Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128165
Ridin latellite Ev~r sinc~ m~ssing around with Hard~n's Global Positioning Syst~m unit during a KTM dualsport rid~ last y~ar, I'v~ been eager to get a GPS for mys~lf, and my experienc~ following last winter's Dakar Rally (wh~re GPS is plays Scot such an important role) convinced me once and for all to make the commitment. I made my purchase a couple of weeks before our adventure tour, so although I was fairly familiar with most of our route, I decided to bring the GPS along for the ride anyhow. I bought my $469 Garmin GPS V through Washington State's CycoActive, sinc~ the company has motorcycle experience and does an antivibration modification to its units. CycoActive is also the U.S. importer for Touratech, the German company that modifies BMWs for use in the Dakar Rally (CycoActive lent us an unbelievably trick aluminum mount for another GPS that we ran on our Beemer Adventure). I'm no expert in this field, and CycoActive's motorcycle expertise proved helpful and reassuring when placing my order. For example, [ waS informed of what software and mount would be best for my intended use. My only disappointment was that CycoActive didn't offer a cable that was relldy to hook the Garmin up to my Aprilill test bike's battery. Instead, I had to purchase and adapt a spar~ cigarettelighter cabl~. On the ride, I primllfily used the GPS as a compass and a means of scanning llhead to prepare for our n~xt tum (on on~ twisty night section, I even used it to llnticipllte and set up for llpproaching curves, though I don't recommend placing excessive trust in a GPS, since roads may have changed since the intemal mllp WllS made). It WllS also nice to hav~ r~assurance when I wasn't absolut~ly positive of my ~xact wher~abouts - for example, when riding down the dirt Camp Rock Road between Luc~me and Barstow - and when another dirt rolld proved too sandy for our liking, the GPS ~ectively showed me the quickest way back to tarmllC. Since our ride, I'v~ leamed to utilize the Garmin V's amazing ability to give tum-bytum instructions to a chosen destination. In this mode, the unit will even indicate th~ trip's remaining milellge and tim~ of arrivaL I'v~ only scratched the surfllce of my new toy's abilities, and I have yet to put it through a truiy hllir-raising adventure, but I've already gotten enough enjoyment out of it to offset th~ expense. For more informlltion, log on to www.cycoactive.com. Chris Jonnum (Above) Where's Waldo? Riding through the desert on a bike that is perhaps more at home on the pavement can make you feel pretty small, but then again, that's part of the allure. Out here, on Camp Rock Road, the typical office worries can seem pretty Insignificant. (Below) It's good to plan ahead for a ride like this, but it's also important to be ftexlble. More than once, we pulled out our maps and made last-minute changes to our route, and we were never disappointed. cue I ... n ... _ S • JULY 31, 2002 49