zerMATT
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posted March 31, 2007 08:48 PM
 Edited By: zerMATT on 31 Mar 2007 21:50
GPS Mount: zumo 550 & Ram
Sorry for the low-ish quality... just snapped them quickly:
It easily clears the gauges while riding, there is absolutely no obstruction:
I am using only the lower-bolt on the control mount, the other end of the Ram mount rests on the top of the handlebar mount. It's very solid and does not move at all:
This is what the car mount looks like (please ignore the dust!):
I don't know why some people are talking down about the Ram mount quality, I think it's fine. It's a completely different approach than the Techmount system, but they both work just fine and are consistant in quality.
The only weakness with the Ram system is that if someone wanted to remove your mounted zumo from your bike, all they'd have to do is un-screw the Ram wing-bolt that holds the double-ball joint together, clip the power wire, and they'd be off. That really doesn't make any difference to me though, I'd be more worried about valdalism of the zumo display than anything else, so I'll always be taking it with me if I don't like the surroundings when I'm going to be "out of sight" of the bike.
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'06 Passion Red ZX-14 | Black D&D Slip-ons | Speedo Healer | V1 | zumo 550 | Heli-Risers | PhantomX
  
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zx12boricua
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posted March 31, 2007 09:03 PM
I use a Ram Mount on my 12.(Garmin 60CS). I did over 8 passes at the Texas Mile over 180mph with no issues. It works fine.
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stevewfl
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posted March 31, 2007 09:28 PM
Fantastic, thanks for the pics!!!
I like the fact the RAM pops off so easy, I don't plan to leave mine on the bike. Thats why I was asking about the details regarding the tech mount too.
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fish_antlers
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posted March 31, 2007 09:54 PM
Edited By: fish_antlers on 31 Mar 2007 22:59
quote:
I don't know why some people are talking down about the Ram mount quality, I think it's fine. It's a completely different approach than the Techmount system, but they both work just fine and are consistant in quality
uh... I think the point is that you get what you pay for... they're consitent in quality in the sense that the ram is equal to a $9.95 mounting solution, whereas the Techmount is equivalent to a $75.00 mounting solution...
all things are definetely not equal in the world of bike mounting hardware...
-that being said.. if you're happy with a cheap solution, then the ram will work just fine for you.. if you want something better then the techmount is your choice... try both.. it's pretty obvious when you hold both systems in your hands.
you have both on your bike... point out the differences...
my $2 werth
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stevewfl
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posted March 31, 2007 10:14 PM
Edited By: stevewfl on 31 Mar 2007 23:15
Fish how hard is it to get the unit off the bike when using the tech mount? does it mean pulling that whole stem out?
EDIT: oops Fish just saw the answer in the other thread...thanks!
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2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
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zerMATT
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posted April 01, 2007 06:51 AM
quote:
if you're happy with a cheap solution, then the ram will work just fine for you.. if you want something better then the techmount is your choice... try both.. it's pretty obvious when you hold both systems in your hands.
Why so defensive fish? The Ram mount works fine for this application, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the mount, it does it intended purpose perfectly.
quote:
you have both on your bike... point out the differences...
Both mounts use a quality machined aluminum piece that bolts to your control assy. From there, the units have different intentions. The Ram has a double-ball joint assembly that allows for adjustments at any time, or easy removal if you decide to do that. The Techmount is all bolts and set screws beyond the control piece. It's a very nicely engineered solution, but I've got to tell you that I have to re-tigten the set screws a few times since I got it. Do I like my Techmount, yes, it's great. Do I like the Ram mount too, sure, I have asolutely no problems with it.
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'06 Passion Red ZX-14 | Black D&D Slip-ons | Speedo Healer | V1 | zumo 550 | Heli-Risers | PhantomX
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fish_antlers
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posted April 01, 2007 07:57 AM
I didn't think I was sounding defensive.. I was just trying to state the obvious...
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fastestbusaaround
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posted April 01, 2007 08:12 AM
Uhh...Matt...Techmount advertises on this site -- ya think that could be why? I didn't see RAM here...no offense Monsieur Fishy 
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rudebwoy
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posted April 01, 2007 08:19 AM
any mount is easy to take off the bike. Techmounts offer a steering stem mount that goes into the hole on the steering stem (obviously) and that is simply held in by compressin/friction. It works great but 10-seconds (or less) of pulling and rotating left and right will pull it right out, they also as seen in the pictures have a control attached mount which is kept in by screws, it'll require a hex key (allen key) to remove.
