$100 motorcycle GPS!

[RYwoodview]

I thought this was worth passing along!

I found the factory refurbished Magellan Roadmate 2200T GPS on sale at NewEgg.com for $100 after rebate, at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...LAN-_-58191017. This is a rain-proof touch screen unit that includes maps of all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. It does text-to-speech, but no Bluetooth. New map software is not preloaded, despite the product description; the database is about 4 years old. But you can get updated maps (along with 90 m. topographic maps of the US, the ability to accept higher definition regional topos for hiking and marine maps for boating, and an updated interface, which essentially turns it into the new Magellan CrossoverGPS 2500T) at http://www.magellangps.com/products/...=0&PRODID=1993. AAA members get 15% off the $80 update price and in general at Magellan (call AAA for the discount code). Until June 16, Magellan is discounting accessories, too. I got my motorcycle mount at http://cgi.ebay.com/Motorcycle-Bike-...QQcmdZViewItem.

The 2200T is recommended on the Motorcycle Cruiser website http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/acc..._roadmate.html -- their picture is of a different unit, however. There is also a thorough review at http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2006/12/m...iew.php?page=1.

I've wanted an auto GPS for a few years, but couldn't rationalize buying one that couldn't also be used on my motorcycle -- and couldn't rationalize $600-$900 for those that I've seen that are intended for motorcycles. This GPS works very well, and I couldn't believe my luck in discovering this!

[Jethro]

It says new map software preloaded?

Anyway, I'm buying one. Looks like a bargin!

[p_s]

Would it hold up if it got wet? I thought that was one of the big reasons motorcycle GPS units cost so much.
EDIT: Nevermind, that motorcycle cruiser review puts that concern to rest.

[Dogma]

Would it hold up if it got wet? I thought that was one of the big reasons motorcycle GPS units cost so much.
EDIT: Nevermind, that motorcycle cruiser review puts that concern to rest.

Sealed to IP-X4, according to the review. Ingress protection X means untested for persons intruding to dangerous components, and 4 means tested against water splashing and spraying from all practicable directions.

[p_s]

Sealed to IP-X4, according to the review. Ingress protection X means untested for persons intruding to dangerous components, and 4 means tested against water splashing and spraying from all practicable directions.

Well that clears it up. :-D

[Dogma]

Well that clears it up. :-D

That reminds me of a story... I once watched a woman dismantle a disposable camera for no good reason while a group of us were chatting. It didn't really occur to me what she was doing until she found out what a capacitor looks like that's big enough to drive the flash a couple dozen times. Oh, did we laugh...

[p_s]

I'll feel a little bit less of a man if I let a computer with a woman's voice tell me where to go ... but damn that thing is cheap.

[renobruce]

Does this unit also show your MPH and top speed?

[Dogma]

Does this unit also show your MPH and top speed?

The linked review showed a "location" screen that speed along with a bunch of other data. I didn't see top speed shown there. It might be on another screen, but I didn't see it.

[RYwoodview]

The battery life estimate of 8 hours is probably realistic. I've used it on battery for about 5 hours this week, and it still indicates a 2/5 bars charge. That should make any reasonable day's trip possible without the cord, if recharged at night, leaving the rubber seals closed. An AC adapter came in the box, too, normally sold separately.

The map upgrade requires leaving an SD card in the slot -- so if you care about playing image or music files, that won't be possible using the new maps. (I never saw the point in that stuff for a GPS anyway.) I think the only difference cp. to the newer Crossover GPS may be a greater amount of internal memory in the Crossover, keeping the SD slot open.

There is also a connector slot in the bottom, probably plug in Magellan's Traffic Kit, a subscription service to inform about real-time traffic conditions. It isn't yet available for this unit.

The "Sport Guard" rim padding of the Crossover GPS will fit the 2200T when it is made available, too.


Jethro: The NewEgg.com description says "New map software preloaded", but Magellan, who do the refurbs, say they don't load new maps. That would spoil their update sales, I'd guess.

Dogma & p_s: Apparently IP-X4 just means that the enclosure protects the electronics against any sprayed or splashed water (not necessarily against "jetted" streams or immersion). So it's "waterproof" (Magellan's word) to rain.

p_s: Consider that this is a woman who is ever patient and soft spoken, never critical, always following your lead and on your side, wanting only to help solve your problems and never to talk about feelings.

renobruce: The location screen shows current speed, position (by intersection distances and lat/long), compass heading, time/date, and altitude during a trip. (See pg. 4 of the review.) The trip computer will report average speed during and after. [Now, if you need a computer to keep track of your top speed, does that mean you were going too fast to tell? 8-[ ]

[Killer2600]

Sounds like a great deal except how are you gonna hear the turn-by-turn directions on the bike. I suppose you can keep looking down at the thing to see if your coming up on your turn or if you missed it already but where's the lazyness afforded by gps in that?

[RYwoodview]

Though no Bluetooth, it does have a headphone jack.
I'll just look at it occasionally. I want the audio for the car.

[Dogma]

I bought one. Definitely buy the firmware and map update that was linked, along with the handlebar mount. The handlebar mount uses part of the bracket that comes with the GPS, So it won't be easy to move to the car without another mount bracket.

Other things to be aware of:
-Cannot play mp3s and navigate at the same time. Not at all. No position, nothing. It seems to load a different application for each task.
-Cannot search for points of interest along the current route, but instead has a POI function for the current exit. If nothing turns up at the current exit, you have to cancel the route and search for gas as the new destination.
-Touch accuracy with gloves isn't great. Attempting to operate it while riding is about twice as foolish usual. 4 village idiots out of 5, with talking on the phone without hands-free a 3.5.
-The power connection is under the waterproof flap. The claimed 8 hour battery life is about right. I did more than 7 hours in the rain one night, then maybe an hour or more a couple days later.
-The hiking and marine navigation tools that come with the firmware upgrade come with no instructions. I still haven't dug into them to figure them out.

Even so, I'm glad to have it. Overall, I like it better than the Garmin I had been using in the car the last couple years, because the overall interface is better, and it's noticeably more precise. Also, it's good to know that when my speedo reads 65, I'm really doing 75.

[RobC]

I'll feel a little bit less of a man if I let a computer with a woman's voice tell me where to go ... but damn that thing is cheap.

Thats how I feel anytime I go anywhere with the family, just without the computer.

[tkent02]

GPS on a bike... Just sounds wrong to me.
Wouldn't that take all the fun out of getting lost?
Navigation was simpler when decisions were made by taking the road with the most corners in view, the least cars, or just taking the higher of the two.
Best trips ever were done this way, no maps, no destination.