Philistine
Member
Hi, can anybody give me some feed back on motorcycle gps have been looking at TomTom Rider 4.3" Garmin Zumo 660 and The Strike Genius Bluetooth.
cheers Phil
cheers Phil
which GPS?
- Thread starter Philistine
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fransvdm
New Member
I have a Garmin 660 fitted the madstad windscreen bracket
I have GARMIN 550 IN A TOURATECH locking mount with the anti vibe bit removed its on a RAM mount on the left hand side of the bars. Mounted there it does not obscure any of the instruments or lights and is easily operated on the move without having to reach forward.
Lots of folks here use the Garmin Montana 600/650 series, which can do a lot but they are a quirky pain in the ass. They definitely are rugged and weatherproof.
There is a verrry long thread in ADV about the Montana, it's quirks, and problems. I feel lucky to have only had two warranty replacements. Easy to load all sorts of maps into it, and the design is a chameleon, in that you can set it up for all sorts of different uses, from surveying, hiking, to boating, to car, to ...
But don't be surprised when the thing decides to start in a different mode and not use any of the settings you set for the last use. And Garmin's user interface is generations behind the intuitive approach in use for 10 years by Google, Apple, and others.
The Oregon series screen is too small for real use on the bike and doesn't do well in sunlight, especially with sun glasses or a dark visor.
There is a verrry long thread in ADV about the Montana, it's quirks, and problems. I feel lucky to have only had two warranty replacements. Easy to load all sorts of maps into it, and the design is a chameleon, in that you can set it up for all sorts of different uses, from surveying, hiking, to boating, to car, to ...
But don't be surprised when the thing decides to start in a different mode and not use any of the settings you set for the last use. And Garmin's user interface is generations behind the intuitive approach in use for 10 years by Google, Apple, and others.
The Oregon series screen is too small for real use on the bike and doesn't do well in sunlight, especially with sun glasses or a dark visor.
RogerJ
Waypoint Wanderer
Have had very good experience with the Garmin Zumo 550. Takes a lot of punishment and is ruggedly built. Maybe I just like old things.......like Mapsource. ::025:: ::025::
I have a rider friend who is 100% satisfied with his Peaklife units. They've taken his punishment to AK and back a few times as well as his usual trips. They are sold on Chinavasion.com for under $150 and then you need maps for another $50 so $200 total for a decent motorcycle gps with mounts that also plays music and video. This will be my next motorcycle gps unit.
I currently have the Garmin Montana that has seen 4 replacements in 2 years and the newest one is still acting up, too. This will be my last Garmin product. I hate BaseCamp and all of Garmin's Nanny attitudes that do not allow freedom of use. Over $900 invested in a paperweight that still won't work right ::002::
I currently have the Garmin Montana that has seen 4 replacements in 2 years and the newest one is still acting up, too. This will be my last Garmin product. I hate BaseCamp and all of Garmin's Nanny attitudes that do not allow freedom of use. Over $900 invested in a paperweight that still won't work right ::002::
Doug44
Member
I couldn't part with the money for a motorcycle GPS when I bought over 2 years ago and thousands of miles ago now on it a Tom Tom for $59 at Big Lots. It is brighter than most Garmin units I have tried and heck I can easily program it going down the road if needed. After buying it for $59 I actually went back and picked up a 2nd one which is still in the box. No special shock mount etc just a ram mount on my Madstad windshield bracket. Either remove durning a rain storm or put a sandwich bag over it and ride on. YMMV
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I vote the never quirky Zumo 660/665
I've a Zumo660 and it does the job without frills or farkles, however it is an old GPs nowadays and looks it , especially the screen rendering which imo looks a bit toy like.
I'd say the new kid on the block from garmin is the Montana however it appears that to get the best from it you need to be a bit geekish, though the newer Zumo models which seem to have returned to the old 550 chassis maybe better for plug and play routing . If my zumo falls out of support ( its in a weird discountinued/supported status) i'll probably have to stump up for a Montana which will hopefully dropped in price by then. PS current Zumo660LM isn't discountinued , just the early versions, though apart from the LM name change I'm buggered if I can tell whats different between the new and my version.
I'd say the new kid on the block from garmin is the Montana however it appears that to get the best from it you need to be a bit geekish, though the newer Zumo models which seem to have returned to the old 550 chassis maybe better for plug and play routing . If my zumo falls out of support ( its in a weird discountinued/supported status) i'll probably have to stump up for a Montana which will hopefully dropped in price by then. PS current Zumo660LM isn't discountinued , just the early versions, though apart from the LM name change I'm buggered if I can tell whats different between the new and my version.
Philistine
Member
will the garmin 660 let me interact with it on the computer? by that I mean plan a route on my computer and then upload it onto the gps?
cosmic
Member
Of course. Garmin's software Base Camp or even Gmaps will do the trick.Philistine said:
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sail2xxs
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I use a Nuvi 550 with the Twisted Throttle and RAM windshield mount. For ~ $180 on Black Friday sale, waterproof and pretty easy to use while wearing gloves.
Chris
Chris
Philistine
Member
one of the bike shops has a Garmin zumo 350LM on special for $499 is this one ok for the price?
Philistine said:
Let me put it this way...
I have a Garmin Zumo 350LM... Bought it when the Nuvi 765T I had been using for years packed up, and I was leaving for a week-plus trip and needed a new GPS ASAP. Been using the 350LM for nearly a year now, and if I had it to do over again...
I wouldn't buy the 350LM, period.
It's OK, but not worth the money Garmin wants for it, and it has a bit of problem with it's electrical contacts in its mount, along with other anomalies. I've finally got it where it works OK, but for this kind of $$$ I would have bought a Montana instead, or saved some money and gotten one of the other Zumo's or another Nuvi. I'm actually a Garmin fan, but not one of the 350LM.
Just my two centavos...
Dallara
~
Hell same here, but I would have not bought the Montana again. I would just get a Nuvi with a water proof rain pouch and handlebar mount. Would have saved a few hundred bucks and would be just as good, for what I use it for.Dallara said:
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Philistine
Member
the way I see it none of them are worth the price they are asking, I might have to stay with my trusty old handheld gpsmap 62s and wait for the prices to come down, just really wanted blue tooth 
coastie said:
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robertyknwt
New Member
I've got the newest TomTom Rider. It's a pretty good unit so far, although I wouldn't say I've "torture-tested" it. Usually $400 in the US.
You don't need a rain cover for the 500 series Nuvi. These particlular units are waterproof. I have a 550 and have gone through some frog stranglers without an issue.coastie said:
Bruce
Combo
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Nuvi 500. Cheap, water proof and works just fine for what we do.
http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Garmin-nuvi-500-Automotive-Mountable-GPS-Receiver-/73950597
If you want all the extras you can spend the bucks and get the high dollar jobs that do more. I am a point A to B and adding routes kind of guy and the 500 does a good job. You can find one for around $200 and spend the extra $300-$400 on fuel and do over 3000 miles of fun on the savings.
http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Garmin-nuvi-500-Automotive-Mountable-GPS-Receiver-/73950597
If you want all the extras you can spend the bucks and get the high dollar jobs that do more. I am a point A to B and adding routes kind of guy and the 500 does a good job. You can find one for around $200 and spend the extra $300-$400 on fuel and do over 3000 miles of fun on the savings.