I ordered two of these, one for myself and the other for my father. I also installed both of them an our bikes and they work perfectly.
As far as installation goes, I would recommend using a fuse tap (such as an add-a-circuit) from and auto parts store so that the converter box in the line doesn't drain the battery if you don't ride for a while. You may find, however that your fuse circuit is still hot because you may have relays on your fuse box, in that case, I would recommend installing a switch with the hot wire running into the fuse tap so that all you need to do is flip the switch off and the converter box will not use up your battery.
I don't think the converter box uses up that much power, but if it is directly connected to your battery (or you have the fuse tap in a hot circuit ((by hot circuit, I mean that it is getting power even with the ignition off)) ), the converter box IS using power constantly, so that is why i recommend using a switch or a fuse tap to a switched circuit (meaning a circuit that is not receiving power when the ignition is off).
Make sure you ground everything you install, or it won't work, and make sure every new line has a fuse (why i recommend the fuse tap).
You will have to ground the converter box or the setup will not work. If you use a switch with an LED indicator on it, you will also have to ground the switch if you want the LED to work, but not grounding the switch should not impact the setup's functionality as long as the converter box is grounded (speaking from logic, not experience).
If you have any question for motorcycle install, feel free to ask... I know how difficult it can be to find answers to these questions, but fortunately i found a setup that worked for me and my dad. Gilsson Direct Wire Cable for Garmin Nuvi 205 255 265 550 660 755 760 765 775 885 Magellan 1412 4210 TomTom Go 720 OneXL
Nice cable for direct wire up of the Garmin Nuvi. The only awkward part is the fact that the step down transformer (black egg looking thing) is only 2 feet from the plug that goes into the Nuvi. That makes it hard to hide the cable from view. It has a small led to let you know that it is connected to power and that seems to draw a small amount of current even when not plugged into the Nuvi. Keep that in mind if current drain is a concern.
A note inside the packaging for this unit says the following: "Thank you for the purchase of the Gilsson Direct Wire Cable. Please be sure to test our Direct Wire Cable with your GPS to ensure it does not go into PC Charge Mode while connected to the power source. In certain ISOLATED cases of Garmin nuvi 205, 255W and 265W GPS receivers, customers have reported the PC Charge Mode issue.......". Well, my Garmin nuvi 205W displays a PC to GPS connection icon on the screen after about 30 seconds on this power converter, i.e. - the map can't be displayed, making it utterly useless. If the power unit has known issues with certain GPS models they should not list those models as compatible with their product. Back to Amazon it goes.
Wired this direct to my fuse box on my motorcycle. There are two draw backs with this item.
1) Wire connects to the usb port thereby dimming the screen of the garmin until disconnected.
2) Transformer box is flimsy. It worked for two weeks and then failed. The egg contains a small circuit board and fuse. The clips holding the fuse are flimsy and lost contact with the fuse. Had to bend them to make them a bit tighter but I expect it to fail again.
Ok, so I was looking for something to power my nuvi GPS on motorcycle. Read many reviews and picked this one. It does work well. Used ties to position voltage reducer to frame under seat. Then ran striped wires end to splice into tail light. Lastly, I ran GPS plug end under tank along existing wires and tied them down. And there you have it... Riding all day with a powered GPS on a motorcycle.
Junk. Installed on my bmw motorcycle as 5V step down supply to Garmin Nuvi Series GPS. It worked for about 6 hours, then intermittently began failing. Very shortly after, it failed & caused the failure of the gps (supplied 12Vdc directly to the gps). I didn't tear it apart (because I intend to return it), but it's pretty obvious that it doesn't have overvoltage protection on the output. Maybe it is a simple voltage divider resistor network with out any regulation, doesn't matter- it's junk. I replaced it with a Powerlet adapter and new garmin GPS 1500 miles from home in Buffalo NY. That works like a champ, so anyone with a bmw, triumph or other european designed bike, try [...] instead of hardwiring in this device. I am disappointed that it took out the gps and cost me [...] to replace it in the middle of a long trip.
I used this Direct-Wire cable along with a RAM Weatherproof mounting box to put a car GPS on my motorcycle. The voltage converter is about the size of an egg and a little hard to hide on a motorcycle. I solved that by cutting and egg-shaped hole in the foam of the RAM box and putting it in there. Instead of connecting the wires directly to the battery, I spliced them onto a cable with a quick-disconnect plug that attaches to my battery tender's pigtail -- which is connected directly to my battery. That way, I can disconnect the GPS from my motorcycle without having to take it out of the weatherproof mounting box. - Cables - Gps System Accessories - Hardwire - Garmin Nuvi 350'
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