garmin gps60cs

[Dirtysouth]

Anyone have one of these and how do you like it? I am looking to upgrade from the vista and was wondering if this unit is worth it. Any pics with it mounted? Would you recommend the touratech mount or ram?

[Jeff@TheQuadShop]

I'm looking to get one too. I'm comparing it to the 76cs which has more memory but I don't like the buttons being on top.

[gaspipe]

The big question to ask yourself is how far do you plan to go?

If you're planning to go 1,000 miles of non-interstate and main road, you'll find the 60 series GPS won't have enough memory to accept the detailed maps for the whole route. Those detail maps use up lots of room.

I use a 60C for local stuff - a few states over and back. It's rugged as hell, relatively fast and has a bright display. I've been into Canada and Mexico a few times with it, and those long runs really spotlight the memory deficit.

I have found that I really need a 276C for my long trips. I'm just too cheap to buy one, as that 276C was about $250 more than the 60C was. So I compensate by loading detail into only specific areas. That won't last forever.

[Dirtysouth]

Gaspipe I only need one for the local stuff with the DRZ, like you said possibly the neighboring state or something but thus far the vista has held plenty for what I use it for and it only has 24mb. I was curious about whether or not the display is any good and if the color helps out any?

[gaspipe]

Originally Posted by dirty_south400s

Gaspipe I only need one for the local stuff with the DRZ, like you said possibly the neighboring state or something but thus far the vista has held plenty for what I use it for and it only has 24mb. I was curious about whether or not the display is any good and if the color helps out any?

The display is great. Way better than the old style monochromatic screen GPS.

Don't fool around with batteries, and hard wire it to your battery. The screen and backlighting are very good, and for limited distances, the 60C is a great GPS. Rugged, easy to use, and relatively fast. It also has advanced autorouting capabilities and other cool functions built in.

So, if you're not planning to ride to Deadhorse via Billings and El Paso, it'll do a good job for you.

I like my 60C waaaay better than my Garmin V.

[sfarson]

I think it is one of the finest GPS's around. Only limitation, noted above, is the space available to store backroad information for a big and huge hairy trip. But I've never come across this need or situation yet, and all main roads are built in.

It is rugged, has a great color display for outdoor viewing, includes most every feature desirable for riding (or hiking), and a feature I really like is how the thing lasts and lasts on just two AA batteries... maybe 25 hours at least? No need for any external cabling or power source imo.

[leewildwater]

I really like my 60c. The color screen is worth the extra $ in my book. I use it on my XR650R with RAM mount and an extra "ball" for the winsheild in the truck. Very easy to go from bike to truck. Got it from http://www.gps4fun.com/ Ray there was very helpfull and got me set up with the accesories including the topo map CD. Pretty easy to download from disc to the GPS and doing like a 300 mile radius of home is not problem. Only problem I have with the TOPO map is the icons it shows for receration areas in like a 30 mile area. All you can see in this area of Western NC is the icons and have to zoom out or in. I had mine hard wired in voltage reg went out and fried the thing. Sent back to Garmin and had a new one in less that a week. Overall - very impressed with the unit, the customer service from Ray was very good and Garmin's quick replacement gets two thumbs up..

[Twilight Error]

Consider spending the extra couple bucks for a 76C - you get 2x the memory, but the same autorouting and color screen as the 60C. I've got all of New England and New York (excluding NYC, where I never drive) in mine. You're concerned about mapping in western N. Carolina? You can load all of NC, WV, Va, Tn and a good portion of Ky. More memory is always better.....

[topes]

I have a 60C. I busted off a battery terminal before learning that batteries are taboo off road on a single cylinder 650. Other than that, I use it in the police car connected to my laptop by USB cable. It's not that the stock screen is too small, it's just that the laptop screen offers a wider perspective. It works great for local stuff. With the auto-routing, I pretty much let it take me where it will. Rarely do I find my personal choice for a route would have been different.

Since I bought the 60C, I have compared specs with the Meridian Color. I like the portability of a handheld unit. The 60C appears a bit tougher. The battery cover on the Meridian looks cheesey. The Meridian only has a serial connection compared with USB on the 60C meaning that downloads are quicker on the 60C. On the mega-plus side, the Meridian has removable memory. We all know that means one could load different maps on the road without a
PC.

[slide]

Originally Posted by dirty_south400s

Anyone have one of these and how do you like it? I am looking to upgrade from the vista and was wondering if this unit is worth it. Any pics with it mounted? Would you recommend the touratech mount or ram?

I have a 60CS I got after selling a 76S. I like the 60 quite a bit. I also got the Topo USA loaded which is quite handy. Here is a pic mounted on my V:

60CS on V-Strom

Let me know if you wish any details about ops, special considerations, etc. BTW, the trick, I'm told, with the batteries, is to tape or solder them together and then use dielectric grease or vasaline on the terminals. I"ve used my 60CS on my DRZ riding somewhat roughly with no problems, but for sure, if you can, pullling the batteries has to be better.

I keep my bats in as I stop my bike then take a hike.

[markjenn]

I like my 60CS.

I've had no issues with battery shutdowns even on a big single (640 Adv) by simply stuffing a little paper between the batteries to keep them from rattling around. I wanted to solve this problem because I use the 60CS on several bikes and hate running power dongles.

If you're traveling with a laptop, the memory issue is inconsequential as you just reload every few days. But if you're not traveling with a computer, then it could become a problem if you need to wander around large areas (several states) without knowing the route you'll be taking and/or want guidance in urban areas. It's never been an issue for me - on a recent adventure tour, I loaded detailed maps for most of Oregon and Washington and had nearly half the memory left over.

My biggest gripe is how the display washes out in bright sunlight, but the 60CS is no worse than anything else I've seen.

- Mark

[cbmwgs]

The display gets brighter in direct sunlite. It has twice the memory of the 60C. The buttons on top are no issue. I have used this unit for about 15,000 miles on my GS and it is great.

[cbob]

Does the 60C ever lose satellites?

I have an Earthmate that will track satellites while sitting in the middle of the living room, but kinda hard mounting the laptop on the crossbar of an LC4 . . . .

Any Lowrance H2O users?

- c

[Grey Matter]

I spent quite a bit of time vacillating between the 60CS & the 76CS. Like already mentioned I did not like the buttons on top of the 76CS. I did however end up going with the 76CS in the end due to the lager memory capacity. I am used to the button position & it is not that big of a deal overall.

I have had it for about 6 months & it has been great, I am not disappointed in the least. I also use batteries in mine. I used a thin piece of foam under the batteries to keep them from vibrating. So far so good.

[Richard Ray]

I love my 60C. I use it for dual sport rides, hikes, bicycles and just walking around Denver. I didn't think it would work for long trips on the motorcycle, but even that hasn't been a problem.

Last summer we went from Denver to the Grand Canyon, Laguna Seca, San Francisco, up highway one and then over to the BMW national in Spokane. I just loaded selected places that I thought the GPS would come in handy. I really didn't need a detailed GPS map to go from the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas or any other interstate or major highway section. The map that comes loaded with the unit works fine for that. In any event...it worked fine for a long trip too.