[galaxyhunter]

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I have seen that a few people here recommend the Garman 765T. I have just read some reviews of that model. Most of the reviews was less then stellar. On the other hand these reviews are a couple of years old. Has the 765t gotten any better in the last couple of years?

What I'm looking for is a GPS that is Bluetooth & MP3 compatible & RELIABLE.

 

[FeButter]

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i bought a 765T because it had an out jack for running the sound to my Integratr IV system. I have 2 issues with it. the firstI think you will find with any non-motorcycle specific GPS and that is that the screen is not bright enough for daytime reading.

The second is that the power-in jack is like a USB plug and is very fragile. Mine was replaced under warranty and will be glued in before i use it again.

 

[WingMan71]

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I have a Garmin 755T (no blue tooth), and I have just two issues with it.

1. The screen sure could be brighter for viewing in bright daylight. I solved that problem with a GlareStomper shade for it.

2. The USB power connector for powering it off of the bike's 12V power source is on the bottom! Darn USB connector always keeps wiggling itself loose after going over enough bumps. I resorted to taping it in place while riding with electrical tape.

Other than that, I like the features it has, particularly the "lane assist" that makes sure you get in the correct lane for an upcoming turn.

***

 

[SaiBeer]

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GalaxyHunter;

If you want a MP3 player built-in with the GPS this is one of the last ones made with that feature. No bluetooth though that I know of.

The screen is hard to see even in the car and even witha home-madeshade when it is on the bike. The GPS lets you put "POI's" or way-points into it so you can make your own route. I love that feature as I do a lot of rides from "Ride Texas" and I just put every thing into the GPS and go and listen tot he tunes as it tells me which way to go.

The 6XX Garmin I had (before it vibrated itself to death) was brighter and had MP3, but you could not put the waypoints in so easily (or at least I couldn't figure it out).

I haven't figured out how to have a functioning "AUX" on the 1500 that will let you run a separate MP3 with the GPS, but I have been told that "Kennedy" can make that happen with the correct connections. Maybe you need to talk to him (checkout our links page or the for sale section) because there are other Garmin's with brighter screens and easier interfaces available today. If I would have known what I think I know now I would have set mine up differently.

Good luck.

 

[fysty-1]

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I have a TomTom go730 that I love. It has BT & a place for an sd card to play yer tunes. When i was work as a mobile security guard, I used it a lot to fine an address for alarm responce. It has a 4" screen that is easy to read in all light & even changes to a darker face for night riding/driving. The onlt problem withit is I don't need it any more as I have everything I need on my Dell Sreak5 android phone.:?:action::action::action::action::action:

 

[Waldorf]

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The Garmin 765T does have bluetooth, it does also play mp3 files, it also broadcasts using it's built in FM tranmitter if required as well as using the 3.5mm outlet jack socket. It is best to use the included mount which allows the use of the specific power cord to connect to the mount and NOT the usb port at the base of the Nuvi 765T, this will also allow you to get traffic information as well. All relavant information is either available on Garmins web site or "Google" is your friend. One little thing I found out the hard way if using the built in FM transmitter. When using that to transmit route instructions to the Wings own radio, after a period of either 30 seconds or a minute I forget which, the FM transmitter shuts off. It has something to do with radio transmission legislation in certain countrys. Therearetwo ways of getting around this little snag.



1) Play an mp3 song with the independant mp3 volume control with in the menu turned off and the song continuously looping or



2) I made an mp3 track using a free program called Audacity to make a 5 hour track of silence.

Yes I know I should get out more but with that "playing" in the background, the FM transmission continues to broadcast uninterupted. Also you then don't have to turn down the independant mp3 volume control and forget you have done that when you want to play a proper track. My main reason in creating the "silence" track in the first place.

The Tom Tom GO 520and 530 seriesalso have the same legislative FMrestrictionwhich iswhy I created the silence track as the Tom Tom does not have the separate mp3 volume control, only one volume control.

You may have figured out by now that I have been working with GPS's for many years now updating software & maps as necessary. As a personal preference I much prefer the Tom Tom GO 520 -GO 530 series as they are more configurable for modifying operating systems as the software is Linux based (Open sourced), both of which as the Garmin 765T are now obsolete but still offer the bestways of connecting to Honda's finest touring machinery.

I don't intend or ever intend to integrate the use of a mobile phone on my bike. It's bad enough now with car - van - bus & lorry drivers using mobile phones whilst driving for me to add to the list of bad/absent minded badmannered drivers as well.

We all know when the driver of thevehicle in front is on the phone don't we? I'm not going to add to that as well.

I modded myGL1500's radio to directly input the output of any device. My Tom Tom GO 520 is also my mp3 player as well as a superb navigation device.



Just my humble opion.



Regards, Tony.

 

[galaxyhunter]

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Thank's for all the input. Asa of right now, I don't even own a cell phone. The only reason I brought up the bluetooth thing is, if & when I get another phone, I might as well try to keep pace with yesteryear's technology.

But what I do need is the MP3 player, I have one right now, but if I get a GPS, I will need it included. I have my 1500 radio modified w/ the aux input, so that's not a problem.



