drumwrecker wrote:
Car satnaves on a bike are not a good idea as there would be no sound. I glance at mine now and then when safe but mostly rely on the instructions in my helmet speakers. Plus the MP3 player is great having just got used to it.
Where do you get that idea? It's simply not correct.
I've got LOTS of GPS units... One in each of two boats, a handheld and two car units. All various models of Garmin. If you called me a gadget nut you wouldn't be wrong.
When I went to my dealer to buy a bike-specific unit he actually talked me out of it, explaining that other than being waterproof all such a unit would really do is cost me money. He said that the majority of his bike clients were using good car units and that if it was raining too hard they simply removed them and put them away. So that's what I've been doing.
First point is that most of the good units DO have Bluetooth and MP3 players. Mine do, and they connect to my helmet just perfectly. I started with a Midland Radio unit (BT2?) and that was fine but the combo had no radio unless I connected one to the headset by wire which was a pain. Now I have Scala Rider G4 units and the are even better. Sound quality is quite good and my GPS directions are loud and clear.
Second point I wanted to make is that the bike-specific units don't offer any "traffic" features, which is something I've grown to really like having. It's really great to get a "traffic ahead" warning and an alternate route. Even the top Zumo doesn't offer this.
Finally, especially if you already have one, using a good car unit on a bike is a lot cheaper. Heck, even if you have to buy one, it's cheaper than a bike unit. And really, I don't like riding in the rain so the few times I get caught out, it's real easy to put the GPS in my pocket so it doesn't get wet.
