WHICH GARMIN ZUMO?

[Spuddy]

I'm positive this is not a new topic but I'd like a current some current opinions.

[charlie b]

None?  ;)

If I were to buy one I'd get one that had the TPMS integrated.  Otherwise, just get one made for a car for much less money.

[pyoungbl]

Charlie, I tried using the car specific Garmin and it died in a rainstorm.  OK, that was a real frog strangler and the GPS was out in it for a long time.  Still, my motorcycle specific models seem to be immune to such abuse.

 Lifetime maps are important.  Traffic alerts and weather alerts are less significant for me.  I certainly don't need to see my email and with all the wind noise I'd never hear any music anyway.

Stay away from the older Zumo 350 because of the way the unit interfaces with its power cradle.  The newer units have a much better system.

Peter Y.

[lucian]

I've been very happy with the 660. Easy to see even in sunlight and I can operate it easily with gloves on. Not cheep though.

[smdl]

665 has been good for me.  I like the XM Radio on long trips.  Definitely not cheap, though.

Shaun

[old as dirt 2]

love my garmin montana 650. weather proof, shock resistant, long battery life, can replace battery pack with double a's if needed, has lots of features Zumos don't. check them out at garmin.

[Guzzistajohn]

I use one made for a car. The made for bikes models are way too expensive. I can put it away and ride old school in the rain, or do without completely. Hell. (Suspender snap) I can remember when all we had was a map, ever try to fold one of those suckers? :BEER:

[Spuddy]

350, 550, 660... I'm paralyzed with indecision.  Maybe, for our upcoming tour, I'll just let my partner spring for a GPS...  Then I won't havta figure out how to use it.

[Guzzistajohn]

350, 550, 660... I'm paralyzed with indecision.  Maybe, for our upcoming tour, I'll just let my partner spring for a GPS...  Then I won't havta figure out how to use it.

Good call Spud, You don need no steenking GPS ;D

[Zoom Zoom]

The 550 is no longer made. That is what mine is, but when it croaks, I'll be looking at something newer. I like it a lot, but I now have to load the maps on the SD card because it doesn't fit into the internal memory. I have one more spare touch screen that I'll buy a little more time with. I'll miss it when it goes, but I would not buy one now. I just don't want to scrounge parts. Even if there was a used one for a song.

When I bought it, it was big bucks. OTOH, I have used it since January 2008 so I have gotten my moneys worth. I figure I have one or two more seasons out of it.

As for the motorcycle specific units, besides being waterproof, they are also resistant to fuel and vibration.

John Henry

[HDGoose]

 I bought my Zumo 550 new in 2008. I am on my GPS 3rd unit. Second cradle. 5th battery. I have over $1100 into this GPS. A water proof box mounted on my RAM unit will house my car GPS for use on the bike. I can buy a new car GPS fr under $100 every year for less money than my Zumo 550. All I want is a moving map device.

[Dave Bell]

I've had a Garmin Montana 600 for several years.  It's been offered from Canada to Mexico on the continental divide, and many other offered and inroad miles.  I've used it on all my bikes including Ural, BMW GS's, and Honda Pacific Coast.  There are a couple of things that would keep me from buying another if this one croaks.  One, it will suddenly turn itself off when riding offroad.  Their "fix" was to jam some foam rubber behind the battery which was losing contact due to being slammed around.  Second, Loading new maps and routes is a pain.  Third is the expense. 

I don't want any music in mine.  I've had XM radio and several other music devices on bikes over the years and find I just don't ever mess with it.

[pyoungbl]

Goose, I have a 350 which is very similar to your 550 in that they have the same housing and the same power connection.  It's a very bad design for motorcycle use.  I'm on my second unit and second mount, all because the vibration causes the power connection between the housing and unit to wear and eventually lose continuity.  Evidently Garmin knows all about this because they have been sending me replacement units/mounts for a few years now.  The newer design (the case is more rectangular than the old design) has a much improved interface between the mount and unit.

With the last replacement I could see the handwriting on the wall, my 350 would continue to fail over time and eventually Garmin would stop sending replacements.  I bought some 5mm anti vibration isolation mounts similar to these http://www.avproductsinc.com/cylindrical-bobbin/mounts.html to quell the vibration and hopefully extend the life of the 350.  At the same time I bought a newer model Garmin so now I have a GPS on each bike, both with these vibration isolators installed.  Time will tell if this actually solves the problem.  

