GPS recommendations...

[Steve]

One thing to be careful about when putting a GPS in a tank bag: They create a surprising amount of HEAT.

Heat and electronics are not the best of buddies, and I see no reason why a tablet would be any more friendly than a GPS.

Before settling on the mount that I have, I put my GPS in my tank bag. After getting around how to keep it positioned because of the power cord coming out the back, I realized that the display was fading after a few hours. I reached in the pouch to get it and it was HOT. I quickly settled on my current mount to keep it in the open air.

My mount is not one that most will try. I have converted my carbs to the '82 style "choke", which frees up the space in the steering stem. I am using the RAM mount that mounts in the stem, but had to make modifications to get it to fit.

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[Wingsconsin]

This is not meant to be a slam at anyone - I myself fall into this category more often than not..

However It never ceases to amaze me the amount of trouble we will go to in order to save some $$
Compromise on function, or use, or convenience in an attempt to do what something design specific will do easily.

I spent years and many $$ trying to make a seat that I was comfortable riding on -- then I paid the experts and got a custom seat .
DONE !

Created my own mounting systems with skill, and hard work .. then bought the RAM mounts and a Texellent bar for the Wing.
DONE !

And the list goes on-- driving lights, helmets and communication systems, hiway pegs, gear carrying add-ons, etc...

I laugh at US sometimes --- I know now with my experience that there is no such thing as a cheap motorcycle.

 

[Steve]

... I know now with my experience that there is no such thing as a cheap motorcycle.

Of course, this is clearly offset by the cheap people riding these bikes.

I'm sorry, I meant to say FRUGAL. :-\\\

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[Guest]

This is not meant to be a slam at anyone - I myself fall into this category more often than not..

However It never ceases to amaze me the amount of trouble we will go to in order to save some $$
Compromise on function, or use, or convenience in an attempt to do what something design specific will do easily.

I spent years and many $$ trying to make a seat that I was comfortable riding on -- then I paid the experts and got a custom seat .
DONE !

Created my own mounting systems with skill, and hard work .. then bought the RAM mounts and a Texellent bar for the Wing.
DONE !

And the list goes on-- driving lights, helmets and communication systems, hiway pegs, gear carrying add-ons, etc...

I laugh at US sometimes --- I know now with my experience that there is no such thing as a cheap motorcycle.

Those are all really good points, and I am certainly weighing them all. My problem is made worse by the fact that the Nexus 7 is larger than any cell phone - for which there are a million mounting options. Steve made a really good point about pouches that I hadn't considered, and that is that tablets generate quite a bit of heat in operation, and being confined inside of a pouch isn't good for them or the pouch. So being mounted in a way that allows air to circulate around them is probably a much better choice.

 

[Steve]

Then, when you DO get it mounted "out in the open", you have to consider water-proofing. :-k

I use a Zip-Loc bag that slides over my Garmin (and RAM mount). Zipping the corners toward the center keeps it from blowing around (it's behind the fairing, so not much air hitting it anyway) and the Garmin still responds to finger pokes when necessary.

For your tablet, you might need the quart-size bags.

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[Downs]

I still have a Garmin Zumo 550 I no longer use. I tried a low cost (100ish dollar) Chinese waterproof GPS that is marketed for MC use and it worked quite well, but felt redundant since I was already carrying around a mini computer anyway. But then I finally made the move to a GPS program on my phone. I do have a ruggedized Samsung S8 Active but other ruggedized phones are available for less money. So waterproofing is really not needed. All of my equipment is ran in RAM mounts. They cost a bit more than other mounting options but are worth the money. They are rugged and reliable.

I used the Locus map program and was able to build routes either in the program or via Basecamp (Garmin product) and easily load them. I planned a full 1500 mile multi day ride right on the phone while watching some Youtube motorcycle videos. Droid based phones are able to run two programs at the same time in a windowed mode so I can run my mapping program and music or podcasts at the same time no problem and not have to switch back and forth all the time.

I even run dowloaded maps in the google maps program for use when offline out of cell coverage.

 

[Guest]

Have you looked at RAM Mounts? :-k

​. . . . (click the link)

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After reminding myself of the old adage about how the pain of buying something of quality only hurts once, whereas the pain of buying something cheap goes on forever, I talked myself into buying a Ram mount. And I'm glad I did. Really nice stuff, and it does exactly what I wanted it to do. For those of you who don't know, Ram makes mounts for nearly any kind of "device" you can think of. Choosing the right one entails choosing the holder for your device (there are many), then choosing the mount for whatever you're going to attach the holder to. In most cases, the holder and the mount each have a 1" hard rubber ball which are then joined together by an arm that clamps around both of them.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129480799@N07/40923872494/in/album-72157690180734210/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129480799@N07/40923871674/in/album-72157690180734210/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129480799@N07/26766491217/in/album-72157690180734210/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129480799@N07/26766490107/in/album-72157690180734210/

 

[Guest]

Any thoughts on how the Garmin Zumo & TomTom Rider GPS compare?

 

[Guest]

Any thoughts on how the Garmin Zumo & TomTom Rider GPS compare?

None. Sorry. My only experience with GPS devices is with Garmin Nuvi (5" and 7") navigators, but in general, I can say that I'm quite pleased with those.

 

[Wingsconsin]

Any thoughts on how the Garmin Zumo & TomTom Rider GPS compare?

My only experience is with Garmin products--
I started with a Street Pilot 2720 (still works)
Then went to the Zumo 550 (I own 2)
And bought a nice used Zumo 665 for my son's bike (used and cheap enough)

I started down the Garmin rabbit hole a long time ago and haven't changed .. :redface-new: