Quest/2 v Tom Tom Rider

the-bunker · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 22, 2006 Posts: 4

I know this might be a somewhat biased place to ask Laughing

, but I'm torn between buying the Quest/2 or Tom Tom Rider. I've currently got a Pocket PC with TT5, but it's not much use on a motorbike.

Has anyone got any views/experience ? - comments appreciated.

From what I've read so far, here's what I like/dislike about the Quest/2:
- Like Tracking & ability to download & view track on PC
- Like ability to plan routes on PC & upload
- Like Options/configuration & stats
- Dislike small screen (road ahead, speed, direction, eta, etc)

And what I've read about the Tom Tom Rider (& experience of TT5)
- Like bigger screen (for a clearer view of the road/bends ahead)
- Like Sirf III chipset (better fix, especially in cities)
- Like maps (already got Europe + US - can use with Rider)
- Dislike no tracking (was in TT3 but they removed in TT5 ???)
- Dislike lack of options/configuration (was better in TT3)

Many thanks

Paul

Skippy · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:03 pm Post subject:

You have pretty much summed up exactly what I would have said! If I was buying a new unit then I would be torn between the two as well. Let's see:

The TT Rider has bluetooth for a helmet headset which the Garmin doesn't have and having voice directions is probably a lot safer but I do without the sound so it would be more of a nice to have for me.

How do they compare on cost? The TT Rider doesn't come with EU maps which would tip the balance in favour of the Garmin except you already have the maps so that's 50/50 too. For the cost of the Rider, you might also consider the StreetPilot 26xx or 27xx too.

Ah, you want a biased opinion!

Well, the routes/tracks/waypoints on the PC is a killer feature for me, especially when on the bike because I usually don't want to take the "Quickest" or "Shortest" route so I plan my trip in advance to take the, um, "scenic" route. Wink

Also, I like the 18 hour battery life of the Quest and the fact that it slips unobtrusively into my pocket when I am travelling light.

Tough decision, let us know what you buy! (and what you ride too)
_________________
Gone fishing!

Kritou · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:18 pm Post subject:

We are a small group of bikers who tour Europe and UK on a regular basis. We are off to circumnavigate the Baltic this June. As we refine our route, stopovers, hotels etc we just circulate the updated Mapsource .gdb files between ourselves

This is an incomparable facility that makes Garmin the only option as far as we are concerned

As Quests come on the secondhand market it surely makes the purchase of a second unit good sense. Not only do you have a back up GPSR but the option to load the "other part" of Europe for those Gand Tours!

JonBroad · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:31 pm Post subject:

I had the same dilemma and after much hand wringing went for the Quest 2. Key factors for me were maps (not an issue for you but affected cost of TT cos I travel in europe), PC connectivity and battery life.

I have no regrets about buying Quest 2 and the screen size has caused me no problems. Being able to create a recommended route from a bike mag is great - much better than tiny maps taped on yer tank

Kritou · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:38 pm Post subject:

the-bunker · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 22, 2006 Posts: 4

Many thanks for all your responses - you've convinced me to go for the Quest as the tracking/planning abilities outgun Tom Tom Rider significantly.

I was interested to read Kritou's post about planning & swapping data on tour - you must take a laptop with you then presumably to do that.

fyi - I think Tom Tom Rider comes with "Major Roads of Europe" as well as the UK, which covers quite a lot of detail (eg: it contains D roads for France). However, now that the Quest has moved up to the City Navigator v8 maps it wins again!

Oh, and by the way I ride a Yamaha BT1100 Bulldog (de-restricted of course)...

Best wishes
Paul

Kritou · Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:40 pm Post subject:

zzr1200 · Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:45 pm Post subject:

I know you it has been listed as a negative having a small screen. for me that's a positive. It's not like a bike has lots of space to mount a GPS unit. The Quest, whilst small, is perfectly readable on the move and fits nicely on a bike.

See my unit here:

the-bunker · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 22, 2006 Posts: 4

Nice Pic ! - judging by the clip-ons & screen - it looks as if the Quest is about 6 inches from your face!

Cheers,

Paul

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