hey folks , i am gonna save for a sat nav for the bike, can anyone recommend brand model useage etc ????                                                                                                                                                                              

I've used Tom Tom Rider2 for 18 months now. Brilliant, can't fault it. I've got lost a few times but that was just me being stubborn thinking I knew better lol. Think the new one doesn't come with a headset now so that's extra. My was £325 with a Scala rider headset included.

We've got Garmin Zumo 550s. Much more expensive than the TomTom I got for the car some years ago. Both did their job but wouldn't rely totally on one.                                                                                                                                                                              

Zumo 660 - bought mine a few weeks ago, simple install, complete with RAM mount etc, easy to use, but - expensive :(  Fact of life with any bike sat nav   I've wired mine into my starcom system; the cable is £35 (ouch), best one I've used and it has dual use as a car mount is provided. er in doors called me on the mobile and couldn't tell that I was riding the bike; so good quality bluetooth connection.    You can also add Mp3 tunes to the hard drive or through an SD card.   The mapsource application that comes with the kit is first class, which you can use to plan losts of interesting routes for UK and Europe                                                                                                                                                                               

Good grief ....... more money than sense. Go on Ebay, get a cheap 2nd hand car sat nav, you will get them for under £30, add a 12v socket to your bike, which is useful for all sorts of other things such as phone charging and air bed pumps.

If its fairly new, you wont even have to plug in the 12v as the battery will last 3-4 hours, but all you do is get near, I'm assuming that you can all tell which junction of a moterway too come off at, then you switch it on. DOH!!

Get a ram mount for it and all together it wont cost you more than £80-90

You can't hear the directions with a car sat nav though. I know it's easy to look down at the screen but not always convenient if it's busy.                                                                                                                                                                              

And when it's p*ssing it down with rain SF?                                                                                                                                                                                 

You cover with cling film !!, alternatvely instead of having a ram mount it goes in a tank bag top

Errrr yes .... you can hear the directions with a car sat nav, if you have a bluetooth helmet, which is the only way you can hear it with a rider anyway. You might have to pay a little more for a 2nd hand one than 25-30 but its still much cheaper
                                                                                                                                                                             

Apologies Sf I didn't know car sat navs had bluetooth I've never had one.                                                                                                                                                                             

Yep and my car one plays mp3 files too through a FM transmitter to the radio ...... but it will play them through the bluetooth connection too, although personally I'm not one for music on the bike.                                                                                                                                                                              

nor me re music sf, thanks  for the advise folks                                                                                                                                                                              

I got a tom tom rider off ebay, came with all the bits you would expect: european maps, headset, ram mount ect. works exellent, been into central London twice with it. And it was about £120 cheaper than brand new  
                                                                                                                                                                             

I am with Al I also have a Zumo 660 lovely large screen and easier to use than Ians 550

As for using a car sat nav, yup you can do however bike nags usually have a better shock absorption system in them as well as the waterproof aspect, but you can get a sat nav tank bag to put it in to get round that one.

I just stick my nokia phone in my pocket plug earphones in and with free satnav with street names on it works spot on                                                                                                                                                                               

i write roads down on bit of paper before setting off and stick in me pocket... if need to pull over and check.... or simple map in tank bag... what ever happened to the simple stuff                                                                                                                                                                              

I got mine through the  MNC group www.mynewcheap.co.uk    what they call white box jobs, items that have been returned to point of sale cos something may be missing in box, its checked and resold lot cheaper with usual full warranty.

I used the TT 930 Go for a  year and bought a RAM mount / powerlet cable - and covered it with a clear plastic bag. Worked a treat. Had hand back my Company car which I had sav nav built in - so needed it anyway - er in doors has the TT930 Go. I thought of Harry W point and Ebay - electronics fails pretty easy, so I'd rather have new and benefit from the warranty if it goes pete tong. Horses for courses.

What I got was new Al, never been switched on and full warranty. And £100+ cheaper.
                                                                                                                                                                             

Harry I know the deal -  it's about tolerence to risk - some of us don't like the idea of open boxed stuff etc, horses for courses. If you don't mind = great. if you do = buy new. if you just want a system go 2nd hand. No right or wrong answer, it's down to personal preference and whether you want to spend your money in a certain way.   I'd go second hand if it worked for me, but I want an current system with the latest software and a warranty. You ain't wrong Harry,  but I like it new if i can afford it...                                                                                                                                                                             

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