TomTom Rider 400

Good as a paperweight – I have had every component of this (except the screen) replaced and it still does not work, it never has! Support aren't easy to communicate with and mine is still sitting in a bag doing nothing. From the day I bought it, the GPS did not and still does not charge. In the end I gave up, as did every mechanic who tried to install it. Nobody in 3 states of Australia could make it charge/work. Just useless!!!

Rider 400 perfect for sports cars too – My TomTom 900 was getting unreliable and any GPS I use would be in a sportscar and the Rider was designed with the possibility of getting wet and also in direct sunlight. It has performed better than I expected. I can read the screen and the ability to turn the item from portrait to landscape mode is a bonus. The battery lasts a good 6 hours… Read more

without vehicle power too.

the maps are easy to read and the finger pinch for zoom is perfect. At first the unit was extremely sensitive to the point where just moving my hand across the screen was getting a response. But by going into setting I have been able to change that.

I have been able to plan the day trip on the PC and then transfer that to the Rider without problems. The other two setting of how twisty the road and the how hilly the route is perfect for some very exciting drives.

I have not tried to transfer maps from Google as I was not aware of that as I have been using the My Drive web site and it was as good as Google maps.

Points of interest are comprehensive, the live traffic with help from my phone works, the unit finds the GPS satellites very quickly in comparison to the old GPS an pairs well with my wife's iPhone but will not talk to my Blackberry (nothing will talk to the Blackberry so that is not a surprise). Very happy, I got the car kit to as a single purchase and saved money rather than buy it as a kit with the GPS.

A resilient but incredibly flawed GPS – I gave this 2 stars because it can withstand baking in the sun for hours. I once slotted it into a tank bag between plastic dividers because I didn't have a mount at the time. Because it was facing up it was absorbing direct sunlight. When turned off the black screen makes a perfect thermal conductor and so it got so hot I couldn't even touch it.… Read more

Didn't seem to phase the unit at all.

The functionality though is pretty horrible. It is never able to orientate it's starting position and is always off by at least a suburb. Touch screen is finicky and the software is sluggish and unresponsive. The software is very un-intuitive and the UI is not user-friendly at all. The hardware seems very underpowered/outdated, evidenced by how slow it processes information.

Certain indicators/notifications like battery level and charging state are extremely vague, non-existent or simply inaccessible. The way it tracks and illustrates roads is confusing. There's not enough distinction between the road you're on and a major turn-off.

I've gotten lost so many times with this device it's actually funny. So yeah, I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot barge pole.

Not user friendly – I have spent hours trying to use this. I can't work out how to import maps from Google maps, and it has so far defeated me trying to set up a route on the device. The screen is touchy and just when I think I am getting somewhere it takes itself off somewhere else. It doesn't even recognise some addresses I try to search for. I am fed up with this… Read more

thing. Needless to say I should have bought something else.

I was hoping to use it for adventure riding, but I can't even use it to get to the start of the dirt!

Poor mapping – Don't buy a rider 400 to use on a adventure bike.The dirt road mapping is either non existent or very inaccurate.I complained to customer service!,they said there had not been enough complaints logged to do anything about it.And you cannot use another brands map on the device.Should have got the Garmin.Tim H

Worth throwing off a bridge – I have been persevering with my rider 40/400 gps for so long and it’s hard to comprehend how I haven’t seen any smashed by the side of the road. If I had a dollar for every time mine has directed me or has gone out of it’s way to direct me onto a dirt road despite checking the ‘avoid dirt roads’ icon I would be a very wealthy man. This is my… Read more

second device as the first had so many glitches and screen freezes due to a corrupt file in a Tom Tom update it was inoperable and was returned. The replacement went the same way the moment it updated. It took hours of research for me to find the fault and tell TomTom ‘support’ how to fix the device. There appears to be no reliable way of avoiding dirt roads. You can check the icon or update, restart as much as you like, put dirt tyres on your R1 or Panigale because that’s where you’re heading. Tom Tom my drive like the device is an unfinished project and lacks the features and functionality of the device if they actually ever worked. In summary avoid like the plague and spend your hard earned on something else.

