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[iski]

Since late April have had some real problems with the Road Tech 660. 

1. Original unit would not find a satellite.

2. Sent back, Garmin sent a non-Road Tech 660. Sent back.

3. Then, Garmin sent a Road Tech 660 that froze in Recalculate mode about an hour after I got it. Sent back.

4. Next Garmin sent a RT 660 that had no audio, unless you count ear splitting static.  About 2 hours after using it on it's first ride.  Sent it back.

5. Now Garmin sends a RT 660 that freezes up, then no audio, then unfreeezes.  Would say it was spastic, basically.

That makes THREE reconditioned units Garmin has sent that do not work, plus a wrong one..  Asked Garmin for a new HD RT 660 (after the first & second & now) & basically all I get is unhappy horsechit from them about sending ANOTHER recon unit that has been "tested."  Curly with the 3 Stooges could have done better than Garmin has here.  So I am "spreading the love."  What Garmin is doing is sending old non working units out as "recon" units.  Basically just recycling their problems to other locations, by second day air.  Not good business. Have documented all of this & have some things in mind.

If you have a Road Tech 660, best hope it does not break.  Am working this out now with HD Corp. & my local dealer.  HD Milwaukee knows this is an issue & is blaming Garmin for sending out crap units as replacements.

If you have had issues with your HD RT 660, would like to hear about them.

[iski]

ALL the replacement units from Garmin were crap basically right out of the box.  After getting 3 non working units, I contacted customer service at HD in Milwaukee.  They are aware of these issues with Garmin.  Got a reference nmber and they suggested getting my local dealer involved.  I did.  An hour later got a phone call to pick up my new Road Tech 660.  Local dealer comes through when Garmin would not.  

If you have problems with a HD 660 beyond the early waranty period when they supposedly would ship a new unit, suggest dealing with your HD dealer instead of Garmin.  I gave Garmin a MONTH to resolve this & at last contact all they would do was ship ANOTHER reconditioned unit.  My opinion of Garmin has dropped considerably & now they are ranked with a number of other companies that simply could care less about customer service beyond the sale.  Funny thing, on my non H D 550 they were great to work with.  

If somebody comes up with a Smart Phone with decent built in programmable GPS that could be handlebar mounted or... a bike radio is integrated with a great GPS as autos sometimes are now - does not bode well for stand alone GPS units that are most common now.  Add Bluetooth with no wires to that handlebar mounted phone & a lot of issues are solved.  Just thinking out loud,taking off on an idea JC had.

[T-Hawk]

My 660 doesn't have issues finding satellites nor does it seem to have any issues using the stock HD headset and boom... however, it does like to jump between the audio volume controls on the Karmin Stereo and 660 randomly... giving me two separate volumes at awkward times, like having both somewhat in sync at highway speeds, only to switch to the 660 volume (matched at highway speed) while I'm sitting at a stop/redlight.  Makes for a sudden shock to your system.  Once I return the volume to a comfortable setting while stopped, when I get back up to highway speeds, it switches again to the 660 setting which is now almost inaudible.  The dealer thinks it may be wire chaffing on the Karmin unit verses the 660, but still can't explain why it switches back and forth randomly.  While using the CB the other day without the Intercom being on, the boom mic would randomly open, although it wasn't transmitting thru the CB, I could still hear the ambient road noise and the stereo at the same time.  When the boom would activate during the Intercom use, it could be compensated by the voice activation setting, but the CB is PTT.  The reason I know the CB wasn't transmitting during this open mic scenario, is that the bike I was talking to did not hear anything I was saying while it appeared to be open.  During normal use, either CB or Intercom, the stereo always mutes during conversation.

Don't know how this information helps anyone, but would like to know if anyone else is having similar issues.  Thanks for the option to add my two cents.

[Twolanerider]

Have only had mine a few weeks.  From brand new out of the box, however, it won't read a memory card.  After discovering after the fact (my bad, like of pre-purchase homework) that many have done this and that unit replacement does not solve the problem I've chosen to live with it. 

[T-Hawk]

Have only had mine a few weeks.  From brand new out of the box, however, it won't read a memory card.  After discovering after the fact (my bad, like of pre-purchase homework) that many have done this and that unit replacement does not solve the problem I've chosen to live with it. 

I thought about expanding the memory myself so I could load all of the topo maps I purchased way back when for my Garmin 60C, only to realize the maps already on the RT 660 are more than plenty.  That, and the accuracy of the display (where you are on the road system) on the 660 is far more than that of the 60C.  Can't wait to see how it responds in the Lower 48 next Summer.

[C2CRider]

Other than operator error, no.    Forgot I had the AUX selected and after a very long relaxing quiet few hundred miles it suddenly spoke to me.... dang near chit my pants and almost dumped by bike!!  I've not make that mistake again!! 

[cvosjoe]

My 660 doesn't have issues finding satellites nor does it seem to have any issues using the stock HD headset and boom... however, it does like to jump between the audio volume controls on the Karmin Stereo and 660 randomly... giving me two separate volumes at awkward times, like having both somewhat in sync at highway speeds, only to switch to the 660 volume (matched at highway speed) while I'm sitting at a stop/redlight.  Makes for a sudden shock to your system.  Once I return the volume to a comfortable setting while stopped, when I get back up to highway speeds, it switches again to the 660 setting which is now almost inaudible.  The dealer thinks it may be wire chaffing on the Karmin unit verses the 660, but still can't explain why it switches back and forth randomly.  While using the CB the other day without the Intercom being on, the boom mic would randomly open, although it wasn't transmitting thru the CB, I could still hear the ambient road noise and the stereo at the same time.  When the boom would activate during the Intercom use, it could be compensated by the voice activation setting, but the CB is PTT.  The reason I know the CB wasn't transmitting during this open mic scenario, is that the bike I was talking to did not hear anything I was saying while it appeared to be open.  During normal use, either CB or Intercom, the stereo always mutes during conversation.

