I'm looking for a GPS that has good routing abillity but also allows waypoints to be plotted and rotes formed from these.
Someone has recommended the Garmin 276

Any views

I use a Garmin 60CS which does all that you want. The 60CSX has a bigger memory as it uses the SD card but I find the CS with 256mb adequate for getting around most places. For mounting it on the bike take a look at migsel.com (Powered by CubeCart) this guy makes some really good GPS mounts for a variety of bikes,

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The Garmin Zumo 550 - purpose built for motorcycles: This is how mine looks in situ:



I bought the Zumo 550 and latest Euro maps two weeks ago ready for our trip. It has a touch screen that large enough for use with gloves and is also an MP3 player. In the pic below of my set-up, I've left the Zumo off so you can see the mount. It is powered by the wire you can see out the right side. And it has a separate input for a 2½mm microphone jack (for bluetooth phone use) and a 3½mm sound output (it is also an MP3 player). I purchased a 4 GB SD card for additional memory/storage (for Europe maps, MP3 files or images). I already had the sound wiring as this inputs to my J&M CB/Intercom as an auxiliary input (see wire out bottom). The big knob on the side of the mount is a lock nut I purchased to replace the standard wing nut.



A selection of RAM mounts come with the kit for attaching to handlebars, but I simply purchased a single ball with a threaded extension and drilled the centre cover plate of my Helibar riser's to attach the mount. The unit is (and all the kit it comes with) is brilliant. Check it out at: zumo I'll really test it out on Sunday & Monday when I ride from Brisbane to Melbourne to put the ST into a container to ship it to London.
Cheers
John

It really depends on what sort of riding you do - road touring, or off road.
Best value at the moment is the Quest from GPSW: GPS Warehouse UK (Global Positioning Systems):

GPSW: Quest - and RAM Bike Mount (Buy/Full Details)

For £200 including mounting you can't go wrong.

I'd suggest trying one of these for a while and seeing how you get on. Once you get an idea of what these things can do, and what features are important to you, then you may think about changing it.

All of the Garmin models are good in their own way, depending on what you need it for.
The 2610/2720 are excellent for road touring and occasional off road use. The 2610 is a good buy if you find a new one on ebay - they're discontinued, but are well spec'ed and you can use cheap compact flash cards to store extra maps.
The new Zumo is easy to use, but some find it to be too simplified and lacking in features.
The 276c is very well regarded, but you have to pay extra for the maps (£150) and the Garmin memory cards are pricey, making them an expensive option if you don't really need the extensive track saving abilities.
The GPSMap 60 series are very rugged, and a good choice for off road use, but you need to pay extra for the maps.

Thanks for that info. I previously run a 2610 on my bike but due to a shoulder injury whilst riding round the world, I've been forced to switch to 4 wheels to continue my trip.
The 2610 was great except that i would have liked to plot more tracks accurately. So this is why i've heard about the 276. Is it worth the money or can i get a cheaper alternative to this?

Thanks

I have a Garmin V and it is very slow to calculate routes. In cities if I put in a new address to go to I have to sit still for several minutes for it to catch up. I was in a friends car and he had a Tom Tom GPS. It calculates routes almost instantly. Are the newer Garmins any faster than the Garmin V?

If you want to record and save tracklogs then you'll need to be looking at the GPSMap60 CSx, or the 276. These allow you to save and name seperate tracklogs at the end of each day, rather than being limited to one current log, as with the 2610.
The downside is the amount you're going to end up paying for this feature - around £400 for the unit, plus £150 for the roadmaps (not included with non-car/bike specific models), plus the cost of Garmin memory cards if you go for the 276 (the GPSMap 60's take standard SD cards).
When you can get a Quest or 2610 for £200 that's a lot of extra money. Only you can decide if it's worth it....

Yes, the V is very slow. The 176 (and up) have a seperate (risc) processor for drawing, which makes it very fast.

Maarten

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