I've never owned or even used one but I'm thinking this may be the time. Can anyone tell me what to look for and what's the most popular for bikes? Are there any models/brands I should avoid?

 

garmin, easy to use many models to choose from high end zummo made for bikes,also can use nuvi but only a few models are waterproof but priced better,non waterproof nuvi use a sandwich bag and rubberband price is right.

 

take into account the price of a mount for cycle some zummo's include mount.

 

At the better end of the spectrum - something that's weatherproof, vibration resistant (does not use a hard drive), maps pre-loaded, auto-routing, allows PC-generated routes to be downloaded.

Sometimes nice to have...internal battery operation, XM, NEXRAD, AUX output.

Don't lock yourself into "motorcycle" specific models...there are other (marine grade) units that work fine for this type of an environment.

Good luck!

 

Garmin is the name I hear most often. I think XM is an option I would be interested in. Are there any good deals on the internet or should I just go to Best Buy? What about the GPS sold by Harley? Is it any good?

 

Harley GPS is a Garmin.

Best buy doesn't (typically) carry motorcycle friendly models (Nuvi 500/550, Zumo).

Garmin's data is very accurate and, thus, useful.

 

I use a Garmin 700 series.. Works fine for my Ultra and in my car. You'll get a variety of answers and arguments as to the Harley zumo... Is it worth it.. is it not...

Use the search feature and you'll find hours and hours of reading on the various GPS units people are using.


Enjoy

 

harley is made by garmin, u just pay more for the harley name and the locations of harley dealers preloaded,wich u can get for free from retrevo.com for free, they also do reviews and comparison charts.

 

Another consideration that was important to me (and maybe you too!) was selecting a GPS that also has MP3 player capability. I also use a Garmin 785 in the car and on the bike. www.mountguys.com is a good resource for all types of mounting applications. RAM makes cradles and mounts for many GPS's and they are hard to beat for price and quality. Also consider a hardwire cable for powering it vs. trying to use the cigarette lighter - and a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable in the case of a Garmin if it has MP3 capability, and you want to plug it into the Aux port of your radio.

 

zummo 450 and 550 are discontinued so some internet searches may turn up some good deals both should include the bike mount the 550 includes a car mount as well so would be worth 80-100$more just for the mount.