GPS opinions

agn5009
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agn5009
I'm looking to buy a GPS for my bike. I dont want to spend an arm and a leg on it but I want something decent. I mainly want it to be able to back track me home when I get lost and create tracks.

It would be cool if i could set points and follow the GPS as I'm riding. What do you guys reccomend?
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agn5009
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agn5009 3/27/2020 4:46pm
3/27/2020 4:46pm
Trail tech seems to have nice units but are pricey.
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Layton
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Layton 3/27/2020 7:28pm
3/27/2020 7:28pm
I use the Garmin Oregon 450 with good results but a lot of guys prefer the Montana because of its larger screen.
Ake89
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Ake89 3/27/2020 7:48pm
3/27/2020 7:48pm
Garmin Montana or garmin 78. See gps city, cabelas, or west marine
CivBars
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CivBars 3/27/2020 8:04pm
3/27/2020 8:04pm Edited Date/Time 3/27/2020 8:07pm
I have 2 Garmin Rino 650's that have done us good for the past couple years.

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Ramrod
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Ramrod 3/27/2020 8:05pm
3/27/2020 8:05pm
I just got a Garmin Montana 610 ready to use
MudPup545
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MudPup545 3/27/2020 8:15pm
3/27/2020 8:15pm
Garmin 64s, mine has treated me well. Rugged and holds up to abuse well. Keep an eye out for sales. I got it cheaper than the model just under it in regards to features etc...
agn5009
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agn5009 3/27/2020 9:53pm
3/27/2020 9:53pm
Anyone have the trail tech Voyager?

Thanks for the input guys. I'd really like something that mounts right to the bike too.
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zippytech
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zippytech 3/27/2020 10:00pm
3/27/2020 10:00pm
I use back country navigator program on a old phone.
eeazye
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eeazye 3/28/2020 6:01am
3/28/2020 6:01am
I love my garmin Montana 680, but it was indeed pricey. To get what you’re looking for, which I’m assuming is navigation off the grid, you’re going to pay one way or the other. I offset the cost by using the unit in my vehicles as well as my bikes. One great feature is the camera. Yeah you can set way points on all of them, but being able to attach a picture to it is great feature.

One thing to be aware of is the hidden costs. No matter who’s device you get, it won’t have all the features you’ll want or expect. My unit for example, came with basic gps. That’s it. I had to add streets to get turn by turn navigation. I wanted it to show me topography maps for going off road. Yep, had to pay for that too. Oh, guess what, they break the US into regions. So, I bought the northeast. Well, going riding in West Virginia, and... yep, had to buy southeast maps. They nickel and dime you death. And your purchases are only good on the device you have registered. One surprising service they offer at no charge is garmin explore. It’s a desktop app that you can use to make, save, download, and upload data from your device.

All that said, I love it and don’t regret shelling out the money. I would say though, if you’re going to places that have even remote cell coverage, it’s tough to beat getting an old beater phone just for navigation.
Layton
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Layton 3/28/2020 6:45am
3/28/2020 6:45am
All gps units can be adapted to bikes. Search Ram Mounts.

Some gps units like the Oregon, use the USB port for charging. On mine I hard wired it to the bike battery as the port sucks. With the higher quality rechargeable AA batteries available now several friends just carry an extra set and swap them out when the first set go dead. The first set will make it most of the day even with the back light on.

There is no need to buy the maps from Garmin. Open-source maps, do a search, has free maps.
Avenza has free maps of the national forests.
Some of the states have free download maps that include every little Legal backroad.

If you ride Michigan- Wisconsin or in the Kentucky-Tennessee-West Virginia area it’s worth it to spend a few $ and buy the vvmapping maps which have the roads and trails on them and are very detailed.
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zippytech
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zippytech 3/28/2020 6:47am
3/28/2020 6:47am
Back country lets you download area's offline so you don't need net access. I think it was only 10 bucks for the program.
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eeazye
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eeazye 3/28/2020 6:49am
3/28/2020 6:49am
Layton wrote:
All gps units can be adapted to bikes. Search Ram Mounts. Some gps units like the Oregon, use the USB port for charging. On mine I...
All gps units can be adapted to bikes. Search Ram Mounts.

Some gps units like the Oregon, use the USB port for charging. On mine I hard wired it to the bike battery as the port sucks. With the higher quality rechargeable AA batteries available now several friends just carry an extra set and swap them out when the first set go dead. The first set will make it most of the day even with the back light on.

There is no need to buy the maps from Garmin. Open-source maps, do a search, has free maps.
Avenza has free maps of the national forests.
Some of the states have free download maps that include every little Legal backroad.

If you ride Michigan- Wisconsin or in the Kentucky-Tennessee-West Virginia area it’s worth it to spend a few $ and buy the vvmapping maps which have the roads and trails on them and are very detailed.
I’m definitely not computer savvy enough to make all that stuff work. I guess I’m the kind of guy they rely on to keep the profits rolling in!
agn5009
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agn5009 3/28/2020 7:06am
3/28/2020 7:06am
Layton wrote:
All gps units can be adapted to bikes. Search Ram Mounts. Some gps units like the Oregon, use the USB port for charging. On mine I...
All gps units can be adapted to bikes. Search Ram Mounts.

Some gps units like the Oregon, use the USB port for charging. On mine I hard wired it to the bike battery as the port sucks. With the higher quality rechargeable AA batteries available now several friends just carry an extra set and swap them out when the first set go dead. The first set will make it most of the day even with the back light on.

There is no need to buy the maps from Garmin. Open-source maps, do a search, has free maps.
Avenza has free maps of the national forests.
Some of the states have free download maps that include every little Legal backroad.

If you ride Michigan- Wisconsin or in the Kentucky-Tennessee-West Virginia area it’s worth it to spend a few $ and buy the vvmapping maps which have the roads and trails on them and are very detailed.
Awesome thanks. I think I would like something with a decent size screen. I'm not too concerned about the trail system maps or anything like that. I have access to a ton of land which doesn't have trails on yet I want to be able to go out on my bike, create a track and add points until I get used to the track and dont need GPS. Also, when I get lost, I want it to be able to back track how I got there and get me home. That's really all I'd be using it for. I dont expect to go hit national forests and need to use it since all of them around here are properly marked. Dont really need a GPS for them.
agn5009
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agn5009 3/28/2020 7:08am
3/28/2020 7:08am
zippytech wrote:
Back country lets you download area's offline so you don't need net access. I think it was only 10 bucks for the program.
I guess I dont understand what you mean by "areas." Do you mean trails that have already been uploaded or something? Or an entire wooded area? I have some places that are very remote and never been touched by dirt bikes.
agn5009
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agn5009 3/28/2020 7:30am
3/28/2020 7:30am
Anyone have any experience with the trail tech Voyager vs. The voyager pro? Rocky Mountain has the regular voyager for $300 and the pro for $600. I would think the regular one would be fine for what I'd be needing it for.
agn5009
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agn5009 3/28/2020 8:15am
3/28/2020 8:15am
Bigoldbeef wrote:
I run the Gaia GPS app on my phone.
No cell service where I ride.
zippytech
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zippytech 3/28/2020 9:16am
3/28/2020 9:16am
zippytech wrote:
Back country lets you download area's offline so you don't need net access. I think it was only 10 bucks for the program.
agn5009 wrote:
I guess I dont understand what you mean by "areas." Do you mean trails that have already been uploaded or something? Or an entire wooded area...
I guess I dont understand what you mean by "areas." Do you mean trails that have already been uploaded or something? Or an entire wooded area? I have some places that are very remote and never been touched by dirt bikes.
You can download the entire state if you have enough space.

As far as I know it does not show trails. but it will track where you have been and what's around you.

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