I'm planing on doing a cross country trip on the Cross Roads this summer.  Does anyone have any ideas on a decent GPS unit aroud the $200 range?  I know there are motorcycle GPS units, however they are big money and I'm just seeking out a decent model that will do the job.  It won't be used in the rain, so it does not have to be water proof.  Thanks!

I've had Garmins and they hold up well.  I don't think you need a "motorcycle GPS" per se, the automobile units work just fine.  They're always on sale in various Sunday ads

Here's a quick link for you:

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134  (just copy and paste this, the hyperlink icon doesn't seem to be working for me...)

I just use my Garmin that my wife bought me for the car.  I too only use it when the weather is good but I did put a plastic bag over it once when I needed it in the rain.  It works good enough.  I find I only need it for short periods of time when I need to find a location otherwise I leave it off.  I don't even hook it up to a power supply because it has an 8 hour battery life (or so they claim in the manual) so I just have it set up on a RAM mount on the bike.  I've been doing this for 5 years and I still don't find I need or want anything better.  It's a cheap way to go, or you can forget the GPS and get lost, that just leads to more fun and riding.  Did that for a lot of years.

Thanks guys, the Garmin units have been the models I've been eying as well.
Nepper:  Well versed in the arts of getting lost, and like yourself never seem to mind.  However, I just thought it would come in handy for finding gas stations or random points of interest.

Garmin 765T and a Garmin specific RAM mount seems to be the hot ticket IMHO.

Best Buy has some killer deals in their outlet center.  The 765T (I have one) was a $500 unit a year ago!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Garmin+-+n%26%23252%3Bvi+765T+GPS/8956089.p?id=1218018395965&skuId=8956089

Don't have a GPS, don't want one and will never have one. Just take off cross country with a paper map.  Have the fun of bikeing is getting lost and finding your way back.

What you lose by not going with a fancy motorcycle unit is bluetooth ability so you can get directions audibly in your ear.  If I were buying a unit, I'd probably spring for it but to this point have gotten by just fine without it.  I use a Garmin 60csx that I bought the sd card north american map for.  It gives me turn by turn and I can preplan routes but I have to pay attention to the screen because its little chirp is not loud enough to hear at highway speeds.  The system works just fine for me.  I opted for this set up because I already had the gps unit for horseback adventures but down the rode, a proper bluetooth motorcycle unit is on my wish list for sure.  More so than the directions and routing, I like the eta and distance to go info--it is scary accurate.

Before I put the Garmin 450 on my KP I was very resistant to having a GPS on the bike. But it has really enhanced our long-distance trips as well as rides right around home. In short, the GPS is one of the most useful "mods" I've made to my KP.

The 450 allows you to pre-program routes at home and download them to the GPS for later use. The routes can be as complex or simple as you choose. We've discovered some amazing roads with the GPS.

I've found I don't even use the hard-wired ear piece any more and just watch for upcoming directions on-screen.

You can also use the GPS in simple "map" mode, without a route. That's fun too.

And best of all, it's got an OFF button for the days you really want to get lost.

Hey Brockton!

Congrats on the XR!  I highly recommend the Garmin units, though I don't currently have one on my bike.  I do have a 200 series Nuvi in my car, as well as an older GPS Map on my boat.  These units are very reliable for short money.  In my opinion, your biggest decision is:  do I want all the features or do I want bare bones?  If you are talking, phone or communication, you may want the features, so you can hear and voice recognize, which may require you look into the motorcycle units for comparison.  But, if you are cool with basics, you can get a widescreen 200 series Nuvi around $200. 

For the type of travel you plan to do, I wouldn't be without one.  You may know your way around Boston and your neck of the woods, but when you get to a new area, you will be glad you have it.  Even if you aren't prone to getting lost!  These units can be fun, as well.  With their trip planning capabilities, mileage logging, area attractions, fueling assistance....you name it. 

Of course, at this rate, you could just strap your i-phone on, load up the apps, and be done with it!

