Show me your GPS mounts

Picked up a Garmin Nuvi 55lm off the local CL for 30 bucks.  I don't trust the suction cup mount that came with it to hold it against the inside of the windshield so I'm looking at ordering some RAM mount parts to make something more permanent and resistant to vibration.  And yes, I know its not waterproof, I don't plan on running with it in any wet weather.  

So if anyone has a GPS mounted on the Swing, would love to see a picture or two of how you did it. And where you wired it in would be helpful too.

Bob

Check the archives. Lots of folks have posted GPS mounts

It's pretty pointless buying any automobile/car specific GPS for use on a motorcycle or maxi scooter. They're not weatherproof, they don't have a motorcycle specific holder or cradle, just one of those useless suction clamps. They're OK on the flat glass windscreen inside a car, not much use on the curved screen on a motor cycle or maxi scooter. They're also pretty easy for any opportunist thief to steal.

They're a compromise at best, and that's why a lot of owners end up buying  those clear plastic fronted zip pouches to weatherproof them and fix them to the handlebars. There'll inevitably be earlier topics on here from others that have purchased car sat navs to use on their Silver Wings.

I don't understand the OP saying he won't be running it it wet weather, The whole point of buying a GPS/sat nav is to find your way to and from destinations you aren't familiar with, and having to contend with riding in the rain is all part of the game.

0 for 2. I did search GPS and it got 0 hits. And lots of people do use them (car gps units) on bikes since the weather rated ones are ridiculously expensive. I don't plan on riding in the rain, I dont use the bike to commute, only for joy rides on nice days. I like to ride out a bit on back roads that arent that well marked and it would be nice to have a quick reference.

GPS is too short ... GPS mount .... is a different story

"GPS mount" resulted in a whole string of posts. Here's one: https://www.silverwing600.com/t9583-central-gps-ram-mount?highlight=Gps+mount

You can also purchase any number of RAM Mount for your needs. Here's a link to their entire motorcycle-specific catalog:
https://www.rammount.com/activity/motorcycle-mounts

So sorry I asked a question here. Thanks to the person who PM'd me with some links and photos.

EvilTwin wrote:

0 for 2.  I did search GPS and it got 0 hits.  And lots of people do use them (car gps units) on bikes since the weather rated ones are ridiculously expensive.

I wouldn't say they were 'weather rated', they're motorcycle specific so obviously have be more robustly encased to stand up to being exposed to vibration, road shocks, being dropped, and constant rain. The connections have to be weatherproof too. Unlike earlier motorcycle GPS units. (or sat navs in Brit speak) they're now a lot better to use in bright sunlight. Before they were useless with the sun directly behind you and needed a 'Glare Buster' shroud to minimise it. They automatically change brightness levels and go onto night screens to minimise eye fatigue.

They're also designed for use with a variety of sat nav cradles (like the locking Touratech one I use), and RAM mounts and arms.

There's a lot of trial and error, and added expense before you find a set up that works for you. For example the combined weight of my sat nav, cradle, and locking long RAM arm is too heavy for the screws on a RAM ball reservoir mount. So I went back to using the between the handlebars set up. Because of the long arm and combined weight, I now support it with a shock cord to stop the sat nav moving. That set up works for me because the combined weight on the RAM mount is about 2.5 lbs

I've also used my Garmin 350 LM in our car, myself and Mrs M have used it in the UK and France. We also toured US Southwest a few year ago in a hire car using my sat nav, simply by swapping the UK and Western Europe micro SD card with one for the USA mapping.  It also has a car windscreen mount as part of it's accessories, I'm not a fan of these things stuck on a screen, a bean bag mount on top of the dashboard is a lot more convenient.

EvilTwin wrote:

So sorry I asked a question here.   Thanks to the person who PM'd me with some links and photos.  

