The Tom Tom Rider: A GPS System for Your Motorcycle as Well as Your Car

We all know how frustrating it is to get lost. You're late. You've got a vehicle filled with "helpful" navigators. Everyone else on the road seems to know where they're going, and they're passing you by with withering looks because you're going slower than they are. You are in no mood to play "Where in the World are we now??"

Fortunately, today's technology has an answer for those of us who are directionally challenged. Auto GPS systems are nothing new - the technology has been around for a number years. You type in where you want to go, and the GPS will give you step by step instructions how to get there. The Tom Tom Rider is one of the unique systems available, as it is designed primarily for the motorcycle.

My spouse purchased this system last year, as he travels around the United States on his motorcycle, and is often "directionally challenged. Frustrated by using paper maps, he polled his GPS-enabled friends to see what unit worked best for them. The Tom Tom name came up most frequently.

Many of the system's specifications worked out well in practice. The weatherproof system is mounted on the handlebars, for easy viewing while riding. The touch screen is helpful, even when using gloves. The menu is semi-user friendly. It took us a while to figure out which menu options to press to enter an address, and which option to choose when we were looking for a specific location such as a nearby restaurant. The Tom Tom gives you the option to pick a variety of routes to a destination - shortest, off-highway, fastest. This also took some manual-reading time, but is a big plus once you determine the correct menu option.

The Rider comes pre-installed with maps - you have the option of updating or upgrading once you get the system set up, but we haven't encountered the need to update at this point. The nearby interest points (restaurants, churches, gas stations) were up to date when we purchased the unit. The unit also has the ability to work with a Bluetooth phone, so that you can hear the directions as they are displayed on the screen. Unfortunately my spouse's phone does not have this feature, but the screen directions are adequate for him to get where he needs to go.

The Tom Tom also works in our car. There are mounting units available for purchase, which can be installed on the dash, on the roof, or below the dash. We have been using the hand-held method, where the navigator just holds on to the device. We've used other GPS units with voice direction before, telling us to turn left, turn right, and informing us in an almost irritated voice that we've missed our turn and she's going to have to re-route us. The voice was not missed.

One of the downsides to the system is the inability to enter in latitude and longitude coordinates into the unit without upgrading. We have this ability with a smaller hand-held unit that we use to Geo-cache (a world-wide "sport" where people find hidden caches or containers set up by other people around the country), and really wanted this feature on the Tom Tom.

Another drawback is customer service, which other Tom Tom users reported to us was "atrocious". My spouse, however, had a few issues with the mounting unit, and had no trouble with getting a replacement part.

Overall, the Tom Tom Rider has met our needs. With a retail cost under $600, it is in the average price range for a device its type. We've traveled alternative routes that have led us to interesting, little-known roads, even in our hometown. The ability to use both on the motorcycle and in the car is a convenient, cost-friendly feature. And best of all, we always end up where we need to be.