you can buy a car phone charger and hook up a cigarette lighter to your battery...I think you can do it with only an inline fuse and the wiring....PM IAMGUMBY, I think he has a similar set up on his bandit. That would keep you going with your iphones 3g....Only downside to that is you wouldn't be able to adjust it while driving I don't think, screen is too small.

 

Putting an accessory plug on a bike is pretty straight forward. An inline fuse will do. I put an 8 point fuse box under my seat. That powers a 3 point power supply (cig lighter plug ins) onside my tankbag for charging my phone, electric-heat vest, radar detector, etc. Another run powers my driving lights.

I'm pretty ignert about iphones 3g; and what they do. But if you need a mount so that you can see it go to cyclegadgets.com They make RAM mounts that fit most anything; top of the line stuff, too. No Mickey Mouse junk.

 

Check out the Tom Tom 720. It's last year's model and right now best buy has it for 180 with free financing if you need it.


http://www.bestbuy.com/site//olspage.jsp?id=1179877502890&skuId=8400198&type=product

 

I have a Garmin Nuvi 200W, and it works great. On a bike I'd steer clear of tomtom, only because they're pretty bulky IMO, my folks have one and I hate it. The garmin is just a wee larger than the iphone, and is widescreen, easier for viewing for me. Plus it has a built in battery that I get a good 4 hours out of.

As far as a cigarette lighter on the bike, you can get fuse mounts at radio shack for next to nothing, as well as bare end cigarette lighter plugs. The entire setup can be had for next to nothing there, and you can get exactly what you need, just don't ask any of the sales reps unless they're 60+, all the kids at my local radioshacks are more interested in their cellular phone sales, and haven't a clue about anything technical.

 

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...et/producte/10001/-1/10001/280441?&cid=chanintel&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=280441#

Garmin Nuvi 200w for $119. Very thin, easily pocketable, and doesn't "magnet" you to the road, so if you go off road it'll understand.

 

J.C. Whitney has this weatherproof power point.

http://www.jcwhitney.com/OUTSIDE-MOUNT-POWER-OUTLET/GP_2001706_N_111+10202+600003962_10102.jcw

 

no batteries required

but seriously, i was just on a 2400 mile round trip to minnesota, and the GPS was virtually worthless. we named it uturn. it actually ended up adding time to our already long drive home. i then drove all over dallas and fort worth, made heavy use of a paper map, and never had a problem. personally, i find GPS systems annoying and not worth the hype. i've had some... interesting... experiences with electronic maps in the last year.

my suggestion is to get a tank bag with a map window. if you get hopelessly lost, pull over and use the iphone's GPS to figure out where you are. but if you're that lost, your iphone probably won't have service. lol

 

I have used both phone based gps and a tomtom if you use them right and get a good one your have no proplems. Though the other day i did get lost in the middle of the country but it was my fault. I hit the point of interesd button and it took me to a fire dept. 5 miles out of my way. Totaly my fault.

no batteries required

but seriously, i was just on a 2400 mile round trip to minnesota, and the GPS was virtually worthless. we named it uturn. it actually ended up adding time to our already long drive home. i then drove all over dallas and fort worth, made heavy use of a paper map, and never had a problem. personally, i find GPS systems annoying and not worth the hype. i've had some... interesting... experiences with electronic maps in the last year.

my suggestion is to get a tank bag with a map window. if you get hopelessly lost, pull over and use the iphone's GPS to figure out where you are. but if you're that lost, your iphone probably won't have service. lol

 

I don't specifically use a gps for it's directions, i use it as a suggestion and guide. generally I look at the map before hand on google maps, then use the gps to tell me when i'm coming up on roads that I'm going to need, and how far away they are. I drive from philadelphia to texas every year, and it's 3 roads the whole way, that's not hard. However the gps gives me a good idea of where i am and what the turns are going to look like. Also, 2400 miles i'm sure that you don't have a map for every location you were, especially a detailed one. That's also where GPS comes in handy. Plus you can use it to locate things like automotive stores, gas, resturants, etc. In the middle of nowhere going cross country, a locator of where the nearest gas station is can really be handy.

