Got screwed by Staples this morning....$250.00 Garmin Nuvi 260...standing in line ...28degrees...6:30am.....my turn..sold out. They tell me no problem, order online. I go home and try to order...says sold out. Call 800 number and they tell me tough luck pal.

Question: The better models of GPS's have Text to Speech directions, giving you turn by turn directions. Most have a built in speaker. Can you hear it over the noise of the motorcycle? With after market duals and slipons? Is it possible to run a input cord to the input receptor on the Ultra and have the directions over the Ultra's speakers?

Same deal with some of the better GPS's having a built in audio features (MP3)Can you hear them?

Also, any reason to be nervous about a refirbished unit, or a model such as the Garmin 350 which is no longer being produced?

 

Yes, you can plug in to your acc. on the radio but the only thing you will hear is the GPS no C.B. or radio or CD player.....As far as the refurbished unit goes I can't really say....


Jer

 

There are several other message threads about GPS. Those threads contain some good information. However, I'll try to answer your questions. First off, for a motorcycle, a waterproof unit is virtually mandatory. Any unit with a built in speaker is not waterproof. My unit is a Garmin Zumo 550 (about $630 at pcnation.com). The Zumo 550 is one of the best motorcycle GPS units available; it is also the most expensive. I run a cable from the Zumooutput jack to the Aux input on the front of the radio on my Street Glide. All I have to do is set the radio to Aux and everything coming out of the Zumo is played out of the motorcycle's speakers. This would include MP3's if I downloaded some to the Zumo and played them. I prefer XM Radio. I bought the Zumo's XM Antenna/Receiver and now I get XM from the Zumo. So to listen to XM Radio, I leave the radio on Aux and the XM Radio plays through the speakers. The Zumo will interrupt the music for spoken directions. I could also get the GPS directions through a Bluetooth headset, or a wired one. XM Radio on the Zumo will not play through Bluetooth, however. Garmin also has a Zumo 450 GPS which hasfewerfeatures than the 550. Both units are waterproof and have a motorcycle mount. The 450 lacks Bluetooth capability, it won't accomodate XM Radio, and it doesn't include a mount for automobiles. The 450 is about $120 cheaper than the 550.

If you can hear music on your motorcycle radio now, you should be able to hear the navigation prompts. The drawback to running the GPS sound through the radio and speakers is that you have to set the radio on Aux, so forget about listening to FM radio or CD's. If you go with the Zumo 550, you can use the Bluetooth headset to receive your direction prompts and still listen to the radio or CD's. In my setup, with XM Radio, I could care less about CD's or commercial radio.

 

I just recently bought a Garmin 2610 on Ebay for $2.04 delivered. This unit sold for $1,200 around 3 years ago. You can still do a search on Garmin and get all the information on it and it is still supported with download updates. I t has most of the functions on the newer units and has no hard drive to vibrate and go bad on the bike. I use the turn by turn voice and have no problem hearing it. It is a great unit for the price.

Ride Safe,

Mike

 

Not much point in having the XM with the bluetooth unless all the stuff will go through it. I have the ZUMO 550 and thought it would send the XM through the bluetooth just like the turn-by-turn instructions. I have not purchased theXM gadget for ZUMO yet and doubt if I will anytime soon since it will not go through the Bluetooh.

 

I don't know what is going on with GPSs these days. WalMart has the Garman 330 for $130 and I saw a Magellan for $125. Shaws Supermarket, a local large grocery store chain is selling a brand that I never heard of for $99. Last year this stuff was going for $350-500.
As they say on Wall Street. Never try and catch a falling knife.
p.s. BS to the people that say you need a waterproof GPS. Toss it in a zip lock bag when it rains.

 

You make a good point about prices for"yesterdays" GPS. All this stuff really seems to drop from one year to the next. 550's may be $150 next year, but they are gold today.

 

$2.04


Now thats a deal....but seriously, the 2610 has an external speaker. How does that work? Do you have to mount it somewhere? Also it has a remote????? And, does it make a difference what year maps are loaded? It sees to make a big difference in price. This unit does not sound very portable. I wasonly going to mount is on bike when Itake a trip. I'd like to be able to take it off and put it in my pocket or lock it up at ralleys etc. And switch it back and forth between vehicles.

 

+1. You can also find refurbished ones on the net for around $200. They are great.