Fudge_Brownie Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 I like how the 1100 looks. Plain and simple.Always open to being persuaded one way or the other.Have you ridden any bikes? I understand liking the way something looks, but I think you'll be in for a big disappointment if you buy an adventure bike to ride the flat highways of Florida.I've ridden and played around with a few of BMW's sport tourers. They're excellent. But parts aren't cheap, they are fairly complex, and big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy. Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 You let people persuade you into liking or not liking how something looks? flip-flop 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RZT5 Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 (edited) Was hoping hed chime in haha. Timo alerted me to this thread. We use a DJI S800 EVO for higher end jobs, and a Phantom 2 with GoPro for our clients on a budget. I also have a Blade 200QX as my "fun/practice" drone, and have seen a few of the 350QX's fly. Here's my take on each: Phantom 2: Fit and finish is better than any other RTF drone I have seen in it's class. Ours has been very reliable, is very stable in flight, and makes an excellent camera platform. The Vision+ offers a very simple and elegant aerial camera solution, and you can use an iOS device or tablet as your FPV screen. However, the video is not quite as good quality as that of a high end GoPro, which is why we use a GoPro with Zenmuse gimbal. If you go the GoPro route, you will have to also buy a video downlink, dedicated FPV screen, and an iOSD unit (this is all built into the Vision+). I should also mention I absolutely love the battery solution that DJI uses. They use a 5200mAh 3S "smart" battery that is easy to swap out, and gives incredible flight times. 350QX: I've seen these fly, and have tons of stick time with their little brother the 200QX; they are fast and agile compared to a Phantom with stock settings. Their flight characteristics are not quite as stable, but if you have RC heli experience you shouldn't have any problem. I don't know much about how they perform as a camera platform, how smooth their gimbal is, and what quality their video is, but I have heard even the QX3 isn't quite as good as the Vision+. Don't take my word on that last statement though, that opinion came from only one person who I talked to about it. Yuneec: I know nothing about this drone, in fact I didn't even know it existed until today. One thing to take into consideration, which I'm sure you already know given your heli experience, is that availability of parts is important. Most hobby shops carry Blade parts, and there are many drone shops across the US that carry Phantom parts. This may or may not be an issue for you depending on how you fly... I've been operating my business since Jan 2014 and have never crashed any of my drones, so I have never needed to buy spare parts. Edited February 5, 2015 by RZT5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT5M Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 (edited) Have you ridden any bikes? I understand liking the way something looks, but I think you'll be in for a big disappointment if you buy an adventure bike to ride the flat highways of Florida. I've ridden and played around with a few of BMW's sport tourers. They're excellent. But parts aren't cheap, they are fairly complex, and big. Never ridden any road bikes, only talked to a few BMW bike owners about their experiences with the bike. I havent been on a dirt bike in 10 years either. So while I like the look of the 1100gs I am open to anything that looks nice. Id either go with that style, or something older around the 60s,70s, but I do not feel like trying to track down NLA parts when something fails. Timo alerted me to this thread. We use a DJI S800 EVO for higher end jobs, and a Phantom 2 with GoPro for our clients on a budget. I also have a Blade 200QX as my "fun/practice" drone, and have seen a few of the 350QX's fly. Here's my take on each: Phantom 2: Fit and finish is better than any other RTF drone I have seen in it's class. Ours has been very reliable, is very stable in flight, and makes an excellent camera platform. The Vision+ offers a very simple and elegant aerial camera solution, and you can use an iOS device or tablet as your FPV screen. However, the video is not quite as good quality as that of a high end GoPro, which is why we use a GoPro with Zenmuse gimbal. If you go the GoPro route, you will have to also buy a video downlink, dedicated FPV screen, and an iOSD unit (this is all built into the Vision+). I should also mention I absolutely love the battery solution that DJI uses. They use a 5200mAh 3S "smart" battery that is easy to swap out, and gives incredible flight times. 350QX: I've seen these fly, and have tons of stick time with their little brother the 200QX; they are fast and agile compared to a Phantom with stock settings. Their flight characteristics are not quite as stable, but if you have RC heli experience you shouldn't have any problem. I don't know much about how they perform as a camera platform, how smooth their gimbal is, and what quality their video is, but I have heard even the QX3 isn't quite as good as the Vision+. Don't take my word on that last statement though, that opinion came from only one person who I talked to about it. Yuneec: I know nothing about this drone, in fact I didn't even know it existed until today. One thing to take into consideration, which I'm sure you already know given your heli experience, is that availability of parts is important. Most hobby shops carry Blade parts, and there are many drone shops across the US that carry Phantom parts. This may or may not be an issue for you depending on how you fly... I've been operating my business since Jan 2014 and have never crashed any of my drones, so I