The official BCF "Sat-Nav is a bloody stupid idea"

[Dave McCool]

Recently it has come to my attention that sat-nav is a bloody stupid idea.

I borrowed my mum's car when i went looking for a new car for me. I had the address of the place i was going, and a vague idea of where I was going, but I'd never been there before. So, obviously, amused by the novelty of it all, I programmed her tomtom thingy and lo and behold, it knew the way! Marvellous. Except for two things...

1. The display includes a speed reading, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot help but take this as some kind of challenge. This is a bad thing, particularly on b-roads you don't know.

2. This one is much more serious. It was only towards the end of my journey that I found myself completely on the wrong side of the road approaching a right hander, but making no effort to turn in, essentially heading for the hedge at some silly speed. I was straightlining an 'S' bend that I couldn't see because I was on dipped headlights, and had never seen before. According to tomtom, I was doing it at 84 miles per hour.

I realised I'd been doing this the whole way, because it was dark, and the road was moderately busy in the other direction, I hadn't bothered with full beam, I'd just relied completely on the shape of the road that the little display was giving me, in the same way that you would on a computer game. And because my head was in computer game mode, I'd been doing all of this at some speed.

I will never, ever allow myself to use one of those little things again.

Anyone else with any similar experiences?
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McGee - "When I go to the mall and see all the high school girls, I have to have DO NOT TOUCH THE GIRLS written on my hand. Every time I go to grope I see it and stop."
K7 GSXR750

[TheShaggyDA]

No, it's a tool, not a replacement for common sense.
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Current: CB500 Previous: CB100N, CB250RS, XJ900F, GT550, GPZ750R/1000RX, AJS M16, R100RT, Enfield Bullet

[i:6e3bfc7581]But still I fear and still I dare not laugh at the madman...[/i:6e3bfc7581]

[Dave McCool]

[Mister James]

Getting GPS for my MDA pro was the best £50 I've ever spent.

I use it in a tank bag, so it isn't in my line of sight except when I flick my gaze down to see when the next turn is. I have only had transport for the last 3 years, so my knowledge of London's streets is shakey to say the least - sat nav has been a boon on each and every occasion I've had cause to go somewhere I don't know. It lets me know where I am, and when I'm going to get where I'm going.

Awesome stuff.
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>Soultrader Mister James, I bet you are a copper
>Bazza Wow. Eyes like a shithouse rat, you...

[I'm alan partridge]

It takes time to get used to the idea of SAT-NAV, when I first got mine I totally blanked out all landmarks, road signs and became almost 'lost' at having got to my destination but not knowing how I got there. It almosttook a way a 'bloke' thing - if that makes sense.

[NSR Mick]

My missus had the same problem the 1st time she drove my car with tomtom, she got fixated.

I couldnt do without it now, although I have it built into my car and not tomtom.

I work in London a lot now and would dread having to wrestle London traffic with an A to Z in one hand.

It also gives me a pretty accurate arrival time for when the missus rings me.

I have used tomtom in the past on single carraigway a roads in the dark to work out whether i should be able to see cars coming the other way before overtaking.
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If you dont like the way that I ride.......Stop trying to keep up!!!

[scorps]

i sometimes put my voice to manderin chinese
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Do not presume that I am male.

[NSR Mick]

I once downloaded a load of voices for tomtom but none are as good as Jane.

yoda was ok but after half an hour of keep right you must and after 100yds turn left you must it gets annoying.
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If you dont like the way that I ride.......Stop trying to keep up!!!

[T1z3R]

dont watch it, just listen to it.
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duck my sick!

[powelly]

[Dave McCool]

[powelly]

[Feasty]

SatNav is a godsend for overtaking on roads you don't know! With it you can tell when bends are coming up and when you'll be coming up to long straight stretches of road. So you can be in the right gear, in the right position at the right time!

One thing I SO badly wish you could have on the little screen though is where other cars are on the road, that way overtaking anywhere could be achieved - even on the most blind and s-shaped of corners - how cool would that be!!
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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[T1z3R]

so this is not The official BCF "Sat-Nav is a bloody stupid idea" thread then?
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duck my sick!

[JonB]

How odd.

I'm young, yet I find them useful kinda, although postcoding isn't the best way of getting somewhere, there have been many an occasion where it is has taken me to the postcode, but the actual destination can be up to half a mile away.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[Finglonga]

[Dave McCool]

[Dave McCool]

[T1z3R]

then your point is flawed as it is clearly the operator of the device which is in fact stupid.
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duck my sick!

[Dave McCool]

[stinkwheel]

Not tomention the fact that since the advent of GPS, all the sales reps that call on us have been late.

To get to my work from the M6, you take a B-class road which cuts the corner off the main roads. Can be up to 45 minutes faster than going up the motorway and heading in on the 'main' road which goes right through Carlisle town centre.

Now it is blatantly obvious on a map that this is what you do. No matter how you set your GPS, it still ignores the B-road and even tells you to do a U-turn and go back the way you came for a good 7 or 8 miles along it.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Visitor Q]

Om nom nom

Pass me a shotgun, purify the gene pool i must

To be fair, i think they might actually make couples last longer.
I remember so many long drives to holidays that nearly ended in clarat between my parents, now he giggles like a little girl every time it gets him somewhere.
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From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[Cigaro]

I love GPS and think it's a great idea, and it's been a godsend to me when visiting London (despite living there for 12 years myself I never got to know the roads very well). Obviously you have to use some common sense, not always listen to it and definitely look at the road and not the screen. I tend to put it out of my direct line of sight and turn the brightness down a bit on the screen.

[Kickstart]

[D O G]

IMO Sat Nav is just another little toy which encourages a lack of involvement and thought in the driving/riding process.

Those advocates of it need to man up, take control of their route, employ their little grey cells, read a map, road signs and other clues of navigation - like the position of the sun, other landmarks etc, and feel empowered that they are able to do some thinking for themselves occasionally.

That is all.