SW Motech GPS Mount

[Tremor38]

I'm gonna have to add this piece of advice. ::010::

If you buy this mount, be very attentive to hear the 'click' of the detent when inserting the removable portion of the mount. I thought I had it fully inserted today, but didn't listen to make sure. Also, pulling-up on the removable portion to make sure it doesn't come out wouldn't hurt either.

I totally destroyed a $500.00 GPS today when the mount came flying out of the slot after going over some bumps at the end of a ride. Oh well. Not sure, but maybe some silicone spray lubricant in the tracks will make the insertion a bit easier. Would prefer a more positive feel to know it's locked, but this was on me.

I've had my eye on a combo GPS and radar detector, so I guess it's time to make a move :

 

[Kevhunts]

Temor38,

Sorry for the confusion and for the loss of your GPS unit. That sucks!

I had researched this mount before & after they changed the design and would have prefered the old design because I felt the qucik disconnect feature was "risky" in terms of theft, now it seems, staying securely latched?

Tomatocicty,

I don't know why the original photos of this mount on a S10 with a Zumo 450/550 attached, were removed from TT website. It was very valuable to me, seeing the two together from different angles. (If interested I can email them to you as they are too large to post here.)

As a stated earlier, I modified my mount with a part from an earlier SW Motech GPS mount. I leave my Zumo cradle bolted on and only remove my Zumo when leaving the bike for an extended time.

 

[Tremor38]

Yeah, I just want to make sure I was clear in explaining that had I ensured the detent was engadged this wouldn't have happened. Knowing the way I am about that sort of thing, I may just get a lock pin with a lanyard and drill a hole through the two pieces. My main worry is just ensuring it the navi unit doesn't leave the bike...errr 'uncommanded' ::025:: When I stop, my GPS goes in my jacket pocket unless the bike is close to me and in my direct line of sight.

Temor38,

Sorry for the confusion and for the loss of your GPS unit. That sucks!

I had researched this mount before & after they changed the design and would have prefered the old design because I felt the qucik disconnect feature was "risky" in terms of theft, now it seems, staying securely latched?

Tomatocicty,

I don't know why the original photos of this mount on a S10 with a Zumo 450/550 attached, were removed from TT website. It was very valuable to me, seeing the two together from different angles. (If interested I can email them to you as they are too large to post here.)

As a stated earlier, I modified my mount with a part from an earlier SW Motech GPS mount. I leave my Zumo cradle bolted on and only remove my Zumo when leaving the bike for an extended time.

 

[stevepsd]

Anyone else experiencing excessive vibration issues with this GPS mount?

 

[Bundu]

Anyone else experiencing excessive vibration issues with this GPS mount?

yip, see my post above

 

[stevepsd]

yip, see my post above

Do you have a pic of what you did to eliminate the vibration?

 

[Bundu]

Do you have a pic of what you did to eliminate the vibration?

no, but I'll take some pics and post over here - it's perfectly stable now and the GPS is also solidly locked

 

[Kevhunts]

Anyone else experiencing excessive vibration issues with this GPS mount?

Mine doesn't exactly vibrate but it does "bob" a little under certain conditions. Never bad enough that I can't read the screen. Most of the time it's pretty much rock solid and most of my driving is on road.

 

[Tremor38]

Hey Tremor38 - do you mind if I add that photo (with a photo credit) to the product page on our site?

Kev

I don't mind at all. Go ahead and add it.

 

[Bundu]

Do you have a pic of what you did to eliminate the vibration?

see attached:
1=Rubber stabilizer
2=GPS fitted with Rubber stabilizer
3=Rubber stabilizer without GPS
4=Rubber stabilizer without GPS indicating release can't be pushed with stabilizer fitted

Operation:
GPS mounting: remove stabilizer by pushing GPS holder down a bit, fit GPS, re-insert stabilizer by pushing GPS holder down a bit
GPS removal: remove stabilizer by pushing GPS holder down a bit, remove GPS, re-insert stabilizer by pushing GPS holder down a bit

 

[Tremor38]

see attached:
1=Rubber stabilizer
2=GPS fitted with Rubber stabilizer
3=Rubber stabilizer without GPSjy,
4=Rubber stabilizer without GPS indicating release can't be pushed with stabilizer fitted

Operation:
GPS mounting: remove stabilizer by pushing GPS holder down a bit, fit GPS, re-insert stabilizer by pushing GPS holder down a bit
GPS removal: remove stabilizer by pushing GPS holder down a bit, remove GPS, re-insert stabilizer by pushing GPS holder down a bit

Hmmm! Mine doesn't seem to vibrate, but maybe that's because I dont have an adjustable ws bracket installed. I'll be paying closer attention to it now that you you posted this though.