Don't know how this information helps anyone, but would like to know if anyone else is having similar issues.  Thanks for the option to add my two cents.

Do you have a NIM installed? If so it might be a bad module. I had the problem you described for your CB. Disconnect the NIM and see if the problem goes away.

[bissjim]

Do you have a NIM installed? If so it might be a bad module. I had the problem you described for your CB. Disconnect the NIM and see if the problem goes away.

You hit the nail square on the head.

Jim

[iski]

Have not had that volume issue.


So far the non SD card reading glitch as been a minor PITA.  Turning the unit off & on will make it find the card - sometimes.


Not 660 related, but my OLD 550 stopped working & the guy I sold it to sent it back to Garmin.  Well out of warranty so they told him they would send a refurbished unit in 6-10 days.  3 weeks went by - no 550.  He called them & supposedly they are sending him a NEW 550 due to "problems in their service dept."  Not sure he will actually get a new unit since they told me this on my 660 but after I checked found out they sent a recon unit instead.

My gut guess is this: Garmin is selling a LOT of GPS units.  The bike sales are ok/good & Zumo is good profit, but overall, sales to the bike trade are a very small % of overall Garmin sales.  As such, Zumos can get treated like a red headed stepchild in their service area.  I sent them a very reasonable email of my concerns as to how they mishandled my 660 situation.  Got no response back - did not expect one.  I consider such ignorance to be very unprofessional, regardless of where it comes from.  When it comes from a company as big as Garmin, it indicates a lot of internal issues & their inability to respond in a reasonable manner in a reasonable time frame speaks volumes.

[miker]

Is this why they commit hari-kari? 

[iski]

 

Prolly.

That's a one-off kind of hobby.

[Midnight Rider]

Mine's done a couple of odd things...Once, when using it in the car, I hit a traffic jam on the interstate and so punched in "Detour".  The thing started talking to me like Alvin and the Chipmunks were living in the GPS.  Turned it off for a minute, then back on...no problem.  Then it did it out of the blue again, so punched my original route and it stopped.   

Another time we were on the bike out in the boonies and descended down into a canyon of sorts...the GPS started this high pitched, constant, obnoxious, ear piercing, LOUD tone through my headset.  I'm really not sure if it was the GPS or the HK, and there may have been some kind of transmitter nearby making it happen.   

Electronic chit that is not always repeatable sucks...

The other issue I'm having is when I do a route in Mapsource and then transfer it to the GPS...it will only allow me to transfer one route at a time.  I have to transfer, unhook, put the battery cover back on, take the cover back off, hook back up to the PC, then transfer another route, etc.  Don't know WTF is going on there.

Not good to hear that Garmin is sucking so bad in their customer service

[Twolanerider]

Mine's done a couple of odd things...Once, when using it in the car, I hit a traffic jam on the interstate and so punched in "Detour".  The thing started talking to me like Alvin and the Chipmunks were living in the GPS.  Turned it off for a minute, then back on...no problem.  Then it did it out of the blue again, so punched my original route and it stopped.   

Another time we were on the bike out in the boonies and descended down into a canyon of sorts...the GPS started this high pitched, constant, obnoxious, ear piercing, LOUD tone through my headset.  I'm really not sure if it was the GPS or the HK, and there may have been some kind of transmitter nearby making it happen.   

Electronic chit that is not always repeatable sucks...

The other issue I'm having is when I do a route in Mapsource and then transfer it to the GPS...it will only allow me to transfer one route at a time.  I have to transfer, unhook, put the battery cover back on, take the cover back off, hook back up to the PC, then transfer another route, etc.  Don't know WTF is going on there.

Not good to hear that Garmin is sucking so bad in their customer service

Sorry the tangent.  But I hate MapSource.  Anyone found good alternatives that will create files in the Garmin format?

TC, rather than taking the back off to make your connection to the PC have you tried just attaching the unit to the car connector and using that USB port?

[Midnight Rider]

Sorry the tangent.  But I hate MapSource.  Anyone found good alternatives that will create files in the Garmin format?

TC, rather than taking the back off to make your connection to the PC have you tried just attaching the unit to the car connector and using that USB port?

No, hadn't thought of that.  I've only had the car mount out of the box once and really didn't pay any attention to the thing other than power and how to mount the damn unit.  Good idea though.  I really don't understand why they would put a USB port INSIDE the battery cover, and then enable the unit to know that the cover is off and not allow you to do anything until it's back on.  Weatherproofing would be a reason, but there are other ways to skin that cat.

Or, I could just be stupid...that's a very real probability.

Yes, Mapsouce sucks big ones, but I don't know of an alternative. 

[Twolanerider]

No, hadn't thought of that.  I've only had the car mount out of the box once and really didn't pay any attention to the thing other than power and how to mount the damn unit.  Good idea though.  I really don't understand why they would put a USB port INSIDE the battery cover, and then enable the unit to know that the cover is off and not allow you to do anything until it's back on.  Weatherproofing would be a reason, but there are other ways to skin that cat.

Or, I could just be stupid...that's a very real probability.

Yes, Mapsouce sucks big ones, but I don't know of an alternative. 

Have only used that connection once but it seemed a lot more comfortable idea for regular use than repetitively opening the weather sealed cover.