Zumo GPS

[Fred W]

I have not had most of the problems that bramfrank reports with my Z550. Since I bought the thing I have been in love with it...

...until recently. I was duped into buying a NuMaps "lifetime" maps upgrade for my Zumo. When I did it upgraded my maps to the latest 2011.2 maps, but also surreptitiously updated my mapsucks to ver 6.16.2, which has the route sharing problems we discovered earlier, creating pink spaghetti, etc. except that now the route lines are no longer pink, so I guess they figure that they fixed that? :blink:

When I updated my maps the GPS would not accept all of North America and Canada in the limited memory of the device ( what?) even though I have an expansion SD card, it will not use that memory. Instead I had to select just "lower 48" for the maps upload. And, now, when I try to load even a modest route the GPS complains of being "out of memory, blah, blah, blah". It is also acting significantly more buggy than it was before the "upgrade".

I am sorely tempted at this point to roll back my Z550 to the 2009 maps and Mapsource version that came with the unit, and which was so darn stable. If I do so, at that point I will be out the entire cost of the lifetime NuMaps upgrade (not an insignificant amount of coin), but maybe I'll just give Garmin enough constant heat that they'll refund my purchase price? I doubt it, but I suppose it is worth a try. The big problem is, (as I've said before) Garmin really sucks moist *** cheese, except when compared to all the others.

 

[FlyingJ]

Please don't tell me you ride a Arctic Cat. :thumbsdownsmileyanim:

 

[zzzzip]

Wow... the Loony must be way different than the dollar... I see the 550 on amazon.com for about $250.

May be the difference is re-furb?...I don't know, I've had 3 Garmins from there (including the re-furbs) and all worked well. Maybe I am comparing apples to oranges?

 

[bramfrank]

No. In fact the Loony is almost the same as the dollar, which is a darn shame . . . . in fact the Australian dollar, which used to be worth about 60 cents Canadian, when Canadian dollars were about 70 cents US is now at parity with BOTH currencies, that's how far the US dollar has fallen.

But that isn't the point of this post.

You are looking at a NUVI 550, which is not the same as a Zumo 550 - they want north of $550 on Amazon in the US for the Zumo 550.

 

[Fred W]

Wow... the Loony must be way different than the dollar... I see the 550 on amazon.com for about $250.

May be the difference is re-furb?...I don't know, I've had 3 Garmins from there (including the re-furbs) and all worked well. Maybe I am comparing apples to oranges?

Links?

For that kind of $$ I'd buy me a second one.

 

[zzzzip]

No. In fact the Loony is almost the same as the dollar, which is a darn shame . . . . in fact the Australian dollar, which used to be worth about 60 cents Canadian, when Canadian dollars were about 70 cents US is now at parity with BOTH currencies, that's how far the US dollar has fallen.

But that isn't the point of this post.

You are looking at a NUVI 550, which is not the same as a Zumo 550 - they want north of $550 on Amazon in the US for the Zumo 550.

You are right, and I stand corrected. The Stromtrooper forum was just talking up the Nuvi 500 and I got cross wired.

Nevermind....

 

[bk000]

Bought a used 660 a year ago from a fellow forum member on this forum.

I have had no problems with the 660. I keep it updated with the latest firmware. It easily paired to multiple blackberry phones and chatterbox xbi and xbi2.

I have dropped the unit multiple time and it still works. I also use it while on vacation or traveling on business in the rental car. The unit works as advertised.

I can recommend the Zummo 660 without hesitation.

 

[VTFJR13]

I just got a Nuvi 550 refurb of ebay for $199 shipped. I thought that was a great deal. It is a garmin factory refurb. So far it works great. I bought it because it was the least expensive Garmin I could get that is waterproof. It has all the features I need in a gps and some I probably will never use. I was even able to upload a sportbike on the screen instead of a car. So far I very happy with it.

 

[JT 384]

Looks like I'm going to go with the 660. Thanks everyone for all the great info.

