I went down today to meet the owners of the CycoActive motorcycle accessory company in Seattle and to pick up one of these new mounts to see how it could be adapted to the GL1800.
First of all, this thing is a German work of art! It's made of high-strength aluminum, fortified and braced in all the right places and looks overall to be a very well designed product.
One thing I liked about this mount is that it is metal - it will take a lot for this thing to give way on a Goldwing. In addition, it can be locked to securely hold your $800 investment in place. Granted, if someone really wants it, they'll find a way, but I think it would keep a casual walk-by thief away while you're in the restaurant.
Another thing I noticed is the clamping mechanism - the unit clamps down onto the GPS using three cushioned surfaces to prevent damage and when the unit is clamped in place, the angle of the top clamp bracket is such that it can't be lifted up. The unit, by design, is self-locking (this is without the key).
This means that a hard jolt can't cause the GPS to lift the clamp up, releasing itself. The only way to release the unit is to lift up on the back of the release tab at the top of the unit.
The key lock mechanism will keep the unit from being released and the key can only be removed in the lock position - this will force you to lock it in place each time.
The unit includes a stylus (held in place on the back of the mount) and a small clip to hold the power cord in place when you've got the unit removed.
I made a quick prototype bracket to see how it would mount, since the standard clamp is designed to attach to a handlebar. They sell a "universal" mount that will adapt this mount to the handlebar clamp bolts, but it's not tall enough to clear the switch housing on the 1800.
Here's a blurry picture showing the approximate location from the riding position: (seen a little low - I've got a 30" inseam and it just about completely covers the speaker)
Here's a side view:
I have no connection to them, you can buy them direct if you're interested. I might make a permanent mounting bracket for them (what's the use of mounting this on a RAM mount which is easily removable?).
More (and larger) pictures of this installation are available here.
The dash mounting location may be a little tricky because of the requirement for inserting and removing the key from the back of the unit, but I may work on that this weekend or possibly modify it for an electric remote release. :wink:
First of all, this thing is a German work of art! It's made of high-strength aluminum, fortified and braced in all the right places and looks overall to be a very well designed product.
One thing I liked about this mount is that it is metal - it will take a lot for this thing to give way on a Goldwing. In addition, it can be locked to securely hold your $800 investment in place. Granted, if someone really wants it, they'll find a way, but I think it would keep a casual walk-by thief away while you're in the restaurant.
Another thing I noticed is the clamping mechanism - the unit clamps down onto the GPS using three cushioned surfaces to prevent damage and when the unit is clamped in place, the angle of the top clamp bracket is such that it can't be lifted up. The unit, by design, is self-locking (this is without the key).
This means that a hard jolt can't cause the GPS to lift the clamp up, releasing itself. The only way to release the unit is to lift up on the back of the release tab at the top of the unit.
The key lock mechanism will keep the unit from being released and the key can only be removed in the lock position - this will force you to lock it in place each time.
The unit includes a stylus (held in place on the back of the mount) and a small clip to hold the power cord in place when you've got the unit removed.
I made a quick prototype bracket to see how it would mount, since the standard clamp is designed to attach to a handlebar. They sell a "universal" mount that will adapt this mount to the handlebar clamp bolts, but it's not tall enough to clear the switch housing on the 1800.
Here's a blurry picture showing the approximate location from the riding position: (seen a little low - I've got a 30" inseam and it just about completely covers the speaker)

Here's a side view:

I have no connection to them, you can buy them direct if you're interested. I might make a permanent mounting bracket for them (what's the use of mounting this on a RAM mount which is easily removable?).
More (and larger) pictures of this installation are available here.
The dash mounting location may be a little tricky because of the requirement for inserting and removing the key from the back of the unit, but I may work on that this weekend or possibly modify it for an electric remote release. :wink: