Tom Tom Rider
 

A new content_equipment_review entry has been added:

[drupal=573]Tom Tom Rider[/drupal]

Tomtom Rider 2
 

I bought the Tomtom Rider 2 Europe two weeks ago, just before I left on a trip to Denmark and Germany.

The new RamMount hardware is perfect. I mounted it on the handlebars of my GoldWing GL1200 and it was very easy. It also has a safety cord so even when something goes wrong, you don't loose it.
Then I drove to Denmark and from Denmark to Berlin in Germany and then back to Holland, avoiding freeways. I loved it.
I don't think I'll leave without it anymore. The beluetooth headset that comes in the package works perfect for me. Even on high speed with earplugs in, it can be set loud enough.

Maybe a Garmin or other GPS has more options but for what I want, the Tomton is perfect.

Matt,
Congratulations are in order; you appear to be the first to write up a review!

A question about your paragraph shown here:

"Another small concern is that you can’t plan your route on your computer before you leave home, you can build an itinerary on the device or download ones other people have created… but when you tour as much as I do I want to be able to plan my route right down to which b road I’m going to take when - and that may not be the way the device wants me to go… as soon as they have that sorted I’ll be a very very happy man (maybe they could also let you see where you’d been too)."

I am not clear what you are saying in that first sentence; what is stopping you planning by using the T T? (you refer to being able to build an itinerary, so what is the problem?)

Cheers,

Ahh okay well what I meant then was - they've fixed it now - was that you couldn't use your computer at home - your laptop say - and plan a route before you left home and then download it to the Tom Tom - the only way to plan the route was to do it on the GPS itself - which is a pain in the bum for detailed rides...

However, a few months ago they integrated the Tom Tom Home software for the Rider so you can now plan everything from your PC and download it to the GPS.

Hope that's clear - as mud!

m

Planning it on a GPS is better for me since I won't have a laptop. No way of charging it on my 6 volt bike.

It is something I could use the 'Wanderlust GPS World Map' on, right?
2ridetheworld.com : diary

Hmmm... I might get off my ass and get myself a GPS. I love paper maps because I like taking notes on them and they look neat after the trip. But I also like wandering around with no maps and just aiming towards a general direction. A GPS would make up for that deficiency.

No I don't think it is actually - that's one of the major limitations of the device - you can only use the maps Tom Tom provide - the coverage is pretty good for what you need 90% of the time - but if you head off the beaten track then you can't use other maps.

You can download this app - which lets you navigate to long / lats as required - but with no map support

Le Web Bazar !!! GPS Tomtom !!!

Agreed Dave,
Still a lot to be said about the advantages of paper maps, but that is not a review that I shall be writing up!

Matt's latest info is a reason that I am holding off from GPSs. It is too early to say which technology and systems will dominate the market and make everything else redundant/out of date and with a consequent lack of applications in the future - bit like the videotape dichotomy of years ago -- VHS or Betamax; the latter was considered to be the better technology but the former "won the war" of the video recorder.

Matt,
Thanks for your latest info; by "navigating by Lats and Longs" I guess you mean comparing what the GPS says with a paper map or simply "cross-graining the country on a bearing".

Yeap quite right - although... having said all of that I've gone back and looked at the apps I spoke about earlier and it appears the off-road app does now support 3rd party maps...

Le Web Bazar !!! GPS Tomtom Rider !!! Applications !!! Offroad Navigator !!!

From that site...

I don't necesseraly agree it's too early to chose which tech will win... I don't think Tom Tom and Garmin are like Betamax and VHS, but I do think they are aimed at different markets.

The Tom Tom is for the general driver / rider who drives around Europe and the states but doesn't go too far afield.... the software is incredibly easy to use and in fact their latest Home software is even more simple and idiot proof than the last.

Garmin on the other hand has a steeper learning curve but a much greater degree of flexibility to be used in many more situations.

The Rider was perfect for me 2 years ago, it still is for day to day use, but it gets a bit limited if you want to head down to Morocco or go further east than Moscow.

Matt,
Thanks for the extra info; I agree that my analogy was not perfect and not totally relevant.
I also see your point in that the basic technology consists of those satellites "up there" and they are not likely to be superceded in the foreseeable future (although "Europe" wants to fly it's own satellite constellation so that it is not dependant on a US system - as if Europe has money/our taxes to spend!!).

So, yes it then becomes a choice at the end-user level; I have travelled with others who have been using the T T and the limitation of what amounts to European mapping has been identified by those owners - got to wonder when T T will have mapping available for further pastures. Good news though that the T T can accept other maps from other providers as per your last post.

Would be useful to see some more equipment reviews in that new section of the forum for, say, the Garmin.

Cheers,

I have the ttr2 and have found it excellent except for one item: The lcd screen cover.:thumbup1:

one question: When u press down in the centre of your screen does it feel spongy (flexible), i bought a rider 2 a month ago and this presented a problem. The plastic over the lcd screen had air between the plastic and lcd screen. When it got very warm the air expanded and made it very diffucult to enter information. I sent it back for repair and it returned with the same problem. I am now exchanging it for a new one but am wondering if it is the same with all ttr2.

Thanks for the input. I'll just get a Garmin 60cx so I can use the Wanderlust - Smellybiker maps.

How bizarre - I've not heard of that before... very strange... mine seems perfectly happy - but I have heard of TT sending stuff back not repaired properly..

m

GoogleEarth / TomTom
 

WalkAbout, have you tried the freeware software called 'TYRE'. it allows you to plan you routes on GoogleEarth and then directly inpot them to you TomTom.
Works really well and is easier to look and pick out the roads etc.
You can also create your own POI.:thumbup1:

Thanks for that - I guess this is what you mean:-

Tyre Help

Never heard of it, but it sounds interesting.

Something like it that does the same thing for getting TTs to work alongside, say, Microsoft's online maps would be good as well! Any chance, do you reckon?

BTW TYRE = trace your route everywhere (nice one!)

Cheers,

As I remember, TomTom made a bid for map provider TeleAtlas a few months ago, so that could seriously increase map coverage for the TomTom range (including the TomTom Rider 2). Must check thats still going ahead..