The last time I talked to Garmin they offered to take my 350 in as a trade for a new 600 series...giving me $100 for the old unit.  That's when I decided to just keep the 350 and attempt to extend its life.

Paper maps are always a great way to go, until you are caught in the rain in rush hour in a strange city.  That's when the GPS with lane assist is priceless.

Peter Y.

[charlie b]

And it is at night on a dark road.  Never knew how much I used my map until I could not see it :)

I'd love to have one of the new Zumos.  Brother has one on his beemer and it is really cool.  Even has controls on the handle bar for it.  Just too much money for me.

[sturgeon]

My Zumo 550 probably has 250,000+ km on it, through all sorts of weather, terrain, etc. It's been coast-to-coast-to-coast, and is a few days away from another coast-coast ride. Had to replace it once with a brand-new 'refurb' unit that cost me about $100. 2 cradles shared among 4 bikes, plus lots of car use (it came with a car cradle as well). It's still going strong. I've had it so long, probably 8 years, I have no idea what the modern equiv is, although some of my pals use Montanas. I've got at least 2 friends with Zumo 660's that they aren't all that fond of, although I tend not to listen to complaints, so I don't know what their exact problems are.

Important features for me are waterproof, fairly shockproof, sturdy mount with ability to be hard-wired directly to the bike's power supply, lifetime maps, ability to add more memory. I have no use for traffic (it's of little use in Canada anyway), music, etc. I've used the Bluetooth on mine on occasion, but I usually listen to the thoughts in my head rather than someone telling me they're re-re-re-calculating.

There's no way in hell I'd used a car-specific unit for any serious touring. Those things wouldn't last me beyond one medium length trip. They're neither waterproof nor shockproof and the mounts are flimsy at best, with USB-style power connections that would fail after a few drops of rain. I've never been quite sure why fuel-proof is important; I've never spilled gas on mine  :o

I also carry paper large-scale maps, just because I like to sit at a picnic table along the way and look for interesting roads up ahead while I have a coffee. I typically use the GPS to set a day-end approximate destination and then wander aimlessly in that general direction down whatever road looks promising. The GPS gives me a quick reference to how far away that destination is at any given point and my ETA there, despite that I rarely follow its route to the letter.

[Spuddy]

The handlebar vibration of my Stelvio is a significant concern.  (If I ride for a few hours my Fit Bit tells me I've walked 10-15 miles.) I guess an anti-vibration mount is a necessity - IF I bite the bullet...

[Jerryd]

I bought my Zumo 550 new in 2008. I am on my GPS 3rd unit. Second cradle. 5th battery. I have over $1100 into this GPS. A water proof box mounted on my RAM unit will house my car GPS for use on the bike. I can buy a new car GPS fr under $100 every year for less money than my Zumo 550. All I want is a moving map device.

I guess I've been lucky. My 550 has done 2 coast to coast round trips, big trip through Canada, all kinds of weather, and I use it in my car when it's not not on the bike. Never had a connection or battery problem ever.

[Madtownguzzi]

Just get a GPS for cars and mount it in an enclosure like this one.  http://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Bike-waterproof-Handlebar-Mount/dp/B0035TZS14
I have one for my Garmin Nuvi and it works fine.

[Zoom Zoom]

I bought my Zumo 550 new in 2008. I am on my GPS 3rd unit. Second cradle. 5th battery. I have over $1100 into this GPS. A water proof box mounted on my RAM unit will house my car GPS for use on the bike. I can buy a new car GPS fr under $100 every year for less money than my Zumo 550. All I want is a moving map device.

Some suggested it was foolish of me to buy the Tourateck locking, shock absorbing mounts for the 550 way back when. Having said that, I have never had connection troubles. NEVER! No broken or bad cradles, nada. After the first refurb exchange, I found a source for the touch screen, (digitizer), and replaced it myself for under 20 bucks and 30 minutes. Had I known about the screen replacement the first time, I would have saved a few bucks on that as well. All in all, it has served me well and still continues to do so. I agree it depends on what someone wants and is willing to do to protect it. In my case, I want totally worry free use, including when I leave the bike. I don't want to worry about a baggie, batteries, removing it in the rain, theft, etc. Put it on, lock it in and forget it.

