I am very familiar with GPS as an early adopter of a mapping unit over 10 years ago. I am also a pilot and have one in my plane and nearly consider it required equipment. I never wanted one for my car (I can read a map pretty well) and haven’t bothered to really look at units designed specifically for driving until recently. I honestly thought they were for dummies that couldn’t read a map. But… it’s a major pain to stop to pull out a map when you’re on a bike.
I wanted something small and inconspicuous, and something with a very low profile mount. Most of all, it had to be affordable. All my research led me to the Magellan Explorist 201 on the low end ($150 plus maps and mount totaled about $260) and the Garmin Quest ($330 plus $15 mount) on the high end. I knew I would need detailed maps which was included in the Garmin, but extra in the Magellan. The Garmin has a color display and is designed specifically for driving. The Magellan is B&W and is more of an “outdoor†unit. I ordered both from Amazon.com
For driving, the Garmin Quest is the hands down winner. I had no idea how well they designed a unit specifically for driving. It comes with a map DVD and mapping application for your PC. You can connect your GPS to the PC (included cable) and send the detailed map region to the unit. I selected all of WA, OR, ID MT, and most of northern CA. There was still plenty of space left over. The Garmin Quest II is the same unit, but with more memory for maps, which for me, I don’t need. The mapping application also makes it easy to build pre-defined routes and waypoints. I used my Destination Highways WA book to make routes for several rides I want to make this summer. You can also make the routes on the GPS directly, but it’s easier to do it on your PC and load it to the GPS.
I was worried about mounting on my R1150R, and also worried about readability in direct sunlight. I decided to give the $15 bicycle handlebar mount a shot before I spent the big bucks on something fancy. It works very well. It was a very tight fit, and I had to loosen the handlebar mounts to get it to slide in, but that was just a one-time thing. I am very pleased with how it works. It doesn’t block any of the instruments or lights, is very low profile and is flat up against the bars, pops on and off in less than a second, looks good with a finish that is close to the roadster dash, and seems secure. The angle it’s mounted at also keeps all of the glare off the screen.
The second picture shows the mount on the bars with the GPS removed. The GPS is smaller than it looks in the picture. It is compact enough to go in your pocket when you get off your bike. I am using the built in battery that is supposed to be good for 18hrs. I have found that I can read it just fine during the day with the backlight turned off, so in that configuration it should last even longer. They do make a motorcycle kit for external power, and a audio cable to go to your intercom if you have one, to hear the verbal directions (“turn left in 200ft, then keep right†sort of thing). If you don’t have the motorcycle kit it will beep at you for upcoming turns, and you can just barely hear it over the engine.
When turned on, the GPS simply plots your location on a map, including your current speed, time, elevation and direction. Across the top it will tell you what street you are on, and what cross-street is coming up at all times (“Traveling E. on Jefferson, 12th Ave nextâ€Â, on the freeway it tells you what exit is coming up “Exit 122 – 4th Ave S. in next on Rightâ€Â). It also tells you your max speed, average speed, etc. Very handy.
In navigation mode it computes the best course to get from where you are to anywhere you want to go and includes excellent prompting for upcoming turns, exits, etc. It also seems accurate at estimating your arrival time. The database includes almost every business and you can search for just certain things like gas stations, banks, Mexican food, etc. You can also search by business name if you know it. It includes business phone numbers so you can call to see if they are open, then it will compute the best route for you to get there. Additionally, you can tell it to avoid freeways, toll roads, unpaved roads etc. If you would rather plot your own course, you can do that, then just follow the guidance to get there. One button push and it will compute your best route home! When I pull up to my house it says “Arriving home, on leftâ€Â. Pretty cool, and very accurate!
The box also includes a suction cup mount for your car, and a cigarette lighter cord for power that includes a little speaker with volume for the voice guides.
All in all, I am thoroughly impressed. This is one very cool little box. The only thing I could warn you of is that the screen may bit a bit small if you don’t have good eyesight. It’s fine for me.
