Hey guys,

I was just riding a couple days ago (enjoying the last75 degree day here in the Burgh) and got myself lost. I dunno how... but... I ended up on some back *** country roads just over the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Long story short... I decided that maybe I should put a GPS mount on my bike...so that I can avoid asking some back *** country inbred hicks where in the hell I am.

I have the Street Pilot C550 model in my car. It's portable and I figure that I'm better off using it with both vehicles rather than buying a new GPS unit just for the bike.

My firstquestion is... does anyone make a Garmin specific motorcycle mount for our bikes? I brieflyasked the local Honda dealer at the parts counter, and he stated that it depends on how much room there is on the handlebar. Second question... has any of you guys with the older CBR's like mine ever put a GPS mount on your bike?

In my search I was able to find this... it's for a 1991 1000F... model selection won't let me choose anything older.

http://65.102.174.116/rammount/produ...er=RAM-B-309-1

Think this will work? Are the clutch/brake clamp holes the same for 1988 and 1991???

Any help, tips, pointers, pics etc... would be very helpful.

Thanks in advance.

 

I've mounted a Garmin Quest to my '87 Hurricane using RAM Mount components. I used the center stem mount and the appropriate arm and ***** to attach the Garmin motorcycle cradle. Works well for me unless I overstuff my tank bag.

Garmin has a number of model specific cradles. RAM also has some specific pieces, but their strength is in the great assortment of pieces they have to assemble just about any configuration you want. There are others making similar systems - RAM was jsut the most convenient for me.

Out of town for work - I'll try to get a picture up this weekend.

 

I'm thinking about ordering the clutch/brake cylinder mount above to start with.I'm only worried nowthat it could interfere with the ability to steer or drive the bike with the mount being so close to the controls.

Thanks for the reply George, if anyone else has pics of theirsetup they would help out alot.

 

I have a Garmin 2610 with the ram mount located on my clutch lever bolts. I'll take a pic or 2 and post them tonight

 

A couple of pics I took showing the clearance..

[IMG]local://upfiles/5414/DB5F9991E5574BC9B41DEDB945739079.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/5414/0EBA211021A5459A8077DC01EC91398B.jpg[/IMG]

 

I'm using a Garmin Nuvi 350. I love this unit. I've had many GPS' over the years, all were Magellen's until this one. Except for the fact it's not water proof, it's the best GPS I've owned. I'll purchase the Garmin Zumo when the prices are more reasonable. Here in the US they're still on the high side of $650. I've got a few images of the RAM mount I'm using. I switch it between my 1998600 F3 and my 94 1000F, so forgive me if the photo's currently show it's on the F3 . It's using the Clutch lever bracket mount from RAM. You can put it on the brake lever mount the same way, however since you have to use your hands to operate it, it's better to put it on the left and use your left hand to operate it. It's a little troublesome letting go of the throttle to operate the GPS all while slowing down and traffic catching up [:-]. The way I've got it mounted, it's out of the wind, just below the top of the windscreen. The mount is exceptionally stable and has openings to allow for the cable to be attached so I can connect external power from the motorcycle battery. Oh yea, this particular mount does have 2 mounting points on it to allow for an additional device, like a radar detecter or MP3 playerif I wanted.

Here is the view from about where my head is and how it looks while riding. It really doesn't block the view of anything while riding.


This is a side shot giving you an idea of how it's mounted. You would think that with the Ball mount, it would be more flexible in the number of positions you can put it in, but that's not really true.



This shows how it looks when the handle bars are at full lock to the left. It does touch my tank bag barely, but only at full lock and doesn't interfere with the handlebar movement at all.



Just a few other shots from slightly different angles without the GPS in the mount.

 

Thanks alot for the pics guys, they will help when I install the mount. I'll post up the pics of my setup once I get the mount and do the work. I just thought of another question for you guys... do you have your GPS units wired to the bike or do you run the unit on battery powerwhile on your bike and then charge it later?

I will probably just run it on battery power while on my bike, as I have the AC Adapter to charge it at home.

When my Street PilotC550 is in my car it's hard wired to the fuse box and I also have an external antenna mounted on the roof for better signal.

 

I have a Powerlet outlet mounted on the guage bezel that I have hardwired to run the GPS as I think only the Quest series and some older models comes with a battery

 

The NUVI will run between 4 and 6 hours on it's batteries. They're internal and non replaceable. The Nuvi gets external power via a USB connector that goes to a Cigarrette Lighter adapter. I installed a marine cigarrette lighter outlet hidden inside my upper cowling. It takes a little fenagling to get my arm inside through the fork openings to reach the outlet. I'm not happy with this setup, but it's the only way to get power since it' has to be via a USB style connector and the voltage is converted from 12v to 5v I believe. The Zumo that I plan to get someday comes with a power lead that I'm sure I'll be able to attach to the bike somewhere. On my F3, I just use the battery. I don't find that I need to use the GPS continuously, just when I'm nearing destinations or am looking for alternate routes. Good luck with your installation.

 

Excellent, thanks for the info guys!!!

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