Garmin Streetpilot 2610 or 2620

[deilenberger]

Bought refurbished 2730 (2720 plus XM radio), used in car and on bike. No problems, the non-battery nature of device is not a problem.

Opinions vary re Garmin mapping software, but I get all the functionality I need. Voice prompting great, menu navigation easy.

This whole family of 2600 units has touch screen that is tough to see in glare. Just old tech, but one weakness.

I have my auction sniper service set on a 2720 on eBay...

Hi Sweatmark,
What do you use to mount this on the handlebar, and what kind of wiring can you recommend? I see Powerlet and fixed wires sold on eBay. It seems that fixed wiring might make a Centech fusebox useful, unless one wants to stack multiple wires for different equipment on the battery terminals.

I'm not Sweatmark, but..

For wiring - BMW sells a cable that plugs into the GPS power plug off the wiring harness. The plug is located on the right front of the bike, tucked up and tie-wrapped to the front frame tube from the steering head to the engine. Look around where the horn is..

This outlet provides switched power, and if you have a BMW Navigator GPS - a distance/speed signal for the GPS that enhances accuracy when the GPS looses the satellite signal. The cable is a bit pricey unless you get a deal on it. There is also a "repair connector" (you can find the PN by searching here.. it's in a thread someplace) - that plugs into the same outlet and provides 3 wires you can connect the Garmin motorcycle power cord up to.

As far as mounts? Lots of options. BMW makes one that mounts it to the mounting bolts for he bars. This requires the use of Garmin's locking motorcycle mount (with the 4 universal spaced holes in it..) You can find the Garmin mount on Ebay. There are several of the BMW mounts on Ebay - but meant for the GS. The hole spacing is very slightly different (nothing a round "rat-tail" file won't fix..) I found this position not optimal - it required too much eye movement, and it interfered with my tankbag (including the one BMW makes for the bike..)



Or - you can roll your own if you have a BMW touring shield mount:



This is about the best spot I've found for it. Minimal eye movement needed. It doesn't interfere with anything. I used the square mounting block from the BMW GS mount, but you can use simple clamps instead.. details at:

http://www.eilenberger.net/R1200R_Roads ... _Mount.htm

And

http://www.eilenberger.net/R1200R_Roads ... Rindex.htm

[sweatmark]

Hi Sweatmark,
What do you use to mount this on the handlebar, and what kind of wiring can you recommend?

I use this mount: http://www.gpscity.com/ram-mount-garmin ... -ga9u.html
(applicable to all the StreetFinder 26**/27** units)

Attached to this thing: http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/pr ... /2626/451/

Which fits into this tankbag & its kin: http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/pr ... /2342/451/
(the tankbag GPS mount really helps keep GPS vibration-free)
(this particular tankbag is a bit too small, but I cram all my audio gizmos in there for easy removal & security when traveling... Autocom audio hub, iPod, BlackBerry phone, and Garmin Rino or Icom for bike-to-bike; just one power cord into tankbag, and helmet cord for Autocom)

And for wiring I use: http://www.powerletproducts.com/product ... -cable/238

The tankbag's power supply is sourced through one of these: http://www.centechwire.com/catalog/panels/ap1.shtml
(one of the AP-1's fused circuits supplies the tankbag power plug, with other circuits used for Stebel horn, HID, Motolights, and aux Powerlet socket at rear of bike)

I heartily recommend these products and the various retailers.
FWIW I have an extra Centech AP-1 that's for sale.

[gezerbike]

I've had a 2610 for quite a while. I actually sold it to buy a Nuvi 780, which is a great unit, but after my first trip I decided I had made a mistake and started looking for another 2610. Found one that was hardly ever used and re-mounted it on my 1100 GS. I have City Nav v8 on one 2 gig card, and I carry Roads and Rec on another. I have the Nuvi set up to mount on the 1200 R for day trips and such. While the 2610 is kinda big and all, I think it has the best features yet for a bike GPS, especially when running Roads and Rec. About the only feature I miss is the ability to take the 2610 off the bike and into restaurants and run it on a battery while taking a break.

[hjsbmw]

Placed a sniper bid on a 2720 but ended up short by $6.

The TomTom boxes are available relatively inexpensive on eBay, but I have read very opposing reviews.

The Zumo systems (450/550) are a bit more pricey but maybe it's worth it to wait for a good deal?

[websterize]

The Zumo systems (450/550) are a bit more pricey but maybe it's worth it to wait for a good deal?

Herr Harald, there's a 450 for sale on the Buy, Sell and Trade subforum. I'm not sure if it's a good price. The 450 does not have Bluetooth.