Unanswered Adding a GPS to your Bike (E8000)

[pollywaffle]

Hey, has anyone added a dedicated GPS to their bike?

I'm thinking of the ones that people use in cars and motorbikes that hook up to the battery and also have a dedicated battery.

I think the E8000 has a 6 volt connection for a light but I'd like to use it for the GPS. However, I can't seem to find one that is less than 8 volt. I'm wondering if these will still work with only a 6 volt connection or they'll never charge the dedicated battery properly.

Cheers.

 

[dirt huffer]

I'm not sure I've seen anyone do this but maybe due to the size of a car GPS.

The largest GPS unit I've seen ppl use on their bike is a Garmin Oregon.

Otherwise Garmin makes cycle specific GPS units that might be better geared towards MTB. Take a look at their website.

 

[Gary]

Why would you want to do this?
Considering most cycle GPS devices run for 8+ hours on a single charge and most Emtb batteries have a range of about 4 hours max (even then it's pushing it)

 

[jerry]

if you really want to have a multi-function GPS (car navigation, bike navigation and detailed Topo maps), go for one of the Garmin Handhelds... they do a pretty good job. Oregon runs 15 hours on rechargeable AA's. Of course, it's always going to be a compromise. Dedicated bike units have more bike-oriented functions, just as Car Satnavs are geared towards navigation (no heart rate, etc). I would never use a Car satnav on a bike.

 

[pollywaffle]

Sorry, I should have been clearer in the first place.

I am talking about those tiny GPS that are used to track your car/bike if it is stolen. I don't care about maps and all that. It is primarily a sort of anti-theft device.

I think the Yamaha engines have GPS and allow remote disabling of the motor. I wish this was standard for all makes and models given the high cost of getting a decent eMTB.

 

[dirt huffer]

Just use a piece of string

 

[pollywaffle]

Just use a piece of string

I’ll just gorilla tape an old iPhone to the frame

 

[dirt huffer]

On a serious note, i think there are companies that make GPS tracking chips for bikes you hide on the frame but they have a month subscription fee.

 

[jerry]

Most bikes that are stolen are either broken up for parts (domestic), or sent abroad.
In neither case, the GPS tracker would do much good...
There are many such trackers available, even with decent battery life (send out GPS position by SMS once every few hours.
Doesn't add much to safety in my opinion - GPS is a very weak signal, if they store it in a metal shed or basement, you're already out of luck.

 

[pollywaffle]

On a serious note, i think there are companies that make GPS tracking chips for bikes you hide on the frame but they have a month subscription fee.

Yeah that’s what i wanted first but they were either out of stock or tied to their subscriptions or I wasn’t sure it would work outside of europe. Cheers