Tom Tom Rider 2nd edition

Nutter67 · 12-06-2007, 5:25 AM

Does anybody have one of these, and if so what do you think of it?

I was looking at the Tom Tom and the Garmin Zumo 550, but at $400 more expensive the Garmin is now out of the running, and I would still have to buy a bluetooth headset for my helmet (it may be a cheap one, but it is supplied with the Rider).

Does anybody in Oz know the best and cheapest place to pick up the Rider? There is one on fleabay, but the bidding starts at $750 and he still wants freight on top of that - that means it will be only a few dollars less than JB HiFi.

I am also waiting for phone compatibility issues to be answered before buying one.

OZDave · 12-06-2007, 7:58 AM

I have the Rider. All the concerns I had with it are fixed on the Rider 2. The mount is much better. (the Rider original has a weak mount with some stories of the GPS falling off. Mine hasn't had a problem but it doesn't inspire confidence) The Car kit for the Rider 2 (extra) has a speaker built into it, instead of using the annoying ear piece while in the car. They are seriously good kit. It also calculates faster than the Zumo. Buggy has one (ozblackbird) and we compared them side by side. Another guy has the Rider 2 so I could compare them myself while fitted to the bikes.

While a little slower, I would reccomend the Zumo, but not at the extra price.

I bought mine at Harvey Norman.
Hope this helps.

Nutter67 · 12-06-2007, 8:30 AM

Thanks for that, I'm going to call Hardly Normal in the morning.

JB HiFi quoted $850 for the Rider and $1300 (less discount) for the Zumo 550 and I think I might be able to get a few extras for the Rider thrown in.

rivabill · 12-06-2007, 3:39 PM

http://navcity.co.uk/GPS%20Catal...FRAUQgodzj2CAQ
There you go Paul, not a bad price ?
Bill
I can always ship it on to you.
Pm me if interested

rivabill · 12-06-2007, 3:44 PM

http://navcity.co.uk/GPS%20Catal...Motorcycle.htm

As you can see by the link above, the zumo is only £24 more!!!!!!

Doug66 · 12-06-2007, 6:03 PM

Try ElectricBug at Torrensville in Sth Oz - they do great prices on all comms gear and may even prove to be cheaper including freight.

Nutter67 · 12-07-2007, 4:11 AM

Thanks all, just picked one up from JB HiFi - with a good deal included.

gc33 · 12-07-2007, 7:09 AM

if you are chasing bluetooth units im doing these. My wife and I have road tested them and work great with ph,gps and as an intercom rider to rider or rider to pillion. if you are interested email me. $120aus each or $200aus for a pair plus postage.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/d...llfacedemo.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/d...torolademo.jpg

yes i will post international. Worked well with my tomtom 910 and does works well with my new 720.

Toynut · 12-07-2007, 1:07 PM

Just curious, the price of the Zumo 550 in the USA tend to run around $615 to $ 675 dollars (US North America maps). How much would you have to pay for freight and taxes to Australia? $100-150, perhaps???

Another thing about Garmin, since the 550 has been out for over a year, a new model is overdue, and I would bet that there will be a dramatic price drop/rebate offer (typically $150 or so) on the unit after Xmas. IMHO, it might be worth your while to wait another month or two.

Nutter67 · 12-07-2007, 8:09 PM

Crap, too late, I picked up the Tom Tom yesterday.

I think with currency conversion (which is pretty good right now), freight, any import duty, and Oz maps, it may work out to be around the $850 mark.

Thanks your your suggestions. I guess I had better stop letting the money burn a hole in my pocket.....

Nutter67 · 12-09-2007, 12:21 AM

Hi all,

I have just fitted the Tom Tom Rider 2nd Edition to the bird, and it only took one minor modification.

Had to drill an 8mm hole in the middle of the mounting post and then counterbore with 13mm spade bit.

It is attached using the upper triple clamp bolt.

Will take it for a ride soon to check out any vibration.

Test ride completed, no problems with any vibration, and handled the bumps quite well.

CanadianBird · 12-09-2007, 12:40 PM

Is it hard wired to the bike? What's those straps for, they look awkward, to me.

Banshee · 12-09-2007, 7:51 PM

Strap looks like it is "Just in case" it comes off the mount.

Nutter67 · 12-10-2007, 1:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanadianBird

Is it hard wired to the bike? What's those straps for, they look awkward, to me.

