SatNav, Skype, email, and surfing. From your motorcycle on the road......
So you like the idea of motorcycle touring, but would also like to have with you some of your "Gadgets", eh ?
Well as a Motorcycle instructor I have a 2 camera system for filming my students and using as a teaching aid. I have a P.D.A. running sat'nav' software, Internet access, Email and a Snooper radar detector all running on my bike. "How" I hear you saying well it's actually not as hard as you might think.
First of all everything I have all fits into a tank bag and can be removed in a matter of seconds just by simply undoing 2 connectors. The fairing on my bike (Yamaha FJ1200) has a small pocket/box mounted in the left hand side. In there I have wired a female Cigar socket. It's fused with a 2A "quickblow" fuse to try and protect everything form a power surge. The Tank bag then has a 3 way cigar socket inside it and is plugged into the permanently wired one in the fairing.
I'll deal with the P.D.A. first. OK, so mine is a HP Ipaq 2210 that was bought second hand off good old E-Bay for £20-00. It came fully working but with no box, software, charger etc just the basic P.D.A. I use the P.D.A. primarily for the "Mio-Map" SatNav software (that by the way makes Tom Tom look stupid). Using a Blue Tooth G.P.S. unit that will quite happily run for about 11 to 13 hrs off one full charge. I just put the G.P.S. down the gap between the "Dash" and the screen of my bike,and Bluetooth "Pair" them together. The Ipaq will only do about 2 to 3 hours whilst running the Bluetooth and the satnav so I have it plugged into a cigar lighter socket inside the tank bag, (1 of the 3), using it's own (HP) 12v power/charger lead (£4.50 E-Bay). With the P.D.A. plugged in this way she'll run as long as you like, so if you need to do a "Long" day….no worries. Put the P.D.A. in the clear plastic top of the tank bag and feed the charger cable to the three way and close the zips up to the wire. Hey presto satnav on a screen you can actually see when riding, and better still up to about 50 M.P.H. you can hear it as well: deep joy eh.
At night on the camp site or in the Bed & Breakfast the P.D.A. then becomes my internet/email/Skype access point. Using a SD WiFi Card and a little programme called "PeekPocket" (to find a wifi signal) you can access the tinturnet or do your email, or like I do using Skype talk to the remaining family back home.
(Skype do a special version for P.D.A. and Smartphones, check out their web site http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/download/skype/windowsmobile/download.html )
Depending on the type of P.D.A. you can use Skype to actually "Phone Home" or use it to type messages, either way using a free wifi connection you can contact folk back home or who ever for FREE, and still watch your items on fleebay or do your emails, nice eh?
Now if all that wasn't just quite enough for you, remember that a P.D.A. running PocketPC (Windows) also acts as your Mp3 player and video player using Media Player, your Calendar/notebook/address book, and even your alarm clock, and all for around £30-00. "I Like it"
I've used the Ipaq now for about a year now, all year round in all sorts of weather and it's never let me down. It's been wet, well very damp, vibrated to death and wazzzzed around teaching everything from CBTs to advanced riding techniques and it's been fine. The "WiFi" cards can be either "CF Slot" or "SD Card" depending on your P.D.A. and start from about £25-00. Now that might sound a lot but think of how much the time in an "Internet Café" would cost. Especially if you were over in Europe. And they are never open when you need them. Wifi spots are becoming more and more now. Hotels/shops/cafés and even McDonalds now have FREE WiFi access, worth thinking about.
The "Snooper" radar detector is simplicity itself. I have a Snooper SD715iS. Using it's own bracket it is simply fitted to the inside of my screen (suckers), then its power lead is routed out of sight down the inner fairing, under the tank bag so the cigar lighter end pops into the tank bag and is plugged into 1 of the 3-way sockets. Once again good old Fleebay came to the rescue. £27-00 from a chap who was "upgrading" to the then latest version. "£27, 27 squid" I hear you shout but think of it this way…………if it only ever saves you once it's cheaper than a fine, and NO points. Do be aware though when over in Europe that MOST of the jolly foreigners don't allow them. My advice check before you set off, as in some countries your bike can actually be confiscated for using a radar detector……not nice.
Any questions you can contact me through this web site or fleemither me direct fj1200neil@ntlworld.com
Here is an article about the "2 camera, bike filming unit".
Article written by and Copyright © Neil FJ1200. Neil FJ1200 is a freelance Advanced Motorcycle Instructor, often working with Mercury Training in Bolton, Lancs. He has toured Europe many times on a venerable FJ1200.