Mounting My GPS

[ruSTynutz]

I'd been going to mount my Migsel dash mount and GPS for ages now but was thwarted last year when I had a few health issues.
Fast forward to this week and I thought I'd better get stuck into it and this is the result...

Not liking the idea of using a ram ball and socket arm to hold the GPS I had a brain wave and figured I could use the ram ball
threaded hole in the Migsel dash mount to fasten my homemade mounting bracket to it.

With the GPS tucked back under the screen I figured it would also be out of the worst of the weather.

Instead of stuffing around trying to find an accessory point to tap into for power (and not wanting to pull off the fairing) I made
use of a cable that was coming straight off the battery that the previous owner had installed.

Obviously I needed to be able to isolate the power when the bike was shut down so I installed a switch inside the right-hand pie warmer...

Pretty happy with how it came out... 


                                             The mount I fashioned out of aluminium


                                The bracket was mounted using the existing ram bolt hole


                      Working out where to mount the 12v to 5v converter and cable routing


                          Making use of the mounting screws to keep the cable neat & tidy

                             
                             The isolating switch fitted inside the right-hand pie warmer


                                                       The Finished product

[NTRebel]

Not bad Rusty I wish I had your brains instead of the pile of sawdust I've got up top.

[ruSTynutz]

At least you have sawdust, there's just mostly empty space in my head! 

[StinkyPete]

That's a really uncluttered looking mounting job, and I'm a fan of that simple and tidy look.   Well done.   

[Jdbiker]

Nice work Rusty, looks really neat

[ruSTynutz]

Thanks Pete & JD!

There was a little bit of measuring & checking involved at the start just to make sure that if I lowered the bike screen completely down that it didn't make contact with the GPS... 

[West Aussie Glen]

A nice job Rusty

[Biggles]

At least yours won't do as mine does.  Being RAM ball mounted on an arm, the road shocks (often severe over the weekend just passed) cause it to move down, regardless of how tight I twist the knobs on the mount.

[ruSTynutz]

Can you insert some plastic tape or something between the ball and the arm...something that's not gonna break down if it gets wet? 

[Gerard & Sandra]

Rusty
A fine effort and a tidy bit of kit.
Rgds
GB

[ruSTynutz]

Thanks for all your kind feedback, everyone! 

[Shiney]

Awesome work mate it looks great 

[Wild Rose]

Good one Rusty 

[ruSTynutz]

Well, after just a few months I'm ripping my GPS out...to be replaced with an Android Auto/CarPlay screen...
While the GPS worked okay, with it being an older unit, it meant it wouldn't pair to my Sena Headset so I wasn't able get audio
instructions so had to rely solely on the screen, not always ideal when you're dealing with traffic etc.

Anyhoo, I ordered my new toy and it turned up a couple of days ago...

I've had a bit of a play around with it and it's paired with my phone and my Sena Headset so we're off to a good start.

So far I can access Google maps, make phone calls, check the weather and listen to music.
I haven't worked out how to get "hey google" to work as yet but, to be honest, I don't really care whether that part works or not!

Stay tuned for my thoughts on the product once I have it installed! 

[Bodø]

So far I can access Google maps, make phone calls, check the weather and listen to music.

Personally I don't need to do any of that when actually riding.  The forcite helmet can be paired with a phone but I don't feel the need.

[CallMeSteve]

Assuming it’s weatherproof I’m excited! I’ve come to love CarPlay- among other benefits it gives the flexibility to use different navigation apps.  Keen to see how it works out. 

[ruSTynutz]

So far I can access Google maps, make phone calls, check the weather and listen to music.

Personally I don't need to do any of that when actually riding.  The forcite helmet can be paired with a phone but I don't feel the need.

Your choice, Bodø!
I mainly wanted it for Google maps which is more up to date than my Garmin GPS and of course I wanted audio directions.
I could already listen to music via my Sena headset but being able to do it with Android Auto should make it that little bit easier.

Assuming it’s weatherproof I’m excited! I’ve come to love CarPlay- among other benefits it gives the flexibility to use different navigation apps.  Keen to see how it works out. 

Yep, it's waterproof, Steve! 
It also comes with a range of Ram Ball attachments/mounts although I'll be discarding those and mounting it with my own homemade bracket...

[Bodø]

I mainly wanted it for Google maps ... and of course I wanted audio directions.

The Forcite helmet (supposedly) does that too.  I've never used.  The only thing I hear from it when I walk away from the bike to take photos, it tells me I am in range of my device (the tablet in the top box) when I walk back to it.

[NTRebel]

Hey Rusty can you put a link to where you got it as it looks like a good bit of kit.

[Shiney]

That looks like a good bit of kit Rusty

Darkwing has Android Auto and I really enjoy having it.
The phone maps are very good and access to all the apps on the phone is useful (I'm especially enjoying being able to ask the internet random questions about things while riding)


Cheers
Shiney

[ruSTynutz]

Hey Rusty can you put a link to where you got it as it looks like a good bit of kit.

Here you go...hopefully the link works! 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/385739113925

There are quite a few sellers "supposedly in Australia" with the same unit but at higher prices but, going by the delivery dates, they are obviously sourcing them from China after you've ordered them so I figured I might as well get mine straight from China and save some cash.
Delivery was quite quick too, just 10 days from when I ordered...

There are similar units (with a more rounded profile & a removable cradle) out there as well, but from what I can gather, they are a previous model and are a bit slower to boot up.
I believe they also had a bit of an issue with the Bluetooth connection or something like that but then, that might just be what the seller is saying to encourage you to buy this one...lol.
I guess time will tell if I've bought the right one... 

By the way, if you're quick, you can enter a code to get a decent discount from the listed price...

[Marcus]

This looks great, and another plus is on Andriod using google maps you get a speedo on the screen, which you don't get with Apple phones, so you can have reliably accurate speedo.
I've just been mounting my phone with quad lock mounts but I like this option

[Dragonstaff]

...mounting it with my own homemade bracket...

We need to see this bracket, Rusty. (When it is done, of course, or even as it progresses).

[ruSTynutz]

This looks great, and another plus is on Andriod using google maps you get a speedo on the screen, which you don't get with Apple phones, so you can have reliably accurate speedo.
I've just been mounting my phone with quad lock mounts but I like this option

Cheers Marcus! I have a speedo healer fitted to my ST so don't need the extra "speedo" but yes, I can see that it would be handy for some...

...mounting it with my own homemade bracket...

We need to see this bracket, Rusty. (When it is done, of course, or even as it progresses).

Not much to see at the moment, Dave...the bracket is basically an aluminium rectangle with a spacer block of plastic to bring the unit forward enough so the ST's adjustable screen doesn't hit when it's in its lowest position.
I will take a few pics and post them up once it's all up and running... 
It might take me a little while though as I need to take the fairing off to do a decent job of hooking up the wiring.

[ruSTynutz]

Well, that job is done and dusted... 
 
It was all pretty straightforward, my bracket worked out really well and there's plenty of clearance when the screen is in its lowest position.

While the righthand side of the fairing was off I also took the opportunity to replace both headlight bulbs as I had one fail on the way home from the last RTE.
I also replaced the rubber dust protectors as the originals had been cut when the previous owner had installed HIDs.











With the weather forecast predicting fine weather, I might even get out on the road tomorrow and be able to see how it performs!