Is GPS really necessary???

Hello to all,

I love gadgets, but using a gps in a motorcycle is a little too much. When I go on a trip (long or short)...a map inside my clear plastic insert in my tank bag usually does the trick. I have never use anykind of gps in my life so pls pls pls....someone educate me on the advantages on using a gps. Also which brand out there is the best...many thx.

I never thought I'd need the gadgetry, but I borrowed one and was hooked! I can wander around freely then just have it take me home when I'm done playing.

The biggest advantage for me is knowing what time I'll get somewhere. I am horrible at guessing mileage/ETA so now I can actually say "hey, I'll meet you at the gas station over at X & Y in 30 minutes" and not show up 50 minutes later...

I don't currently have a GPS and I am not much of a gadget person (I don't even have a cell phone). But imagine being able to have a scrolling map of all of North America in your tankbag. I may have to wander down this gadget road sometime.

I love maps, compasses etc. I can plot my course on a map and find my GPS coordinates on a paper map or get the coordinates on a map and plot them on GPS. I am also good at navigating with just compas and map.

But once you get a GPS and learn to use it you wont go back. It is just so easy. On the road they are nice to find areas of interest (gas, restaurants, national parks, campgrounds etc. But off road it is an indispensable gadget. You will never worry about getting lost even if enter a maze of trails, or it gets dark and your stellar navigation is not up to par.

By the way get a Garmin, of all the ones I have it is the best brand in MHO

GPS = best piece of motorcycling equipment I purchased.

Maps you find yourself on, and orient yourself to the landscape and map.

GPS tells you where you ARE. Always. Great tool for exploring and getting lost.

Barry

What I really enjoy is when going through a strange town where the road takes a few jogs, is that I can look and see that I am still on the right road to get out of town still going the right direction.

Having an accurate sunset time for me is also really handy.

Being able to get back and download your track to your pc (just import to streets and trips) and see where you have been. This is better than you might first think. After downloading a long trip you get a lot of "Oh yeah, here's where I had to pull over because.... "

Glenn

It's the best gadget I've ever purchased for the bike or cage, period. It's priceless to be in my hotel room and plotting the next days journey knowing exactly how many hours it will take and the number of miles to be covered. Running out of gas in a remote area? No problem, just click to find the nearest gas station without wandering around aimlessly hoping for one around the next bend. Need a hotel, place to eat, etc? Again it's only a few clicks away. I like Garmin.

+1 .

GPS is great.

But make sure you can read a map/use a compass first if you ride backcountry.

bob

I've always been a gadget person and have owned GPS's for atleast the past 8 years. Although, I'm way behind with some pretty outdated ones, but they still get the job done.

The best thing I love is planning a ride on remote roads using the computer. Then I plot the course in my GPS and go follow it. I'm getting pretty good at getting some decent routes doing that. A paper map is a nice backup, but I love having a GPS.

If I were racing in a rally of some type, or exploring a real off road maze, I'd find it useful. Lots of people get hooked on these things. Gadget Syndrome or lack of appreciation (or knowledge) of basic navigation....dunno.

Someone mentioned above about plotting co-ordinates on maps and transferring those to GPS for off road use. That's useful and I used to do that a lot many years ago. Micro-gridding many 1:24k topos, getting damn close (even considering the the 'long' variance at different 'lats'). I got to the point to where it was a game by plotting/planning the bearings and distances from known waypoints, rather than using the co-ordinates themselves - peaks, quadrant tic marks, sharp bend in a creek, etc. Just something that made it more interesting for me.

With calculators, who needs to know math? With GPSs, who needs to know navigation?

Gimme a good map, the month of the year, time of day....and the sun. As long as it's not dark or too overcast...

Batteries have never made a person smarter....

YES forgot to mention the track features. And you can mark that spot "Oh yeah, here's where I had to pull over because.... " Of the beautiful Lake, very necessary bathroom etc for later use

I have a buddy that plotted coordinates back in the day working with the survey team of the BLM. He would hike this 150lbs Delorme GPS/Antenna to the MARK/COIN (I know some of you know what I am talking about) out in the middle of no where in the desert. They used topo maps to find the MARK, then set up the GPS that would send and record the coordinates. These were the ones used to make the maps.

About 4 years after that you could buy a Magellan or Garmin for like $500, and they were all Black and white, with very low resolution screens but still way more portable. I got one and he showed me what they use to do and navigate a map using the coordinates. If you know what you are doing and have the coordinates you don't need a GPS and you still know exactly where you are ( well with in a mile, not bad really)

But think about all the equipment and notes you need to carry to do that. Some of it delicate even though it is mechanical. The GPS of today is a must have in my book.

But I still practice using a map, and always have a map on my tank bag even though I have a GPS.

Now the trick is getting my Stellar navigation up to usefulness.

OH - I forgot to mention that my GPS directed me to a H(*Y*)TERS one time.

GPS also tells you a McD's is up 3 miles on the right, and a Texaco station is 14 miles up on the left (examples).

In my opinion, I agree with other posters.... learn to navigate, GPS won't make you smarter. But it is a damn good tool to own.

Barry

Agreed it won't make you smarter but it will get me there quicker.

For backup paper maps and compass are in the side case.

Although most of the time, it's not necessary, (In and around your normal range of movement), but like last weekend when I headed to Washington DC it was great to let me focus on the traffic and the roads and not have to try to figure out where to turn and how to get there. The ETA is nice, but more than once, late at night, in some city far from home, the thing gave me peace of mind which translated into spending my mental energy elsewhere. When you're looking for road signs then you are not looking at cars, road conditions, instruments, deer, people, bikes, trucks, etc.

My two cents. BTW, I run a Garmin Street pilot 2830 with the XM and a set of Shure E4C's for sound and am very happy with it.

If you're looking at your GPS your also not looking at deer, people, bikes, trucks, cars, etcetera.
Crux of the matter is, if road signs distract you so much, you might want to think about lowering your speed or getting your eye sight checked.
A GPS should not be 'necessary' - I cannot spare the expense, so I'll wait with getting one, but I don't need one to find my way around.

Relying on GPS if you cannot read maps is like using a calculator when you cannot do the math in your head or on paper. Sure, it's handy, but it should never be necessary.

It only takes one time of riding in an unfamiliar area out in the middle of no where and darkness catches up to you to change your mind. Off-road of-course.

I rarely look at mine, I mostly listen to it.

Here's one reason that hasn't been mentioned yet - It can warn you if a hairy corner is coming up.

On a group ride, I watched the guy in front of me crash on an unposted hairpin right hander that was way out of character with the rest of the road. I saw the corner coming up on the GPS - what's that worth?

This was the corner CLICKY

(Of course you shouldn't rely on the GPS for this purpose. Treat it as a road sign, if it says there's a hairy corner coming up, assume there is one. If it doesn't, don't assume there isn't one. All in all, you'll know very quickly which roads the GPS is corner accurate, but even on small backroads, I find it nearly always accurate on 90 degree or sharper corners).

Doesn't take more that a split second glance on the straight aways to get this info... worth it IMHO.