Need Advice on Buying New GPS

[blrfjr]

Ok Im shopping around for a GPS but could use some advice from people who ACTUALLY use them. Being fairly new to the sport-touring thing Im not sure what I want. I would like to be able, with realative ease, tranfer a .gpx file found on the forum to my gps and see a route rather than a grocery list of waypoints. Again, Im new at this and dont really know what Im doing.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Bryan

 

[Patriot]

no brainer...refurbished zumo 550...got mine off ebay

 

[carlson_mn]

I was on a budget but am extremely happy with the Garmin 1490T model I have. It has a 5" display that is very easy to see - that extra bit really helps compared to the smaller screens most have when you only want/need to quickly glance at the GPS. It works perfect with gloves. Very nice features. It is route enabled, so it accepts the GPX files you make. You can also make routes on it if you're bored on a trip in your hotel room. It has one button access to screen brightness (tap the on/off button and it brings up the brightness controls - very handy at night, even with auto-night mode it can be bright on night eyes).

Here's a photo of it on my bike if you look carefully. I bought a year ago for $129 and it has about 12,000 trouble free miles so far.

 

[kbacon]

+1 on the ZUMO 550--have had one for years and it works very well without a need for a garmin PhD.

 

[Road_Runner]

I would have liked a Zumo (WATERPROOF), but they are expensive and I already had a nuvi so I mounted it pretty much the same as carlson_mn in the post above. Do a search for mounting options, as there are a good many ways to do it. I happen to like the ram ball on the steering head nut (ram-mount.com). I have a high tech moisture barrier for it (a ziplock baggie).

 

[majicmaker]

Motion X Drive App on my iPhone on a Tech Mount. Medium size Ram Box on the Steering Head. Best $.99 I ever spent. It works great and it's being upgraded all the time to get even better.

 

[Patriot]

no brainer...refurbished zumo 550...got mine off ebay

 

[yamafitter]

Ok Im shopping around for a GPS but could use some advice from people who ACTUALLY use them. Being fairly new to the sport-touring thing Im not sure what I want. I would like to be able, with realative ease, tranfer a .gpx file found on the forum to my gps and see a route rather than a grocery list of waypoints. Again, Im new at this and dont really know what Im doing.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Bryan

It is tough to make a recommendation without knowing more about the features you want in your GPS. For example, do you want bluetooth so that you can hear directions without being hardwired? Do you want to be able to talk on the phone while riding? Do you want XM Radio? Do you want to see weather radar? Do you want to listen to MP3 music? All these things are possible but it gets expensive. A Zumo 665 will do all this for around $1000 plus yearly subscription fees. I have no experience with the iPhone apps so I don't know about being able to load routes into one. I have an iPhone but I shut the stupid thing off when I'm riding.

If you are just looking for the GPS functions and be able to load routes and maps then a Garmin Montana 600 may interest you.

To my mind the three most important items when using a GPS on a bike are:

1. GPS Chipset as in how well the GPS will stay locked on the satellites. Trust me when I say not all chipsets are equal. This becomes even more important if you are using the GPS in off-road applications.
2. Screen size. Small screens are too small to see any detail at speed.
3. Screen brightness. Can you see the screen in daylight when the sun is shining over your shoulder. The Zumos are bad for washing out under these conditions. Surprising the much less expensive Garmin Montana is very good.

 

[RossKean]

A couple of years ago, I bought a refurbished Garmin Nuvi 765T Garmin Link. Model is discontinued but I think you can still get refurbs cheap.

This has a lot of features including:

Multiple point routes - up to 10 different routes

Bluetooth (A2DP stereo)

FM transmitter (to car radio)

MP3 player - most don't have these anymore for some reason

Slot for SD card for routes or tunes

Audio output jack - lots don't have this either

FM Traffic

etc., etc. (see link, above)

This has almost all of the functionality of the newest Zumo's and works with MapSource (or BaseCamp) to download routes from your computer.

I got a RAM cradle and have used it on the bike for over a year.

Downside (with all car-specific GPS) - Not waterproof so carry a plastic bag to cover it or be prepared to wander directionless in the rain. Also, it is difficult to read in bright daylight so sometimes you may have to rely upon spoken instructions (via earphone output jack to earbuds or Bluetooth headset).

