HX-M1 Motorbike Smart GPS Navigator
I have had nearly six months to play with the Hema HX-M1 on my Suzuki DRZ400. It continues to be a very useful tool for my bush travels. If you missed it, read part 1 here.
Simpson Desert Proven
I recently completed a Simpson Desert crossing with friends on a pair of DRZ400s. Friends rode my bike with the Hema unit, and I borrowed my son’s bike. Reliable GPS positioning and mapping in remote locations like this is imperative.
The Hema survived operating temperatures well in excess of 40 degrees, plenty of bouncing around in dunes and heaps of high speed corrugated tracks. Unfortunately, field testing involved a bike cartwheeling crash resulting in a broken collarbone, but the Hema kept ticking along.
However, I think the most demanding environment for the Hema was the thousands of kilometres the bike spent strapped down in the back of a ute on dusty outback roads. With the bike suspension compressed, the bike tends to cop a bit of a pounding, but the Hema made it there and back in one piece.
Two Mapping Systems
Access to two mapping systems (Hema Nav and Hema 4WD maps) has proven to be a great feature.
Hema Nav is the core system supplied with the unit. It’s very powerful because it carries many layers of data. The easiest way to access more data is to zoom in. This reveals a treasure of information for remote travel such as campsites, fuel locations and water points.
Hema Nav is also great for off-road guidance - just plug in a destination, and it will get you there. A 3D view function creates a unique way to see the gradients ahead of you if topographical lines are not your thing.
I find myself more often using the optional Hema 4WD digital maps. I like to have a good look at the old-school Hema paper maps before I set off on remote trips, as nothing beats the big picture perspective. Then when I pull up the digital version on my screen, I am looking at exactly the same thing.
The other big advantage of the Hema 4WD maps is that once you pay for it, you can also run it on additional devices. This was very handy to run on my phone as I did not have the HX-M1 mounted on my borrowed bike for the Simpson crossing.
Locked to the Handlebars
The HX-M1 is hardwired to the handlebars, which meant we didn’t have to worry about recharging the unit over multiple days of desert riding.
However, it does mean you can’t remove it for some e route planning from a comfy lounge chair before you head off. If this is important to you, one of the portable Alpine navigation units, which can be mounted to the bars with a quad lock, might be more suitable.
In my case, I will be patient and wait for Hema to release its cloud-based system. This will enable advanced route planning on a computer, which can then be shared to devices.
The Bottom Line: When travelling remotely, Hema on the handlebars is gold!