I had a Kennedy (something or another) device on my bike when I bought it. The PO said it was for interfacing a cell phone (&MP#3)into the radio. The PO had no manual for it & when I called the Co.(Kennedy) for a manual, I gave them the part number on the device & what they emailed me was not the manual for it, So I took it off the bike.

 

[jwhitmore44]

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It seemed that most of the bad reviews for that was the traffic update feature. Not all cities have this so it doesn't always work. Also the lane assist only works in some locations. This caused poor reviews also.

 

[pcfix_3]

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I just use my Samsung Galixy S Android powered phone. It plays mp3's, internet radio, has bluetooth and gps that's updated constantly. The AMOLED screen is very bright and can be seen easily and adjusted to just about every lighting situation. The down side is that it requires a data plan and a connection to a cell network for most of that to work. I haven't had a problem with it though and I live out in the middle of nowhere.

 

[SidecarMike]

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I have the 765T and am very happy with it. I use the 3.5mm jack to connect to my Cardo Scala, as the bluetooth doesn't work with the Cardo. I've transfered everything from my Ipod into it and usually listen to my music rather than the radio. The problem I have with the FM transmitter is that as you move across the country you need to change the channel to eliminate interference. In a recent 300 mile trip with a new helmet, I had to change it 4 times. I got home and moved the Cardo.
The only other thing I would say is that the built in Mike is pretty cheesy. When I try to use it as a hands off phone in the truck, people complain about the sound quality.

 

[jwhitmore44]

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pcfix_3 wrote:

I just use my Samsung Galixy S Android powered phone. It plays mp3's, internet radio, has bluetooth and gps that's updated constantly. The AMOLED screen is very bright and can be seen easily and adjusted to just about every lighting situation. The down side is that it requires a data plan and a connection to a cell network for most of that to work. I haven't had a problem with it though and I live out in the middle of nowhere.

I've been using ALk CoPilot for Android as it lets me down load the maps to my phone. I don't need to have service for it to work. It was $5, heck of lot cheaper than any of Garmin's software

 

[galaxyhunter]

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There is absolutely ZERO chance of getting ANY phone thatneeds a contract. I played that game before. I just need a phone for an emergency. GONE are the days of paying for a contract plan. The last contract I had was 400 anytime & free nights & weekends and that was 45.00 a month and by the time you add in all the taxes it was 54.00 a month. The last six months I had the phone I made 2 calls. Those where expensive calls. So there is no fancy (Androids, I-phone)phones in my future.



I just want to get a GPS so I can plot my own routes before I go out on a trip.

 

[AZgl1800]

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I don't bother with contracts on phones. Buy them separately from the cheapest source I can find. Then I just add them to my Verizon account and go the monthly fee.

Contrast my situation to yours though, and it is apples to sand grains.

I have made 20 or more calls in a single day, and most of them "long distance" trying to get something done "on time".


My Samsung Galaxy S smart cellphone, has a very good GPS function in it.

 

[HyperPete]

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fysty-1 wrote:

I have a TomTom go730 that I love. It has BT & a place for an sd card to play yer tunes. When i was work as a mobile security guard, I used it a lot to fine an address for alarm responce. It has a 4" screen that is easy to read in all light & even changes to a darker face for night riding/driving.

I'll have to disagree with the "easy to see in all light conditions" for a TomTom 730. It's an awesome GPS, but impossible to see in direct sunlight.

I bought a Garmin 1490T refurbished for $125 through WalMart. THAT is easy to see in all light conditions, but does not have MP3 capabilities, and is not waterproof.

The TomTom is not waterproof either.

 

[jwhitmore44]

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galaxyhunter wrote:

There is absolutely ZERO chance of getting ANY phone thatneeds a contract. I played that game before. I just need a phone for an emergency. GONE are the days of paying for a contract plan. The last contract I had was 400 anytime & free nights & weekends and that was 45.00 a month and by the time you add in all the taxes it was 54.00 a month. The last six months I had the phone I made 2 calls. Those where expensive calls. So there is no fancy (Androids, I-phone)phones in my future.



I just want to get a GPS so I can plot my own routes before I go out on a trip.

Now plotting your own routes before you go on a trip is a whole nother story. You will need a GPS that allows you to load routes to it, not just load waypoints. You can do it by loading wayponts but it may take a lot of way points to get it to route you the way you want to go. The 765T does allow you to load routes into the unit making it a good choice for that type of work. If you can live with it not being water proof and doing something to make the screen easier to read in sunlight (like a hood) it would make a nice unit.

As far as the smart phone goes, you could use the gps and quite a few applications with out ever having a plan or even having service on the phone. You couldn't use Google maps as you need cell service (preferably at least 3G) to keep the maps downloaded. If you do have a smart phone you can indeed plan your route in Google maps and then have the smart phone follow that route. It wouldn't surprise that Trac-Phone wont offer a smart phone before long. You could purchase a "data plan" for the time you will be traveling.

As much as I have been enjoying my smart phone I'm not sure if I like all my eggs in one basket so to speak. If I happen to lose or break my phone I also lose my GPS and my MP3 player