Do you use a SatNav?

[warped one]

As above, do you use a SatNav or just maps?

I myself know enough of the road system in this country to find my way round without one, but do still use one just to watch the numbers go down or type in silly places and see how long I can make my journey.

Discuss.

Warped
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amnesia - Never in the history of usernames has one been more accurate. Warped indeed. You sir are a fecking oddball.

[Seb]

I have a zumo, but only because I landed it on the cheap, it sometimes get's slung in the bag if I'm not too sure where I'm going.
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2010 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[Skudd]

I have a zumo, use it for music and watching the numbers most of the time. I like getting lost as you can find some great roads. I just use the sat;nav to get me back on course again.
Sat-nav, maps, A-Z and own knowledge are all good tools when one or more is lacking, but sometime just relying on only one gets you in all sorts of pickles.
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Famous last words of Humpty Dumpty. " Stop pushing me "
Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

[kitty kat]

i like a paper map when travelling as you can see more of the area at once. I only use the sat nav to get to my final destination once near it, not to work out the route. must admit i do like looking at what time it expects me to arrive and watching the time alter as i am usually going a bit quicker than it expects.
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Enjoy everyday, tell those you love everyday you love them
Life is too short to fall out with people

[Dr. DaveJPS]

i have a zumo, i find it useful when trying to get places i've not been to before. also the petrol station function is damn useful when you have no idea where the nearest petrol station is and the dreaded reserve light flicks on.
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"intelligent inattention is preferable to unintelligent tinkering"
www.davejps.com

[Alexio]

Does my iPhone count?
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will never give up his CG. I look at my fuel gauge more as a progress bar than a fuel gauge.
G: With my GSXR I do often effectively use it as a scooter with a clutch in town.
ms51ves3: why does it need 500 miles? Are you teaching it how to be a piston?

[Skudd]

[thx1138]

yeah, mine only runs of batteries, and I usually use it within .5 to 2miles of my destination, and I also use it to find nearest petrol station or supermarket etc when I'm away on holiday. I use it rarely, it's a useful tool when I do though. Used it in pedestrian mode to find my way around Lille in France too.

[Devils Advocate]

yeah,use my zumo550/scala rider all the time if i`m venturing outside of my local area.I hate getting lost!!!
Main feature i like about it is the speed camera/scamera van warning

[Whosthedaddy]

I use a satnav in the car or on the bike if the mood takes me, why not?
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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[That_Hornet]

I used my satnav once when going to pick some keys up for a job. Had to get there quick. But knew where i was heading so went to the area then turned it on.

Used the Iphone for the map a few times tho. To find roads when im really close.

But mostly i know where im heading so go that direction. Will be taking a map for touring trips tho

[Bendy]

Use my Zumo for music nearly all the time.

Sometimes use the GPS if I'm going somewhere I don't know, but generally have got the gist from looking on a map beforehand. As soon as I know where I am, or it's bloody obvious where to go, I turn it off cos I don't want it interrupting my tunes when there's no need.

Sometimes use it as a scrolling map (ie no destination programmed in) so I can spot interesting looking roads or just keep an overall idea of where I am (eg, last couple of times I went to North Wales it was pretty much guaranteed the roads were good if you stayed within the big green national park bits).

[G]

Usually take back-up printed maps if I'm using a GPS.
Was quite glad of it when I had to go through central london a week or two ago - always a bit of a nightmare for me. One time many years ago I was trying to follow the south circular and realised I'd definitely failed when I went past the houses of parliament!

Order myself a new tarty zumo for getting around Europe and ease of playing MP3s.

[ms51ves3]

Where's the option of 'I'm too cheap to buy a sat-nav'?

[Ariel Badger]

I love my Garmin, it gets me to obscure tracks early in the morning when I am too tired to think or read a map.
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[Finglonga]

Use my Zumo only in the car, more fun on the bike taking a detour or two. it's not as if you can get lost in this country.
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Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[Skudd]

[Darth]

Have a tomtom for the cage. Mainly just for comedy value although i admit it can be handy if i am travelling to a city i have never been to before. Tried it under the clear tank bag lid on the bike once but it was so so unclear in the daylight sun i almost crashed twice in a attempt to use it so decided it was best to never try again. I just use my spidey senses and streetsigns now!
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Harold_Shand wrote: I suppose it's like anything, you get your fingers burned when you start out, you learn from it and eventually become a complete arsehole about the whole thing.

[kawakid]

3 years ago my wifes aunt died and we had to get from Yorkshire to central London for a funeral. Not wanting to get lost I shelled out £230 for a Tomtom.

I managed to find the church without the TomTom.

However after the service, we lost the funeral cortege in London traffic, luckily I had chatted to the priest before the mass and got the address of the cemetery. My tomtom got me there.

Sure, if I had had an A-Z of London I could have cross-referenced that and found the cemetery, but I didn't and that would have taken too much time and we would have missed the burial.

Bike wise, I use the same Tomtom, with a Ram Mount and weird in using a car cigarette lighter socket under the seat, which is triggered by a relay. Used it a few times on the bike, mainly just to get on the motorway or major road, when lost in a strange town.
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I've a twin and a 4.

[smegballs]

I can't stand the things and hate them with a passion!!

The only purpose I can think of them is to double check yourself when you are already 99.9% sure of the route from old fashioned map skillz.

I have a wonderful brain for locations, I can look on google earth for my route, fix waypoints and landmarks in my head and then go for massive distances just on that. I can also read and interpret a map accurately.

What I hate is people like my GF who refuse to learn the proper skills of map + compass and purely rely on GPS tech when going on a journey. This limits her to the point where she wouldnt pick me up from a town two junctions down the motorway becuase she didn't have a SatNav to think for her.....

If you can use a map fine then GPS is acceptable. If you can't use a map then you shouldn't use GPS IMO. SatNav is just another example of skills and experience being replaced my a machine and overall people not thinking for themselves.

Case Study: I was going to pick up a bike with a few friends. We are in Bodmin, bike near Exeter so journey is 60-70 miles. Logical suggestion from me would be to ride up A30 (dual.c) then up M5 to Exeter without fuss. "But we have the SatNav says the driver".

Good old Mr. Tom take us thru back lanes from Okehampton up to Exeter, making a total journey time of 4 hours to cover 70 miles max!!

Needless to say, on the return journey we just went down the M5 then the A30.........

[thx1138]

a satnav does also act as a handy portable street map of every town too though, so you can use them in a similar way to regular maps,

[Paivi]

I use satnav if I'm going somewhere unfamiliar, as I have to limit my time on the saddle, so can't afford to get lost too many times. The Monster's also not very U-turn friendly...
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My other bike's a Monster...

[sickpup]

[DEN MONKEY]

another vote for the zumo here but mainly for the music.
Still nice to be able to pick a direction and just go. Once there just turn around the tell the thing to take me home.
Gives added confidence to do a little touring
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meh