Fact is anythng is easy to remove from your bike is some miscreant wants it, simple! I would very, very, very strongly suggest that you dont leave yoiur GPS unit in the mount when away from your bike. I think it's okay to leave the mount, in fact you pretty much have to because of the power cable being hooked up to your battery.
RAM mounts work great for what they are supposed to do as does Techmounts, I have both in some combination or other on my bikes and I have no issues whatever but I also know that if some knucklehead wants them and has one minute of free time and a handy pocket tool he'll get them. Much like my bar-ends, windshield, levers, smaller farings, etc. You get my point..there are things on every bike that so long as you know how, can be removed very quickly if you think about it
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fish_antlers
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posted April 01, 2007 08:20 AM
Edited By: fish_antlers on 1 Apr 2007 09:21
quote:
Uhh...Matt...Techmount advertises on this site -- ya think that could be why? I didn't see RAM here...no offense Monsieur Fishy
 dood... come on already... advertising or not, we tell it like it is and that's just not fair for you to say that....
Anyone that has both (even Matt) has to admit that the mounts are two different animals... personally I wouldnt trust a gadget I spent a grand on to a ram mount... however, I would use it in certain fitment situations (maybe an ATV or something else)...
I wouldnt put it on a 14, or say a Ducati.... If I had a Duc or some other nice machined bike (like an R1) I'd pick a mount that has an equal amount of fit and finish...
you know what I'm saying is correct... and if you want to call a spade a spade... dont lie.. you SELL ram mounts so you're hardly impartial...
Matt has both of them... I've held both of them... they're apples and oranges.... and yes... if someone wants to steal your shit, they will.
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fastestbusaaround
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posted April 01, 2007 08:28 AM
Edited By: fastestbusaaround on 1 Apr 2007 09:32
Dooood...seriously now...I sell tons of RAM and now apparently, so does Garmin, MIO and a few other OEM's. I've put over 200K miles on at least 3-4 bikes equipped with RAM mounts and Garmins in the last 5 years and not a single issue, ever and still using some of the same original RAM mount parts on the 14, just because I can. I've seen the Techmounts on a few bikes and yes, there are indeed gorgeous and very well machined, but at the end of the day, NO BETTER than a RAM mount and not nearly as flexible in terms of adjustments, sorry. It does look quite sexy as opposed to the RAM, yes...but doesn't offer ANY benefit over the RAM at 1/2 the price or less (free if you buy the ZUMO!)
EDIT -- I could easily get the Techmounts line and sell that too, but I don't see the point for now. I don't make a pile of money selling RAM and trust me, I have zero loyalty to the brand; it doesn't exactly pay my bills...
My opinion isn't based on what I sell, in this case.
...and...you get ad revenue from Techmounts, so you're not exactly impartial either, eh mon Fishmeister?
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fish_antlers
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posted April 01, 2007 08:40 AM
Edited By: fish_antlers on 1 Apr 2007 09:44
thanks for proving my point... you sell ram mounts...
and yes.... I'm impartial.... if something's crap, we tell it like it is.
Garmin sells ram mounts because they're cheap.. not because they're good - that's a fact.
The words "mediocre and adequate" come to mind when describing the Ram mount, whereas in your very own words, the Techmount can be described as "indeed gorgeous and very well machined".
You're saying EXACTLY what I'm saying.
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fastestbusaaround
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posted April 01, 2007 08:44 AM
Me too...and then I stop selling it, because if it continually has issues, that costs me money - so there. If you can be impartial whilst collecting revenue from your clients, so can moi!
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fish_antlers
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posted April 01, 2007 08:48 AM
Edited By: fish_antlers on 1 Apr 2007 09:49
It's a free market.. anyone can buy anything they want.... if someone doesn't give a crap, they can buy a bland middle of the road kit for their bike... if they want something more refined they can spend the extra money and get something better.... like I said.... apples and oranges...
