Hello all, I am considering a portable GPS NAV. unit. One that I can use in the car (or bike rental) and mounted on the bike (must have the 1.25" mount). I noticed hogheritage04 mounted his unit on the right handle bar (I also have the Radar detector). Would the Zumo 550 be a good choice on the bike and off? How is the ease of use? My other consideration was the TomTom One to have in my pocket. Thanks all!
So I have the Zumo 550 and have used it in a number of different configurations:
I have it hard wired onto my 03 RK Classic through the AUX switch and this works great. I have also used it in a car with the supplied auto mount and it also works great. One of the things I like most about the unit is the Bluetooth interface. I use my Plantronics 650e ear bud which works perfectly and provides turn by turn directions....the ear bud is really "Stealth", loud and even works with my 1/2 helmet without the curtain attached.
Additionally the "Auto" mount can be adapted for other temporary applications on other motorcycles. I just returned from a 2 week "Fly and Ride" in Germany, France, Spain, Monaco, Italy and Switzerland on an 07 Ultra Classic and used the factory suction cup mount on the windshield of the bike along with the factory cig adapter and it worked great....with the Europe SD card installed (which BTW also works in my Nuvi for other travel to Europe). The Bluetooth was a life save as you can't (or at least shouldn't be) looking at the unit all the time. With about 300 "Roundabouts" under my belt and 10 or so hotel searchouts I can say unequivocally that the Zumo 550 is absolutely a PERFECT motorcycle application....especially with the bluetooth earbud for driving directions.
It is a bit big but the factory suction cup mount allowed the unit to be where I needed it to be and not once during the 2000 miles of driving did the suction cup separate from the windshield of the Ultra.....it certainly vibrated especially at idle but stayed put....only issue was that the swivel/ball mechanism was a but loose after the first 3 or 4 days.....which was easily remedied by a quick shot of the wife's Hair Spray into the back....then it was good as new!
I do not know how I could have possibly made it through such unfamiliar country and unfamiliar signage without the GPS....it certainly allowed us to concentrate on the beauty of the trip and not worry about the navigation. It also allowed us to think in MPH as well as KPH at the same time for our North America centric thinking
. The ability to quickly find gas stations as well as places to eat should also not be underestimated.....not to mention that we took the unit with us at night when walking through the towns and were looking for restaurants on foot as well....all in all the PERFECT motorcycle application
Cheers!
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Topic: Standard GPS or Garmin - implementation (Read 34769 times)