TomTom Rider 2 GPS Navigator for Motorcycles and Scooters
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Amazon.com Product Description Developed for bikers by bikers, TomTom RIDER is one of the smartest navigation solutions for motorcycles. Switch on and go right out of the box. Just mount the unit on your bike, and you’re ready to hit the open road. Turn-by-turn spoken directions guide you safely door-to-door to any address in the United States or Canada.
The smartest navigation solution for motorcycles. Click to enlarge. |
Developed for bikers by bikers. Click to enlarge. |
Rugged waterproof device, anti-glare screen, integrated sun visor, and gloves-on operation give bikers just what they need while riding. Navigation instructions are spoken via in-helmet Cardo scala-rider Bluetooth headset for great audio quality, external noise cancellation, and added safety and convenience. Itinerary planning helps riders to make the most of their time on the road. And with a choice of routes–including shortest, fastest, non-toll roads, and avoiding highways–you can explore the world your own way.
TomTom RIDER can even be used for safe hands-free calling with your Bluetooth-enabled phone.
TomTom has the most accurate maps, and with TomTom Map Share technology, you instantly can modify street names, street direction, points of interest, and more on your own device.
Included universal RAM mounting kit securely fits most bikes. Optional car mount kit accessory makes it easy to transfer from bike to car.
The TomTom RIDER is the ultimate in smart and easy bike navigation.
RIDER Features
- Maps of United States and Canada with TomTom Map Share
- Spoken Instructions
- Glove-friendly Touchscreen
- Waterproof
- Cardo scala-rider Bluetooth headset
- Universal RAM Mount
- Bluetooth Hands-Free Calling
- 3.5-inch Touchscreen
- Car Mount Kit–Optional Accessory
All TomToms Feature
Plug & Go–Works right out of the box.
Preloaded Points of Interest–Easily find millions of gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more on your route.
30-Day Latest Map Guarantee–Up to date, off the shelf.
TomTom Map Share–Modify your own map and benefit from others’ verified changes with TomTom Map Share.
Help Me! Emergency Menu–Easily access local emergency providers, such as police, fire stations, and hospitals.
TomTom HOME–Always up to date.
Traffic Ready–Optional RDS-TMC traffic receiver accessory keeps you up-to-date on traffic events to minimize potential delays.
Fuel Price Service (optional)–Know more, pay less.
Why TomTom?
TomTom believes that personal navigation should be as easy and safe as possible. TomTom develops smart technology that gives you straightforward solutions, innovations to make life easy.
Easy to Use
- Award-winning navigation software
- Plug & go
Best Maps
- 30-Day Latest Map Guarantee
- Modify your own map and benefit from others’ verified changes with TomTom Map Share
Best Routing
- QuickGPSfix
- Traffic ready
Leader in Safety
- Help Me! emergency resources menu
- Safety preferences menu
About TomTom
Founded in Amsterdam in 1991, TomTom has established itself as a global leader in navigation by being an innovative company with a strong brand, clear customer focus, and high-quality products and services.
TomTom is a leading navigation solutions provider with navigation products sold in 30 countries and in over 20 languages. To further its commitment to car navigation, TomTom acquired Tele Atlas maps in 2008 so that the company can continually provide the most up-to-date maps and intelligent routing.
TomTom has its own mapping company!
Did you know that every year, roads change by up to 40% in high-growth areas? Tele Atlas manages this by using the world’s most comprehensive systems to identify and incorporate these changes into our maps with unprecedented levels of speed and accuracy. All TomTom devices benefit from the Tele Atlas advantage–more coverage, more points of interest, and more freshness and accuracy.
What’s in the Box
TomTom RIDER, Memory card (SD card) with software and maps, USB cable, High quality Cardo scala-rider wireless Bluetooth headset for in-helmet spoken instructions, RAM Mounting kit
Features
- Tomtom Rider Is One Of The Smartest Navigation Solutions For Motorcycles.
