[DJKham]

Been fandangling with a few GPS mount options because I found the voice navigation in my helmet headset (via iPhone) to be annoying.

Settled on this simple ball mount from RAM mounts consisting of a u-bolt mount for the handlebars, a short articulating arm and a charging cradle for the Garmin. Total cost under $100 shipped.

The cables for clutch etc are totally in the way but with some messing around, I found a way to get the GPS to sit in there neatly.

Ran a quick disconnect at the bars and a simple wiring job under the gas tank, mated with the pig tail for the battery tender on the other end.

Plug and play and should keep me from having to stop and check my cell phone all the time which = more riding which = more fun.

 

[tonyjuliano]

I think the RAM ball mount for the handlebar bolt makes for a cleaner install (especially when the GPS is not on the bike)...

I use a Garmin Montana too, but in portrait orientation (shows more of the road ahead).


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[CharlieBrown]

I have the ram ball on the lower left bolt on mine. I love the location, I use the shortest arm they have, so Im able to basically center the gps in the middle of the stem.

 

[DJKham]

That ball mount using the clamp bolt is interesting. Can one of you fellas link to it or reply with the product number? Will probably order one and try it.

 

[tonyjuliano]

part # RAM-B-367

Comes with 3 different length 8mm bolts, to fit any metric bike.

Available lots of places, but here is one LINK...

8mm Bolt/Handlebar Clamp Mount - Whitehorse Gear


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[scramblinman]

That's fantastic. I've never seen the ball mount before via the bolt.

 

[Shmakt]

I use this as well, but added a spacer to raise the ball a little higher and I offset mine more to the left.
The cradle holds the phone and a USB cable running under the seat keeps it charged while on the go.
I don't like audible instructions, so I just look when i need to know where to turn.

 

[DaveK]

I use basically the same setup. Ram ball handlebar bolt mount with medium double socket arm, and x-grip cell phone holder. I have run the USB cable under tank, then along the same path as the other cables. It is not noticeable when not being used and convenient when needed. It works great for me. I use my Iphone 6 as a GPS and a nice app called Rever to track rides. One note: I purchased a heavy duty braided USB cable (Apple MFi Certified Bolse® Apple Lightning to USB Cable - 6 Feet / 1.8m - Extra Long Cloth Jacketed Tangle-Free USB 2.0 A to 8 Pin Cable for iPhone ) with thicker wire that keeps the power to the phone more reliable. The braiding and cover on the cable holds up better to temperature and weather extremes.

 

[AnotherHobby]

I use the same ball mount, and I also use it on the left screw that's closest to the rider. It's only $10.71 on Amazon with free shipping.

 

[zswickliffe]

Hey this is the same mount and GPS I use! I love it! Super solid. The locking feature is neat but I wouldn't leave the GPS on since it's just hardwired to the battery and it'd probably kill it after a while (stock battery seems awful weak).

The GPS is great, too! Super accurate and I can take it camping with me. They claim something like 16hrs of battery life. Pretty impressive!

 

[tonyjuliano]

You may want to rethink hard wiring the unit direct to battery. Had a friend who did this, and did not realize that the GPS was drawing power even when switched off (to charge the internal battery) resulting in a "stranding" for him.

The stock battery on the Scrambler isn't really "weak" - it just takes a lot of CCA to turn over a v-twin (relatively heavy flywheel).

As for the Montana - it's not a stellar performer for mostly on-road use. Garmin's Zumos are MUCH better in this regard, but less versatile for use in the "outdoors".

 

[zswickliffe]

You may want to rethink hard wiring the unit direct to battery. Had a friend who did this, and did not realize that the GPS was drawing power even when switched off (to charge the internal battery) resulting in a "stranding" for him.

The stock battery on the Scrambler isn't really "weak" - it just takes a lot of CCA to turn over a v-twin (relatively heavy flywheel).

As for the Montana - it's not a stellar performer for mostly on-road use. Garmin's Zumos are MUCH better in this regard, but less versatile for use in the "outdoors".

Stock battery is weaker *for the setup* than other bikes I've used.

Zumos have their strong points. They also have their weak points. I specifically chose the Montana accordingly. I never leave my GPS connected without the bike running. Hell, I don't even connect the damn thing till it's running. I also have a quick disconnect for the cable - it's hooked up to the battery tender connector which I plug in if the bike is sitting more than a day.

 

[tonyjuliano]

Zumos have their strong points. They also have their weak points.

I'm curious of your opinion on the Zumo's weak points. I switched to the Montana from a Zumo 660 a couple of years ago (mostly due to time spent in the outdoors, off-bike), and had a very bad time initially, The Montana, when it was first released, had a TON of bugs (and some even continue to this day) that I had to suffer through.

Frequent discussions with Garmin revealed that the different "lines" (street vs. outdoors, etc.) were under the supervision of different teams at Garmin, and the fact that the Montana's were not being used by a lot of "road users" meant that the bugs were not reported as often, nor given priority for fixing.

Even if everything was perfect, operation wise, my biggest gripe would be the lack of a "twisty-roads" function in regard to on the fly routing. The street units have this (as does the Basecamp software), but not the Montana.

 

[zswickliffe]

Yeah, the montana has come a long way.

My understanding is the basecamp software can be used with the montana so even though the twisty roads function isn't on the GPS, it is available if you plan ahead. I haven't tried this yet but I plan to.

The Zumo is a very simplified "locked down" gps. The Montana can be pretty much whatever you want it to be. I have a bunch of different maps loaded onto it and after setting the motorcycle profile up I have no issues at all with the functionality. Some people with earlier versions were complaining about the auto-routing function but it's nice and quick on mine.

It should be noted that I had to load the Montana with city navigator maps in order for it to be worth anything on road. But as I stated before, I wanted something I could take camping/hiking, offroading, etc. and have it still be super rugged and easy to see in direct sunlight. For this reason the long battery life and AA battery option was key as well as the rugged casing.

 

[tonyjuliano]

The Zumo is a very simplified "locked down" gps.

I agree with most of your points, with the exception of this one.

The Zumo's are Garmin's "flagship" units - occupying the top of their line in terms of both function and price.

Sure, you can use the Basecamp software's "twisty-road" routing capabilities - but this doesn't help for routing on the fly, and even if you plan your route ahead of time, once the unit recalculates, you've lost all that.

This, coupled with the aforementioned frequent bugs, is why I regret the change. I probably would have been better off sticking with the Zumo line, and buying a dedicated unit (Oregon or similar) for outdoor use.

 

[zswickliffe]

the aforementioned frequent bugs

Make sure everything is updated - I have no problems whatsoever with my unit.

Besides, there aren't any twisty roads near me so any time I'm going out to find twisty roads - I have to plan ahead.

Sure the Zumo is the flagship but the Montana has more functionality if you know how to access it. Think of it as Apple vs Android phones. Zumo is Apple - easy to use and relatively simple. Montana is Android - tons of customize-ability and features but it's almost impossible to figure out all the features.

I'm a bit of a nerd so I don't mind the learning curve.

 

[tonyjuliano]

Make sure everything is updated - I have no problems whatsoever with my unit.

Besides, there aren't any twisty roads near me so any time I'm going out to find twisty roads - I have to plan ahead.

Sure the Zumo is the flagship but the Montana has more functionality if you know how to access it. Think of it as Apple vs Android phones. Zumo is Apple - easy to use and relatively simple. Montana is Android - tons of customize-ability and features but it's almost impossible to figure out all the features.

I'm a bit of a nerd so I don't mind the learning curve.

My Montana is customized out the "wazoo". I have a half dozen profiles set up - each with totally unique settings and routing options (even different backgrounds and lock screens).

And it's updated religiously, due to the high number of bugs I couldn't function any other way. Even now, it still locks up occasionally (although not as frequently as earlier in it's life).

When it does, it's a pain, as the only way to get it back to normal is to pull the battery. And it's not just this unit, as I had replaced once already by Garmin, and I have a riding buddy whose unit exhibits the exact same behavior (funny enough, even at the exact same times, using the same routes and maps, on rides we have gone on together).

 

[zswickliffe]

Weird! I'll let you know if I have any issues. I only have around 700 on-road miles but no issues yet. I assume that's probably the most likely time for it to "glitch" out since it's auto-routing and dealing with tons of map data.

 

[DJKham]

I had so many issues with my Montana at first that i had to return it to Garmin after 6 months. They were good about it and sent me a new one but it was absurdly buggy. Touch Screen was wonky, software kept crashing...was recalculating even when i was on course....huge PIA.

The new one however has been stellar and works flawlessly. I like the "widescreen" view of the road vs the 4:3 Zumos and the rugged casing. Bonus points for the Montana being almost the same yellow as the Full Throttle