Sat nav

[Chris Canning]

Firstly if you see an earler posting i use one every day of the week i'm afraid,i don't use one unless i'm makeing money,makes you wonder how the world has survived before GPS,re your posting,it's extreme,but in central France on the Autoroute there is also a black hole for fuel,hence why over the years,i've always i've always bought a bike with a big fuel range and always look for fuel at the 80/90 mark,GPS is a nice gadgit,but the reality,it just stops people engageing their brain,e'rm!!! speaking from experience,when i'm on holiday,i use a map,the sun,and bloody good sense of direction,when i've got my GPS on i just follow the instructions,thinking is optional and thats a dangerous combo on a bike.

Plus the fact when lost,i've had some great experiences asking for directions from the locals

[dazco]

Just to let you know, the missus has just bought an RAC unit, very basic in terms of route planning etc
However i do like its simplicity and the cost :) (£75)
Its got all the usual route planning stuff, Home , office, post code search, it even shows most of the green lanes aroud the peak district which suprised me, etc etc, shows petrol stations and something she will need, Speed camera Alerts :?
Shes already got 6 points so gotta be careful.
Ill have to borrow it at some point for  the bike so will have to use it in the map pocket of a tank bag or make a waterproof case, cant wait to get tinkering.
Daz

[blacktiger]

I still believe that a GPS enhances the ride experience. If the route is pre-planned then it's quicker than having to keep stopping and refering to a map. It doesn't get soggy and fall apart in the rain.

Really, the thing that did it for me was that you get a detailed street map for every town in Europe built in. So navigation in, around and through strange cities is easy and certain.

[blacktiger]

GPS is a nice gadgit,but the reality,it just stops people engageing their brain,e'rm!!! speaking from experience,when i'm on holiday,i use a map,the sun,and bloody good sense of direction,when i've got my GPS on i just follow the instructions,thinking is optional and thats a dangerous combo on a bike.

My brain is engaged in riding the bike and enjoying the roads and scenery. Not dangerous at all. The navigation bit is a chore that the GPS makes easy.

[ChrisN]

I guess there will always be the die-hards who resist progress. I see them now and again riding with goggles on staring down at the tank bag !

I know Chris C is just baiting us. As anyone who has used GPS is familiar with all the benefits. How you apply them to your enjoyment of riding is up to the individual.

[Chris Canning]

Knowing how important GPS is,i'm feeling pretty happy with myself,haveing done my first trip to Europe in 1973 on my twostroke 750 Kawasaki,and  by this year reckon our trip total is over 110,blimey i must some kind of navigator ,the problem being as i use GPS as much as i do in the Uk,i can tell that ability is going down the pan,although had to smile when planning one of next years trips,my GPS doesn't go to Hungary!!

[blacktiger]

Knowing how important GPS is,i'm feeling pretty happy with myself,haveing done my first trip to Europe in 1973 on my twostroke 750 Kawasaki,and  by this year reckon our trip total is over 110,blimey i must some kind of navigator ,

I too, started touring in the mid 70s with a map on top of a tankbag but since I started needing reading glasses I couldn't read the map so easily so I started using a GPS because the writing on screen is a bit bigger and also when I've done all the planning indoors I can just follow the set route. I think it's safer by GPS because I don't have to try to find where I am on a map whilst going along or stop to turn the map etc etc.

[blacktiger]

had to smile when planning one of next years trips,my GPS doesn't go to Hungary!!

Mine does. Ha! In fact I was thinking of following the Carpathian mountains right round into Romania next year.

You need Garmin EuroCN2008NT in a Zumo. Full coverage Hungary, Czech Rep, Slovakia, Poland & Slovinia.

[blacktiger]

Keep in mind, that where I live, the next fuel station might be 150 miles away on a road that sees a couple of cars a day, and knowing where gas is is the difference between a fun ride, and sitting on the side of the road for eight hours. (no cell reception either.)



Geof

One thing I wish the Zumo could do is search along the set route. Or, say, within 5 miles each side of it.

[ChrisN]

....my GPS doesn't go to Hungary!!

Well that means there must be no roads there then  :roll:

And the world is flat to the extent of Garmin's mapping - isn't it ?

 :D  :D  :D

[iansoady]

I guess there will always be the die-hards who resist progress. I see them now and again riding with goggles on staring down at the tank bag !

You been following me then?

Seriuosly, I use GPS when I want to get to a specific place and don't want to bother with a map; when I need to find places (eg LPG stations for the car) which might otherwise be difficult; when I'm going through cities; when I'm travelling to arrive rather than to enjoy the trip.

I still prefer the map in the tankbag when I'm not sure where exactly I'm going but just the general direction; where enjoying the ride and the diversions from it are more important than "arriving"; and most of all when I don't want to predetermine what the day may bring. Generally these are when I'm touring on the bike.

But I'm not suggesting anyone else should do as I do, Chris. You do seem to have a one size fits all attitude to this.

Oh, and Blacktiger: varifocals are magic.........

[blacktiger]

Oh, and Blacktiger: varifocals are magic.........

Yeah! Tried them. The optician somehow got the prescription hopelessly wrong so that I couldn't see straight. I ended up with a retest and some bi-focals which I like. I won't go back to maps in the top of the tankbag though.

[iansoady]

The optician somehow got the prescription hopelessly wrong so that I couldn't see straight. I ended up with a retest and some bi-focals which I like.

Yes, it's quite difficult to get them right but some opticians seem better than others (my local Specsavers has been excellent). The main advantage of vari- over bifocals is the "mid-distance" region which I find great for the computer screen and vehicle instrument panels, as well as the smooth transition between zones.

It does seem a bit weird to start with though.

[ChrisN]

Chris. You do seem to have a one size fits all attitude to this.

Well I apologise if that's how my enthusiasm for SatNav comes across.  :shock:

I've used conventional maps for decades but find GPS so much better in all areas of navigation, whatever your state of mind or purpose for the journey. Maybe it's because I'm also very computer-literate and the ability to combine the two with PC mapping software I find is nothing less than brilliant. It almost certainly makes the best use of your valuable time when away on tour.

This doesn't mean I dont carry maps or use them for reference. It doesn't mean I don't have a feel for where I am or which direction I'm heading regardless of the SatNav. And it doesn't mean I don't wander off my pre-planned routes to explore when I feel like it. I just make the best use of GPS for my convenience.

I suppose it's each to their own Ian, and I wish you well with your goggles and soggy maps  

[blacktiger]

Chris. You do seem to have a one size fits all attitude to this.

Well I apologise if that's how my enthusiasm for SatNav comes across.  :shock:

I've used conventional maps for decades but find GPS so much better in all areas of navigation, whatever your state of mind or purpose for the journey. Maybe it's because I'm also very computer-literate and the ability to combine the two with PC mapping software I find is nothing less than brilliant. It almost certainly makes the best use of your valuable time when away on tour.

This doesn't mean I dont carry maps or use them for reference. It doesn't mean I don't have a feel for where I am or which direction I'm heading regardless of the SatNav. And it doesn't mean I don't wander off my pre-planned routes to explore when I feel like it. I just make the best use of GPS for my convenience.

I suppose it's each to their own Ian, and I wish you well with your goggles and soggy maps  

Wot he said. Exactly.