Geocaching on a motorcycle

[+TH&G]

I have my Garmin GPS III mounted on velcro above my display cover on my 1800 Goldwing. We have use the bike on the road this summer looking for in state & out of state caches within a mile or so of pavement. It is great for knowing the elevation of the mountain passes we cross all the time plus tracking the distance to the next waypoint. I live in Wyoming at an elevation of 6350ft. Most of the state is at least above 5000 ft. Does anyone else use their motorcycle to go caching?

[+Jamie Z]

I do, although I haven't figured a good way to mount the GPS on my bike. I have the 12v outlet wired up... but the handlebars don't provide a good place to put the unit.

 

Here's a shot in Iowa with a travelbug on the seat.

 

The bike at Fort Jackson in Southern Louisiana.

 

Jamie

[+Dekaner]

Hey, nobody said it was a good idea.

 

I use my eTrex Legend mounted on my mountain bike and it works very well. I would think the clasp may be too small, but perhaps this can be modified or replaced?

 

- Dekaner of Team KKF2A

[+Ish-n-Isha]

A group of us went on a 1400 mile tour, caching all the way. About half of the people in the group were new to, or didnt geocache. Not wanting to irritate the non-geocachers anymore than possible, we only got the ones very close to our route. We logged 18-20 in 4 days. If it were just geocachers, we would have gotten 40! You dont know how hard it is to pass up a cache when the reading is .2 miles, just because someone is hungry and is looking for a resturant!

[+Ish-n-Isha]

By the way, we ride a Honda ST1100 and my Garmin vista sits in my tank bag map pocket just fine. Even when its connected to DC power cord.

[bug_zapper]

Just did some over the weekend.

Put the Garmin in my tank bag pocket facing me, have ham set velcroed to the mirror stem, sunglasses on, ready to roll. This is livin!

[bug_zapper]

Just did some over the weekend.

Put the Garmin in my tank bag pocket facing me, have ham set velcroed to the mirror stem, sunglasses on, ready to roll. This is livin!

[+Boundertom]

I mount my Garmin Emap to my Kawasaki KLR650 with a Ram mount. I love to ride the backroads, just zigging and zagging. The GPS is indispensible for navigating in this kind of riding. Caching gives us a reason to head in a certain direction, then makes a great break from riding! Can't beat it!

[Moun10Bike]

I haven't done a lot of caching with my motorcycle (a 1999 BMW F650 dual sport), but I like to when the opportunity presents itself. My best day was a 160-mile ride that you can read about here: Calispell Peak. I also placed a cache that day, and you can see my bike in the scrolling panorama I have posted at the top of the cache page: South Baldy Stash.

 

For mounting the GPS to the bike, I use a TouraTech mount. I also use a Ram mount on the enduros that we keep at our cabin. Both systems work great!

 

Nothing beats riding the backroads on a sunny summer day!

 

Moun10Bike's Geocaching Pages

[+sbukosky]

I haven't gone as much on my Gold Wing as I had hoped I would. One thing I fear is vandalism of it when left in remote areas. I had hoped to develope some interest in it among GWRRA members locally but it hasn't happened. Maybe if I give the coordinates for a new ice cream stand and make it a virtual.

 

Steve Bukosky N9BGH

Waukesha Wisconsin

[+sbukosky]

I haven't gone as much on my Gold Wing as I had hoped I would. One thing I fear is vandalism of it when left in remote areas. I had hoped to develope some interest in it among GWRRA members locally but it hasn't happened. Maybe if I give the coordinates for a new ice cream stand and make it a virtual.

 

Steve Bukosky N9BGH

Waukesha Wisconsin

[+leatherman]

I'm planning a trip to Montana in Sept. I plan on hitting some of Moun10Bikes caches in Idaho.

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to use the car suction cup mount on the inside of my Goldwings fairing. It may viberate loose or just wiggle up and down. I guess I won't know till I try it.

 

Preperation, the first law to survival.

[Moun10Bike]

quote:

---

Originally posted by leatherman:

 

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to use the car suction cup mount on the inside of my Goldwings fairing. It may viberate loose or just wiggle up and down. I guess I won't know till I try it.

---

 

I use my Ram suction cup mount on my snowmobile fairing, and it sticks and holds my GPSr like a rock! That includes hitting rough bumps at 40+ miles an hour and LOTS of vibration! The trick I've found is to slightly moisten the suction cup before applying, then let everything sit long enough for the water to evaporate before using it.

 

quote:

---

I plan on hitting some of Moun10Bikes caches in Idaho.

---

 

Cool! I hope you have a chance to get up to Priest Lake. It's likely a ways out of your way, but that's where I feel the "cream" of my caches are located (I like the ones in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, too, but they were placed there to help get geocaching going in that area, so they are all relatively easy and close to town).