Good luck with your selection...
your neighbor up on Cape Ann
SmattaHead

I use the Tom Tom Rider it is on the pricey but the Bluetooth feature is very nice for getting the voice commands to your ear.I have never used the phone connection side but it will let you answer but not call out while the bike is moving. Also very glove friendly and you can set it up for either side on the handle bars and all the need mounts are included.

Thanks to all the responses and replies.  Much to work with.

 

 

mjw930 wrote: Garmin 765T and a Garmin specific RAM mount seems to be the hot ticket IMHO. Best Buy has some killer deals in their outlet center.  The 765T (I have one) was a $500 unit a year ago!

Hey mjw,
Took your advice and went with the Garmin 765T.  Seems to have and do everything I'm looking for.  Thanks again for the input.  Just ordered it the other day and will be here sometime next week. 
Now, did you run a power line, or do you just use it off the battery charge?

devil wrote: Don't have a GPS, don't want one and will never have one. Just take off cross country with a paper map.  Have the fun of bikeing is getting lost and finding your way back.

 

Ah yes but a good GPS can help get you really lost. They may be loaded with all the info but there is no risk of them taking over the world, because they can't use common sense like some of us humans can (sometimes).

 

I took my motorcycle GPS along in a rented Yaris last summer. The highway it told us to take to get back to the main road eventually turned into a private cottagers road which then turned into a forest access road, which then turned into a hydro right of way, which then turned into part of the Precambrian Shield i.e. lots of rock. After we turned around and bounced our way out of there we used Google maps the next day to see where were. Basically about 25 miles more through swamps and boulders would have gotten us to the wrong side of a locked gate right beside the main highway.

Box_brockton wrote: mjw930 wrote: Garmin 765T and a Garmin specific RAM mount seems to be the hot ticket IMHO. Best Buy has some killer deals in their outlet center.  The 765T (I have one) was a $500 unit a year ago! Hey mjw, Took your advice and went with the Garmin 765T.  Seems to have and do everything I'm looking for.  Thanks again for the input.  Just ordered it the other day and will be here sometime next week.  Now, did you run a power line, or do you just use it off the battery charge?

My XC has a 12V plug on the faring, my goldwing had the same.  The power cord houses the antenna and receiver for the traffic alert so you don't really want to cut the wires.  I would run a FUSED 12V cig socket to the battery and mount it somewhere out of sight and plug the unit into that.

devil wrote: Don't have a GPS, don't want one and will never have one. Just take off cross country with a paper map.  Have the fun of bikeing is getting lost and finding your way back.

 

There ya go!!!  Like it.

Box_brockton wrote: I'm planing on doing a cross country trip on the Cross Roads this summer.  Does anyone have any ideas on a decent GPS unit aroud the $200 range?  I know there are motorcycle GPS units, however they are big money and I'm just seeking out a decent model that will do the job.  It won't be used in the rain, so it does not have to be water proof.  Thanks!

I use a garmin nuvi 660.And a ram mount. I can here it while i ride,It is not through the audio system on bike. They are about 175 or less on amazon or one of the other shoping online sites.I payed 500 for it 5 years ago.It has blutooth so when my wife calls I can talk and not pull over to the side. Bluetooth kicks ass.There are others out there ,But I found that haveing bluetooth really works when you dont want to stop. I will eventualy upgrade to the gps intigrated to the bike in the future but for now I run what I have

freezeradio wrote: Box_brockton wrote: I'm planing on doing a cross country trip on the Cross Roads this summer.  Does anyone have any ideas on a decent GPS unit aroud the $200 range?  I know there are motorcycle GPS units, however they are big money and I'm just seeking out a decent model that will do the job.  It won't be used in the rain, so it does not have to be water proof.  Thanks! I use a garmin nuvi 660.And a ram mount. I can here it while i ride,It is not through the audio system on bike. They are about 175 or less on amazon or one of the other shoping online sites.I payed 500 for it 5 years ago.It has blutooth so when my wife calls I can talk and not pull over to the side. Bluetooth kicks ass.There are others out there ,But I found that haveing bluetooth really works when you dont want to stop. I will eventualy upgrade to the gps intigrated to the bike in the future but for now I run what I have