- Rugged Waterproof Device
- Anti-Glare Screen
- Integrated Sun Visor, And Gloves-On Operation
- Navigation Instructions Are Spoken Via In-Helmet Cardo Scala-Rider
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 2 x 4 x 4 inches
- Weight: 8 pounds
no replacement parts
The GPS works fine. I have been using it for over a year with no problems. The cradle, however is the weak link. Through searching the internet I have found many people with the same problem. The cradle/dock does not charge the unit anymore, and there are NO replacement parts for this unit from Tom Tom or anywhere else in the United States. There are some in the UK, but I have not been able to find one for myself yet. The GPS now works only as long as it will hold a charge from the home charger, which renders it usless after a few hours. I do NOT recommend this product.
Do not buy a refurb!
This appears to be a great GPS, but if you buy a refurb, they don’t come with the cradle, RAM mount, battery cable, or headset. Do yourself a favor and buy a new unit to get everything. I was able to find a RAM mount with cradle on eBay for $260! After paying $160 for the refurbed GPS, plus $260 for the cradle/RAM kit, plus $30 for a headset puts me @ $450. I don’t know if the cradle kit includes the battery cable and I don’t know if the “spare headset” that I ordered from tomtom will include a charger. I think you get the hint…
A disappointing purchase – but excellent call center staff and service
I ordered the TT2 after reading numerous reviews, some positive and some not so good. What worried me was that I had two Garmin products that work a charm, but their mototcycle GPS was a bit tad expensive. The mounting and setup was easy, but noticeable was the tangible feel – not really making me feel warm and fussy inside about my decision. I hoped that I would be wrong. But I wasn’t. The buttons are too small to work properly with gloves on, even summer gloves. The screen is difficult to read in all but no light situations. The TomTom interface is terrible as well. I sorely missed the easy of use of Garmin products and the fact that I can enter a street address, searching the whole continent if I felt like it. Not with TomTom. You better know the area of the street, otherwise you are NOT gonna find that address! The POI option is also flawed in that it often froze! The worst was that in fairly light rain, the connectors behind the device and the mount got wet and rusted. I frequently had to clean the rust of them – and then finally on of the four pins got stuck inside its little channel and now makes no contact. It is dead as a dodo!
Going onto the TomTom website for spares or accesories – well, all I can say is don’t bother – there is none! When looking for a GPS for your bike – don’t look to TomTom 2 – go for the more expensive but far superiour Garmin product.
I have located TomTom’s call centre – excellent communication and feedback – very professional! Although based in the UK, they have arranged for replacement part to be send to me within 7 days of contacting them.
Good sound but hard to see in sunlight
It took a bit of cursing and frustration to get the unit to work with my phone. Went to Verison to find a phone that would work (the list from TomTom was useless) and we tried everything in the store, but no luck. I tried again, the next day and for some reason (no one there could figure out why) it started working. The sound from the ear speaker is good enough to hear over very loud pipe and my lack of hearing acuity so the turn by turn is helpfull. My gripe is the screen is hard to see in the sunlight. I bought a couple of glare reducing screen covers which didn’t help much, if at all. I’m off for a 2000+ mile trip to Key West this coming Friday, so I’ll be putting the unit to a major test. One other thing, it would be nice if I could adjust the size of the letters so that I could read them better. My old Garmin did that and I miss it. On the other hand, having a nice lady telling me when to turn is cool. That is almost like having my ex-wife on the back seat telling me how to drive, except the TomTom never gets stupid with me, unlike the ex.
HD toyz.
Awesome GPS.
I’ve put over 15k on my bike since I install the TomTom Rider 2, went trough severe rain storms, rugged roads, very cold and super hot days … and my GPS kept me from getting lost at all times.
Very user friendly, cool looking and priced right.
I’m very happy with it.
Buy the GRAMIN!
It works sometimes, needs frequent reboots and the maps are way out of date even after being updated. Worst of all, TomTom will no longer sell accessories for this unit so if you want a GPS on two or more bikes you need to buy two or more GPS’s instead of buying an extra mounting kit. I should have bought the Garmin but I I went cheap and paid the price after all.