have never needed to buy spare parts. Appreciate the words. On the Yuneec, I had never heard about them until I started researching the 350QX. The DJI - I've heard issues with the GPS, magnetized screws and such, as well as with them dropping out of the sky due to battery/software issues. Not sure if they resolved it in the new Vision 2+ release. The 350Qx3 I cannot really find any good reviews since its relatively new and people are still with the QX2, but the 2 vs 3 they have implemented better stabilization (at least according to their website) The hard part is all 3 have great reviews online FOR the previous model, except the Vision 2+ which seems to have a good bit of reviews due to DJI popularity. The Yuneec Q500 Thyphoonhttp://www.yuneec.com/products/AerialUAV/q500-typhoon The 350QX3 AP Combo http://www.bladehelis.com/350QX3/ And the popular DJI Vision 2+ http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-2-vision-plus Clearly from the selection im looking for something I can fly "out of the box" with minimal set up. Not looking for something to build or modify, or that opens up a whole other selection. Edited February 5, 2015 by RobT5M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
survolvo Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 The Inspire is wayyyyy better than the Vison 2+. We have both and everything about the Inspire I like better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT5M Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Dat price tag though. It does look awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge_Brownie Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Never ridden any road bikes, only talked to a few BMW bike owners about their experiences with the bike. I havent been on a dirt bike in 10 years either. So while I like the look of the 1100gs I am open to anything that looks nice. Id either go with that style, or something older around the 60s,70s, but I do not feel like trying to track down NLA parts when something fails.BMW owners stereotypically think the brand is a gift from the heavens, and is the only brand You might have already heard this, but take a rider course. You can probably find a group in your area who does the class, provides the bikes, and licenses you. Depends on how your state works though. This will give you a brief intro to riding on the street, decide if it's for you. Those 1100's are hefty, tall, and suspended for some all-terrain action. A dual sport, or a cheap older japanese inline 4 (eg Ninja EX500) are pretty popular first bikes. The Honda NC700 has a bit of that adventure bike look, but it's aimed more at the street and functionality. Suzuki's Vstrom 650 is a bit like that too. Or maybe a Yamaha Fz6. Dropping it is pretty likely when you're new, so I wouldn't focus too much on anything fancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
survolvo Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Dat price tag though. It does look awesome. You gotta pay to play. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy. Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) You gotta pay to play. Edited February 6, 2015 by Tommy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT5M Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Tommy who even is that guy? Jon, I know buttttt..... I dont wanna pay dat much haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RZT5 Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I like the inspire A LOT. We'll be picking one up shortly to replace the Phantom. The price might seem high to a non-professional, but it's actually a great deal considering all the features it's packed with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
survolvo Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 With all the obvious features, one of the things I am most impressed with is its stability. We brought it in a little quicker than we thought and we ended up hitting the dirt to avoid being decapitated by it. It flew into a tree limb. When we got up we expected to it laying on the ground with broken parts. I turned around and it was just hovering, albeit missing the camera. We landed it and did an inspection, nothing broken, just a little scratched. Popped the camera back on and flew it for the rest of the day. The fact the camera is attached with two plugs makes it nice too, where the Phatom 2 had a hard wired ribbon, that if broken requires it being sent to the shop or ditching the OE camera for a GoPro mount. Either way its $$ if you break off the camera. The Inspire we just popped t he mount back in and plugged it back in. I hear they will be coming out with different attachments for it too where you mount the camera. I am hoping they have some kind of actuated arm, so I can fly over and drop stink bombs on the people peering over the berm on the nearby turnout, looking down on the property. Also I have a VR headset that connects to the controller. It is really neat to fly it with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyb5 Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Can't really find anything through searching, so would an auto from a 99 NA work in a 94 850? EDIT: added year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT5M Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Can't really find anything through searching, so would an auto from a 99 NA work in an 850? I think that is a no... totally different interchanges in my system as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kampman Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) What year is the 850? I recall reading somewhere that the only difference between the '96-'98 transmissions and the '99 4-speed is the sensors, which can be swapped. Edited February 6, 2015 by kampman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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