I purchased one of the very first Montana 650T models to be produced. I use this GPS daily in my machines, jobsites, motorcycles and driving.
First off, with the exception of taking care of warranty issues, Garmin sucks and this will be the LAST of their units that I will ever purchase. They have replaced this unit 4 times now and the latest replacement can't hold signal for very long without locking up - frustrating while going down the road and depending on directions. I've had issues with touch screens going out, total system lock ups while operating, battery packs not recognized as Garmin (although they came with the unit), units going dead from motorcycle vibration, and now "signal lost" problems although the meter shows numerous satellites on digital lock.
Garmin forces you to have registered maps, use Basecamp and other "nanny" issues that deny your freedom. This is my third Garmin GPS and it will be the last. I'm not into S & M so tying me down to factory protocols just pisses me off.
After investing over $900 between mounts, maps and unit, I am totally dissatisfied with all of the problems and the sucky camera of this unit. Basecamp is the pits to work with. Uploading routes made via Streets & Trips GPX files is nearly impossible. Routing is pathetic some of the time. The upload of updates to CityNavigator takes forever and usually 4-5 tries before it correctly installs. I can't use Oziexplorer with this unit like I did with other units, either.
As far as motorcycle use, on my last trip out west, a 30 minute shower killed the device's touch screen and it was useless the rest of the trip. Thankfully, I had my droid as a backup. The Amps base with the Ram-ball mount works exceptionally well. Routing is spotty at times and will run you in circles for no apparent reason. Use with tight fitting gloves works fairly well but if they fit loose, it will be a loosing battle. Do not wire the Amps mount into the battery - run it off of switched power or it will drain a motorcycle battery in a couple of days.
The good part of the device is the memory size and external chip. You must remove the battery door and battery to access the chip but it can hold your routes or pictures. The internal memory holds a huge amount of data so that I can see what roads or jobsites I've been on during the past year's time. There is no need for external antennas as this device locks and holds a great signal, that is until it freaks out and totally locks up again.
The bad part of the device is the quirkiness and the piss poor camera. The touch screen never seems to work too easily unless you want it to do something you don't want done. The "reset factory default" button is poorly places and gets hit at inopportune times. The factory batteries often decide that they are no longer Garmin battery packs and error codes result constantly due to that. And like I said before, the Garmin "nanny" factor is the absolute deal breaker that I can no longer stand.
So, what would I purchase next, especially for a motorcycle? A programmer - rider friend who NEVER believed in GPS devices has since changed his mind and loves the Peaklife GPS from Chinavasion.com . This unit was specifically made for motorcycles and runs with windows technology on a Samsung platform. For under $200, you can get a well outfitted gps unit and aftermarket maps. The unit comes with a motorcycle ram mount and plays music as well as videos, too. I know it's weather proof and shock proof because he's tried his units on trips from TN to AK without any problems. I'm planning to try one of these units next. I just can't stand all of the BS that I've dealt with fooling around with Garmin and their crap. I've lost all confidence in Garmin.
First off, with the exception of taking care of warranty issues, Garmin sucks and this will be the LAST of their units that I will ever purchase. They have replaced this unit 4 times now and the latest replacement can't hold signal for very long without locking up - frustrating while going down the road and depending on directions. I've had issues with touch screens going out, total system lock ups while operating, battery packs not recognized as Garmin (although they came with the unit), units going dead from motorcycle vibration, and now "signal lost" problems although the meter shows numerous satellites on digital lock.
Garmin forces you to have registered maps, use Basecamp and other "nanny" issues that deny your freedom. This is my third Garmin GPS and it will be the last. I'm not into S & M so tying me down to factory protocols just pisses me off.
After investing over $900 between mounts, maps and unit, I am totally dissatisfied with all of the problems and the sucky camera of this unit. Basecamp is the pits to work with. Uploading routes made via Streets & Trips GPX files is nearly impossible. Routing is pathetic some of the time. The upload of updates to CityNavigator takes forever and usually 4-5 tries before it correctly installs. I can't use Oziexplorer with this unit like I did with other units, either.
As far as motorcycle use, on my last trip out west, a 30 minute shower killed the device's touch screen and it was useless the rest of the trip. Thankfully, I had my droid as a backup. The Amps base with the Ram-ball mount works exceptionally well. Routing is spotty at times and will run you in circles for no apparent reason. Use with tight fitting gloves works fairly well but if they fit loose, it will be a loosing battle. Do not wire the Amps mount into the battery - run it off of switched power or it will drain a motorcycle battery in a couple of days.
The good part of the device is the memory size and external chip. You must remove the battery door and battery to access the chip but it can hold your routes or pictures. The internal memory holds a huge amount of data so that I can see what roads or jobsites I've been on during the past year's time. There is no need for external antennas as this device locks and holds a great signal, that is until it freaks out and totally locks up again.
The bad part of the device is the quirkiness and the piss poor camera. The touch screen never seems to work too easily unless you want it to do something you don't want done. The "reset factory default" button is poorly places and gets hit at inopportune times. The factory batteries often decide that they are no longer Garmin battery packs and error codes result constantly due to that. And like I said before, the Garmin "nanny" factor is the absolute deal breaker that I can no longer stand.
So, what would I purchase next, especially for a motorcycle? A programmer - rider friend who NEVER believed in GPS devices has since changed his mind and loves the Peaklife GPS from Chinavasion.com . This unit was specifically made for motorcycles and runs with windows technology on a Samsung platform. For under $200, you can get a well outfitted gps unit and aftermarket maps. The unit comes with a motorcycle ram mount and plays music as well as videos, too. I know it's weather proof and shock proof because he's tried his units on trips from TN to AK without any problems. I'm planning to try one of these units next. I just can't stand all of the BS that I've dealt with fooling around with Garmin and their crap. I've lost all confidence in Garmin.