Gps
Club Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 760
Likes: 2
From: South Carolina
I've had the Garmin Zumo 550 for ~1yr now and LOVE IT. I've also got a portable Garmin in our SUV.....love it too. Great maps, easy to use, put all my music on the memory card and play it thru my AUX port (hear the voice directions there too). I just came back from Vova Scotia and it worked great there too. I don't go anywhere without it and wouldn't even consider another brand.
Tourer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 332
Likes: 0
From: Smithfield, NC
Honestly, I'd get the cheapest Garmin Nuvi that allows you to set multiple waypoints. I got the 255W and that is my only complaint. I seem to only be able to set one waypoint on a trip. The Zumo's are definitely the way to go if money is no object, but the price was just too steep for me right now.
Club Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 760
Likes: 2
From: South Carolina
The best part of the Zumo (over the other Garmin Nuvi's) is the MapSource software which allows you to plan your route in advance, on the roads YOU choose (vs. the fastest or shortest route only), and then the ability to upload them to you handlebar unit. This is a GRETA feature which I use all the time. As a Road Cap't, I can plan my routes, pre-ride'em, and change'em if I don't like a portion of it.
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 186
Likes: 2
From: Minnesota
I have the Zumo 660. I have used it locally and on two 3,000+ mile trips. It is my opinion and others on the zumoforums.com website that the 660 is still in development. My biggest complaints are:
1. The amount of information shown on the screen is weak:
a. town names are not displayed when the 660 is used on the bike or car only when you are holding it in your hand.
b. no map scale is shown on the screen.
c. many times to see the road that I am driving on (for example, 2 lane county highway) I need to zoom in to the point that the only roads I see is the one I am on and maybe an intersecting road every once in awhile. You are zoomed in so far that there is no way to tell where the road is going.
2. The zoom level will change automatically based on the vehicle speed - ok for big towns but sucks for a one road town.
3. The Zumo will recalculate an imported route from MapSource (I heard that the latest software or some other work around may correct this but I haven't investigated it yet). So, if you have an interesting route planned as part of that 500 mile leg of you trip, Zumo may eliminate that section because it didn’t fit Zumo’s criteria for the shortest route or the quickest route or whatever. Note: MapSource came with the Zumo.
4. Twice the Zumo wanted me to turn down a dirt irrigation canal service road (once in Wyoming and once in Colorado) – nice joke Garmin.
5. Waypoints from my trip planning on MapSource are shown on the map, but Zumo does not display the waypoint name.
6. Finding a Subway restaurant with the Zumo seems to be a bit random.
On the positive side:
1. I have been able to read the screen in all levels of sunlight.
2. I have successfully tested the waterproof capabilities (unfortunately) many times this summer.
3. I do like the Zumo’s ability to find the closet gas station – However, I could change this to a complaint because it missed a few closer ones in during my Colorado trip.
4. It was easy to find a site that had all of the H-D and Buell dealers. These are now loaded in my Zumo as POIs (points of interest). That came in very useful once this summer. Same too for all of the KOAs and public campgrounds for all of the states that I visited.
Here is hoping that the next firmware update fixes some of my complaints.
1. The amount of information shown on the screen is weak:
a. town names are not displayed when the 660 is used on the bike or car only when you are holding it in your hand.
b. no map scale is shown on the screen.
c. many times to see the road that I am driving on (for example, 2 lane county highway) I need to zoom in to the point that the only roads I see is the one I am on and maybe an intersecting road every once in awhile. You are zoomed in so far that there is no way to tell where the road is going.
2. The zoom level will change automatically based on the vehicle speed - ok for big towns but sucks for a one road town.
3. The Zumo will recalculate an imported route from MapSource (I heard that the latest software or some other work around may correct this but I haven't investigated it yet). So, if you have an interesting route planned as part of that 500 mile leg of you trip, Zumo may eliminate that section because it didn’t fit Zumo’s criteria for the shortest route or the quickest route or whatever. Note: MapSource came with the Zumo.
4. Twice the Zumo wanted me to turn down a dirt irrigation canal service road (once in Wyoming and once in Colorado) – nice joke Garmin.
5. Waypoints from my trip planning on MapSource are shown on the map, but Zumo does not display the waypoint name.
6. Finding a Subway restaurant with the Zumo seems to be a bit random.
On the positive side:
1. I have been able to read the screen in all levels of sunlight.
2. I have successfully tested the waterproof capabilities (unfortunately) many times this summer.
3. I do like the Zumo’s ability to find the closet gas station – However, I could change this to a complaint because it missed a few closer ones in during my Colorado trip.
4. It was easy to find a site that had all of the H-D and Buell dealers. These are now loaded in my Zumo as POIs (points of interest). That came in very useful once this summer. Same too for all of the KOAs and public campgrounds for all of the states that I visited.
Here is hoping that the next firmware update fixes some of my complaints.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,896
From: Bedford UK
Garmin has been around longer and is supplied by BMW and Harley, so has an advantage over TomTom in some ways. I have an early Rider and my brother a recent Garmin. He likes the TomTom in some ways over the way the Garmin works, while I haven't yet fathomed the Garmin!
We travelled in Europe in June for a fortnight and soon found they can't agree with each other! We were in an organised group travelling on a set itinerary and comparing notes with the various gps units was part of the fun. My wife and I travelled mostly alone, rather than trying to solve why Garmin wanted us to turn right while TomTom wanted us to turn left. We mostly got to places without problems, but most of the Garmin users had problems in Prague for some reason (finding our hotel).
If you plan to travel in Eastern Europe you may find Garmin don't have fully detailed maps. The TomToms on our trip were the only gps with full maps for Poland and Slovakia. May not be a problem in North America!
We travelled in Europe in June for a fortnight and soon found they can't agree with each other! We were in an organised group travelling on a set itinerary and comparing notes with the various gps units was part of the fun. My wife and I travelled mostly alone, rather than trying to solve why Garmin wanted us to turn right while TomTom wanted us to turn left. We mostly got to places without problems, but most of the Garmin users had problems in Prague for some reason (finding our hotel).
If you plan to travel in Eastern Europe you may find Garmin don't have fully detailed maps. The TomToms on our trip were the only gps with full maps for Poland and Slovakia. May not be a problem in North America!
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 968
Likes: 11
From: Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
The best part of the Zumo (over the other Garmin Nuvi's) is the MapSource software which allows you to plan your route in advance, on the roads YOU choose (vs. the fastest or shortest route only), and then the ability to upload them to you handlebar unit. This is a GRETA feature which I use all the time. As a Road Cap't, I can plan my routes, pre-ride'em, and change'em if I don't like a portion of it.
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 324
Likes: 1
From: Jacksonville, Fl.
I've had a Zumo 550 for over two years. Features I love include XM radio and the ability to use in my car very easily. I find buttons and features easy to use. I also bought a lifetime of map upgrades for a little over $100 from Garmin. One last thing is you can buy MadMaps for the Zumo.
Advanced
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
From: Miami, Florida
I have the Zumo 550 and have loved it for two years. Like some others, I have owned other Garmin units for car and boat. The one time I ever needed service (touch screen not touching) they treated me GREAT. A +++++ company ...