 

Moun10Bike's Geocaching Pages

[+leatherman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moun10Bike:

Cool! I hope you have a chance to get up to Priest Lake. It's likely a ways out of your way, but that's where I feel the "cream" of my caches are located

---

 

Nothing is out of the way on a motorcycle trip.

 

Preperation, the first law to survival.

[+TH&G]

Our GPS mounts on the motorcycle going down the road, but can easily rip off and be handheld to walk to the nearest cache or stored away safely when parked.

[+Belleterre]

We did some nice motorcycle caching last weekend when we went to Portland to see Cirque du Soleil. I sit on the back seat of our GL1500 GoldWing, holding the GPS and telling DBF where to go. Ish-n-Isha, I totally understand your frustration at being .2 miles from a cache, I was less than 500 feet from Indian John, but the motorcycle group wanted to go NOW. Arrrggghhh!!!! We don’t leave the bike alone in any remote areas, the risk of vandalism is just too high. Sbukosky, we’d love to come to your ice cream virtual. Did I mention that we stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home from Portland?

[thrillseeker69]

For the most part I have planned out my route before ridin out, so I only have to turn the GPS on once I get to the area. But since I will going farther distances and new areas, I will have to find a way to observe the unit underway. I like the tankbag idea.

[+Alan2]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Boundertom:

I mount my Garmin Emap to my Kawasaki KLR650 with a Ram mount. I love to ride the backroads, just zigging and zagging. The GPS is indispensible for navigating in this kind of riding. Caching gives us a reason to head in a certain direction, then makes a great break from riding! Can't beat it!

---

 

ALthough I don't have a bike I use geocaching for the same reason you do - to give my driing trips in the countryside a place to go. It aslso has introduced me to some realy nice places I never new existed.

 

I too use the RAM mount. I've got the bike clamp mounted on my hiking stick and the suction cup mounted on my windshield so I can easily switch the RAM GPS holder with GPS when I get in and out of the car or when I switch cars from mine to my wife's.

 

One day though I'm going to smash up my car while I'm fiddling with my Vista. It must be tougher on a bike. How do you do it?

 

Alan

[+Boundertom]

quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by Boundertom:

I mount my Garmin Emap to my Kawasaki KLR650 with a Ram mount. I love to ride the backroads, just zigging and zagging. The GPS is indispensible for navigating in this kind of riding. Caching gives us a reason to head in a certain direction, then makes a great break from riding! Can't beat it!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by Alan

-------------------------------------------------

SNIP

 

One day though I'm going to smash up my car while I'm fiddling with my Vista. It must be tougher on a bike. How do you do it?

 

Alan

-------------------------------------------------

 

You do have to be pretty carefull- the GPS is distracting. I really don't fiddle with the GPS much while actually riding, maybe the ocasional zoom in or out. If I have to do more, I will pull off the side of the road. The toughest part is pushing those little buttons with gloves on, although I just got some new gloves that allow me to do it a bit easier. Now I have to really watch the temptation to fiddle with it! My GPS is postioned near my normal line of sight. I just got the Ram suction cup for car use- it is excellent. Love the toys!

 

Boundertom

[+Boundertom]

quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by Boundertom:

I mount my Garmin Emap to my Kawasaki KLR650 with a Ram mount. I love to ride the backroads, just zigging and zagging. The GPS is indispensible for navigating in this kind of riding. Caching gives us a reason to head in a certain direction, then makes a great break from riding! Can't beat it!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by Alan

-------------------------------------------------

SNIP

 

One day though I'm going to smash up my car while I'm fiddling with my Vista. It must be tougher on a bike. How do you do it?

 

Alan

-------------------------------------------------

 

You do have to be pretty carefull- the GPS is distracting. I really don't fiddle with the GPS much while actually riding, maybe the ocasional zoom in or out. If I have to do more, I will pull off the side of the road. The toughest part is pushing those little buttons with gloves on, although I just got some new gloves that allow me to do it a bit easier. Now I have to really watch the temptation to fiddle with it! My GPS is postioned near my normal line of sight. I just got the Ram suction cup for car use- it is excellent. Love the toys!

 

Boundertom

[motoXman]

I have an '02 DRZ 400 dual sport= basically a dirt bike with turn signals and mirrors. I built my own mounting bracket that attatches to and extends out from the backside of my right mirror so the unit is in the full upright position for best reception and in the perfect spot for a quick glance.....right where I do the same quick glance in the mirror.

I built the bracket from the black flat plastic piece of a bicycle rack, mounted it to mirror with small C clamps and velcro. I can detatch the GPSr to carry it in less than 5 seconds, leaving the bracket itself still on the mirror. I use the wrist lanyard around the mirror as a failsafe, even if the unit comes loose it won't fall to the ground.

 

It has suffered the most unholy testing possible with nary a problem...Wyoming is home to some grarly, twistng, washboard backroads and trails and I ride hard, my wheels are just as likely to be in the air as they are to be in contact with the earth below!!!

