Cheaper sat Nav options

A friend here had an earlier version

It's quite quick and with the Navteq maps pretty much easy to update or add to
 
A few years back I paid £99 for a Tom Tom one with full European mapping... Been using it in the car and on the bike every since... I have a RAM mount from eBay £5 and modified 1" plumbers pipe fittings to fix to the bars..

If it rains I stick a zip lock freezer bag over it... I always carry three in my pocket, one for my wallet, one for the sat nav and one for my iPhone..

Can't get cheaper than that :thumb ( probably could)
 
I bought a Garmin Nuvi 2595 LMT (£120 ish) and a waterproof case (£15 ish) and a blanking plate for the sat nave cradle (£5 ish).
Araldite the case to the cradle blank.

Now my sat-nav can lock to the bike and be charged via the socket.
Not pretty but saved LOTS of pennies. Which I obviously squandered!
 
iPhone solution

Anybody having an iPhone or similar Smartphone can down load the Skobbler app for about £3 which you can link via bluetooth to a Scala Rider or any similar device. For an extra few quid you can download European maps giving you full satnav for Europe on your phone at hardly any cost. I've linked mine to the new Buhel helmet speaker which uses vibration technology converting your helmet into a giant speaker thus avoiding the messy and often uncomfortable wearing of helmet speakers.
 
If you have an iPhone the PocketEarth app (uses OSM mapping) is free and works offline. It does routing but not voice guidance

It works worldwide'ish for driving, hiking and cycling

I have used it here, Spain and France :thumb2
 
CoPilot works really well. Android, iPhone and Windows Mobile I believe. £35 for full Europe though. £20 for UK, or country of your choice, only.

Computer route planing is possible using third party apps. I've used ITN Converter and Route Converter. ITN Converter currently only does .TRP v8 files, Route Converter can turn these into TRP v9. CoPilot will work with v8 but appears, with what little research I've done so far, to be better with v9, conversion with Route Converter an is easy task though.

Admittedly it's a few more ££ than free, though not by much TBH. IMHO I would have no real problem heading off into Europe on a pre planned tour using this rather than my Zumo 660.
 
+1 for the iPhone option. I use the Google maps app which gives very good turn by turn guidance. I use a Sony Ericsson bluetooth headset with noise cancelling earbuds that has a built in radio that the satnav instructions interrupt. The other bit of my set up is a Biologic case on the handlebars but you will definitely need a power supply as the iPhone dies pretty quickly.
 


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