

[NordieBoy]

Nuvi 500 is not waterproof tho is it?

Same IPX rating as the Zumo.

[cooneyr]

aye nail on head etc...!! what about a Tomtom R? (or anyone else that knows) I got one in my santa sack, is it any good for what we do? & do you know how I get onto the stuff I've loaded off the DB1k site

cheers :apint:

Hmm me knows nuffink about TomToms. File format converstion software I have will change into three TomTom files but which one to use I don't know. Also I don't know how to get the unit to navigate a file. Maybe take this off line till we sus it out. Flick me an email via the contact page of the db1k contact page (http://www.db1k.com/contact.php) so I get your email address.

Cheers R

[schrodingers cat]

Bite the bullet and buy the Montana. I use one for work in some really remote and hostile enviroments. It kicks ass.

They are loaded with features so it take a little while to learn to navigate all the options and the set the thing up.

I suggest you contact Tony at KiwiGPS http://kiwigps.co.nz/cms.php?id_cms=7

This guy is passionate, knowlegeable, honest and extremly helpful. I never priced checked him against Ebay or Dick Smith or any of those places but I think his pricing is there or thereabouts and the level of help and support I recieved from him was priceless. He preconfigured the unit for me, loaded maps etc

[Aslan]

Bite the bullet and buy the Montana. I use one for work in some really remote and hostile enviroments. It kicks ass.

They are loaded with features so it take a little while to learn to navigate all the options and the set the thing up.

I suggest you contact Tony at KiwiGPS http://kiwigps.co.nz/cms.php?id_cms=7

This guy is passionate, knowlegeable, honest and extremly helpful. I never priced checked him against Ebay or Dick Smith or any of those places but I think his pricing is there or thereabouts and the level of help and support I recieved from him was priceless. He preconfigured the unit for me, loaded maps etc

thanks - you're the second person to rate Tony - it's my intention to buy the GPS from him - he gets such a good rap

Now just to decided on whether to go with your suggestion or the 62xx - Will read more reviews over on ADV Rider - again thanks :)

[schrodingers cat]

thanks - you're the second person to rate Tony - it's my intention to buy the GPS from him - he gets such a good rap

Now just to decided on whether to go with your suggestion or the 62xx - Will read more reviews over on ADV Rider - again thanks :)

Give him a call and tell him what you're doing/trying to achieve. I think that way you'll get to an answer faster

[Jantar]

Bite the bullet and buy the Montana. I use one for work in some really remote and hostile enviroments. It kicks ass.

They are loaded with features so it take a little while to learn to navigate all the options and the set the thing up.

I suggest you contact Tony at KiwiGPS http://kiwigps.co.nz/cms.php?id_cms=7

This guy is passionate, knowlegeable, honest and extremly helpful. I never priced checked him against Ebay or Dick Smith or any of those places but I think his pricing is there or thereabouts and the level of help and support I recieved from him was priceless. He preconfigured the unit for me, loaded maps etc

I did consider the Montana because of its larger screen size, but then eliminated it from my selection because of touch screen. How do you manage to work the touch screen when wearing gloves?

[cooneyr]

+1 for Tony. Lives about 2 blocks from me so happy to help out with logistics if necessary.


I did consider the Montana because of its larger screen size, but then eliminated it from my selection because of touch screen. How do you manage to work the touch screen when wearing gloves?

Keen to hear the response to this too. I like having a hand held for tramping etc but a bit bigger screen for the bike car would be nice. Montana seems to have the edge over the Oregon due to increased flexibility.

Cheers R

[Aslan]

All - I'm looking forward to a time when I can contribute some wisdom - thanks all for the advice

Just spoken with Tony at http://kiwigps.co.nz/ (nice guy) and decided to go with the eTrex 20 http://kiwigps.co.nz/product.php?id_product=201
Thanks especially to Jantar for alerting me to the eTrex as a possibility

Tony could have sold me the Montana instead he only sold me what I need.

Will now purchase a cradle / handlebar mount from http://www.gpscity.co as suggested by my pal Mark aka Waihou Thumper

Now I'd better try and get on and achieve something constructive with the day before wifey comes home from work :facepalm:

[NordieBoy]

I did consider the Montana because of its larger screen size, but then eliminated it from my selection because of touch screen. How do you manage to work the touch screen when wearing gloves?

No problem.
Resistive touch, not capacitive like the good phones.

I've gone from the Nuvi 500 to the Oregon 300 and both are fine.
I don't wear bulky gloves 'tho.