I'm sure that you can buy some pretty basic run of the road tires or brake pads or engine oil for your bike... or if you want something better you can spend some dough and get top of the line stuff.. This isn't a new concept....
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fastestbusaaround
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posted April 01, 2007 08:52 AM
Edited By: fastestbusaaround on 1 Apr 2007 09:53
Indeed it is a free market, but for my money the RAM is every bit AS good and solid as the Techmount, just not as pretty or as nicely machined, but definitely as durable if not more so...and thats my point.
The Techmount DOESN'T do anything better than the RAM does...
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fish_antlers
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posted April 01, 2007 08:55 AM
I'm not entirely sure about that... If that was the case then Garmin wouldnt be featuring a Techmount on their ZX-14 in the window of their new flagship store...
The ram mounts do fail... that's a fact.
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zerMATT
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posted April 01, 2007 09:01 AM
Fish, what is your personal experience regarding reliability of a Ram mount? Have you personally installed and used both? I didn't think so.
The bottom line for me is this, the Ram mount took me about 5 minutes to install with one allen wrench. The Techmount took me 30+ minutes to install with 3 different sizes of allen wrenches, and I had to make tons of adjustments to position it where I liked it, re-positioning it each time with *all 3* of those allen wrenches. Yes, it was a pita, and I've had to re-tighten the screws more than once to get the thing to stop moving around. The Ram mount, on the other hand, hasn't moved a bit, and it won't. I can grab it and feel that it's secure - removing and reinstalling my zumo almost daily. The Techmount starts moving after just a few removals and re-installs of my V1 that is only held on with velcro.
That's it. I said it. I like them both, but don't act like the Techmount is a diamond and the Ram is coal. They both do the job that they were designed for, and they do them just fine. I gaurantee you that nobody will be looking at both of my mounts and saying "wow, that Ram is a piece of shit, but that Techmount is the bomb". Simply stated, there is very little difference between the solutions, they just use different methods of getting there.
And yes, you are being defensive. You admit that you have "held" them both, you don't actually have first-hand experience with both. I'm sorry that you don't, because if you did, you'd see that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Ram system. I have them both, and I have always been a good judge of quality - they are both just fine. I've always wondered why a few aluminum bits from Techmounts costs as much as they do... and I still don't understand why. Maybe it's because they have too many differing solutions, so we all have to pay for their R&D and machine shop? I guess. It's kinda like $189 sliders from Muzzy... do they really need to charge that much for them? No. But people will pay it, so they do.
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fish_antlers
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posted April 01, 2007 09:25 AM
Edited By: fish_antlers on 1 Apr 2007 10:46
Matt... yes I've used them both, and no, please dont speak for me... my experience is different than yours... the techmounts we have used (8 different units) have installed in minutes with no issues whatsoever...
Sorry, but I have to disagree with you... I'm not sure how you see someone disagreeing with you as being "defensive".. I simply disagree with you in the sense that I feel one product (the techmount) is better made than the other (the ram mount).. it's not a big deal.. it's a personal opinion and I'm sure that it should be obvious to anyone that the two products are very different in fit and finish, which is the point I continue to reiterate and which is also the point you interprut at defensiveness... again, I am only pointing out the obvious..
yes... I do agree that both products get the job done... I also feel quite strongly (since it's clearly obvious to anyone who has owned and or held and or used both) that one is of higher fit/finish/quality components...
that being said, I return to my previous point (again).... you could put Motul or Elf in your bike... or you could go down to Pep Boys and buy some cheaper brand of oil... I'm sure that both will protect the engine and many people will argue til they;re blue in the face that one is better than the other blah blah blah... Point is that if you have the cash and you want something nicer, than the techmount provides a product for you. Again (and I'm typing the same stuff over and over) if I had, say a Ducati... I wouldnt strap a Ram mount to it when I could get an anodized to match beautifully machined techmount that fit the bike perfectly...
The ram system is in fact a generic mounting system designed to fit most bikes and ATVs in a generic manner... I know this for a fact... techmount is specifically designed and finished to fit a variety of brands and models... it's a surgical approach rather than a shotgun approach... this is a fact and it's not debateable since I've spoken to the manufacturers of both (and I take it you havent)...
