Sat-nav’s are becoming a popular choice for bikers, they are the perfect companion for touring, or if your out and about and in a strange part of the country and your dinner is waiting for you. Just put in “home” and your guided back.
What makes motorcycle sat-navs different from ordinary car ones, i was very doubtful that they were just ordinary car sat-navs with a waterproof coating, but they have lots more features. Two of the higher-end market ones from tom-tom and Garmin. These sat-navs have lifetime maps, traffic and speed cameras, they both come with bluetooth and headset so you can hear instructions to save you looking at the screen. They both have onboard memory plus sd-card and support mp3, to put your favourite tunes into your ears. On the map side they have features that let you pick nearby routes that let you discover new places and round trips that give you alternative ways back. Easy to use with gloves on and see in the glaring sunshine (but waterproof, as you know what the weather can be like) It seems like the perfect motorcycle companion.
But why pay so much for sat-nav? the cheap car ones work just as well when put in a waterproof holder, you seem to be paying for features you don’t really need, and you can select the same routes on the entry level ones. What most will find, getting lost is only part of the adventure, and just buy a map.
(left) Tomtom Rider 400 £400
6hrs battery life with an 11cm screen
(right) Garmin ZumoLM £550
4hrs battery life with a 12.6cm screen
Road map £5
will last till you lose it
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