 

no, we didn't need the GPS much over the entire 2400 miles, but it's called uturn for a reason also, we needed an automotive store for a new tire at one point. the GPS pointed us to one that had probably been closed 6 months, while we were sitting in its parking lot.

using it as a map was too much trouble while driving, i can't imagine having to do that on a bike.

call me old fashioned, but these work pretty well too.

i figure that, coupled with a 60 foot tall sign, can't be too easy to miss...

i may be biased, scared of electronic failure and being an eagle scout, but there's no substitute for a good map.

 

most gpshave updates might run it and make sure there up to date I have had more proplems with mapquest then any gps. Though i am poor at using a map. I will never travel without one

no, we didn't need the GPS much over the entire 2400 miles, but it's called uturn for a reason also, we needed an automotive store for a new tire at one point. the GPS pointed us to one that had probably been closed 6 months, while we were sitting in its parking lot.

using it as a map was too much trouble while driving, i can't imagine having to do that on a bike.

call me old fashioned, but these work pretty well too.
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i figure that, coupled with a 60 foot tall sign, can't be too easy to miss...

i may be biased, scared of electronic failure and being an eagle scout, but there's no substitute for a good map.[/QUOTE]

 

Hey now, I'm an eagle scout, and I know a good map is plenty handy. However there are stretches of highway I've traveled for 100 miles without seeing a single sign other than exit. Nothing for fuel, food, or anything else. Not all bikes get more than 100 miles per tank, so when you switch to your reserve, you'd be really hoping there's something very close.

 

well i first of all have the iphone gps which i strongly rely on when i drive my car. Not that i need it to drive everywhere, but its really nice when somebody tells you an address and you can just plug it in and go. My parents also have a tomtom 710 or 720 i believe. I was already looking at RAM mounts.

Just the battery part worries me. I can get a gps but I'm afraid of the battery running out when i need it cause i might forget to charge it.

Im not into electric stuff so i might electrocute myself at least a dozen times before i get it right, so the only answer for me would be just to get one of my friends who know about that stuff to do it.

can anybody find the fuse that i need to buy and the cigarette jack online? and list any other materials that i might need? thank you all for your responses.

 

Something like this:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102783

They'll have the cig lighter, too. You might want to just go to an auto parts store and see what is available. An inline fuse; Primary wire; cig plug in and a power outlet...that's all you need....well a little solder and black tape, too.

 

well get a cig lighter port one that has battery clips then use a car charger. Might use a fuse just incase it gets a surge.
My mom and dad got the spring verizon of the iphone looks the same and is a great phone. why not just get a atv or handheld unit i have seen them for around 300 or so. heck your phone cost that

 

im just really used to my GPSs. ive been using them for a while now and im not the best at readin maps. so far theyve been good to me except for a time when they told me to turn left into a concrete rail guard. im still in one piece so i'm probly gona try to mount one on my motorcycle next summer and see how it goes.

 

LOL, yea i have had my garmin try and drive me into the ocean.....or its really funny if you are on a ferry....it acts weird

 

I was just lookin at iPod accessories and found gomadic iPhone charged. Sorry can't post the link cause iPhone does not support copy and paste. But it uses 4 AA batteries and is the size of the iPhone itself. So now I'm wondering if I can just get a gas tank and leave it in there, and if ram mounts will have a iPhone holder that will have an opening for the charging cable. It will solve my problems pretty easy plus I will have a portable charger that I can carry anywhere

 

How do you plan on actually using the iphone though? My concern is that the iphone doesn't automatically adjust as you drive. It requires you to hit "next" to keep directions going does it not?

The Tom Tom works just fine if you slide it in a tank bag with a clear window on the top. It's nice to have blue tooth so you aren't looking down at it all the time and I don't think the nuvi has that does it?

 

yeah the iPhone doe not automatically adjust but it highlights the way you have to go so you can just follow it. That's what I usually do so iPhone will most likely will be my best bet with that charger coming out of a fast tank bag

 

To me that's just dangerous, constantly having to reach down and push "next" with gloved hands through a tank bag. It's been my experience that the touch sensor on iPhone doesn't work all that well with gloved hands.