Touch-Screen Touring

Touch-Screen Touring

Sputnik is my co-pilot?

Bike riders, it's time to join the 21st century, navigationally speaking. For years, the Mk. III MFP (map, folded paper) is all we've had for cross-country guidance. Now the wonders of the Global Positioning System are as close as your local dealership-well, some of them. While the Japanese remain strangely silent on the subject (damn liability lawyers, again?), BMW, Triumph and soon Ducati and Harley-Davidson all have optional GPS navigation systems.

We sampled BMW's Navigator II during our Speed Wagoneering. With built-in 51 2mb memory, a slot for a compact-flash card and a port for both in-helmet audio and deskside data acquisition, the unit is squared away when it comes to the rider-GPS-computer interface. Included with the $1499 option is the receiver, a CF card, USB data cable, external power adapter, Mapsource CD, mounting cradle, various power and sensor cables and a pretty self-explanatory user's manual. The tank-top mount gives the rider four additional buttons on the left side of the unit and permits quick access to frequently used commands. The touch-screen worked perfectly, though, even with gloved hands, and while it's not recommended, the screen is useable for basic scroll and zoom functions while under way. To keep the rider's attention on the road, some functions, such

as direct address input, are disabled while the bike is in motion. For route-planning, Navigator II offered to take us on as curvy or as straight a route as we wanted. We found, however, that this function didn't work quite as promised for twisties, frequently making us backtrack and go illogical places. Better to find a desired road on the scrollable screen, mark it as a waypoint and then ride to it. For extended pre-ride route-planning, it seems, paper is still the way to go—then feed the various waypoints into the GPS.

One cautionary note: At speed on bumpy Foxen Canyon Rd., the Navigator head unit was ejected from its mount and sent flying down the road. The instruction book warned that the quick-release mounting tab should be tightened in such situations, though the required Torx screwdriver is not included. Surprisingly, the unit survived with only cosmetic damage, and except for the onboard clock resetting itself, worked perfectly.

Good thing, too. By far the best reason to have GPS on a motorcycle is when you're traveling along some distant highway and your fuel tank or stomach lets you know it's time for a fill-up. A few taps of the screen later, you'll be heading directly to the nearest fuel station or restaurant. No piece of paper can replicate that! —Calvin Kim

Calvin Kim