A Gps system for your bike can turn your journeys, into adventures. opportunity up a whole new experience, you can find remarkable places to contemplate by planning your trips at home, and downloading your routes to your Gps device. New landscapes, destinations, and road trips await; with the security and confidence of never getting lost again.
A Gps system for your bike can also help to make your journeys as comfortable, and stress-free as possible. If you fancy a break, or you're running out of petrol, your Gps can help. More importantly, your Gps unit can guide you back to security when you get lost, or accidentally take the wrong turning. With voice guided directions, and software brimming with points of interest (Poi), such as petrol stations, restaurants, assistance stations, and hotels; your Gps can guarantee you a journey of uninterrupted enjoyment.
Sound like the excellent toy? Well, with Gps systems becoming mainstream, and new features and models endlessly hitting the shelves, it can be a hard task deciphering which Gps gadget best suits your needs.
To help you out, it's worth considering the following points before you go ahead and purchase your first Gps for your motorcycle.
What Type of Gps Do You Need For Your Motorcycle?
Are Its Reception Capabilities favorable For Your Needs?
Does the Battery Life Of Your Gps Suit Your Needs?
How resistant Is Your Gps To Vibration & Hard Ware?
Do You Want 2-Way-Communication?
How Easy Is Your Gps To Update?
How Easy Is Your Gps To Update?
What Price Is Suitable?
What Type of Gps Do You Need For Your Motorcycle?
There are 3 types of Gps units for motorbikes; transportable outdoor units, Gps units designed specifically for your motorcycle/ scooter, and Gps/Pda hybrids.
If you also enjoy outdoor activities such as mountain biking, rambling, or even camping; a transportable Gps that can be taken everywhere with you would be ideal. As well as navigating your off-road persuits, versatile Sat Nav's, like the Garmin Quest 2, operate in any vehicle. As well as motorcycling, you can take it in your car, on your boat, or even on a plane with you.
Gps devices designed exclusively for motorcycles can offer you some very impressive features. Especially designed with you, the motorcyclist, in mind, units like the TomTom Rider have tough, weather-proof casing, touch-screen options for gloves, and anti-glare screens. One of the latest features introduced by TomTom for sufficient communication, is a system which transmits your spoken instructions via a built-in Bluetooth audio system, using a headset that sits inside your helmet.
The final type of Gps gadget that may request for retrial to you is the Pda/Gps hybrid. Although these devices have been designed primarily with portability in mind, most come with the added bonus of having a large screen. So, like the hand-held outdoor Gps units, this type of Gps would be ideal for those of you who enjoy a range of outdoor activities. With an integrated Pda on top of this, Gps/ Pda devices, like the Mio A201 for example, can be handy for work and play. With features like Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, you will be able to catch up on work anytime, anyplace. If you prefer to listen to music on the move, play games, or store digital photos, a Gps gadget like this one is an ideal choice
Does the Reception Capabilities of Your bike Gps Meet Your Needs?
When selecting a Gps for your motorcycle, it is worth thinking about how correct you want your satellite signals to be, in pinpointing your position.
A lot of Gps units available today have an accuracy of practically 6-8 meters. However, many of the newer Gps models are designed with a Waas (Wide Area Augmentation System) capability, resulting in accuracies of 3-4 meters 95% of the time. The Garmin Quest 2 for example, has a flip up external antenna equipped with a 12-channel Waas Gps receiver; supplying position accuracy of up to 9 feet.
If you enjoy riding in dense woodlands and urban areas, it is worth noting that Gps devices incorporating the new SiRf Star Iii Chip Set, are units to look out for. This high performance, low power consumption chipset has superior sensitivity in high foliage surroundings. It is also worth noting that Gps units with external powered antennas are great in maintaining a signal in deep woodlands.
Does the Battery Life of Your bike Gps Suit Your Needs?
With the freedom to ride just about everywhere with a Gps; battery life is an prominent component to consider. Most Gps units use 2, 4, or 6 'Aa' batteries, which can last up to 6 hours. Gps units with integrated rechargeable batteries are the ideal choice if you occasionally lose track of time. With Gps systems like the TomTom Rider, you can fee your battery at home, while planning your next route, or continuously keep topped up with power, by charging your Gps directly from your bikes battery.
How resistant Is Your bike Gps To Vibration & Hard Ware?
With the freedom to ride just about everywhere and not get lost, it is guaranteed your Gps will get a great deal of use (and reverberation). So, it is prominent to reconsider how durable your Gps is, in withstanding such conditions.
Gps devices designed exclusively for Motorcycles, like the TomTom Rider have been designed with this in mind. Not only weather proof, its tough outer case and rugged shock proof mount has been designed to suck in any external friction.
Although most Gps devices come with a mount, it is an absolute must that you use a vibration isolated mount if your Gps will be used ordinarily on your motorcycle. The Ram mount by Npi, which is fast becoming the business standard, make anti-vibration ball and socket mounting systems allowing you to mount practically anything, everywhere with vibration security and durability. This would be an ideal increasing to the Garmin Quest 2 Gps if you were purchasing this transportable Gps for a lot of use on your motorcycle.
Do You Want Your bike Gps To Have 2-Way Communication?
Some of the most new Gps systems to be launched for motorcycles have taken 2-way communication to a whole new level.
If you own a Gprs Bluetooth enabled movable phone, it is worth knowing that many Sat Nav's, like the TomTom Rider, have incorporated a Bluetooth receiver, surrounded by their many features. With the quality to associate your phone via Bluetooth, and receive incoming phone calls straight through your Gps and Bluetooth headset, you need never have to take your gloves and helmet off to retort your phone again.
You could even use your Bluetooth enabled phones' wireless Internet, and with certain models of Gps, receive real time information on traffic conditions.
Enjoy riding in groups? It is worth knowing there are some new hand held units that can offer built in radios that will not only allow you to divulge with other members of your group, but will also display everyone's location on your screen.
How Easy Is Your bike Gps To Update?
With Roads constantly changing, the quality to modernize your gadget easily, and at a reasonable cost, are very prominent factors to reconsider when selecting your Gps.
It is prominent to perceive that each type of Gps will be updated in a distinct way, and so you need to choose which process is great for you.
Those which are attached to a Pda, like the Mio A201 for example, are ordinarily updated via a Pc, whereas dedicated in-vehicle units tend to be updated via a Cd. These have to be purchased from the road map data supplier.
Some exact software vendors have solutions for making ready maps which can be downloaded to your Gps unit. Most notably, TomTom operate the TomTom Plus service.
The Choice: budget Considerations
In essence, your choice can be reasonably simple: Buy the most expensive Gps that you can afford, that suits your needs.
It is important, using my pointers above, to resolve which features are most prominent to you. If you want an up-to-the-minute Gps for your motorcycle; with features like real-time, on request traffic information, hands-free calling, turn by turn voice instructions via bluetooth headsets, alerts for speed camera locations, plus thousands of useful points of interest, Gps sytems like the TomTom Rider start from practically £550 inc. Vat.
If, however, you are seeing for more of a toy to play with, and a Gps that will plainly get you from A to B, then a hand held gadget could be a great choice. With a range of features, like uncomplicated voice guidance, compass mode, Mp3 player, and essentially portability, Gps devices like the Mio 268 and the Garmin Quest 2 are ideal for motorcycles, and a range of outdoor activities. The Mio 268, and hand held Gps units with similar features, start from practically £250 inc. Vat.
To browse a range of discount Gps Sytems For Your Motorcycle, or Accessories & Software For Your bike Gps Systems, visit http://www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk.
