I couldn't make a decision on what unit to buy, so my wife decided for me. Yesterday I found a Garmin Oregon 550t under the tree. It came with US topo maps, but not Canadian. I also noticed the road maps in my area are way out of date. I did a free update last night, but that didn't fix that particular issue. Where can I go for maps, other than Garmin?

She also got me a Garmin Handlebar Mount. Is anyone running one of these? I'm just wondering if it's going to be strong enough for offroad riding. And, should I look into wiring up a power source on the bike? Will vibrating batteries be an issue with the 550t?

 

I have the "handlebar mount" for my MTN bike and single track is too rough for it, i just put the GPS in my bag. I do use the handlebar mount for Rail trails on my MTN bike. Motorcycle i use the RAM mount. Works great, even crash tested repeatedly. The RAM is like 40$ but its worth it.

 

Yeah, I didn't think it looked secure enough for use on a motorcycle. I can see a RAM in my future.

 

I have the cradle and arm for my eTrex and just swap it between the bikes and i have a suction cup mount for the truck also. Love it. Makes riding around on the KLR so much more enjoyable, just take off down roads you have no idea where the go and it recalculates to still get you home. I have found some really cool stuff doing that.

 

Another plug for RAM mount. I put mounts on my mountain bike, both KLX & KLR, quad, and snowmobile. The gps has taken a beating. The button busted off the mount in a MOAB bathtub -- something had to give. Actually have two mounts on the KLX with one for GPS and other for a doubletake mirror.

 

Great resource for GPS info here:

Layin' down tracks - ADVrider

OpenStreetMaps are free. I haven't used them but have read good things about them. Also look for Ibycus.

It's best to NOT use USB to power the GPS on the bike. Get yourself some high capacity NiMH (Powerex 2700 mAh) rechargeables. My GPSmap 76CSx runs a couple of days with it's two AAs. My NiMH seems to fit snugger than throwaway AAs (alkaline)(don't even bother with manganese or zinc/carbon). A foam earplug will help if loose batteries are a problem.

 

I've used one of those mounts for my Garmin Etrex 20 with great success, including stuffing the handlebars into some rocks on a get off. This resulted in only breaking one of the zip ties 'cause the mount couldn't rotate any further. The gps stayed attached to the mount. Installed new zip tie and was just like new. (no broken $40 mount )

As far as hard wiring, I did not do that. Rechargeable batteries last all day & then some. YMMV. Dennis.

Another great source of info here: GPSFileDepot - Free Custom Garmin Maps, Ximage hosting, tutorials, articles and more for your GPSr

 

I got the more sturdy ones from ebay but my garmin still fell off the trail had to back track to find it. Btw I had the same model you got. Love it.

 

I asked about the hard wiring, because I've read about units shutting off when the batteries vibrated too much and lost contact. I thought it might be hard on the USB port, but I had to ask.

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out, and the ADVrider thread that ol'klx-er mentioned, too.

I'll say it again... This is the best forum I've been a member on. Hands down.

 

I'm using this type with my oregon 450
100 Waterproof GPS Satnav Motorcycle Bike Case Cover Bag Handlebar Mount Holder | eBay
It comes with a ram style post I cut that off to lower the unit more.
I use this generic hardwire
Hardwire Power Cable for Garmin Nuvi 200 200W 205 205W 250 250W 255 255W 260 265 | eBay
it has a straight mini usb plug that works better than the high dollar garmin that points the cable up toward display. I potted it in rtv as per a post I read somewhere. I've been happy with both.
marc