Great GPS & Service – Had mine just over 12 months, I have power supply to the unit but it keeps "going to sleep" even when fully charged. Screen blacks out and then 5 mins later lights up again. I have reset it 4 times and still an issue. 12 month warranty isn't long enough for such an expensive product. $700 is a lot to pay, I was very disappointedh however, TomTom… Read more ·  1

were great, they rectified the problem even though it was just out of warranty. Great Customer Service.

Poor customer service – I bought a costly rider 400 within a few months it showed signs of condensation behind the screen and eventually the device malfunctioned. I sent it back to be repaired at my postage cost, a week later no communication, I called to be told that the device will need to be replaced with a new one and would take 1.5 - 2 weeks TJ arrive. 16 days later… Read more

I called to be told I will have to wait another 2 weeks. I told the person I was not happy and asked to speak to a supervisor, surprise suprise none were available so I asked for s call back. No call as yet. Unreal. Very unhappy service. Would NOT recommend purchasing from Tom Tom unless they address my situation satisfactory and if they do I will update this post. Cheers - Stu

UPDATE 11/11/2020 Stay away. I have had 3 devices - Tom Tom Rider 400 - it died due to moisture behind the screen, it was then replaced - it too had the same problem then was replaced - it too is having the same problem. Also the support is also woeful. My last conversation with a technician today trying to get Speed Camera Alerts sorted he hung up on me so based on this experience I would not recommend Tom Tom at all. I would have given no stars but it would not allow me to. Stu

No good for adventure riders – Have had the Rider 400 unit for nearly 12 months, and it continually loses satellite coverage in state forests and national parks. In open areas it works well and maintains satellite coverage, but once you go under a few trees that's it. In other words it can't be relied upon to get you home from the bush, and you can't rely on it to maintain… Read more

coverage in the forests. A mate with a Garmin was with me last ride, and he had perfect satellite coverage the whole trip, whilst my Rider was continuously losing coverage and useless. I've just ordered a Garmin.

Limited accessories available when purchased 3weeks ago – Maps selected dirt rds even with option turned off. mounting system doesn't fit sports bike, R6. wanted to use suction cup mount, none available in S.A. slipped the unit in tank bag map pocket and it got so hot the screen went bad but my phone next to it was perfect and maps worked fine. tried to turn the display off and use my Scala Rider G4 for… Read more

directions only, units heard connecting in headset but no instructions could be heard? maybe not compatible? plug external speakers in? no external jack to be found. I admit that I purchased this the night before my trip and I may be wrong in operating this but I used to use a car unit for a 1/3 of the price until I dropped it with minimal issues. $600 not sure of the value. the best thing is the screen resolution and the screen can be locked in position its just takes a while to find the setting. not a fan but will persist and hopefully find it to be what I expected.

TomTom Rider 400 is not too bad... but could be a lot better – Have had this mounted in the bike and have ridden considerably with it on and running. Bluetooth connection to helmet makes turn prompts easier. This is a must! As for the Rider 400 itself, I am a little disappointed. It does the job, same as any other GPS. However the user interface is a little clunky and is not very intuitive. TomTom boast… Read more

that this unit can be rotated 90 deg to switch between landscape view and Portrait view. This was a selling point and I must say that the portrait view is great for riding. However I have noted that the unit often switches orientation on its own! When I hit a bump on the road, the Rider 400 often switches the display upside down! Same thing also happens when accelerating or decelerating. Unlike an iPad here is no way to lock orientation. Very frustrating! The only cure is to wait for another bump to trigger the unit to (hopefully) switch orientation back to the right way up. The Rider 400 is designed to work in conjunction with TomToms "MyDrive Connect" - an online application that aklows (supposedly) easier rout planning on your PC and then sync to the unit. The MyDrive connect application id quite poor and has very very limited functionality. Its actually easier to plan routes using the device on its own. Hopefully TomTom will address the app deficiencies soon....