Ducati Monster Forum

OK took a punt today and grabbed a "Go Cruise" GPS from Aldi.

First impressions are good.

Solid mount,rubberised housing and long power cable. Fast boot up & aquisition using a SIRFAtlas III GPS chip set (20 channel). Supplied with a remote headset for helmet mounting.

Can do a bit of a review after installation (hopefully this weekend) if anyone is interested.

yeah Mick, interested to see how it goes - the price is right!

TELL EM THE PRICE SON !

$199. If you expect it to break in a few months and don't mind then it would be a good buy. Don't expect any customer support with a no name brand.

A better choice is buying a brand name car GPS and making an adaptor mount for the bike.

Most of the car stuff is not waterproof and they do not last long with the vibrations from a motorcycle.

Yes but riders do it anyway.

There is no difference inside between the car and motorbike GPS. Any vibrations are absorbed by the mount so if you make a bad one then it's the fault of the mount. It has nothing to do with the unit itself.

Be my guest and buy a $199 no name unit. I am just pointing out that it will not be very good and you have no customer service. It would be fine if you use it once in a blue moon but that's it.

I would presume that waterproofing would be the difference, but who knows..

I saw it, and was mildly interested. To be honest, I don't use a GPS in the car (yet - the new car to arrive next week will have one built in by default), but I did see the benefit of it on the WSBK trip with the Sherpa in front with his GPS..

I'd only use one in instances like this, so a smaller investment would outweigh other features for me. BTW, how much is a Zumo or similar for a motorcycle as a comparison..

I was mildly interested too and nearly went the purchase. Can't wait for the review, especially for the FM headset part which was my main concern. For $199 you could leave it on your bike too and not really worry about loosing it (or stolen) or getting it damaged by rain or road debris

Funnily enough, me mate  ;)

The motorbike specific GPS are expensive in comparison to car GPS. The easiest option would be to buy an entry level car GPS like the TOMTOM ONEv3 for $185 or so and get a small tank bag which has the plastic cover on the top. Slide it under and you have a solid GPS unit and it is protected from the weather.

Ahh, the joys of GPS and downloading routes from google maps, only to find no road exists !  ;D

I don't know the Aldi unit, but the Zumo is great(use it both the car and bike), but it costs a whole lot more. I got mine in the US for around $450, but locally I've seen them as high as $900, nothing lower than $600, but then my numbers are 18 months old too.
VW wanted to charge $3500 for a built-in model for the car. Rip-off on a grand scale.

OK, fitted the unit into my car today to evaluate the GPS function.

No real issues. It cold boots quickly and entering routes was easy using the Route 66 software.

Route calculation was as good as my TomTom & Garmin.

Unit outputs in a range of FM frequencies (headset @ 86MHz) so retuned the GPS to 86.5MHz (lowest frequency on my car stereo) and presto voice prompts (no inbuilt speakers on the GPS).

Voice commands we load & clear in a nicely modulated male voice. Street names were better pronounced than on my Garmin unit.

Glare was OK; better than my PDA (Palm running TomTom software) but not as good as the Garmin.

Re-calculations were quick and on par with other units.

As discussed will mount and wire up to the bike tomorrow and go for a blat - but so far so good.

Reliability and durability will take a while to assess but HMI using gloves & headset performance should be easily tested.

More to come.

OK fitted the GPS today, easy.

I've removed my mirrors (fitted bar end) so still had the "mount" for a mirror in situ.....

So filled the thread with epoxy and drilled and tapped the mirror mount to accept the Go Cruise bracket that connects directly to the GPS cradle - neat and tidy.

Wired the cable (through a fuse) straight to the battery so that the disconnect sits just under the instrument cluster. That way when I take the GPS off, everything left is virtually invisible.

The Good

GPS functions, as described previously, seems on par with other devices on the market. Screen is bright enough in full day light and recalculation speed is excellent. It's using the Route 66 software as do many other budget GPS receivers. So the main unit is good.

