Product Description

TomTom Rider Great Britain

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139962 in Consumer Electronics
• Colour: fire
• Brand: TomTom
• Model: 1K00.060
• Released on: 2005-08-03
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: 3.79 pounds
• Memory: 256000000MB DIMM
• Hard Disk: 30000GB
• Native resolution: 640x480
• Display size: 66.9291338583

Manufacturer's Description
Plug and drive: no installation or activation necessary; just feel the freedom! Easy to use: drive mode tailored for simple touch-screen operation, even with gloves. Designed for 2 wheels: TomTom RIDER isn't just rugged and weatherproof, it also gives you a perfect view of the screen thanks to anti-glare screen technology and an integrated sun-visor. Clear 3D maps and spoken instructions: hear crystal clear spoken turn-by-turn instructions in your helmet in the language of your choice using Bluetooth TM wireless headset. Home charger (battery life up to 5 hours) + battery cable (recharges from bike's battery) means you are always ready to ride. Door-to-door planning: Find your way to any address in your region / country. Hands-free calling: TomTom RIDER routes calls from your mobile phone using a wireless Bluetooth link so that you can keep in touch safely without taking off your gloves or helmet. Wireless headset included: Bluetooth receiver + earphone cable with integrated microphone. Mounting kit available to make RIDER fit any bike or scooter. Ready for TomTom PLUS: enhance your ride by downloading biker-friendly points of interest, real-time traffic and weather information, safety camera information and much more&

Box contents:

Customer Reviews

Tomtom Rider
A great unit if you are only wanting to use it on a motorcycle. If you want to swap between car and bike there are a few niggles - mainly the fact that it does not support any speakers, so when used in a car you still have to wear the bluetooth earpiece in order to hear the voice navigation. It's a shame really as the advertising is a little misleading on this subject, particularly as many motorcyclists are also car drivers.
In use on the bike the unit senses when you are in moving and then prevents use of many of the features, supposedly for 'safety' - you cannot, for example, replan a route or make an outgoing phone call. There is a way around this that involves some sticky tape - this can be found amongst the tomtom forums, but it dissapointing to have to resort to this.
Overall, the functionality of the unit is fantastic, it is the practicalities of its use that let it down slightly.

Tomtom Rider
I bought this item partly as a way to navigate the streets of London and partly so that I could plan bike routes and follow the Tomtom map/directions rather than having the hassle with maps and risk getting lost. In reflection I would have to say that the Rider is very easy to use in it's simple form, however I don't feel that Tomtom have really given much thought to how a bikers needs may differ from a car drivers.

As you would expect the Rider fits to the bike well and is waterproof etc, however it does have a few functionality flaws. Firstly if you are trying to navigate via more than a few different points (or avoiding several roads etc) then put simply the Rider doesn't appear to be able to do this as it re-calculate the route each time and if you try and do this with too much criteria then it seems to forget about your previously stated parameters. Secondly I was shocked to find that the Rider comes with no software - other than backup facilities. This means that you can't plan your rout on the PC and download it to the Rider. Due to the restrictions that I have already outlined and the fact that planning a complex route on a small Rider screen is extremely difficult I would have to say that it has little more use than an A to B guidance tool. Please also take into consideration that sat nav devices are no replacement for local knowledge, when asking it to calculate the fastest rout between two points that I know well it would often take me around the houses and on several occasions try to send me the wrong way down one way roads etc.

Having said all of this it is really nice to have a birds eye view of where you are on a map, and just seeing the approaching road names/numbers is going to be a big help when navigating your way around as long as you have a rough idea of the route. It's also great to see the angle of corners approaching and if there are any junctions around the corner etc, which is invaluable on those unfamiliar roads. I'm not saying don't buy it, just be aware of its limitations before you decide to do so.