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Best Sat Nav for East Africa Best Sat Nav for East Africa
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Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland




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  #1  
Old 30 Dec 2006
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Best Sat Nav for East Africa
I am riding from Cape town to Cairo to Tel Aviv on 1st July 2007. I have a Garmin Street pilot c340 and a Mio... Can anyone tell me what is the best system for the route..

Im also lookinng for info on the best raod maps to buy ( in case the technology fails
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Old 30 Dec 2006
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Best value GPS for motorcycle use at the moment is the Garmin 2610:

http://www.gpsw.co.uk/details/prod3267.html

They've just been discontinued and the last few are being sold at discounted prices. Allow £50-60 for a suitable mount.
You may struggle to find detailed GPS maps for this part of the world, and will have to make do with the basic world map built into the unit.
The streetpilot c340 and similar units won't be suitable for m/c use - they're not water/dust proof, and you'll struggle to mount it on the bike securely.
If you just want something basic to tell you where you are and aren't too worried about routing functions then take a look at the Garmin GPS60 models.
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Old 31 Dec 2006
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thanks a lot.
I hear BMW have a system of their own .. do you know if its any good for this..
I hear you about my Garmin c340 it just doesnt cut the Ice
If you're ever over this way look me up
Gary
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Old 31 Dec 2006
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The BMW units are just rebadged Garmins with a fancy mounting bracket with a couple of extra buttons.
You'll save a lot of money by getting the Garmin branded one.
Garmin's own motorcycle mount is OK for road use, but you'll need a RAM arm to fit it to.
Touratech do some excellent mounts if you can stand the cost - take a look at their website to get some ideas.
I run a Garmin 2610 in a lockable Touratech bracket, mounted to a RAM arm, which fits to my left handlebar. Convenient position and very stable.
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Old 1 Jan 2007
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Thanks again

I'll have a look at the Garmin Web site. Interesting about the BMW thing being a repackaged Garmin.
Whats a RAM arm

Thanks

Gary
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Old 1 Jan 2007
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By the way. What about carrying actual Maps for the route did you do it and if you did where did you source them and what scale is prctical

Thanks

Gary
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Old 2 Jan 2007
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I would look at a hiking unit with a few more technical features, memory cards for mapping and a reasonable battery life off the bike.
I would NOT recommend the SP2610 for extended dirt road use

Have a good at the Garmin GPSmap 60Cx

Many parts of your route have only basic mapping
Have a look at Garmins WorldMap or
the third party 'Wanderlist WorldMap' - http://www.smellybiker.com/maps/
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Old 3 Jan 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BurnieM
I would NOT recommend the SP2610 for extended dirt road use

Have a good at the Garmin GPSmap 60Cx
It's true that the 2610 isn't as rugged as a 60Cx, but if you use a suitable bracket (ie Touratech) then it is more than capable of handling off road use - I've had no problems with mine, or the Streetpilot III I had before.

Your right the 60Cx is a lovely piece of kit, and given the choice between the 2610 and a 60Cx, I'd go for the 60Cx, but the problem for me is the cost. At the moment (in the UK) the GPS Map 60Cx is nearly double the price of 2610. In addition the 2610 comes with the latest european street level mapping as standard, but you need to buy it seperately for the 60Cx.

Ram arms:




Touratech mounts:
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Old 3 Jan 2007
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Thanks a lot for the info Guys I'll have a good look at both units over the next few weeks
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Old 22 Jan 2007
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Lightbulb quality
is relative but for serious kit, but for gps's with real navigation facilities consider the 276C and/or 60CSx then load up Bob's Wanderlust Maps

linky http://www.smellybiker.com/cgi-bin/m...kcode=xb4c46l2
it's the dog's wat-sits!!
Touratech's mounts are rubber mounted to reduce vibrations too.
Eventually too many vibrations can destroy your GPS. Might want to consider putting it inside the map case of your tank bag- not a designer cool but will last longer!


Wanderlust Maps.......get out of that hammock & keep compiling Bob
Last edited by Bertrand; 22 Jan 2007 at 17:41.
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