Santa brought me a brand new Zumo 665 for Christmas so now I can have all of the features (including XM radio) in a waterproof package. Pricey, but I think I will enjoy it!

Ross

 

[Fontanaman]

+ 1 on the Zumo 550. Spend the $$$ because you are worth it and will not regret it. I use my all the time. Won't leave home without it. It paid for itself when I went across the Golden Gate Bridge into San Fran and navigate my way to Santa Cruz via this route. I did not miss a single turn. Awesome!

I have the lifetime map subscription. I even use the thing for dual sporting on my Vstrom. Went dual sporting in Idaho last year and it worked great - left my Idaho Recreation Road Atlas at home and did not miss it. We were in the middle of freaking no where.

For dual sporting the Zumo is not the best though because it imports tracks as a route. In the process it often modifies the track. This IS NOT an issue for road riding at all - drives dual sport guys nuts though! To get around this I make my own routes on Mapsource, transfer it to the Zumo, then verify with the local Forest Service office.

The Zumo is great!

 

[Aasland]

I've got a Zumo 550, have been using it since 2006 in both the car and on the bike. Even have European maps sideloaded for when I work "over there". With well over 100k miles on it, it has been indestructable with the exception a delaminated display which required a $50 part to repair.

On business trips within the CONUS I just use my Android phone with the google navigation. I've tried using this on the bike but it isn't bike friendly y any means (gloves don't work, too fickle, poor routing guidance, usually requires a cell signal, etc). Whenever I use this I am reminded that, despite the Garmin's shortcomings, it works generally very well.

Ok, Zumo 550 shortcomings:

1. Screen delamination. Fixable but irritating with it happens on a trip (part from Honk Kong takes 3+ weeks to arrive)

2. Will not reliably BT pair with both a headset profile and audio profile.

3. No AD2P.

4. Kinda slow compared to the new GPS's.

5. Kinda big heavy and chunky (robust?) compared to new GPS's.

6. Smaller display than new GPS's.

7. Lacking some new features (lane assist, speed notifications, etc).

If I had to buy a new GPS today I would probably spring for a 660/665 due the above, although, the 550's big advantage is that it has physical buttons for volume and stuff.

 

[HotRodZilla]

I have a Zumo660 that I bought refurbished, so it was a lot cheaper than new. I really like my 660. It has a big screen, plays MP3, will load routes, and is pretty easy to use. It is also not much more expensive, and in some cases cheaper than the 550. From what I have seen of the 550s, I like the 660 better, but either one will do just about everything you need.

I used to run a little Nuvi265WT or someting like that. Not waterproof, so it either came off in the rain, or I used a Subway sandwhich bag to keep it dry. It was basic, but I always found point A and point B.

 

[mferriter]

I've got a Zumo 550 like many others here. Works great - haven't tested the waterproofness.

I've also used the GXM30 xm radio receiver with it, but am now ebaying the receiver since it was not getting used enough to justify the cost of the second subscription.

The user interface with the XM receiver was never up to my expectations - it was functional, but not exactly great.

 

[TomInPA]

I have a Nuvi 765T and an older Streetpilot 2810. Both have a full complement of good features, but I use the Streetpilot on the bike now since I also have XM radio with it. The Nuvi 765T actually has microphone and audio out plugs which is very unusual for a Nuvi series. If you want to go inexpensive that is the best of breed for motorcycle use. The Streetpilot series give you most features of the Zumos including rugged design and waterproofness. The are relatively thick and don't operate on their own battery power.

You may think you don't need to be able to hear the GPS, but I strongly recommend you have GPS audio through either a wired or bluetooth connection. It makes a big difference. You need to decide if you want phone connectivity, and if you are going to run additional channels of sound like bike to bike, radar detector, passenger comm, and music,you will want everything to work together.

