TomTom Rider 2 is a first class GPS unit, to say the least. A car mount adapter can be purchased for use in a car. It has a lot of different and even innovative features, which are all explained in the manual that is in the unit itself (the inclusion of the manual directly in the unit is itself an innovative act, by the way). Overall, it’s an awesome GPS navigator unit that falls in the low price category, but still has almost every feature needed for an average biker.

Review:

The documentation is okay, as only the setup instructions are in it, the rest is in the unit itself. After you actually set up the unit, it’s easy sailing, as everything’s easy to understand and use, as the rest of the instructions are next to the actions and you can customize almost everything on the screen when the unit is set up. The best part of it is that you don’t have to carry a manual with you all the time, as you can just put the book that came with it away and use the unit to discover everything for you.

You can load your whole address book into the unit if your phone has Bluetooth support, it’s definitely really helpful. It also allows you to make hands-free calls if you have a headset. The device is water-proof (it’s made for bikes though, so it’s not a surprise), it acquires the GPS signal really fast, and has a long battery life. The screen has great graphics and an adjustable brightness. The sensitivity of the touch screen is also nice and can be connected to your computer for ultra-fast map download. It also allows Outlook to download your contact database and the voices of map directions are okay to choose. It lacks multimedia support, compared to other models, but you can get yourself an iPod for the money you saved if you chose TomTom Rider 2.

While there are newer models than the TomTom Rider 2 that are loaded with a lot of other features, the only feature missing from this GPS unit is the lack of spoken street names when navigating. There is one but – it makes you double check everything you see -, and double-checking is a thing you should always do, as you’re probably using it on a bike. It’d be hard to find a better alternative in terms of price, functionality and quality – and it’d be hard to find a better present for a hardcore biker – a portable, easy to install and use GPS unit with a built-in visor and a touch-screen that can be used with gloves.