I have a 100 dollar GPS I use in the car. It is ok, but it is not the GPS the Zumo is. Using it on the bike where I take greater advantage of it would wear thin rapidly. When the time comes, I'll be looking for one of the better units. I'm not sure which one I would buy today other than it being a Garmin. It would have Bluetooth to interface my helmet, and MP3 capability. I could live without XM. Some of the new units will interface your weather app on your phone for radar maps and weather forecasts. Your data plan would be impacted by it so that would have to be taken into consideration.

As an aside, I had wondered why none of the makers used glass on the screen? I discovered that a glass screen, such as your smart phone, will not register touch with gloves on. (Garmin makes a couple of car units with gorilla glass.)

John Henry

[Nick]

Had a Zumo 550 for 7 years or so, and when it finally died Garming extended me a $150 credit toward the purchase of any other GPS they offer. I opted for the new 390.
Never did have any problems with the 550, except for what ZZ described above regarding the maps. Totally happy with the 390.
Nick

[andrewdonald1]

Anyone considering the new tomtom 40/400 coming out in a couple months?

I am thinking this version is now a pretty decent unit.
Its not as feature rich as the Garmin's I understand that, but I guess it all depends on what you need/want.

http://www.tomtom.com/en_us/rider/index.jsp

[old as dirt 2]

Anyone considering the new tomtom 40/400 coming out in a couple months?

I am thinking this version is now a pretty decent unit.
Its not as feature rich as the Garmin's I understand that, but I guess it all depends on what you need/want.

http://www.tomtom.com/en_us/rider/index.jsp

I hate the tyre pro mapping tom-tom uses

[kirb]

I use a Zumo 550 for 5(?) years now, at least. It's been flawless but for two issues-
would not turn on one morning- Get tiny hex wrench, remove battery, put back in, works again
Touch screen stopped working- bought (2) screens off ebay, put one in, works like new

I never update maps (had issues in the past). I just use it for the 5+ year old GPS that it is. Forget restaurant finding with it, just use a smart phone. I would buy another Zumo any time if this one ever goes guts up. I did get my money out of it and could not be happier. Still use it across multiple bikes and in the truck when needed. They don't do XM radio anymore, so there is that. I gave up XM after the service started to get too 'rape-like' with lacking content and more commercials.

I don't link my phone through it, the 550 isn't stereo bluetooth, and a few other things a new unit would be better at. I mount mine in the locking touratech cradle for multiple bikes and have never had connection issues.

[HDGoose]

*snip*
As an aside, I had wondered why none of the makers used glass on the screen? I discovered that a glass screen, such as your smart phone, will not register touch with gloves on. (Garmin makes a couple of car units with gorilla glass.)

John Henry

I have gloves from Aerostitch with the thread in two fingers and the thumb for touch devices. You can also buy this thread and DIY.

[Daniel Kalal]

The handlebar vibration of my Stelvio is a significant concern.

have you swapped the turn signals out of your mirrors?  Doing this quiets the vibration significantly.

[ridingron]

A question for the "car" GPS users. Can you program routes into the unit?

[Luap McKeever]

FWIW, I have the Garmin that has lifetime maps.  It's the car version. I used a foodsaver (shrinkwrap thingy) from the kitchen. Sealed it up an have been in lots of rainstorms with no issues. 

[Spuddy]

have you swapped the turn signals out of your mirrors?  Doing this quiets the vibration significantly.

Yes. Still some vibration but not as much as it could be.

Spud

[kirb]

Yes. Still some vibration but not as much as it could be.
Spud

I have had my 550 on a Stelvio for over 20k miles in a touratech cradle- no issues.
Mount is shown here: http://stelviontx.blogspot.com/2013/04/gps-installation.html
Minor mod to the mount here: http://stelviontx.blogspot.com/2013/10/revised-cross-bar-for-enduro.html

I have never had any issues with vibration with this setup.
A word on Garmin 'lifetime maps'...lifetime for as long as they support that device. Then it's no more updates.

[radguzzi]

Stay away from the older Zumo 350 because of the way the unit interfaces with its power cradle.  The newer units have a much better system.

Peter Y.

When my Zumo 550 had been stolen from a rental car in San Diego I replaced it, after much research with the 350 LM and I like it better than the old 550.

Not certain what the interface issue is...? ? ?  Mine works well on both the motorcycles and cars/trucks.

Best,
Rob