 

I'm going to attempt to figure out how to post a pic of the setup..it's simple, cheap and easy... oh, 1 drawback...if (when) you and Mr. Bike meet Mr. Ground Mr.GPSr will be 1st casualty mouted on mirror like that...

 

someday we'll look back on all this and plow into a parked car.

[+DapperDanMan]

Sometimes I will go on my Vespa if I don't have to go on dirt roads.

 

 

I also use my GPS a lot on it even when I am not geocaching since the speedometer is in km instead of miles.

[motoXman]

WOW...thats a sweet little scooter, how unusual..wOOt year is it? 2 cool, even a spare tire, hella strange place for mirrors though, looks like ya hafte look down at your knees to see 'em

 

someday we'll look back on all this and plow into a parked car.

[+DapperDanMan]

It is a 1964 Vespa

 

http://www.brighamsbees.org/richardsvespa/

 

The mirrors are mostly for looks. They are useless. A few weeks ago I did put on better mirrors. I will get a picture of what it looks like now and show how I attach my Gps with two small bungie cords.

[rjt]

 

Life short, Hunt more.

[+DapperDanMan]

quote:

---

someday we'll look back on all this and plow into a parked car.

---

 

This reminded me of something stupid I did on my bike once. I noticed my crank was making this weird noise when I was peddling so I kept looking down on it. After looking at it to long I looked up and SMACK! Right into the back of a parked car.

[shrekTBA]

The handle bar mount from Garmin for my Vista and basic yellow fits on the bars of my V65 Magna as well as my Yamaha 4 wheelers. They come with 2 different rubber strips that are different thicknesses, so they can be adapted. The bars on the V65 were almost too big, but it has a nice fit. I am thinking of getting a RAM mount though, get a better angle on the screen on the bike. On the 4 wheelers, on 1 the mount is on the handle bars, and the other i put the mount on the front rack to the left. Lots easier to see there.

 

It's not a sport unless there is something dead in the back of the truck when you get home.

[+Crusso]

I've got a Yamaha FJ1200, basically a large sport-touring bike. I mount my V to it with a simple piece of flat plexi glass about 8 inches long by 4 wide. I used a heating strip to put a slight bend in it so that when I tuck one end down between my windshield & dashboard the other end is at the right angle to mount the V with velcro. The unit sits right in my line of sight above my dashboard center but is high enough to see my gauges. Cost all of about $3 including velcro. It's velcroed at the dash end too so I can yank off the V or the entire mount in about one second. Since Velcro is the only mechanical fastener that actually gets tighter with vibration I haven't lost either one yet!

 

There is also a company that makes a universal mount that has a round stud on one end that pushes down into the hole in the nut on the steering head for various size bikes. Looks cool & simple. Gonna try one out. See www.aerostich.com for details:

 

Stemstand

CNC aluminum anodized artistry for holding your cell phone, pager, garage door opener, radar detector or bridge toll transponder. No tools needed for installation, fits snugly into the hole in your sport bikes steering head. 3" x 2" Stand platform angle adjusts. These are just beautifully made. 3.5" long shaft fits most sport bikes. Specify 13mm or 19mm stem hole. Two standard applications, 13mm for most popular Japanese sport bikes, 19 mm for Honda VTR, VFR, F3/F4, 93 900RR. Black.

CAT. NO. 2293,2295 $ 60.00

 

This company also handles the Ram Mounts as well as the Touratech mounts & GPS units, software, books & all kinds of cool riding stuff!!! Get on thier mailing list!!

 

Wherever you go, there you are!

[+1911]

We have a local cacher and prolific hider here who goes by "scooterman", he caches almost exclusively by bike.He even has a cache at a spot where he crashed his bike! I visited the spot and he is one LUCKY guy.

[+Crusso]

ignore

 

Wherever you go, there you are!

[Swagger]

I use the Garmin handlebar mount with my eTrex Legend on a Suzuki VZ800. It's a tight fit, but it does fit and it works just fine. Using the GPS controls with gloves on is all but impossible, but without gloves it's not that tough. Maneuvering the "click stick" while doing 75 on the freeway can be a bit of a challenge...

 

BTW, I chose my handle (Cruzin) because my bike's a "cruiser" and I figured I'd be doing a lot of caching on the bike over the summer.

 

 

--

Random fortune:

[motoXman]

hmmm, still can't seem to get a pic to display in a forum reply, but anyway, click on my profile, look at the right mirror on my DRZ 400.

 

someday we'll look back on all this and plow into a parked car.

[+Crusso]

Hope this works!

Couldn't find a photo but here's from my owners man.

 

Added Krauser bags, Corbin seat & backrest combo. Looks like a full out tourer but surprises most sport bikes when I can out pull them in the middle gears!