Navman "Spirit" S100 Satellite Navigation System.

The Idea: Because satellite navigation systems dedicated for motorbikes are stupidly expensive when compared to ones for a car I decided to see if it was realistically possible to use a car one on a motorbike. The satnav I have chosen to try this out on is a Navman "Spirit" S100, (see Images 1, 2, 3 & 4) the only reason being is that it is the one that I happen to own already. According to the PDF document instruction manual the S100 has a Bluetooth. I have since found out that the PDF document in question covers three model numbers, the S100, S150 and the S200 and unfortunately the S100 does not have Bluetooth after all. It does however have a earphone / headphone adapter so I am planning on trying earphones whilst wearing my crash helmet. I know this means having wires trailing about but at the end of the day this is just an experiment! The Mount: I need to make a bracket so as to be able to mount the Navman S100 in a place so that the instrument cluster is visible and preferably in such a way that the menu screen can be accessed while it is on the bike. Another point to consider about the bracket design is the need to be able to remove the Navman S100 quickly at the first sign of rain as it is not waterproof. I have the option of modifying the one that came with the Navman S100 which is designed to be used in a car or making one from scratch to my own design. Placement: Originally I was going to mount the Navman S100 unit behind the windshield above the instrument cluster by means of a customised homemade bracket using the homemade chrome crossbar tube idea that I developed when mounting the MD80 Mini DV Camera. However this proved to be impractical as it obscures the instrument cluster when you are in the normal riding position. It would also make it very difficult to fit and remove the unit each time because of the limited amount of room for maneuver. What I decided to try instead was to modify the original Homemade Platform idea that I made to fit over the handlebar securing bolts. This comprised of soft posts and an Aluminium platform held in place with two cable ties so it did not require any of the original bike bolts to be removed or modified. It meant that the Navman S100 unit would turn with the steering but I thought this to be a reasonable compromise. Angle Of Sight: Firstly I made sure the gap under each wheel of the bike was the same when it was on the centre stand by chocking it up with bits of wood under the front wheel, this ensured that it emulated normal riding level. Then I used elastic bands as a temporary means to hold the Navman S100 unit to the Aluminium platform, this would also allow flexible movement of the unit. Note: The homemade Aluminium platform was fitted to the handlebar clamp arrangement with cable ties some time ago when I was experimenting with positions for the MD80 Mini DV Camera (see Images 5 & 6). Using a spirit level app on my iPod I determined that the Aluminium platform already sat at an angle of approximately 20 degrees at the handlebar clamp point when the bike was level, (see Image 7). Conditions: The viewing test was performed on a bright sunny day to see what sort of reflection or glare would occur with the Navman S100 unit at different angles. I sat on the bike in my normal riding position to see how the Navman S100 unit viewed, (see Image 8 to see how it viewed at 20 degrees). To make sure the view of the Navman unit was accurate I did this while I was wearing my Arai Chaser crash helmet as the field of view decreases quite substantially. Due to the brightness of the sun the screen image was hard to see at this angle so I changed the angle of view by putting a packing piece of wood under the Navman S100 unit to lift it at the back by approximately another 20 degrees making a total angle of 40 degrees, (see Images 9 & 10 to see how it viewed at 40 degrees). This time the screen view was much clearer! There was still a fair amount of glare from the brightness of the sun but nowhere near as bad as before. Use this link for more information and layout pictures on the bracket construction.	Image 1: Front view of the Navman "Spirit" S100 satellite navigation system. Navman S100 Front View. Image 1:	Image 2: Rear view of the Navman "Spirit" S100 satellite navigation system. Navman S100 Rear View. Image 2:
	Image 3: Side views of the Navman "Spirit" S100 satellite navigation system. Navman S100 Side Views. Image 3:	Image 4: Top and base views of the Navman "Spirit" S100 satellite navigation system. Navman S100 Top & Base Views. Image 4:
	Image 5: Front view of the previously fitted Aluminium platform held onto the handlebar clamp bolts by cable ties. Aluminium Platform Front View. Image 5:	Image 6: Rear view of the previously fitted Aluminium platform held onto the handlebar clamp bolts by cable ties. Aluminium Platform Rear View. Image 6:
	Image 7: Side view of the previously fitted Aluminium platform, sits at an angle of roughly 20 degrees when the bike is level. Aluminium Platform Side View. Image 7:	Image 8: First test view of the Navman S100 unit temporarily held in place atop the previously fitted Aluminium platform by elastic bands. This sits at an angle of approximately 20 degrees. Notice how the image on the screen is difficult to see because of sun glare. Navman S100 Flat Test View. Image 8:
	Image 9: Second test view of the Navman S100 unit temporarily held in place atop the previously fitted Aluminium platform by elastic bands this time packing the rear out with wood to increase the viewing angle to approximately 40 degrees. Notice how the image on the screen is still suffering from sun glare but clearer than it was in Image 10. Navman S100 Front Angled View. Image 9:	Image 10: Second test view of the Navman S100 unit temporarily held in place atop the previously fitted Aluminium platform by elastic bands, chocked up at the rear by a piece of wood. This sits at an angle of approximately 40 degrees to the riding level of the bike. Navman S100 Side Angled View. Image 10:
	Space Holding Image. Image 11: Page Link To Bracket Construction.	Space Holding Image. Image 12: Page Link To Bracket Construction.