The Bad

Fitted the FM receiver to my spare helmet (couldn't bring myself to play with my RX7) and it sloted in just fine. The speaker simply Velcro's to a suitable point near your left ear; also easy. But.......the receiver is quite noisy and picks up a fair bit of static. This drowns out the voice commands unless you turn it up, which of course is even more annoying. So I'd suggest the voice command function is almost useless. I will have a play with it again tomorrow but don't hold out a lot of hope.

Overall

Hardware & software are fine. GPS functions similar to other units I've owned & played with. Voice guidance is poor due to static on the receiver.

Verdict

Although I'd like nice clear voice guidance, in actual fact, I didn't even know the GPS came with it. So for $199 I wasn't expecting it anyway. In the past I've tried using a "normal" GPS in my tank bag and also in a RAM mount. Both of these methods work, but screen brightness, particularly through the layers of plastic was always a bit iffy. The "GO Cruise" is in a better position than either of my previous attempts and much better to view in daylight. It switches to "night" mode automatically which is a useful function (my Garmin does this also). If it lasts the distance it'll be a good addition to my toy collection.

Cheers  :)

 
 
 

so overall it's good value for the outlay mick? seems pretty good to me, i wouldn't care if it's a no name brand, the route66 software is good enough and it's not like support from the name brands is fantastic anyway. my wife has a tom tom and it's no great shakes.
still, i could always just follow you...........if you'll go a little faster ;D


paul.










just kidding mick [thumbsup] lol

Hmm that sounds like a challenge............but we all know the outcome already  :)

Monsterdorf, thanks for the write up. Its good to have some research done by others before buying  [thumbsup]

I was looking at buying one of the Aldi units myself, but had reservations about the distraction of having a GPS on the bike - you know, the whole not-looking-at-the-road thing. Any comments?

ducsport

I guess thats always a concern. I tend to plan my trips,load the GPS then scan it the same way you do your speedo & tacho. Worst case it's pull over and have a look.

I like the "time to go" & "distance to next turn/destination" particularly in slow city traffic plus the recalc if you do miss a turn. If you print out a "whereis" or have a map in your tank bag you have the same problem without the benefit of a dynamic update.

One thing I also like to do is record my trips so I can find good spots again, GPS does that pretty well.

To be honest most of the time it's a nice to have rather than a necessity, just like mobile phones, HD TV and all the other toys we love to own.

Yep, good call. I like the time to go and recalc features on the GPS in the cage as well.

+1 on the toys we must have  [thumbsup] even including  [moto]   ;D

I bought the Aldi motorcycle cover during the same week. My bike is garaged, but tends to get dusty during the dry months.

I wasn't expecting much for the money. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the make and quality of the cover. Seems to be pretty robust, and for $40, you can't really go wrong.  [thumbsup]

note: the advert says the cover is water resistant (not proof). I'll have to test that out.

Sooo you are saying having 'no' customer support is no worse off than having customer support  ???

So Mick, what if you still had your stock mirrors (or still used the mounts anyway)?

Would you have to buy a mount for $500 or something?

I guess my situation is a little more complicated as I replaced my original handlebars with a steel set which is welded in sections. That leaves me less room to fit things, meaning the clamp that came with the GPS was a tight fit.

The beauty is that the hole diameter of the Aldi GPS mount is the same as the clamp for the clutch. I was originally thinking of modifying it to mount directly to there but didn't want to "cut and shut" it, should I want to return it later. Just goes to show a little bit of thought beforehand can save a lot of manufacturing afterwards, or PPPPPP (prior planning prevents piss poor performance).

can I ask the other important question?
Where's a snap of the GPS in place so we can all see how it looks and how it may also be mounted elsewhere.
This Aldi GPS, is it from the Aldi grocery stores? Didn't quite get that. Maybe I'm a little slow on the pick up.

Pics Mick pics.

