Hi there. Can anyone assist with where I can purchase a SatNav for my Z1000? Also, is there an easy way to install these and power them up, or do they run on batteries? Thanks guys.

I can tell you're not from North America without looking at your profile... not sure about Canada, but most people in the US call it GPS (Gee Pee Ess) and not SatNav. There are motorcycle specific units like the Garmin Zumo series that are waterproof and can be manipulated with gloves on and have other features that cater to motorcyclists. But a lot of people just use cheaper, basic units and wrap them in clear plastic sandwich bags should the weather turn foul. There are many different mounts that can be used, so you have some choice in that department also. It all really depends on how much you want to spend.

Cheers Black Sheep. Your right, I'm not American!!! However, we do have a nice bitter (beer) over here called Black Sheep, just sampling several as I reply, it's raining again in the UK! Anyway, thanks for your reply. Because I only use my bike in the dry, a weather proof SatNav, sorry, GPS isnt an issue, so the cheaper the better. I also need some advice on installation. I've noted a recent post on spare wires on the loom, are these what we use, or do we just connect the SatNav, sorry, GPS directly to the battery?

Cheers.

Haha... you can say SatNav - I can do the translation in my head! I have the Ninja 1000... er, Z1000SX on your side of the pond, and it is much easier just to use the spare connections as it is a pain to route the wiring back to the battery (on the left side anyway - I haven't taken the right side plastics off). I imagine the naked version uses the same wiring harness, but I could be wrong. I use a stem mount by RAM to put the unit between the clip-ons. When I had the Z1000, I used a handlebar RAM mount just to the left of the bar clamp and angled the arm inward to have the unit sit nearly in the center.

I've been riding with a GPS unit for the last five years or so and have gone through several units. There are a wide range of ways to add a GPS unit. Some people use their smartphones, some use car units and some use purpose built units. There are a wide range of ways to mount them too and lastly there are a wide range of ways to get instructions from them. How you want to use the unit has much to do with what makes a good unit.

Do you want to be able to use the unit with gloves on? If you want to use the unit with gloves on you either need a special set of gloves with a metal thread woven in the fingertips to operate a capacitance touch screen or you need a unit which has a pressure sensitive touch screen.

Do you want to get directions off the unit visually, audibly, or visually and audibly? If you want to get audible directions from the unit do you want plug into the unit or connect via bluetooth? Do you want to be able to listen to music too?

Do you want to be able to plan routes where you force the unit to take certain roads?

Do you want to be able to load routes that others have created on to the unit?

In terms of mounting, some people use fixed mounts like those offered by Ram. Some have tank bags with mounts or put their units in the map pockets of their tank bags, some people put them inside their riding jackets and plug them into helmet speakers or earbuds.

In terms of power, some people use open leads on the factory wiring harness, others wire directly to the battery or plug into the leads they use to charge their battery and some get enough life out of the battery capacity of their unit to just run off of the unit battery. Power connections are notorious for failing over time on units which are not built specifically to be used on motorcycles. Vibration and the need to take the unit on and off repeatedly takes its toll.

What to recommend depends on what your requirements are.

I use a cheap car gps powered by the mini usb connection via a cigarette socket that I hide in the fairing. Here the bike gps units are farnarkling expensive so you can go through heaps of cheaper car units and still be ahead. Funnily enough, I used to be quite careful but now I ride with them in the rain and havent had a problem. They arent designed for bikes so there are definite drawbacks. I like the units that have route planning ability, albeit I tend to just navigate to the next stop. I dont always ride with it, it can be a distraction but pretty helpful when finding accommodation in a new town or navigating through unfamiliar roads. If money is no object its hard to go past the zumo 550 or 660. Have a look a squidilus' latest post re mounting, looks like a good option.

Hey! Yes I used a ram mount like others spoke of.





Ran the power lead provided by Garmin to the battery. I chose a Garmin Zumo 660 because it came with a suction cup for a car windshield and the motorcycle mount. I switch it back and forth, it is water proof, bluetooth, etc.

Garmin probably has a better one now. This has been a couple of years.



Aloha,
Baldness

Thanks guys, all as been very helpful. I think I will use a cheap car SatNav, you can pick them up for nearly nothing over here. One last question though. If you have an iPhone, is there a special bracket that is available for mounting? After all, the battery capacity on them is awesome, and like Kboz mentioned, it's only for occasions where I'm lost or need a specific address etc. Cheers guys.

Just do a google search for iPhone ram mount. You don't have to use a ram mount. If you are looking to save a few bucks than alot of kits come with the metal c shaped clamp that would simply fit the diameter of the bar. You could take it on and off in seconds. You might want to put a piece of rubber between the bar and the clamp so you don't possible mar the black surface.

I did a quick search and found this. Looks like it is zip tied and simple:

plastic-apple-iphone-series-bike-handlebar-rail-mount-300x260.jpg

http://bikereviews.com/2010/04/plast...ar-rail-mount/

Hope this helps!

Cheers for all your help. I've opted for trying to find a M10 ball joint fitting to mount the SatNav into my right mirror fitting, as I've now got bar end mirrors, so this is now a free hole!!! The problem is I can't find a bloody M10 fitting! Cheers again folks. Come on England in the Euro's let stuff the Italians!!!!!

try here RAM Mount UK

Hi, where did you purchase this?

Originally Posted by crescent

Cheers Black Sheep. Your right, I'm not American!!! However, we do have a nice bitter (beer) over here called Black Sheep, just sampling several as I reply, it's raining again in the UK! Anyway, thanks for your reply. Because I only use my bike in the dry, a weather proof SatNav, sorry, GPS isnt an issue, so the cheaper the better. I also need some advice on installation. I've noted a recent post on spare wires on the loom, are these what we use, or do we just connect the SatNav, sorry, GPS directly to the battery?

Cheers.

Since you are not from America, I just want to let you know that in Maine, Moosehead is a beer. Just over the line in Canada, it is a crime. :-D

I use a cheap c-clamp mount on my 650. Everything is fine, but it is very difficult to look at the screen on a sunny day. I am thinking about making a diy sunshade or just ordering one from amazon.
It is for this very reason that some people just hook it up with bluetooth headset and listen to the directions.

Yeah, I can't see the screen most of the time during the day. I have a Zumo that has a built in mp3 player and an audio jack. I can listen to music and get directions through the earbuds without needing to look at the screen.

Originally Posted by Carbon

I use a cheap c-clamp mount on my 650. Everything is fine, but it is very difficult to look at the screen on a sunny day. I am thinking about making a diy sunshade or just ordering one from amazon.
It is for this very reason that some people just hook it up with bluetooth headset and listen to the directions.