Surprise gift from my wife
Very nice unit; heavy duty and ready for mounting on my motorcycle; ready for the weather. First TomTom, so setting it up was done by the owner’s manual; fairly easy after reading instructions. Blue Tooth headset works great. Everything needed for mounting it on a motorcycle was included. Mounting is secure with a safety strap just in case. Having a little trouble finding a mount to use in my truck. Waiting for the snow to melt for some time on the bike.
Not worth the money to a weekend biker…
I had high hopes for this product. A lot people seem to like TomTom’s other offerings, and this was a GPS geared specifically to motorcycle riders. The design of the case is solid, weatherproof and fairly resistant to the elements. However, it lacks many features I would expect in a motorcycle GPS unit.
The route planning software is worthless. I installed the software, and after about 2 days of trying to design a route to take through Virginia’s mountains, I gave up on it. It is not user friendly in the least. The only thing worthwhile about their software is the ability to update maps, which is the first thing you should do when you get your unit, because the preloaded maps are god-awfully inaccurate. I found an online application the lets me generate maps on Google Maps and convert that to a TomTom itinerary, which to be frank is the only reason I have kept this unit. However, even this solution is imperfect, as the TomTom stores its LAT/LONG entries only to the 5th digit, while Google Maps stores theirs to the sixth digit. This causes rounding errors for some of the waypoints, leading the navigation to tell you to take a right and then make a U-turn, instead of taking a left. This can be remedied by following the entire route on the units “Route Preview” function (which is a nice addition), but it makes adding custom routes that much more difficult. The rounding error isn’t necessarily TomTom’s fault, except for the fact that their method of generating any custom route is so difficult as to be practically impossible that you have to use an outside application like Google Maps and port it over.
The route generation issue is a huge minus for me. I (like many others) am a recreational rider. I like taking country roads around the mountains and the woods, through small towns, and as far off the beaten path as I can get without riding on dirt and gravel. Don’t expect to do routes like that on a TomTom Rider2 unit without the benefit of a computer. Adding a single destination is easy, be it an address or town. Try to add an entire custom route to enjoy a day of backwoods riding and prepare yourself for disappointment. This would be great for a commuter or a taxi driver, telling the user the fastest way to get to one place. Try to enjoy a Sunday ride, and you’re boned if you didn’t plan it correctly before you leathered up. You may as well go home. But at least it will tell you how to get there fast.
I do share some of the reviewers’ other criticisms of the unit. It is hard to turn off and on because of a stiff button, and there is no audio out save for Bluetooth. The battery life on this thing is horrid – six hours away from a wall is too long if you don’t have this wired on your bike. Don’t look forward to a full day ride without sitting down somewhere and letting this thing charge. Even if it’s not turned on, the battery will run itself down. Two weeks in the bottom of my backpack and I couldn’t even turn it on because it had no juice left. In that respect, it’s a very poor design.
The manufacturer touts the touchscreen as being glove-friendly. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Try to load an itinerary, and you’re ok. Try to dial a phone number, and you may as well be punching it with your fist to get the right numbers. Also, the screen is not particularly visible in bright sunlight, and the night colors are a still little too bright and distracting when riding evenings.
But the biggest drawback is price. I bought mine used for half of what it would have cost me retail, and that has played heavily into my decision to keep it despite the drawbacks. I certainly couldn’t recommend playing MSRP for this item unless you light your cigars with $20 bills. The value just is not there for this unit’s level of performance. Buy another “non-Rider” GPS that keeps inputting custom routes easy and you’ll be better off.
good but could be better
it’s a darn good piece for the bike, lacking a voice for use while driving is a major shorcomming. a small self contained speaker or cheapie blue tooth earpiece would probably suffice.
this is a minor issue, but i can’t change the cursor, either. no big deal, functionally, but if a feature is equipped, it should definately work.
Disappointed…
I just got the Rider2 and linked my cell phone. I like the functions and would probably be more favorable to the unit if the mount would charge on my motorcycle. The unit will charge using the AC adaptor but won’t charge at the cradle. After doing some diagnostics with a voltmeter, I called support at TomTom. They agreed that it was the mount but will not send me a replacement because they told me today (8/31/09) that they have discontinued the Rider2 and don’t have any mounts to send me. I told them that they should have one around there somewhere from a return at least, but Roberta insisted that they don’t have spare mounts and that she could give me the names of retail places where I could buy one. I am terribly disappointed in this kind of service on a BRAND NEW device!