JT

 

[spike747]

I got a 660 from GPS city in June (don't worry about the "sale" price. It's always been that price). I started with ver 3.5. I also got a Scala Rider G4 to work with it. The 660's firmware was a bit ify at first, but I'm currently using 3.9 and the unit is very stable. I have had absolutely no power down issues, reboots, or bluetooth connection problems with 3.9. The 660 has stereo connection to the Scala as opposed to mono for the 550.

I have a friend who has a 550. I like my 660 much better. The larger screen is very nice. I don't like the external buttons. They don't gain you anything. The layout of the 660's screen and touch screen buttons is very easy to use while riding. I also like the 660 motorcycle cradle much better. That "lock" mechanism is a pain on the 550. Having to have a special tool to remove it looks like a nuisance. The 660 doesn't have a lock, but it is very easy to remove which I always do when I stop. Even at a gas station.

My biggest beef with the setup is with the Scala unit. Now thats a unit that was released to early. I'm an electronic engineer and I know from personally experience how company's today like to release products much too early. We put alot of time and energy into getting the hardware stable enough to allow firmware upgrades so products can be released as quick as possible. The G4 is incredibly buggy when connected to the 660's bluetooth. My buddy has his G4 connected to his blackberry for music and somehow he is constantly locking my G4 up. If we don't disconnect just perfectly, the G4's both lock up and I loose connection to my 660. Rebooting the 660 does not fix it either. We both always have to reboot our G4's. It really pisses me off. If I stream A2DP music from my iPhone to my 660 I never see problems.

There seems to be a few guys who can't let go of the past. Maybe the 660 had its problems 6 months ago, but it seems very stable now.

 

[Fred W]

I'd love to go with a nuvi 550 for the other bikes (already have Z550 for the FJR), except there is no way to get the GPS audio into your helmet. On a motorcycle that is absolutely the most important feature, otherwise you are having to constantly glance down at the GPS to navigate, taking your eyes off the road.

The widescreen of the new zumo 6XX (and other Garmin GPSes for cars) is nifty looking, but almost completely useless since the screen is still the same dimension vertically (hint: that's the directions you are going) . Too bad they did not orient the screen portrait instead of landscape format. Now that would be an asset!

 

[VTFJR13]

I'd love to go with a nuvi 550 for the other bikes (already have Z550 for the FJR), except there is no way to get the GPS audio into your helmet. On a motorcycle that is absolutely the most important feature, otherwise you are having to constantly glance down at the GPS to navigate, taking your eyes off the road.

Well Fred I guess I'm just used to glanceing down at the screen for a split second. It is no worse then back in the day before GPS's and I had a map and directions writing down on paper in my map pocket in my tank bag. I would have to look down at them to get to were I wanted to go. This is my third GPS and I haven't had any I could hear in my Chatterbox communicator so I'm just use to glancing down at the screen. But Ya if you can spend the extra coin on a GPS (and a communication system) that you can hear in your helmet giving you the directions that is the safest way to go.

 

[RaYzerman19]

My biggest beef with the setup is with the Scala unit. Now thats a unit that was released to early. I'm an electronic engineer and I know from personally experience how company's today like to release products much too early. We put alot of time and energy into getting the hardware stable enough to allow firmware upgrades so products can be released as quick as possible. The G4 is incredibly buggy when connected to the 660's bluetooth. My buddy has his G4 connected to his blackberry for music and somehow he is constantly locking my G4 up. If we don't disconnect just perfectly, the G4's both lock up and I loose connection to my 660. Rebooting the 660 does not fix it either. We both always have to reboot our G4's. It really pisses me off. If I stream A2DP music from my iPhone to my 660 I never see problems.

I was having some issues with my G4 (different than yours, but..), freshly charge the unit(s), upgrade to the latest firmware (IIRC, it goes through a reboot sequence, if not, shut off after you're done), then do a master reset of the Scala by deleting all pairings, power the units off... allow a minute between power downs and power ups... allow at least a minute after a power up..... then repair your devices.

I think I had confused mine by so many pairings with other Scalas of different guys I was riding with... they just piled up and needed to be cleared... may not be your issue, but try it, it might help. Don't be afraid to contact Cardo with your specific issue, they may tell you of issues when paired with a 660.... be specific, they always seem to have a decent answer to most questions.

