Hello guys,

Just bought my wife a new car (but chose not to "invest" in the $1500 GPS option).

I'd like to get her a GPS that we can hardwire into her car for power, but also have the ability to unplug and use on my bike (perhaps with a spare cig adapter)

Have heard much praise for the Zumo 550 as a Motorcycle GPS - Great ergonomics for bright conditions, gloved hands, etc. Does it stand to reason that this would be equally appealing for car use?

Any other good car/motorcycle GPS recommendations?

Thanks!

 

I own a Garmin Nuvi that I simply adapted to my bike with a RAM mount. The big difference is the ZUMO is supposedly waterproof and the Nuvi is not. I plan to carry a few plastic sandwich type bags and a few rubber bands should I need the GPS in the rain. You can get a pretty decent GPS today for about $200-$300 but I recommend you look for one that is Bluetooth compatible and has "Text to Speech" technology built in. A good source for mounts is http://www.cyclegadgets.com/

If I had to buy a new one though, for bike and car I would strongly consider the Zumo. My NUVI needs some type of shade around it to be seen well on the bike. I don't know how well the ZUMO performs in sunshine or bright conditions. I'd be surprised if any of them do well in bright conditions though.

Here's my install:


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I have the Zumo 550 and can attest that it is totally waterproof. I have had it out in an all-day rain and it worked flawlessly.

The 550 comes with both a motorcycle mount and a car mount, and all the wiring and plug-ins that are necessary to use the unit - nothing else needs to be purchased.

Although they are a bit expensive, I think you get a lot for your money.

 

How is the ZUMO in bright conditions John? My Nuvi definitely needs a shield for shade. These all have similar screens so I cant imagine that the ZUMO is that much better in that regard??

 

I have a nuvi I can see it just fine, the zumo my buddy has is nice also but the cost is much higher. If money is no object get the Zumo. If you want to save money get the Nuvi, Ram mounts sells a waterproof mount for them. What ever you chose I am sure you will like it.

 

We have a Magellan 4350 and it has been great. It surprises us how well it does on remote back roads and even dirt roads out in the desert. We just used it on a trip to Chicago and it was great sorting out all the freeways.

I have it hard wired into my Jeep and move it to the other vehicles with a 12 volt plug as needed. It will run on batteries for at least 6 hours and is rechargable with a 110v adapter as well, so it can be recharged in a hotel room. Plus it has all the AAA travel info stored in it, which means you can find hotels and restaurants, points of interest etc. Nice bright display, though have not tried it on a bike yet and it is NOT waterproof.

I used these guys for the extra mounts and the wiring harness. They have all sorts of stuff for most brands plus a ton of other stuff besides GPS. http://www.mountguys.com/

 

+1 on the Zumo 550, I've had Garmin 2610, and 2730 and the Zumo is hands down a better box, 1000 mp3's on a 8 gig card, the battery feature lets it run while you fuel so you have music or XM and I wired the Harley system so headset mic allows the phone to be used in the saddle on the go. The Kennenady power cords etc are the tops, all from Cycle Gadgets.

 

I have a Lowrance iway500c on my Goldwing. Its kinda big and bulky. I got it about 3 years ago. Whats funny is that when I got it it was $400. Now I see they are going for $700- $1000, its crazy. I should try and sell mine and get a Zumo.

 

The screen brightness of the Zumo is fine under most circumstances, but if the sun hits it at just the right angle it can get washed out. Like most of the Garmin units, it has two modes, daylight and dark, which switches automatically at the appropriate time of day and also has a brightness setting on the menu. It does fine most of the time.

 

Great reviews and pictures you guys!

Thanks for the pics and views...