Never fooled with them , have seen many posts here about them ..

1) Advanced Audio Nav System at 800$ , worth it ? Pros/Cons

2) Road Tech Zumo also 800$ , worth it ? Pros/Cons

I realize the "worth it" is merely subjective

3) something else ??

4) Seems I saw somewhere here where stealers can be flashed into the Zumo's from a source other than Harley

 

Get the Gramin Zumo 550 off the web for someone like pcnation.com and forget getting the HD one. I paid less than $600 for my 550 last year, so it's way less than $800. Also, after you get it you can load the HD POI file into it and you'll have all the HD dealers in it.

No cons for me on my 550.

 

Don't buy the HD Roadtech Zumo. Go buy the Garmin Zumo which is the same thing, but doesn't have the $300 extra bar and shield logo. You can get the 450 or the 550 which is the same thing except the 550 comes with a car attachment and bluetooth capabilities. You can download all HD dealers from a website like POIfactory, etc.

 

You don't have to pay 800.00 for a Zumo. I saw them on several sites for 500.00 to 600.00. I took the SD card that plugs into the zumo and loaded all 991 dealerships in the usa into the card. I can tap on POI Points of interest and pull them up by state. If you want the best thing for motorcycle use, you will buy a zumo. Jyst my two cents worth....Bldr

 

Just in case no one mentioned the Zumo yet... Thats what I'd get LOL I have the 550, put the HD poi's on the internal memory, and music on a 4 gig card...

 

Or just get a regular Garmin and don't leave it out in the rain. They will survive just fine on a motorcycle. I know lots of people that use Nuvis on bikes. I just picked up a refurbed Nuvi 750 off of eBay for 202 bucks shipped....about half price. It works great and has a 1 year warranty.

 

I have Garmin GPS units in my pickup and the wife's car. I have had excellent experience with both, and terrific customer service the one time I did have a problem. I don't have a GPS on the bike yet, but intend to put one on this winter. Would like to get the Zumo 550, but may get the 450 (only $350 at Costco). I have seen some good prices on E-Bay, too, but I'm waiting for the holiday sales and/or rebates.

 

I guess it depends on your budget and what you want out of a GPS unit. I just want to get from point A to point B without getting lost.

I have a Garmin Street Pilot 550 and I just bought the cycle bar mount this morning for $38.00. Since I already had the unit, $38 is a cheap option for mounting it to the bike. I don't plan on using it all the time and with less vibration on the '09's, I don't see that being an issue. If it rains, a zip lock baggie will protect it.

If money wasn't an issue, yes the Garmin Zumo is the way to go....

 

I have a Garmin Nuvi 780. I have riden in the rain several times with it and so far, so good. I saw a Zumo at Best Buy a few days ago, and liked some of the things about it, but one thing I like better about the Nuvi is the larger LCD screen. I have heard the Zumo is easier to see in direct sunlight though w/less glare.
The Nuvi has features like a thing that will allow you to listen to someone 'read' a book to you, and a money convertor, and a language convertor (all of which is useless to me as far as I am concerned). Blue tooth phone capability is pretty cool I guess....if you need to know everytime someone calls you (I don't have that need).
I guess if I had to do it all over again...I would go with the Zumo.....but my Nuvi is fine for now.



Chuck

 

Another plus for the 450/550 is it's completely waterproof. I've ridden in rain all day with it and not a problem.