which sat nav
 

I got myself a 2nd hand tom tom 1 for a trip across europe, and for riding in the UK and it was great except for when the mount got loose due to the vibrations-although I do ride a Harley, so there is a fair ammount of that!
The Tom Tom fell off a couple of times but still worked, and when I e.mailed Tom Tom they did send me a new mount fro fre even though the unit was well out of its 2 yaer warranty, I am off across the states , mexico and then as far south as my money will take me and think I will go for the new tom tom 2, which promises to come with a much sturdier mount. Overall, I think my Tom Tom rules-but am open to alternatives...anybody?
Also, anyone fancy some good allround riding gear that waterproof yet breathable too........No one seems to be impressed with BMW or HG.....hmm
Dan
Big Fat Hog

If you can get maps for the Tom Tom then from what Dan says .. they'd be good.

Unfortunatly Tom Tom does not do a world map .. yet ... and so Garmin wins if you are intending to go to places Tom Tom has no maps for ..

Zumo 550
 

I have ridden over 57,000 kms and through 24 countries this year with my Zumo 550 and would not think of buying any thing else. Rain, hail, dust, whatever. No problems for the Zumo.

Tom Tom has no worldmap.

Also you cannot add Tracks4Africa to a TT (see Tracks4Africa - T4A GPS Maps)

Check out Garmin 276c, or cheaper, Garmin 60CSx, both more "off road" orientated than the ZUMO's etc

I can recommend Garmin 60CSx. It's not perfect for a bike or a car - relatively small screen but quite readable even in a full sun. It's more off road oriented than others, very robust, waterproof and works on NiMh very long - even 12h. I decided to buy this one because it's very reliable and can save my !@#$ when I get lost somewhere in a deep $#@! without any power supply or when my bike broke down. Our mountain rescue groups (life guards?) use this one in Poland. Zumo is great but only for roads and is not so robust and battery life is very short - circa 4h. So...

Everything depends on your expectations and how do you want to use it. I usually check only my position while stopping and do not stare at the screen every minute. Decide - zumo great for roads, bad for a deep !@#$, 60csx good for everything, great for a deep !@#$ ;) If you want to buy zume, buy bluetooth veriosn and use it always with voice nav. Much safer than starring at the screen.

+1 for the 60CSx :thumbup1: along with a marine 278C tough as nails

My first European trip was in 2003. I went solo to Alicante and used paper maps. I got lost, made the occasional mistake and found myself in the middle of nowhere. Then in 2006 I decided to get a sat nav, and for the last three years I've toured around Europe with a Garmin. Last September I arrived home after 2 months away and sold the bugger. I found it was fine when you stuck to motorways etc., but once I went off these and into small towns and country roads it was awful. It would tell me to turn down dirt tracks and lanes and it got to the point where I really didn't feel I could trust it to bring me anywhere. Too much time was spent working with the intricacies and complexities of the gadgetry of it all and overall I felt it was a lot of hassle I could do without.

This year I'm going in July for a few weeks and I've just bought myself a 2009 Michelin map for £4. I'm looking forward to getting lost, making the occasional mistake and finding myself in the middle of nowhere again......but to me that's part of the fun of it all.

Chris

I used to a TomTom Rider2 to get to Paris. Didn't take the most direct route and planned my route on Google Earth then used a program called 'Tyre' to get it on the TomTom.

From what I've been told the Garmin is better for going off road, setting waypoints off the beaten track etc where the TomTom is fantastic for road only.
I can only tell you what I've been told about the Garmin though, have never used one.

i use the garmin zumo 550 and i feel it really is an excellent bit of kit.sure i too enjoy my maps and always will and certainly checking out terrain and route finding skills using a map, are part of the fun for me at least of travel and biking and combined with a gps give you more infomation to select from when you have to make a choice.i always carry maps with me and if for any reason the gps becomes unsure of itself i carry on with the maps etc.it does happen the the gps will stumble over the info it is reading on occasion don`t forget its only as good as the maps programmed into it.something you can have control over, is how it
calculates the routes it uses and depending on your input you can eliminate some of the false readings, by imputing a route with a begining a middle and an end for example and a few poi`s you are then directing the map programme to follow your route.it takes a little practice and sometimes you will still get wrong directions but in a way depending on where your head is at it might piss you off but i still rate it very highly for all my trips