So sorry I bothered to answer here.  No need to give thanks to those members that post publicly in the relevant thread to try & help bud.
Members answering forum questions in a PM defeats the object of having a forum

Well, I have apparently violated a cardinal rule on this board by sending a new member a PM on some information he was looking for. When this member was looking for some information on GPS mounts, he didn't really get the answers he was looking for. One member answered to check the archives, that obviously didn't help this member. Heck, when I first joined this board I had no idea where these "archives" were located or how to find them. If you enter the word "archives in the search field, you get nothing. Another member commented that he shouldn't be mounting a GPS made solely for use in a car. If that was all the new member could afford, why criticize if that type of GPS fit his specific needs?. After reading several of these posts, I thought perhaps I could help this guy out by sending him a PM with specific instructions on how to find these"archives". Obviously most all of you seasoned members already knew where to find the information he was looking for, it just didn't seem to help the guy out. Sometimes it's a little easier to just get a PM to help sort things out instead of reading through several threads to get the information you are looking for. Sorry if I violated this PM rule.....

I wouldn't say that you violated any rule at all. It was nice of you to help the OP out. But as The Bern said, 'we all benefit from shared information'.

Tim

Isn't it the case when you buy a motorcycle specific sat nav/GPS, you have everything in the box necessary to install it. After that it's all down to you and after initial use you may consider a longer RAM arm, a more secure holder, or maybe a reservoir mount. In fact for a leisure ride there's no need to use the power lead at all, just charge it up at home like you would a cell/mobile phone and away you go.

It's also the case that topics like this are always from those who have bought a cheaper car sat nav instead of one designed for motorcycles. Then they try and mount it on a maxi scooter, the suction mount doesn't really work on a curved plastic screen, it won't adhere to the plastic bodywork either, and as it's not intended for motorcycle use there's no extra bits in the box.

So when they realise they've bought something not really fit for motorcycle/maxi scooter use, they don't look for simple solutions like those zipped sat nav cases for fixing to the handlebars made by Givi and others. Or hard case options from OtterBox or other companies that specialise in waterproof cases for tablets and phones. You'd think they'd search on here or other forums to see what other car sat nav users have done. That of course requires an bit of effort from them, and it's a lot easier to start a new topic and sit back.

EvilTwin, I have to agree with you about your 30-buck Garmin. I think it will work well for you. Although I have some unrelated complaints about Garmin GPS software, my current low-priced (about $85) Garmin does everything I need it to do and more. I have used it in my car (replacing the car's expensive, worthless GPS); on my motorcycles, and on my bicycles. I mistakenly knocked it off my bicycle twice and should have deservedly broken it both times, but it's still working well. During a rainy trip on my MC, I either removed the Garmin to a dry pocket or slipped a sandwich bag and rubber band over it. Sure, it would be nice to have the all-weather Fort Knox GPS, but for my purposes of getting from here to there, it's been great. Since I am now not an off-road rider, it has not been tested under those conditions, but it has served me for many miles on my handlebars and over a few potholes.

I have used a simple handlebar mount with the ball receiver, and I am in the process of hooking up my GPS to my "new" Swing, too, but, as stated above, there are other pictorial posts on this forum, and Googling GPS and phone mounts for motorcycles could help you, too.
You wll find something that works for you. Good luck.

I have been using a ram-mount setup with a mount from Dennis B. And yes I am using a automotive type Garmin... Works absolutely fine. I live in the West so rain is not usually a problem but I carry a clear zip-lock bag to place over GPS if necessary. Normally I would just put the unit under the seat.

Why use a car GPS? Two reasons; 1. motorcycle-specific units are prohibitively expensive and two both of my cars now have onboard NAV so the 2 Garmins are excess. I have mounts on both road bikes and just take a unit with me...

For supplies I use gpscity.com. They carry Ram mount and other mounting hardware. Good luck.

I'm quite amused by the 'prohibitively expensive from you, and the 'ridiculously expensive' from EvilTwin regarding the price of motorcycle specific GPS units.