Great!
The headset is nice, the GPS works great, I got great service and fast shipping….
So so
First unit shipped to me stopped working after about 5 weeks. Amazon shipped me a replacement even though the 30 day guarantee had elapsed. Very nice Amazon.
I bought this unit for a 900 mile trip around Lake George and Lake Champlain to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, and through the White Mountains. The Rider 2 performed flawlessly. The included Bluetooth headset worked well and was audibly clear up to about 70 mph. Above that my the wind around my helmet is too loud. Increasing the headset’s volume just leads to distortion.
Problems began when the battery would drain completely inexplicably. Weather it was attached to the wall charger or the bike mount, the Rider 2 would power off and show a dead battery even though it was fully charged minutes earlier. I hpe that this problem was just a fluke and that the replacement unit lasts longer.
Good GPS
Very good piece of equipment. Would definitely recommend it. It is missing a couple of features compared to the Zumo, but is also more affordable than the Zumo. Some of the missing features such as MP3, breadcrumbs, etc.. can be added with third party software downloads, which is one of the reasons I went with the Rider. And it appears even more is being developed. It works well with the included Scala headset. Compatibility with my LG Dare is not good.. Mounting hardware is very good, and installation was a breeze. Only issue was with the pre-loaded maps. It did not have the most current map, but a quick phone call to TomTom took care of that. Customer support was good.
Purchase with caution
Bluetooth hookup with your cell phone is a crap shoot at best. All the phones listed on Tom Tom’s web site for Verizon were outdated and no longer sold. When calling Tom Tom for assistance, they simply said they only support phones that they have tested and listed. They couldn’t give me any kind of updated list. Tried changing phones and even carriers and still having issues.
No speaker jack.
Difficult to see in sunlight.
Many of the menu commands have no “back” button so you have to start all over.
Difficult to hear if your motorcycle has aftermarket pipes.
Doesn’t speak road names. Come on, $150 units manage that now.
Had I known then what I know now, I would have bought a much less expensive model with more features, bought the mount seperate, and carried a zip lock bag in case of rain or spent the extra money and got the Zumo.
Maybe the Tom Tom 3 will be better thought out.
Tom Tom rider 2 GPS
So far very very disapointing. I only paid 350 through Amazon and I think that was to much. Sprint is my cell carrier and only 2 phones are compatible and my Black berry is not one of them. I can not run the GPS and the phone through the head set at the same time but it doesn’t matter because I can’t hear the commands when I am on the highway. I thought for the money that it would have the street name in voice directions but it doesn’t and you can’t see the screen in bright sun light. Over all I wish I hadn’t spent the money
Not Very Functional for Motorcycles
I had great hopes for this GPS, however the design has proven not to be functional for use on a motorcycle.
First of all the bluetooth earpiece is not something I want attached to my helmet. I don’t use a bluetooth cellphone so the microphone is just in the way, besides I would not make phone calls while riding a motorcycle. There should be some kind of audio other than the bluetooth
In any kind of sunlight the screen becomes completely invisible. The only time the screen can be seen is at night or when it is dark and cloudy. The mapping system works great, but because the screen is invisible in sunlight and there is no audio for non-bluetooth users this GPS is useless most of the time.
This product needs a negative star rating!!! It’s pure crap!!!
I bought this product from Amazon and received it 4-days ago. In the last 4-days, I have been in contact with TomTom by phone and email trying not only to get detailed information about the product, but also trying to get help with it. This is by far the worst motorcycle GPS on the market.
The Pro’s: (there is only one)
1) They have upgraded the headset to the Cardo Scala Q2.
The Con’s:
The power button is ridiculously hard to operate
1) The screen is unreadable outside either in the sunlight or on overcast days. It looks completely white washed. There are no settings to resolve this on the unit.
2) The documentation included is for the original Rider, not the Rider 2nd Edition.
3) The screen is unreadable outside
4) There is no documentation available from TomTom or from RAM-Mount for the motorcycle mount that is included.
