TomTom RIDER 2nd Edition
TomTom has announced the new TomTom RIDER 2 in Europe. While it appears certain there will be a USA version since they mention it including maps of the USA and Canada, some of the specifications are still displayed in European values so we are still waiting to get further clarification on a few of the specs. Still, we do know quite a bit about what the TomTom RIDER 2 will offer.
Physical
The TomTom RIDER 2nd edition looks very similar to the original TomTom RIDER. It comes with a 3.5″ touch screen display that measures 320×240 pixels. But being a GPS designed for motorcycle use, there are a few more important physical features to talk about.
The RIDER 2 is designed to be operated while wearing gloves. It also features a more rugged design than a typical auto GPS, and is waterproof to IPX7 standards. So if you happen to drop your RIDER 2 into the water for a short amount of time there shouldn’t be much trouble. More likely however is when your summer ride turns cloudy and begins to rain. This is when you will be thankful for having a waterproof GPS. The user interface has also been tweaked slightly with fewer icons on certain screens to facilitate using the touch screen with gloves.
Another physical aspect about the TomTom RIDER 2 for motorcycle users is the mount. This GPS comes with a RAM mount which is designed to make it easy to mount the GPS on just about any bike. The mount can also be adapted to work in your car. So if you want a GPS that will work on your bike during the weekend and in your car for commutes during the week, there should be enough mounting options for you.
An internal, lithium ion battery powers the new RIDER and should give you about five hours of charge.
Hands Free Calling
Another motorcycle specific addition to the RIDER 2 is the Bluetooth hands free kit. A regular speaker for voice prompts just won’t cut it when it comes to riding a motorcycle and wearing a helmet. TomTom has included Cardo scala-rider Bluetooth headset so you can get the voice prompts piped into your helmet, and the RIDER 2 is compatible with a number of Bluetooth helmets.
Outgoing calls are not supported due to safety reasons while the GPS is moving, however incoming calls are sent directly to your headset/helmet.
Routing
One of the things we don’t know yet is if the RIDER 2 will be running the rumored version 7 of TomTom software. However we can safely say that the RIDER will support many of the advanced routing features TomTom is known for such as Advanced Planning, multi segment routing thanks to the TomTom itinerary planning feature, as well as a host of avoidance and route customization features TomTom is known for.
We are not yet certain of availability in the USA, but plan on spending about $600 for this device sometime near the end of May or after.
| Store | Rating | Best Prices |
|---|---|---|
Compare all prices on the TomTom RIDER 2nd Edition Motorcycle / Scooter GPS ranging from $645.95 to $699.99. | ||
 |  In Stock at Zappos.com | $645.95 |
 |  In Stock at Dell.com | $699.99 |
 |  In Stock at Cost Central | $668.76 |
 | In Stock at Dell Small Business | $699.99 |
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Hi,
I have a TomTom Rider 2, and I was wondering if there is a way to configure it so that the volume to the blue tooth headset increases as speed increases?
Is the TomTom Rider 2 capable of logging the route taken for download later? The portable Magellen GPS I have now will log a ‘backtrack’ route that can then be downloaded to a PC and saved. I like to use this feature to keep a record of the rides I make. The intinerary planner sounds great for long trips.
Scott - There isn’t a tracklog feature built in however there are reportedly some third party programs available that can record them.