The straps are there for "just in case" the unit comes off the mount (the only way I can see that happening is if it isnt put on properly in the first place.) The strap setup is quite simple - one strap and clamp on the mount attaches to a small strap on the unit. Takes two seconds to hook up.

The Tom Tom will be hard wired to the bike (as a battery charger only - everything else is bluetooth) as soon as I get my pro-oiler from Pablo. I want to try and do all of my wiring work in one hit.

ianross69 · 02-14-2008, 5:16 PM

Can anyone tell me where i can get a fitting kit to fit my rider V1 to my Blackbird? Thanks

Vulcan95 · 06-27-2008, 5:55 AM

Hi Nutter67, Good tip for fitting the TomTom Rider V2 to the Bird. I got the TomTom Rider yesterday and though "How am I going to fit this!". Thanks. Have you hard wired it to the bike yet? If so what fuse is required?

Nutter67 · 06-27-2008, 6:58 AM

For power, I tapped into one of the tail light globes (used the other tail light globe for the pro-oiler). The tail light circuit is already fused. I used this circuit because in Oz it is legislated that our headlight and tail light must be on as soon as the key is turned - instant power.

Vulcan95 · 06-27-2008, 8:05 AM

Hi Paul,
Thanks very much.
Steve

mrhemi · 09-13-2008, 11:05 AM

I recently purchased a Tom Tom XL (on sale, $249.00) for use in the Rigasaurous. As an experiment one day I rotated the suction cup mount 180 degrees and popped it on the front of the Bluebird tank. Worked beautiful for a 500km ride. The battery charge will not last that long so the car charger has to be adapted. I found this to be a low cost, effective solution to personal gps applications with multiple vehicles. That being said, I still prefer a map (I know, not practical on a bike). For many, many hours of left seat time in gps equipped aircraft, the appropriate chart was always within reach.

Mr. Mike.

TigreST · 09-13-2008, 3:23 PM

"I don't need no stinkin' GPS mang! People are always tellin' me where to go. Most often the destination begins with the letter H ! ".

Tony "wheredaf&*$kawi" Bagley

PH005 · 09-13-2008, 6:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrhemi

I recently purchased a Tom Tom XL (on sale, $249.00) for use in the Rigasaurous. As an experiment one day I rotated the suction cup mount 180 degrees and popped it on the front of the Bluebird tank. Worked beautiful for a 500km ride.

Mr. Mike.

Nice Tip. I'm going to try that with my Tom Tom. Guess you could run a cig' lighter socket lead back under to the Batt'.

TigreST · 09-13-2008, 8:39 PM

On a more serious note: Could you not access your Battery Tender Jr. battery connective cord for use as a power supply point for your Tom Tom GPS (or any other GPS unit)? The Battery Tender Jr. comes with both a hardwired battery connection wire run and a Alligator clip wire connection run. I've not used my Alligator clip harness so it could pull duty as GPS connection with a bit of work. Firstly,..it will plug directly into the hardwire B-Jr harness you bolt to your battery teminals. Secondly,..it contains a inline fuse for ciruit protection.

My B-Jr. harness currently resides under the seat when the bike is in use. To access the B-Tender connection I remove the seat and plug the charger in, leaving the seat in a loose fashion. With a somewhat modified extention of the hardwire harness I could extend the run to terminate near the front of the bike which would allow a short run for GPS service and negate the need to remove the seat to access the B-Jr. connection plug for normal battery tender duty. These Battery Tender Jr. connections also include a weather cap to seal the plug off from mother nature when the connection is not required.

This would kinda kill to "Birds" with one stone, in a manner. Of course the circuit would not be "switched",..so the GPS power button will have to be monitored when the motor is not running, so you don't draw the battery down.

Tony

mrhemi · 09-14-2008, 11:27 AM

The Tom Tom runs off 5 vdc. (it can be charged from your "puter" USB port.) So you would have to use a female lighter adapter on your bike so that you could plug in the complete charger, just as you would in your four wheeler. That would still fit under the seat with no issues.

Mr. Mike.

TigreST · 09-14-2008, 1:11 PM

Well that's "shocking" news!

Are the beers chilled? (silly question I know).

Tony

funinmy40s · 09-22-2008, 10:30 AM

i have the rider 2 fitted to my blackbird,, love it,, it does every thing i want and has not let me down in any way,, to sum it up i say it is 100% brillant,, best addition i have ever put on a bike