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I got a Garmin Nuvi 765T for Christmas and have had a chance to put the unit through its paces. This GPS was a very reasonable deal at $200 on Amazon "black Monday". The features include dual bluetooth for running hands-free phone and headphone communications, user-selectable data displays, lifetime FM traffic, lane-assist, and the reason I bought the unit; trip routing with multiple destinations. Other interesting features include a "bicycle" function which avoids major roadways where bicycles are prohibited. It works well for taking more back-roads on the motorcycle as well, but this can result in some wildly circuitous routes.
I have the unit mounted on a RAM mount with the standard Nuvi 7XX series cradle. I may eventually get a waterproof aqua-box6 which works for this unit. So far, what I like is the routing features and selectable data output that lets me choose to see either altitude, time of arrival, time to arrival, time of day distance to destination or direction of travel. The 4.3" screen is bright and remains visible in direct sunlight, but can be obscured by the combination of polarized sunglasses and sunlight. This is a much brighter screen than my older 660.
Routing is easiest to do in MapSource if you have it. Mapsource allows you to set waypoints on any complex route and view nearby gas-stations, stores or other points of interest. I used this to program a group ride scheduled for 1/16 to Alice's Restaurant for our meet-up riding group. This is a complex route that uses back-roads through the Sacramento River Delta to arrive in the Bay Area and cross the San Matteo Bridge to Skyline Blvd, and returns using interesting side-streets through San Francisco, up to Napa and through the remote Capella Valley. I pre-rode the route with the GPS and it guided me nearly flawlessly, but did make an unexpected routing choice at one junction, where I over-rode the recommended route in favor of a shorter distance.
The unit easily uploads and downloads to MapSource and allows the route to be previewed, simulated and revised. I can also create a route file that can be shared with other riders using Garmin units such as the motorcycle friendly units. You can download the breadcrumb trial of your trips and view them on the computer, and print elevation profiles etc. The trip log maintains a running average speed, max speed, time moving time stopped and total distance. Useful for business applications and interesting for MC trips.
On the road, the voice is not very audible over the sound of the bike and wind. This could be overcome using a wired or bluetooth headset. Phone calls are also easy to receive and view on the unit. When approaching complex interstate intersections, the Lane Assist view briefly becomes visible showing exactly where you need to be to navigate a maze of ramps such as the bridge approaches in the Bay Area. The unit always shows the distance to the next turn, and the diretion of the next turn in the upper left corner. Traffic information is displayed below that, and the expected time of any delay. The current speed limit is displayed in the lower left corner, and your current speed is displayed next to that. Zoom in and out buttons are in the upper right and a compass directional arrow is in the lower right along with the map scale. There is a lot of information.
Negatives include the usual complaints that the unit will sometimes take a less-than-ideal route. When you are knowledgeable about local roads, chances are, you can navigate better than a GPS. This unit won't get you lost, but it will take you on a more direct, and sometimes slower route, even when you select "faster time" as a navigation option. I recommend you turn off the avoidance option for traffic. The unit will automatically calculate a detour route when it detects a significant traffic delay. I prefer to make this decision manually, and traffic can be avoided with a simple push of a button.
I will follow up with some pics and more comments after the ride next week. If you're looking for a GPS that can do routes, and is full featured without the cost of the Zumo, this may be your unit.
I have the unit mounted on a RAM mount with the standard Nuvi 7XX series cradle. I may eventually get a waterproof aqua-box6 which works for this unit. So far, what I like is the routing features and selectable data output that lets me choose to see either altitude, time of arrival, time to arrival, time of day distance to destination or direction of travel. The 4.3" screen is bright and remains visible in direct sunlight, but can be obscured by the combination of polarized sunglasses and sunlight. This is a much brighter screen than my older 660.
Routing is easiest to do in MapSource if you have it. Mapsource allows you to set waypoints on any complex route and view nearby gas-stations, stores or other points of interest. I used this to program a group ride scheduled for 1/16 to Alice's Restaurant for our meet-up riding group. This is a complex route that uses back-roads through the Sacramento River Delta to arrive in the Bay Area and cross the San Matteo Bridge to Skyline Blvd, and returns using interesting side-streets through San Francisco, up to Napa and through the remote Capella Valley. I pre-rode the route with the GPS and it guided me nearly flawlessly, but did make an unexpected routing choice at one junction, where I over-rode the recommended route in favor of a shorter distance.
The unit easily uploads and downloads to MapSource and allows the route to be previewed, simulated and revised. I can also create a route file that can be shared with other riders using Garmin units such as the motorcycle friendly units. You can download the breadcrumb trial of your trips and view them on the computer, and print elevation profiles etc. The trip log maintains a running average speed, max speed, time moving time stopped and total distance. Useful for business applications and interesting for MC trips.
On the road, the voice is not very audible over the sound of the bike and wind. This could be overcome using a wired or bluetooth headset. Phone calls are also easy to receive and view on the unit. When approaching complex interstate intersections, the Lane Assist view briefly becomes visible showing exactly where you need to be to navigate a maze of ramps such as the bridge approaches in the Bay Area. The unit always shows the distance to the next turn, and the diretion of the next turn in the upper left corner. Traffic information is displayed below that, and the expected time of any delay. The current speed limit is displayed in the lower left corner, and your current speed is displayed next to that. Zoom in and out buttons are in the upper right and a compass directional arrow is in the lower right along with the map scale. There is a lot of information.
Negatives include the usual complaints that the unit will sometimes take a less-than-ideal route. When you are knowledgeable about local roads, chances are, you can navigate better than a GPS. This unit won't get you lost, but it will take you on a more direct, and sometimes slower route, even when you select "faster time" as a navigation option. I recommend you turn off the avoidance option for traffic. The unit will automatically calculate a detour route when it detects a significant traffic delay. I prefer to make this decision manually, and traffic can be avoided with a simple push of a button.
I will follow up with some pics and more comments after the ride next week. If you're looking for a GPS that can do routes, and is full featured without the cost of the Zumo, this may be your unit.
