I wanted to put a GPS on my bike. Thought the routing would make travel easier, and it does.
I bought the Garmin 450. I didn't feel having street names spoken and XM
radio built in was worth the extra money for the 550.
I wanted power to the unit all the time. That way, every time I stopped for fuel I didn't have to
Restart the GPS and enter the unlock code.
| OK, this all starts off with a RAM mount. The GPS came with ram mounts that would work on traditional handlebars which the K RS does not have. I looked through the book and found this one that goes on top of a brake or clutch master cylinder. My bike has both so I could choose which side I wanted it mounted on. I chose the clutch side. |  |
| I put several zip ties on the wires on the way back. The gold connector you see is a stereo extension for the audio output from the GPS. I can then connect this directly to my in ear monitors I wear or my intercomm if I have a passenger. |  |
| Continuing on the way back I attached the stereo wire and the GPS power wire to the electrics already leaving the handlebar on their own way back under the tank. |  |
| Here we are all the way at the back of the tank. I used on of the brake lines to hold the wire in place. |  |
| I of course fuesed the battery connection. This connection also powers my intercomm, that is why there is a 10 amp fuse and not just sized for the GPS. |  |
| Here is the wiring and fuse tucked up in with the battery in place. |  |
| And the ground connection. |  |
| Here the tool try is put back in place on top of the battery. |  |
| I wrapped the wiring in some bubble wrap to protect the individual fuses for the GPS and the intercomm. |  |
| And here the unit is mounted, but before I put all the plastic back on. I love
having the GPS but I have also found that I still need paper maps. If you need to vary from your pre-planned route it is much easier
to do with maps that use the little GPS screen. Another note, after living with it for a while, I like using the built in MP3 player, but if I had to do it again I would have spent the extra to get the XM radio. |
 |