I also feel that I need to add a clarification for how sponsorship of this site works... We allow companies that we believe in to sponsor the site... that means that they make products that we have spent our own money on, tried and tested and know to be reliable... that means that other members that we trust have done the same... We dont whore out the site with ads and sponsors because we feel very strongly that sponsoring the site equates to an endorsement from the community .. I hope this clears things up... we look for companies that we buy stuff from... companies we believe in... (*note the OPP thread in this very forum)
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fastestbusaaround
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posted April 01, 2007 02:28 PM
Again I repeat..."The Techmount DOESN'T do anything better than the RAM does... " and If RAM is such crap, why IS IT the choice of so many OEM manufacturers? Do you think you'll be seeing a Techmount option from Garmin anytime soon? As far as failure goes. you're dead wrong...and I don't care you you got that from; I've been DISTRIBUTING RAM for years, WITH ZERO RETURNS. You have not -- and are repeating the words of some 3rd party schmuck who obviously doesn't know jack about shit. I get annoyed when people speak about things they have no experience with..what I am telling you is based on the facts, not someone's hearsay. I have sold over plenty of RAM product in the past 4 years and have paper proof of the sales VS returns.
Techmounts are beautifully machined, yes -- but you are paying a fucking arm and a leg for that...and it's not justified IMO. Those parts are worth some money, but not 70-80 bucks for a few pieces of aluminum and some rubber gaskets. Anyway, you can take your Techmount and mount it on your beautifully machined Duc but as I said, it won't change anything. The RAM does the same job and DOES NOT FAIL.
BTW, last time I checked, the Duc's spent more time in the shop than on the road...
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fish_antlers
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posted April 01, 2007 02:30 PM
quote:
Again I repeat..."The Techmount DOESN'T do anything better than the RAM does... " and If RAM is such crap, why IS IT the choice of so many OEM manufacturers?
"They don't hire us because we're good. They hire us because we're cheap."
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fastestbusaaround
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posted April 01, 2007 02:57 PM
and you got that from Jeff at RAM? Give me a name -- I know most of them there...
Truth is Techmount is specialized and not really very universal and THAT'S why you won't see them packaged with OEM product. I suspect pricing would not be an issue if the orders were there from the OEM's.
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zerMATT
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posted April 01, 2007 04:28 PM
I'm not going to argue that the Techmount isn't a finely crafted product, it is, and so is a Ducati (so I hear). But for my money, the Ram mount included with the zumo gets the job done, and looks just fine doing it. Keep in mind that we are Kawasaki owners here, not BMW, Ducati, Aprillia, etc... we decided to spend our money wisely on a tool that works great and doesn't cost an arm and a leg while it's doing it.
You don't need to get your fishy feathers all ruffled up because someone doesn't agree with your opinion. Yours isn't the only good opinion here, otherwise, we'd all just be listening to you and not offering up our own fact and experiences. We've all heard about how much better you think the Ducati is than a Kawasaki - so for it... go get yourself that fancy Italian masterpiece with tens of thousands of dollars of Ohlins stuff on it, strap a few techmounts to it to make it "better", and enjoy yourself.
Personally, I like the Techmount for my V1 (that I paid the price of a cheap radar detector for), and I like the Ram that came included in the package of a feature-rich zumo 550. I don't see either one of them ever failing my intended purpose, and they look fine doing it.
Now if Techmount would only follow-up with me on the 49mm fork tube mount that I've asked for about 5 times, I'd be even happier.... their customer service is great when you have them on the phone, but they aren't much for follow-up to phone calls or emails. Maybe the'll improve that some day to match the quality and craftsmanship of their products.
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'06 Passion Red ZX-14 | Black D&D Slip-ons | Speedo Healer | V1 | zumo 550 | Heli-Risers | PhantomX
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fish_antlers
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posted April 01, 2007 05:15 PM
quote:
Truth is Techmount is specialized and not really very universal and THAT'S why you won't see them packaged with OEM product.
Exactly.. the Ram is a universal "generic" mount.
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fish_antlers
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posted April 01, 2007 05:22 PM
this is getting boring... whatever happened to BKNY>? he;d be fun right about now!
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zerMATT
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posted April 01, 2007 06:24 PM
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