 

[Bundu]

Hmmm! Mine doesn't seem to vibrate, but maybe that's because I dont have an adjustable ws bracket installed. I'll be paying closer attention to it now that you you posted this though.

perhaps vibrate is not the correct term - maybe "shudders" or "shakes" would be more appropriate

 

[Tremor38]

perhaps vibrate is not the correct term - maybe "shudders" or "shakes" would be more appropriate

I see. Coming off a KLX300s motard, I think any shudder the S10 induces won't faze me much ;D . I'll watch closer for that now though.

GPS has become such a stress avoidance tool for me here in Japan that it's almost a must have. I placed my order for a new unit today, thanks to lauching my old GPS into the tarmac. O The new one is about the only domestic Japanese model that is both water proof and designed for motorcycles. The Zumo 660/665 is finally available here, however I can get the Japanese unit with a bar mounted remote scale change/volume control and RADAR detector option for the same price as the standard Zumo...and when it comes to maps and specific info for Japan you can't beat the domestic models. The mounting adapter it comes with has a hole pattern similar to that of the Zumo 550 cradle. If the holes don't have the same spacing, I'm sure sure making the necessary mod's won't be hard.

My old unit had a gyro for dead reconing in tunnels and in areas where satellite reception gets briefly interrupted. I'll probably miss that now and again, but I think having some protection against rain more than outweighs that feature.

 

[twistedthrottle]

Sorta sorry I posted my concerns. I do not like unrest.

Tremor was correct how I felt during my request. Tremor, thank you for the original post and photos. They will be handy during the install.

Kev, thanks for the diagrams, This is information that I would like on the original product page. Maybe in an active photo. The only reason I knew the bracket would support the zumo 550 is because of the product photo but could not find anything to to confirm that. Thinking of buying a Garmin zumo 665. Is the zumo 665 require a different bracket or just an adapter?

I usually have difficulty understanding most of the TT pages. Thought it was just me. Tonight I had dinner with a motorcycle friend and I brought up my post and the following posts. My friend is a genius level person though you would not know it casually. I asked if he purchases from TwistedThrottle and he said no with one of the reasons is because he finds the page information difficult to understand. Last week he purchased a 2012 RT and is a possible purchaser.

Kev, don't think I am slamming TT. Look at my Wish List and you will see more than $800 of items I will be purchasing when I get the already purchased items installed. Many times I will depend on forum members for the item number they purchased. If only I could resolve the issue with the City tank bag. Thank you for being a sponsor of this forum. A forum that I find to be one of if not the most intelligent, friendly and fun of all the forums I am members of.

My apologies for any indifference my original post may have caused.

Hi Tim.

We appreciate constructive criticism. I can tell you care enough to let us know. There is a new website in the works and we strive to continually improve our product pages to answer as many questions as possible. The hard part is sometimes this creates confusion. Let us know where we can improve - preferably outside of a public forum more one on one... We are committed to offering as much information before and after the purchase as we can. I will pass you notes along to the web development team.

Did my post with the images answer your question?

Kev

 

[JHKolb]

perhaps vibrate is not the correct term - maybe "shudders" or "shakes" would be more appropriate

When I first mounted mine up I used all 4 mounting holes in the Zumo 550 cradle to attach it to the GPS mount and that was fine. Only problem is, while using all 4 bolts to mount, it puts the Zumo so low it completely blocks the entire gauge cluster. To make the cluster visible you have to move the cradle up and then can use only 2 of the 4 mounting bolts and now my 550 shudders/shakes WAY too much. If I had know that all 4 bolts could not be use to secure it to the GPS mount (and thus less securely allowing it to move) I would have just got a Ram mount for my bars.

Oh well, live and learn

 

[mcbrien]

Had problems keeping screws tight that hold the gps cradle where it swivels up and down. While
chaseing KLR's on ruff track screws came loose and gps started bouncing up and down . Made a permanent
mark on my instrument cluster . A couple of months later one of these screws fell out . I have switched to
longer screws with lock washers and lock tite . Will see if that will hold .

 

[Karson]

I hear ya on the KLR vibes. that solution you listed should work - what color of loctite are you using?

 

[mcbrien]

Some of the wicking blue I have left over from the spokes .

 

[twistedthrottle]

I hear ya on the KLR vibes. that solution you listed should work - what color of loctite are you using?

Blue would be the right choice. You will be able to break it free later if needed. Sometimes a little heat might be needed to break it but it is "reversible". The red loctite should be used only when you think there is no chance you will have to remove a bolt.

Kev

 

[cadcamkenny]

I have the same mount purchased from Twisted Throttle, its a very nice unit. I've modified mine to mount a Motorola Droid 4 car adapter so my cell phone is secured in there, using google earth or the built in GPS app. I also have the rainy days app to show live weather radar (nice for hurricane season here in FL). With the phone there showing GPS or weather radar, Bluetooth on simultaniously streaming mp3's or pandora to the Sena SMH10 in my helmet, taking and receiving calls, gps directions over Bluetooth. Its actually nice to have all that technology working as it should. I also have a radar detector mounted to the sturdy plate. This is one of the very nice items from SWM and Twisted Throttle.
Thank you! ::008::