 

[Big-B]

I've had a 660 since May. No real problems like Bramfrank is/was having. Use it most every day commuting as an MP3 player with hard wired helmet speakers and a paired up crappy Samsung phone. Just stop and use the external mic on the GPS if I get a call I want to take. I'm surprised most people can hear me pretty well. There is a Sena in my future.

I also have a NUVI 255WT, I don't see a whole lot in the 660 that makes it that much more of a GPS than the 255. The only things I wanted of of the 660 was BT, Waterproof and the abiltiy to load up maps. From there everything else was about finding a good.

 

[Meltdown]

I've also had a 660 since May. Never had a single issue with it. I bought the NuMaps lifetime and its still working just fine. I'm not doubting that there are folks who have had some serious issues with theirs...but mine has been flawless. I'm kind of puzzled as to why some of us have had no problems and others are using them as expensive paperweights.

Heck, every Garmin product I've ever had has been flawless which is why I keep buying them.

My only minor gripe is that the screen gets a little washed out in direct sunlight...but no super big deal.

 

[LancasterFJR]

I've also had a 660 since May. Never had a single issue with it. I bought the NuMaps lifetime and its still working just fine. I'm not doubting that there are folks who have had some serious issues with theirs...but mine has been flawless. I'm kind of puzzled as to why some of us have had no problems and others are using them as expensive paperweights.

Heck, every Garmin product I've ever had has been flawless which is why I keep buying them.

My only minor gripe is that the screen gets a little washed out in direct sunlight...but no super big deal.

Hello Melt,

Flawless? I don't think so. Garmin products are just "OK". I think the 660 and 665 were released a little too early. The concept is good, but the final products clearly leave a lot to be desired, particularly at this price point.

 

[bramfrank]

Note that some of my major complaints refer to limitations imposed by Garmin that impact the basic functionality of the device - there's no overriding need for junction view, especially since there are so few junctions that can be viewed ; there is no purpose whatsoever for the 3D building view. But there IS a reason to display the names of upcoming cross streets when not following a route. The screen updating should never stall and Bluetooth ought to work at least as well as it used to in earlier models.

But I am exercising self-control to avoid going into full rant mode.

Think of it this way . . . if they were flawless there would be no complaints and no need for firmware updates.

 

[Meltdown]

I wasn't trying to open up a can of worms here. Really. I was merely relaying MY experience with the 660. I haven't had some of the technical issues that others have complained about such as Bluetooth connection problems and the like.

As far as basic functionality is concerned...no argument from me. I personally liked the 478 better than the 660 but I didn't want to mess around with data cards. It's a compromise to be sure. All of us seek the Holy Grail in which we can have our GPS units work flawlessly 100% of the time and to be able to configure it exactly to suit our riding styles & needs. Sadly, such a unit doesn't yet exist or we'd all have one.

For the time being, my GPS does what it was built to do without any fuss. When Garmin releases a better unit I'll retire the 660 and replace it. Or...figure out a way to mount a waterproof laptop with a GPS receiver and a touchscreen that doesn't cost $$$$$$$$.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

I have all updates on my 665. Yesterday, I muted the XM radio on the 665, and it shut down. This is not uncommon at all. Garmin DID screw up on this unit. They should have refined it before release to the public, like they did on the 550.

 

[RaYzerman19]

I have all updates on my 665. Yesterday, I muted the XM radio on the 665, and it shut down. This is not uncommon at all. Garmin DID screw up on this unit. They should have refined it before release to the public, like they did on the 550.

FYI, the early 550's had issues too, and firmware updates were necessary... however, the pressure to put out new product these days seems to override proper development..... not to worry, most of the issues will get resolved in time based on customer complaints.... just makes you wonder why Garmin could not have prevented many of the 660 issues given their 550 experience......

If you're having issues, you'll hear the same direction from Garmin... do a master reset, update the firmware to the latest, and try again....... then tell us if your problem still exists... so, my approach is to do all that first, then contact them, it will save time.