GPS
GPS Tutorial
By far, Garmin GPS devices are the most popular for Dual Sport rides. This tutorial is applicable to all their “Dual Sport friendly” units. They break down into two basic styles: small Hand-Helds with button controls, and several larger screen units all with touch screen controls. The Recommendations. section is list of the acceptable units and a brief analysis of Issues with each of them.
Getting Started
Once you have your GPS of choice in hand, I highly recommend you go to Setup Instructions, find your unit and follow my instructions. These will help you set a lot of basic choices that make for easier use.
Bike Prep
Most riders use a RAM mount for their GPS. The only real choice in purchasing a RAM mount is picking the "Ball" that is attached to the bike.
There is a universal "U-Bolt" attachment for handlebars, "Tabs" that are attached to an existing bolt with a tab that is available at several angles,
and the new "Hollow Ball" that replaces one of your handlebar bolts. These pictures of various Mounts
show some of the options.
If you have a button-bike (and who doesn’t), you should add a hard wire power feed direct from the battery. All the large screen unit mounts come with a pigtail
power cable that you just hook to your battery, using a fuse of course. For the 12V Hand-Helds you need the Garmin 010-10082-00 cable.
Between your hardwire cable and your PC USB cable you don’t really need batteries. If you do use batteries, the much lighter Advanced Lithium super light ones (at $5/pair)
are the ones to run. The lighter the better, as vibration caused degradation.
It's All About Tracks
Now that you have your GPS setup, powered, and mounted, you are almost ready to it ride. At a Dual Sport ride, the Promoter will download Tracks for the ride into your GPS at Sign-In. In order to go further, you need to know and understand Track Terminology and Definitions. Before and after the Promoter downloads your Tracks, you must do a few things in your GPS to Manage your Tracks. These operations are explained in Managing Tracks.
Time to Ride
Many first timers are intimidated and think they have to know a lot of GPS operations - nothing could be further from the truth. If someone else did all of the above
for you and just put you on the bike, you would not believe how easy it is to follow your GPS.
With all the above completed at a ride, now all you have to know about using your GPS is how to use the Tracks which is the subject of the last section
Using Tracks