Which SatNav would you recommend ?

[Waldorf]

The Zumo comes complete with mounts for both car and bike, including RAM mounts and balls, does not need waterproof bags, straps or other 'extras' so it can be taken out of the box and set up without any more money being spent.
It comes complete with the computer software and for a reasonable on-off fee one receives regular map updates - up to 4 per annum - for life.

I repeat, each to his own.
I resent the implied criticism of the way I choose to spend my money.
Throughout my life I have dabbled in woodwork and mechanicing, having owned several racing cars on which I have done my share of the work.
It has always been my policy to buy what I think are the best tools for the job although they may not always be the most expensive as I couldn't always afford them.
If one follows the 'less-expensive tool is just as good' route, why do people spend £6000 on a scooter when a £1500 one will do the job?
My NRG got me from place to place in reasonable comfort, was reliable and cost less than ¼ of the price of my Silverwing but it wasn't as good in terms of the use I want from a scooter.
It is absolutely no business of anyone to criticise anyone else's choice of tool, gadget or whatever and in the case of GPS, a £5 road atlas will do very nicely if one can be bothered to learn how to read maps......and look at the price-saving compared with even the cheapest Tom-Tom.

Or how about one of these - Google chalmet roadbookroller and click on Translate this page.

[bornagainbiker]

I have a 'car' TomTom 750 Live and use this for my bikes also. I bought a handlebar mount with a solid waterproof bag and works ok but vibrates a bit on my 1500cc VTwin, but was ok on my Honda CBF1000. This is a good uk site that has lots of bike and sat nav accessories http://www.buybits.com/default.aspx

For the Burgman I bought a Givi waterproof sat nav bag where the velcro straps simply wrap around the handlebars centre of the burgman. It's good but when you park up it needs removing as those tealeafs will have it. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Givi-Black-Wa ... 901wt_1185

My recent purchase of a tank bag from Lidl will hopefully act as a tunnel bag where I can use the map holder for the sat nav.

[halfabusa]

Waldorf, i wasn't criticising you if that's what you understood from my post. I simply disagreed with your claim that £100 product "has to be" inferior to a £400 product, and i just said the product (not you) would have to justify why it's worth that much more over it's competitor. As you described, It does seem to come with some good extras, so that would be a good justification for instance.

As for scooter choices, i'd never pay £6k for one if i can have the same one for a quarter of it's price, however that's not like for like if the scooters in question are silverwing vs nrg, as they are not the same scooters. What i'd do is go out and buy that £6k scooter a few years old for £2k or £3k instead.

[phantom309]

iv'e just gone back to tomtom,didn't like the garmin,prefer tomtom it's easier to use...for me anyway..

[Noggin the Nog]

Thanks Guys, plenty of food for thought
G.

[Waldorf]

Waldorf, i wasn't criticising you if that's what you understood from my post.

Thanks - my dander was not upped by what you said.

I do agree that most expensive is not necessarily the best but one reaches a point where the 'here-and-now' performance is not the only consideration.
I trust that my expensive 660 will outlast much cheaper GPSs, even Garmins, and that, along with the constant map-updates and service systems yet to be tried by me, persuades me that the greater initial outlay will prove the cheaper option in the long term.

I also take your point about not buying a scooter for £X when one can be had for a quarter of the price but again, if one considers the long-term view, that is not possible since the second-hand 'version' is not the same as a new one if only that its life-span is shorter.

What really makes me angry is when we are asked 'Which SatNav would you recommend' and one's recommendation, based on experience, is slagged off by someone who has probably no first-hand knowledge of the device and thinks only of his wallet.....and I notice that the same p***** has done more or less the same in the BMW thread - as if I didn't know the Silverwing costs more than the cheapest car. It's sad he can't see why I cited the Tmax - subtlety's clearly not his strong point.

[halfabusa]

Yep, true point about long-term life span, and if i didn't have a habit of getting bored of bikes/cars every year or two and kept them for longer, it would have been more economical to buy brand new, or almost brand new at least. Unfortunately i'm easily bored, that's why i buy them knowing i'll be selling them on soon. That's why i try to steer away from depreciation as much as possible. Plus the hard life they live while commuting into London is another factor, as navigating in and out of dense traffic takes it's toll and soon they start collecting war wounds.

I agree that slagging off a product merely by it's price tag is not sensible, at least a bit of googling is necessary to find out their differences first.

[Waldorf]

Understood about the London Traffic wear-and-tear.

Your point about 'boredom' reminded me that it takes me so long now to learn how to use a new electronic gadget I need something that will last for ages so I don't keep having to learn how to use new ones.

[Waldorf]

I can't understand the general reluctance to buy RAM mounts and arms to securely mount sat navs

I venture to suggest that cost may be a factor; I've just bought a 1" ball on the round base and it's cost me, with £8.99 postage from the UK, £21.11.
For me it's an investment - others may not see it that way or simply not have the cash.

Incidentally, one company list their postal charge from Sheffield to here as £30.00! I have sent them an e-mail!

[Zed]

I bought a discounted Tom Tom Rider in 2006, an SD card with European mapping for it in 2007, ... or you haven't got some type of device mated to it to give you audio instructions to speakers in your helmet.

Yeah maps don't go out of date that quickly. I just put my Satnav/phone in an internal jacket-pocket, run headphones up thru neck-buff and into helmet. You don't really get time to look at the screen in London, so just having verbal instructions is fine.