Tomtom RIDER GPS Receiver

Good piece of kit for your motorcycle the only thing that is a must , its worth going onto the tom tom website to download the latest software as my new one was out of date.This service is free all you need is a pc conected to the tom tom which is supplied in the box.

First impressions - the screen seemed smaller than the 510, but you soon adapted to the difference. Its more rugged than the 510 and judging by the amount of rubber around, pretty waterproof.
The RAM mounting system is excellent - I've got the setup mounted on the bars. When I'm driving / riding I like everything in line with the speedo so you quickly glance down and back on the road. There was no visible vibration on the Rider 2 at any legal speed, and the ability to adjust the screen angle and position by means of a large, spring loaded, turn screw gave, instant tweaking for the best view and light conditions. I am going to mount a fixing point above the clocks between the screen and the top facing of the clock consol ,which will put the Rider 2 in my most desirable position. The part needed (same as the part that fits onto the top slide plate) costs less than $7 + postage direct from RAM - web address on TomToms website

HEALTH WARNING - if you mount the Rider 2 on the Handlebars - CHECK THAT THE RIDER2 DOESN'T TOUCH THE SCREEN ON FULL LOCK BOTH WAYS -its better to make sure before you are banked into a corner at 60mph! I've a tall touring screen. A small turn of the RAM adjustment screw does the job

There is no connection for a standard (ipod type) ear piece (probably a waterproofing issue) but the Rider 2 comes with a CARDO SCALA Bluetooth headset. It fitted and worked first time, though some experimentation with the best fitting postition is needed. It is not exactly clear where the on /off switch is until you try it a few times. Two minor grumbles - as a junior wrinkley, my right ear has the best hearing, and the headset will only fit on the left side, an secondly the length of wire to the earphone is short, another 10cm would make a lot of difference to fitting position. Also the earpiece is quite a large diameter and needed a few positioning tweaks to get it into the best position. I have a helmet (Nolan) with a flip up front, similar to the type used by the traffic police motorcyclists. Mounting the SCALA in the correct position for the microphone boom at the side of the mouth meant that the open /close release on the helmet front was very close to the mike boom and the bluetooth transmitter. A longer boom would be better for this type of helmet. Since I spend less than £20 a year on mobile calls, I checked that the bluetooth connected to the phone, but am not going to use the phone facility - anyway when I'm out biking - I'm NOT available! I therefore mounted the SCALA further back towards the rear of the helmet and pushed the microphone end under the trim, out of the wind, and out of sight, and no chance of the helmet catch being compromised. I therfore wont be using the phone options, which I suppose limits me if I wanted TOMTom Traffic. Volume is ideal at 85% above that it tends to distort. At 70 mph the message is not always clear but all you have to do when you hear a mumble is glance at the Rider 2 screen and get a visual clue - off in 1.5 miles etc

Upgrading / Connecting to the internet
Then 510 uses TOMTOM HOME 2.2 where the Rider 2 uses the older v1.5
Thats a bit of a bind when you have 2 satnavs, but probably not an issue if you don't

The 5 hour battery time should be adequate for most people, though if you are into long distance touring like myself, you will need to have a power supply from the bike installed. If Tom Tom made Home 2.2 compatible with Rider 2 it would be the icing on the cake.