Yea lets see some pics. I like ur idea ... I have a garmin gps that i use in my truck ... I didnt feel like drilling holes, or buying a mount, so i just use the suction cup on my tank . It holds pretty well, hasnt fallen off yet . I also have it zip tied to the fram in case it decides to let go . Obviously it is kinda small so u cant always look down at it, but its better to have than not. Most of the time i just use it when im lost and need a gas station or the way home .

cyclops nice avatar    here are some pix of my setup that i made
this bracket made out of a piece of scrap aluminuam
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2480/3779051369_f0bf0883da_o.jpg)

this pix shows cig socket that powers gps and zen mp3
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2334/3779860370_edfc55fc8b_o.jpg)

and when not in use i plug the battery tender in
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3473/3779052381_0ac9309aaf_o.jpg)

the mounting plate bolts go into the the centre of the bar clamp bolts arfter being drilled and tapped the gps sucks on to the plate but i put a safety bar as well
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3429/3779052785_d1b80c7681_o.jpg)
gps mounted and stays out of the weather and dosent interfear with with anything cheers bazz
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2473/3779053131_2770f15491_o.jpg)

Thanks Bazz that's great.

can you use the touch screen on the TomTom while wear gloves?

yes matty and and can here the voice around town , the tom tom must be loud cause people often stare as i approach a intersection  [thumbsup]

Here are some photos:

(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_AGyjb7g2yHc/SnUt-gLzktI/AAAAAAAAAC0/sKf790wSdkQ/s512/IMG_1861.JPG)

(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_AGyjb7g2yHc/SnUt8lLUyzI/AAAAAAAAACs/LdMYqYI3cqQ/s640/IMG_1860.JPG)

(https://lh5.ggpht.com/_AGyjb7g2yHc/SnUuCM6bk0I/AAAAAAAAAC4/vUOefOdeCw8/s640/IMG_1862.JPG)

what brand is  that gps monsterdorf and does the wind shift the unit at speeds cheers bazz

It's called a "GO CRUISE" and is currently available from Aldi. Here is a link:

http://www.aldi.com.au/au/html/offers/2827_9305.htm (http://www.aldi.com.au/au/html/offers/2827_9305.htm)

shit thats cheap  [thumbsup]

OK, went for a longer ride today and can advise that the Aldi GPS works just fine.

I didn't bother with the headset as I was riding with ear plugs all day. Interestingly, it actually came up with an info "post it" as I entered some of the bigger towns with info on service stations and shops - quite neat.

Mount is strudy enough not to wobble around even when pushed hard. Bright enough to be seen in all but the worst conditions. Counts down to each turn. It zooms in as you approach the corner and puts a nice big green arrow showing which way to go.

Wasn't perfect, meaning it can't find every address I tried but neither do my other GPSs.

So was it worth the money - so far a definite YES.

Cheers

Some of this Aldi stuff is pretty good value, just bought my young bloke the helmet and jacket as he putts around on his CBR250R, better than some of the stuff out of MCA stores especially a young bloke on a budget.







                                     Mmick

I thought I'd dig this old thing out rather than starting a new topic.
Seems Aldi have this sale once a year, cause the date is almost the same as the sale they just had.
I mounted up my Go Cruise yesterday, took maybe all of 10-20 minutes with some fiddling about routing cables.

Rode to Newcastle and back with it, performance was great mounting is solid as. No vibrating or difficulty seeing the
screen. I haven't tried the headset as I was listening to music however for the investment I'm pretty happy.  [thumbsup]

Does it have a route planner? or does it take you the most direct route?

OK replaced my "old" one with a new one that now that has a BlueTooth headset and new maps and software. I think it's even better than the last. One hint download the full manual which lets you configure all the features. Mine now alerts me to find a fuel stop and suggests the closest servo.

Good thing just got better  ;D

I bought one of these from Aldi a while back and it never made it anywhere near my bike. Took it out of the box, pressed a few buttons, then back in the box it went. I am pretty sure that I will never use it.

So for anyone interested, it is for sale.

PM me, if interested.

Kaz.

from other places i have read

if you are going from home to somewhere then it works well

if you want to go from home to somewhere via 4 other places then its not real good

Kaz why dont you put in our for sale section, it may get a response







                                                Mmick

Of course that would be the smart thing to do. [roll]   Sheer laziness on my part, but I shall succumb to your brilliant suggestion none the less.  ;D

Thanks Mmick.  [thumbsup]