Let's imagine two random Silver Wing riders, one American and one British, decided to buy a new motorcycle GPS today from an online motorcycle gear retailer in their own country, and both want the widely available Garmin Zūmo 395 LM.

American guy buys his from Revzilla where it's currently on sale for $499.99. That's £372.42 in Brit money.

British bloke buys his from Sportsbikeshop where  it's currently on sale for £449.99. That's $604.44 in US money.

So American guy gets the same Garmin GPS saving himself $104.55 over what the Brit bloke pays.

Meldrew wrote:

I'm quite amused by the 'prohibitively expensive from you, and the 'ridiculously expensive' from EvilTwin regarding the price of motorcycle specific GPS units.

Let's imagine two random Silver Wing riders, one American and one British, decided to buy a new motorcycle GPS today from an online motorcycle gear retailer in their own country, and both want the widely available Garmin Zūmo 395 LM.

American guy buys his from Revzilla where it's currently on sale for $499.99. That's £372.42 in Brit money.

British bloke buys his from Sportsbikeshop where  it's currently on sale for £449.99. That's $604.44 in US money.

So American guy gets the same Garmin GPS saving himself $104.55 over what the Brit bloke pays.

Agreed but I won't pay those prices period! Both my Garmin's were $100 or so USD. Plus I ALREADY had both my Garmin's LOL

My Garmin cost under £100 with lifetime maps, goes in a waterproof case that cost under £30. I've rigged up an earphone (very 'Heath Robinson' but works).

Why would I pay over £400?

JB

Jolly Bodger wrote:

My Garmin cost under £100 with lifetime maps, goes in a waterproof case that cost under £30. I've rigged up an earphone (very 'Heath Robinson' but works).

Why would I pay over £400?

JB

Hey, JB, My current Garmin doesn't have an earphone outlet, either. Could you give any info as to how you rigged up the earphone? Pics? Ideas? Thanks.

I'll try and make some time to get some pics over the weekend.

It's quite crude but I'll give you a clue - you start with a plastic spoon a length of plastic tube and an earpiece!

JB

I made a bracket of 1/8 x 1 aluminum flat stock and used a portion of the windshield mount to hold a Garmin unit on my Burgman 400:





Haven't gotten to making one for the S'Wing as I no longer ride to unfamiliar places--one of the artifacts of recovering from a stroke...

Simple and effective. Seems like a similar holder would fit just as nicely on the Swing.

Pics as promised. It's only the first attempt to see if it would work and I could hear it on the move. It does and I can!!

The plastic tube is glued into a notch on the spoon and the plastic spoon is glued into the foam backing (supplied with the case) flush with the surface so it lies flat on the rear of the SatNav. obviously the cutout has to line up with the speaker grill on the SatNav.

Use enough tube to reach from the SatNav to your helmet with enough slack to move about. I started too long and cut it down once I knew how much I needed.




Using Ram Mounts to attach to the central mount on the SWing. When it's mounted in the correct position, it rests on the plasic handlebar covers so it doesn't wobble or move. It's low enough to see over to the dials although it does obscure the lower warning lights for me (BUT I am short, taller riders probably no problem)


Hope that helps. I will eventually make a tidier version, but you get the idea.

JB

Holy Cow, JB! Neat idea. Thanks for the good pics. I can find a plastic spoon somewhere on this earth , and I can probably get the tubing at the hardware store, but where did you get the earpiece?

Old technology surpasses new!

Hey JB, where did you get that case bud ? One of them might well have saved me from buggering in sudden downpour

The case is made by Ridermount and has the 1" Ram Mount ball on the rear and the sunshade - about £30 on Ebay.
The earpiece is part of an "Anti Radiation" earphone for MP3 players that I had lying around - about £2 on Ebay.

JB

Jolly Bodger wrote:

The case is made by Ridermount and has the 1" Ram Mount ball on the rear and the sunshade - about £30 on Ebay.

Cheers bud, I'll add it to my christmad list

I use my phone, mounted to a RAM mount holder that is on a brake lid cover on my left, get pictures later.