I need a new gps as my old garmin 2730 has given up. I was wondering how long I could expect a non bike specific gps to last. I know a zumo or tomtom rider would be best but with some health issues and my riding days winding down I hate to spend that kind of money. I am a conservative rider and don't go off road, so what kind of time or mileage do you get?
If you don't ride in the rain, a cheap Garmin Nuvi on a RAM mount will work. I've used this setup and it's OK if you are only interested in navigation on the street. A lot of the cheap units won't let you do detailed route planning, but are fine for navigation to an address.
My experience is not good for Auto gps on a bike. It isn't the worry about water but it is the Vibrations do not do well with the miniusb type of connections!
I gave up on the automotive GPS after going through 2 of them. USB connectors failed on both. I suppose you could put some good tape like gaffer tape or something to keep it from vibrating but I took mine out of the mount too often for this to work.
I agree that vibration is a killer. The RAM mounts help isolate some of the vibration. The USB connector is a weak point. For day trips using the internal battery the Nuvis work OK. I now use handheld units like the Garmin Oregon or Montana in a RAM mount. They are rugged and the batteries last all day. They also let you use the full range of route planning tools and work well offroad.
I don't ride in below freezing as much as you but haven't had a hint of issues like that with my Zumo 660. I also use it in my car daily and it's parked outside. -30 c weather last year didn't faze it. I wonder if the screens are different.
As others have said, and I observed on an earlier mount, the mini gps connection is a weak link. My second crack at using an old auto GPS has been more successful:
I used a hot glue gun to seal the openings on the rear and then hot glued the mini usb connector onto the unit while it was mounted in its Ram mount. I carry an old plastic shower cap to pull over the unit as camo when I'm shopping (spray painted black, it becomes unobtrusive to passers by). I've ridden in several frog stranglers with no negative effect on the GPS. A bit more than 2 years with no issues so far..
I've been using a TomTom automotive gps on my Vee for a while. No ill effects. Haven't gotten it really wet however....and my unit does not use micro-usb for charging. It's a much larger connector and is held in place magnetically. I use a ram mount.
>>If you don't ride in the rain, a cheap Garmin Nuvi on a RAM mount will work<<
This is exactly the setup I use, and for my type of riding (no off-road) it works just fine. And if it croaks I'll just get another one for short money.
I have been using the same garmin nuvi 200 for about 10 years. 4 or 5 of those on my bike. Including 5 or 6 trips where the rain made the screen go crazy. Lol. I finally bought a tomtom rider this winter, so I'm going to retire the nuvi to car duty only
I have about 100k miles on a TomTom 920. I use a Ram Mount on the handle bar on all my bikes. Simply transfer the unit from one to the other. A lot of that mileage is on gravel anf forestry roads on my WeeStrom.
I use a zip loc bag in the rain. So far, the only issue was a failure of the audio out port.
I use a tank bag with clear GPS pocket on top of the bag. Bag takes some of the vibration so GPS seems to work fine during last year. I do not use it on every ride, just when I'm going to new location or planning to get lost.
I use the 2455 Garmin with lifetime traffic and maps. I got the Ram Aqua box and it has foam pads behind it and a soft plastic face so the vibrations are not a problem. Been using it for over a year. Works wonderfully.
I did put a sheet of rubber over the box that covers the back, windward, side and provides a sun shield too. So no weather problems so far. I ruined a Tomtom and a Magellan cheapy to vibrations and rain before getting the Aqua box.
Oh, when I crashed it wiped out the replaceable face sheet and cracked the box but it is still sound and useable.You can put a lock on the access door too.
$40 bucks, can't go wrong. I can work the touch screen even with gloves on. Good stuff.
Not sure what your issue is with your garmin 50, mine is fine and has the same maps and detail as the $200+ unit my father bought (I paid $65 for mine). I have ridden 10000 miles without any issues on a ram mount on my '08.
I was not aware that the 2730 was non bike specific. I thought the 28 series was the same just more do dads. shows what I know. anyway my 2730 lasted for about 5 yrs. had to replace the power cable once.
You are right in that the 28xx series only had a few more bells and whistles, but neither the 27xx nor 28xx were motorcycle-specific. I think Garmin's first motorcycle-specific GPS was the original Zumo (500 series maybe?) that came out several years after the 27xx / 28xx.
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