5) The screen is unreadable outside
6) TomTom’s 30-day map guarantee only works if you call and harass them about it. Then you must fax or email proof of purchase before they will comply with there own guarantee.
7) The screen is unreadable outside
9) The screen is unreadable outside
10) THE SCREEN IS UNREADABLE OUTSIDE!!!!!!!
So, in my opinion I can only believe that people who rate this highly either ride only at dusk, or during the nighttime. Either that, or they want everyone to make the same mistake they did, so they don’t feel like they are the only one’s that were taken for their money.
Oh, and did you get it yet?
THE SCREEN IS UNREADABLE OUTSIDE!
The whole purpose of the unit is to use it outside on a motorcycle!
I have owned a TomTom GO910 for a few years, and was actually very pleased with it except for the cost. But I will NEVER purchase another TomTom device after dealing with the company over the last 4-days.
My recommendations would be to please do your research online in advance. The TomTom Rider and the TomTom Rider 2nd Edition are pure crap, because there SCREENS ARE NOT READABLE OUTSIDE! Which itself is ridiculous as they were specifically designed for motorcycles!
Do yourself a huge favor, buy the Garmin Nuvi 550 instead! It’s waterproof with an 8-hour rechargeable and replaceable lithium battery! Plus, its only half the price of the all too overpriced Zumo model! Wanna save even more money, buy the Garmin Nuvi 500. Again, waterproof with an 8-hour rechargeable and replaceable lithium battery. The only difference between it and the Nuvi 550 are the maps. The lower 48 vs. all of North America.
Better than World Nav 7 inch
I own a World Nav Truckers 7 inch GPS unit . Very expensive . Wow I bought the TOM TOM RIDER 2 for half the price and I am more pleased with it . Would I recommend to any one ? Damn sure would . Easy to use Simple to install . Proud to have this GPS on my 2009 Harley Rocker C .
COMPLETE CRAP!
So I bought this GPS for my bike and I was all excited because it looked really cool. I dropped 500 on it and expected it to be what they stated. IT SUCKS! Wouldn’t even turn on at all! And the so called retart button does NOT work. Called TomTom and sent it in and they sent me a new one, sans my charger the man I spoke to had my send in , even though the RMA they created said dock instead of charger. New TomTom doesn’t turn on either! Still haven’t called them back to complain some more because I will probably get very very nasty.
DO NOT BUY THIS WORTHLESS PIECE OF CRAP! Should’ve stuck with Garmin!
Read before you buy the Tom Tom!
I think if you are looking for a motorcycle GPS you should have facts about the Rider 2nd Edition. When I buy a GPS I want it to do 2 things – guide me to my destination and let me know how long it will take to get there. This unit can guide you, and connect to many cell phones through the helmet headset. What it can not do properly is predict how long it will take to get there. When I bought this unit I noticed the time-to-destination was very inaccurate, over estimating times by as much as 40%. For instance, a 105 mile trip on a road with 55 to 60 mph speed limits showed a trip time of 3 hours and 20 minutes. My Garmin unit showed 2 hours and 10 minutes – very accurate. I tried another trip of 32 miles again over roads that were primarily over roads with a 55MPH speed limit, and it showed 1 hour and 15 minutes. My Garmin unit showed 47 minutes – again very accurate. I understand the units add some time for segments in towns and for stop lights etc., but these estimates were way off. As you can see it was computing my trip with a speed of only around 30 MPH. After numerous requests to Tom Tom to make a repair to my unit I was finally told that there is a problem with the map program in the units and they could not do anything about the Tom Tom Rider’s inability to accurately predict the time estimates to reach your destination. Before anyone questions these facts please note I have emails from Tom Tom explaining there are problems with the map programs in these units. The Tom Tom support person ran the same trips on a unit and admitted it was not accurate. I asked Tom Tom to send me an email stating this problem existed so I could return the unit for a refund. They refused stating, “the only thing we promise for this unit is that it will get you where you are going”, nothing more. I recommend if you want a unit that can predict how long it takes to get somewhere buy something else. For $400 to $600 dollars a unit should be able to tell you how long it takes to get where you are going.