BestScenicRoutes.com

Posts Tagged ‘RAM’

The recent product review of the Garmin Nuvi 500-series GPS received many inquiries about how it was mounted to my motorcycle. This is how I mounted the Garmin Nuvi 500 to a Suzuki DL650 V-Strom.

The Strombone mounting plate is key to easily bolting on a GPS mount to the V-Strom.

To start, I have a Madstad adjustable windshield bracket with the stock Suzuki windshield. A Stromtrooper.com member makes a simple and fantastic custom machined and anodized base to start from. The Strombone mounting plate costs $30 including shipping and is well worth the money. It doesn’t require any drilling because it fits neatly above the Madstad bracket and is bolted directly into the V-Strom’s stock windshield holes. Installation of the Strombone mounting plate requires the extra space provided by the Madstand bracket.

The remainder of the mounting products were purchased from GPSCity.com. Here is more information on each.

The Strombone mount is attached to the basic screw-in RAM Mount one-inch ball (RAM-B-236U $7.42). I used the RAM Mount medium arm (RAM-B-201U $11.95) to allow for easier reach of the Nuvi 500 while seated. Many people suggest using the short arm. This all comes down to your preference. Next up is the RAM Mount diamond plate (RAM-B-238U $5.36) that attaches the arm to the RAM Mount Garmin Nuvi 500-series cradle (RAM-HOL-GA32U $7.37).

From left to right, medium length RAM arm, Nuvi 500 RAM cradle with attached diamond plate ball.

In all the Strombone mounting plate and the RAM mounting products from GPScity.com cost $68.48 with shipping.

I am very happy with the end product. These parts make adding a Garmin Nuvi 500 to a Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom an easy, bolt on affair. As you can see from the pictures, the set up looks great on the bike. It is easy to view the screen and adjust as needed. The Madstad bracket can still be fully adjusted without hitting any of the GPS RAM mounting hardware. Best of all, I don’t notice any vibration being transferred to the GPS.

The final step will be adding a power source so I don’t drain the battery on the Nuvi 500 on long multi-day rides. I still need to get the power socket added. I’ll share that experience in a future article.

Do you have a different set up that motorcyclists should know about? Use the comments section to share how you’ve attached a GPS to your motorcycle.

The installed Nuvi 500 GPS on the Suzuki DL650 V-Strom.