Have the bugs been worked out of the MotorGuide Tour Pro/ Is it reliable?

[Championmac]

I am thinking of buying the 36v universal sonar model. Are all of the board issues worked out? Is it reliable? Does it work well with a Humminbird Gen 1 Helix 10 and original 360? Is the Katana prop good like I have been told? I fish shallow most often, therefore I like cable steer. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks for the help.

[mactlman]

might ask in the trolling motor area also

[Championmac]

Thanks. I forgot about the trolling motor section.

[Johnnyred]

I have been running the firmware update in my 24v 80lb Tour Pro HD+ since it came out and yes it fixed the GPS issue. I really like my TM and have had no issues with it since the firmware update. There is no grass in my lakes so I cannot compare the Katana to other props in grass. I use mine with Lowrance so also no help with Birds. The ducer is universal so I am sure it will work fine with your Bird when you buy and install the correct adapter cable. The pedal and steering all very nice. It also turns quieter than The Ultrexs I have used.

[Championmac]

I have been running the firmware update in my 24v 80lb Tour Pro HD+ since it came out and yes it fixed the GPS issue. I really like my TM and have had no issues with it since the firmware update. There is no grass in my lakes so I cannot compare the Katana to other props in grass. I use mine with Lowrance so also no help with Birds. The ducer is universal so I am sure it will work fine with your Bird when you buy and install the correct adapter cable. The pedal and steering all very nice. It also turns quieter than The Ultrexs I have used.

Thanks. I may choose it because of the cable steering and it should work well with my Helix 10. I'm just not impressed with the others because they have had even more problems and the steering just isn't impressive in any of them. That is why I have waited this long.

[bassfisher444]

Not unless it has been worked out in the past few months. I got mine back in October and it had problems, they also have the worst customer service I have ever dealt with. I highly reccomend getting a 36V Ultrex instead.

[EdCas]

I have one the first Tour Pros shipped to Canada. Zero issues with mine since day one.
I did get the dongle from motorguide last year and did an update which gave it some cool new features and its still trouble free.
Not discounting problems reported by other users but if you get a good one, it will be by far superior to the Ultrex. Much quieter, stow and deploy is better, spotlock is better, foot pedal feel is better, little bit better on battery and much much quieter. With the latest update you can totally disable the electric steer assist and it operates like a fortrex.
I kept my ultrex as a spare out of fear after reading some of the negative reviews but my tour pro has been flawless long enough now I'm selling the Ultrex.

[bassfisher444]

I have one the first Tour Pros shipped to Canada. Zero issues with mine since day one.
I did get the dongle from motorguide last year and did an update which gave it some cool new features and its still trouble free.
Not discounting problems reported by other users but if you get a good one, it will be by far superior to the Ultrex. Much quieter, stow and deploy is better, spotlock is better, foot pedal feel is better, little bit better on battery and much much quieter. With the latest update you can totally disable the electric steer assist and it operates like a fortrex.
I kept my ultrex as a spare out of fear after reading some of the negative reviews but my tour pro has been flawless long enough now I'm selling the Ultrex.

I really wish mine would have been flawless as well but it wasn't. I liked how it had the ability to operate like a regular cable steer motor if something went wrong which is one of the main reasons I got one. Unfortunately it never worked right from the beginning, and I never wanted to deal with their useless customer service again for any future issues so I got rid of it. Would have been great if it worked right. Also the manual steering wasn't nearly as easy and smooth as a Fortrex, and the head would still make noise turning in manual mode.

[Knuckle]

Zero issues with mine. 36v and the new katana prop is great. Very quiet and love how you can adjust the pedal tension at the touch of a button. And it’ll be for sale in a month. Going to the power pole move. It’s only 11 months old so it’s still like new. IM me if you’re interested.

[Jz71sports]

No they have not…and the worst ever customer service period! Eight yes 8 months in the shop and still not working. Repair center has asked to be replaces twice already. They keep avoiding it. Kept swapping parts….some twice now. They are an expensive joke!

[Championmac]

Wow. The early Tour Pros sure did suck. Thanks for the replies so far guys. So did the early Ultrex. Every person I know that had one had problems. There is no feature on the Ultrex that attracts me other than it does well in grass. I really dislike the Garmin pedal and prop The Ghost is probably my second choice, but the prop is not good. It's all subjective though. I have purposely waited this long because I know my MotorGuide Tour inside and out and I can fix most things very quickly.

[gonnabe]

I really like mine. Few things to consider is doesn’t weigh anymore than the older tour edition, don’t need to extend the boat cover, doesn’t sit up when stowed much higher than the old tour edition makes it easy to see over. Very quiet and smooth with cable steer. My friends have all commented on how low it sits on the bow and how quiet it is compared to their other brands.

[bassfisher444]

Wow. The early Tour Pros sure did suck. Thanks for the replies so far guys. So did the early Ultrex. Every person I know that had one had problems. There is no feature on the Ultrex that attracts me other than it does well in grass. I really dislike the Garmin pedal and prop The Ghost is probably my second choice, but the prop is not good. It's all subjective though. I have purposely waited this long because I know my MotorGuide Tour inside and out and I can fix most things very quickly.

Mine wasn't early, bought it band new last fall.

[Championmac]

I really like mine. Few things to consider is doesn’t weigh anymore than the older tour edition, don’t need to extend the boat cover, doesn’t sit up when stowed much higher than the old tour edition makes it easy to see over. Very quiet and smooth with cable steer. My friends have all commented on how low it sits on the bow and how quiet it is compared to their other brands.

I have only seen one on a display boat. This was the impression that I got. It looked lower profile. Also, having the antenna in the head is a good thing so that you don't need any external pucks. I'm not a fan of the height of the Ultrex/Fortrex mounts. The mount looks nice and slim on the Ghost, but the head sits up high. This all matters if you are a shallow fisherman making a lot of roll casts. Thanks. It's nice to get as much info as possible to make a decision.

[PMantle]

Wow. The early Tour Pros sure did suck.

I bought mine as fast as humanly possible and had no issues. No idea why some did and others did not.

[skeeterator]

Don't buy it unless you enjoy being on the phone with a tech for hours or like having it at a service center all the time or having to download updates to a funky looking thumb drive and then uploading them through a cable on the pedal or if you enjoy watching YouTube videos on how to deal with the grandma seizures they have then by all means buy the pos. There's a monster thread in the trolling motor forum with lots of guys explaining their problems with them and how to "fix them".
Did I mention the cable used to deploy it will snap one day while you're on the water lifting it due to the piss poor design that has the cable constantly rubbing the underside of the mount while raising or lowering it? Local service center now refuses to sell them. Should I go on?

[Cbump]

Is this the one that the head looks like a kid designed It on Minecraft?

[Championmac]

I ran into an old guy yesterday on the lake that I have fished tournaments against for three decades that had one. We had a long talk and he loves his. We are both old Motor Guide Tour holdouts that don't love the pedals on any of the new motors. My local dealership ordered one for me with a discount. If it breaks, you guys can say "I told you so".

[lpugh]

Are they brushless motors?

[Macsimus]

I'm beginning my 3rd season with mine and it has held up very well. The mount is still solid, it works as it should, and anchor mode is great. Still using the original pull cord with no breaks or problems.