[crfsonly]

For the offroad crowd, how many of you ride with a GPS or have thought you'd like to? If so, what GPS and mount are you using?

ken

[Wingman]

Ken,
I posted a question or added to someone's post (CRS) about a GPS a while ago. The wife & I use a Garmin Street Pilot III on our GL1800's, in the Tahoe & the motor home. We were planning a trip for 9 days to the Hatfield & McCoy Trail System and thought we would need something. After going to the Trail System we realized it was marked well enough we did not need a GPS as long as we did not misplace the map.

The problem I saw was with the mapping software and not the GPS or mount. I was not able to find anything that had the trails mapped. Now I could have not been looking in the right spot.

I had wanted to make the Garmin Rino's our choice. These offer communication and GPS. That way we could talk back and forth as well as see where we were at. In stead we went with the Chatterbox radio's and no GPS.

What one were you thinking of????

[crfsonly]

actually, i know very little at this point about GPS devices. i understand what they do and how they do it but not much about brands, features, etc. what i'm interested in is knowing if it's something offroad riders need. i went on several rides in the last few weeks lead by someone else in a place i wasn't familiar with. there were many many forks in the trails (ie many ways to get lost). now i'd like to go back and some some other people but i'm absolutely confident i wouldn't be able to recreate that same ride. what i'm wondering is this, if i had with me a gps on the first ride wouldn't it be able to "show" me where i had been the previous time?

ken

[willflyforfood]

I currently have a Garmin etrex Vista. Great unit with mapping capabilities.
I just ordered a RAM mount to mount the GPS on my handlebars.

[124]

I would have used the poll, but my choice would have been "No - don't really need it". The Michigan trails I ride are marked well and usually are loops with few choices.

I use them for snowmobiling 100%. The ground (or snow for that matter) that can be covered on a sled is an order of magnitude larger. GPS has been a very handy addition to the trail maps in the pocket...

[crfsonly]

will when you get it let me knwo if it will do what i was suggesting allow me to retrace a ride at some point in the future.

thanks...ken

[Wingman]

Ken,
Some GPS's have what they call breadcrumbs. It allows you to retrace the way you just came or save it to memory. It can be named and used later. It can also be loaded on your computer.

On road I go no where without my Street Pilot III. I would have at least one for the dirt bikes if I could find something I thought was suitable.

The Garmin brand seems to be a very reliable product and for me the customer service has been great.

[ev]

we use a Garmin Quest in the car and on streetbike
if we take it dirt riding it joines the camera, folding saw and 1st aid kit in the backpack, no handlebar mount
on the trails we usually ride we do not really 'need' a GPS to find back to the parking lot, sometimes it would be nice to know where you are or to find the shortest route back
but reception in the tight GA woods often is not good enough

[willflyforfood]

will when you get it let me knwo if it will do what i was suggesting allow me to retrace a ride at some point in the future.

thanks...ken

Ken, my GPS "creates" a track as you ride. After the ride, I would have to save the track and at a future date reload the track and follow the route.
If you are interested I have a Garmin etrex summit for sale. Same as the vista model but without mapping.

[crfsonly]

actually we are a garmin dealer as of late last week and we're looking at becoming a ram dealer. obviously, i need to learn a lot more about this technology and how helpful it is on an offroad bike.

i ride with a lot of different people who take me places i've never been before. when i leave all i can think of is how great it would be to take so-and-so there...but, i know i'd never make all the correct turns to get to the exact same place. i'm hoping this 'track' feature will save me from myself!

thanks for the feedback. now, which is the best garmin currently avaialble for this purpose?

ken

[willflyforfood]

now, which is the best garmin currently avaialble for this purpose?

If I am not mistaken, most GPS's should have this feature. It all depends on how much $ you want to spend.

Here are some of the features of the etrex vista model that I own,
Basemap: Built-in basemap with oceans, lakes, rivers, cities, interstates or major motorways, principal and major thoroughfares, and political boundaries.

MapSource®: Compatible with most Garmin® MapSource products including BlueChart® marine cartography, MetroGuide®, and Fishing Hot Spots®. Accepts up to 24 megabytes of downloaded map detail.(I have Metroguide Canada and Topo Canada)

Waypoints/Icons: 1,000 (with name and graphic symbol)

Tracks: Automatic track log; 10 saved tracks let you retrace your path in both directions

Routes: Route building capability with storage for 20 reversible routes with up to 50 waypoints

Trip computer: Current speed, average speed, time of sunrise/sunset, resetable maximum speed, trip timer, and trip distance

Elevation computer: Current elevation, resetable minimum and maximum elevation, ascent/descent rate, total ascent/descent, average and maximum ascent/descent rate

Some of the features I like are being able to see where we were, how far we rode, max and average speed and highest altitude.
I hope this helps. Any more questions feel free to ask, I'm no expert but I've owned 3 different etrex models in the past 6-7 years and a friend has the GPSMAP 76 model.

[Roady]

Ken, I have carried an E-Trex for years off road, but it is more insurance than anything else for me. I mark camp as a waypoint, turn it off and throw it in my camelback. If I need to, I have the option of using it to get back to camp. It does have the "tracks" feature you mentioned. Several buddies use them heavily in Baja and elswhere. You can also have one of the literate types download specific rides into your unit so you can "follow" the GPS to find the trailhead, which turn, etc.

I am going to try a handlebar mount one of these days, but am a little concerned about getting overly dependent on the thing.

I would suggest you continue down the road you are on of asking opinions of those more informed than I am on them. I know my buddy who uses one the most, recently upgraded from the E-Trex to one with a larger screen, color and better resolution that he said is easier to follow.

[redrider911]

ken ken, do i turn right.
ken ken, i need another route.
ken ken, how much farther.

[crfsonly]

ok...we are now a garmin dealer! so, we have access to GPS systems. we are now working to become a RAM mount dealer. it looks like these are the best available. i'll be putting them in the catalog soon!

thanks for all the great input.

ken