 

[blrfjr]

Ok Im shopping around for a GPS but could use some advice from people who ACTUALLY use them. Being fairly new to the sport-touring thing Im not sure what I want. I would like to be able, with realative ease, tranfer a .gpx file found on the forum to my gps and see a route rather than a grocery list of waypoints. Again, Im new at this and dont really know what Im doing.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Bryan

It is tough to make a recommendation without knowing more about the features you want in your GPS. For example, do you want bluetooth so that you can hear directions without being hardwired? Do you want to be able to talk on the phone while riding? Do you want XM Radio? Do you want to see weather radar? Do you want to listen to MP3 music? All these things are possible but it gets expensive. A Zumo 665 will do all this for around $1000 plus yearly subscription fees. I have no experience with the iPhone apps so I don't know about being able to load routes into one. I have an iPhone but I shut the stupid thing off when I'm riding.

If you are just looking for the GPS functions and be able to load routes and maps then a Garmin Montana 600 may interest you.

To my mind the three most important items when using a GPS on a bike are:

1. GPS Chipset as in how well the GPS will stay locked on the satellites. Trust me when I say not all chipsets are equal. This becomes even more important if you are using the GPS in off-road applications.
2. Screen size. Small screens are too small to see any detail at speed.
3. Screen brightness. Can you see the screen in daylight when the sun is shining over your shoulder. The Zumos are bad for washing out under these conditions. Surprising the much less expensive Garmin Montana is very good.

Blue tooth for directions and phone use would be nice.

I dont own a radar detector.

If I could play mp3 that would be nice.

I have a scala rider team set. Will this work with a gps?

Im not interested in using the gps for off-road.

Deffinately want to be able to see it when the sun hits it.

I've never had XM before so I guess I dont NEED it now.

I can get the Wx on my iphone (if I've got a signal).

I think that should do it.....

Bryan

 

[TomInPA]

If you can afford a Garmin Zumo, that is the best GPS for your bike, hands down. Either the 550 or 660 will give you wireless Bluetooth access to the phone or your Scala headset. 550 can be optionally hooked to an XM antenna if you decide to add it later. 660 gives you a more contemporary widescreen look, more waypoints, A2DP (stereo) Bluetooth, junction view and lane assist (which I like). It kind of comes down to budget, but pull up this page and compare features. If I was deciding between the 550 and 660 and XM was not an issue, the 660 would win.

A sun-shield makes any GPS better. I use a Glare Stomper

 

[blrfjr]

OK, Im thinkin since I rarely listen to my ipod, I probably dont have to have XM radio.

Does anyone know if the passenger will be able to hear all the prompts and music from the 660 gps via the scala team set?

One more question, if you take the 665 off the bike and put t in the car will the XM still work or is there an antena that I would need for both vehicals. Im assuming that the XM receiver is built-in? Is the antena built-in too? I know Im switching gears hear, just trying to get well informed. The 665 is only $150 more than the 550 or the 660 so maybe I DO NEED XM ?

 

[HotRodZilla]

OK, Im thinkin since I rarely listen to my ipod, I probably dont have to have XM radio.

Does anyone know if the passenger will be able to hear all the prompts and music from the 660 gps via the scala team set?

You can BT to more than one device with some, and only 1 with others. I THINK...I'm not sure that I can pair 2of Sena headsets to my 660 along with my phone.

 

[TomInPA]

OK, Im thinkin since I rarely listen to my ipod, I probably dont have to have XM radio.

Does anyone know if the passenger will be able to hear all the prompts and music from the 660 gps via the scala team set?

One more question, if you take the 665 off the bike and put t in the car will the XM still work or is there an antena that I would need for both vehicals. Im assuming that the XM receiver is built-in? Is the antena built-in too? I know Im switching gears hear, just trying to get well informed. The 665 is only $150 more than the 550 or the 660 so maybe I DO NEED XM ?

If you can afford the extra coin to get the 665, get it. The XM feature and antenna are more than worth it. I didn't think it would be a big deal, but I really enjoy the variety and quality of music and entertainment on there, especially on long trips. I could use the iPhone, but I find more often I just listen to the music on the XM via GPS. It is a stereo BT connection that will prioritize and deliver phone, GPS direction and music in a prioritized manner, and will work extremely well. Adding channels using a BT connection is not all that easy and it seems something or another just fails to pair, so with bluetooth, this is an easy way to deliver all three devices to your headset. You can't add it later if you buy the 660 change your mind.

Just a side note, I use an Autocom to mix media sources, so can still add a music aux to the radar, gps/phone/XM, rider/passenger comm and bike-to-bike radio. It's harder to add that many channels with BT.