best gps for the $ ?

[h2smokin]

I'm getting my sena bluetooth sometime next week I ordered. Now looking to get a gps system maybe. Whats best way to go? I've looked at the units for cars and bikes both. Would one non motorcycle specific work just as well? Seems moto specific units cost a whole lot more than for cars. Thanks

[Mal]

I'm getting my sena bluetooth sometime next week I ordered. Now looking to get a gps system maybe. Whats best way to go? I've looked at the units for cars and bikes both. Would one non motorcycle specific work just as well? Seems moto specific units cost a whole lot more than for cars. Thanks

The motorcycle specific ones are water-resistant... but lots use the auto ones without problems. Just remember to cover that rascal if it rains...

[jamiemac]

I'm using a Garmin Nuvi 765T. It will do everything that a Zumo 660 will do but isn't waterproof. Been a great unit, & works great with My Sena Headset.

[ZG]

My Nuvi 765T is working great for me, and plays tunes on the built in mp3 in stereo in my helmet!   
 
If you do get a Nuvi make sure to choose one that plays in stereo, not all of them do...
 

 

[dras]

On ZG's recommendation (thanks ZG) I too picked up a refurbished 765T (off eBay for about $130 delivered). It looks brand new and has a 1 year warranty. Seems to do everything I need it to do without any trouble. I just couldn't bring myself to part with 500 to 800 clams for a motorcycle specific GPS. I rarely ride in the rain, and if I do, I'll likely just take it off. I reckon I'm good to go in the GPS department!

Dave

[ZG]

On ZG's recommendation (thanks ZG) I too picked up a refurbished 765T (off eBay for about $130 delivered). It looks brand new and has a 1 year warranty. Seems to do everything I need it to do without any trouble. I just couldn't bring myself to part with 500 to 800 clams for a motorcycle specific GPS. I rarely ride in the rain, and if I do, I'll likely just take it off. I reckon I'm good to go in the GPS department!

Dave

No worries Dave, glad it worked out for ya! 

[556ALPHA]

I just bought a refurb 765T from Walmart for 128.00 and Garmin gave me the free map update as well for it.  Great unit.

[CrashGordon]

I'll give you the other side of the coin. I bought a Zumo 550 when I bought the bike (two years ago) and I haven't regretted it for a second. I've been on several trips where we were riding in the rain for an entire day and it has never faltered. I think what really convinced me when I bought it was that it comes with a motorcycle Ram mount, motorcycle power cable, car mount, and cig. lighter adapter. I can pop it off the bike and into the car without disconnecting anything and without having to buy anything additional. Also operates very easily with gloves on (touchscreen buttons are large and easy to manipulate). There's no denying the expense, and I can see why some don't want to pay that much when the alternative is a lot cheaper. But to me, it was definitely worth the money.

[ssmith]

While the nuvio & zumo offer similar/same features, motorcycle specific units are designed more rugged than the car units.   You can go the cheaper, but you buy your ticket and take your chances.

[ninjawarrior1400]

Zumo 550.....rugged, waterproof designed for bikes....works...

Ninja

[556ALPHA]

Hey, I like to Farkle with the best of them.  OBVIOUSLY if money is no issue then by all means splurge on one of the new Zumos, but based on the title of the thread I am guessing it is.   I can buy 4 or more "Car" 765t nuvis and a box of Ziploc bags for the price of even a  USED 550.  I think I will take my chances.  Yes the Zumo has glove friendly buttons but how much are you really doing with your Zumo while riding a motorcycle down the road?  It can be mounted with Ram products for about $30.00  including shipping. I am still using a Garmin 2720 which is a MOTORCYCLE unit that can be found for about the same as the Nuvi 765T.  The Nuvi is a backup as my 2720 is aging and for the price it is packed with options.

[B.D.F.]

There is another big advantage in using an automotive GPS in place of a motorcycle type- if (when?) it fails and you are a long way from home, you have a much better shot at getting a local replacement unit at a local store. Zumos, at least the higher end models, are simply not carried at any retail outlets. Best Buy used to carry the Zumo 550 but that didn't last long.

I think before too long, smart phones are going to make serious inroads in vehicular navigation.

Another viable option is a small tablet PC running something like Streets & Trips and a GPS antenna. S & T has always been my favorite routing software and I have used a laptop with S & T and voice guidance in a car (after a GPS failure in a foreign country) but of course a 15" screen laptop isn't practical to use on a bike.... at least not open, sitting on the tank. A 5" to 7" tablet PC is a different story though and might be a great alternative to a true vehicle GPS.

Really it all comes down to performance and price. I have a Zumo 550 and am still a little put off by the very high price of these units. There is nothing in them to warrant such a high cost; it is based entirely on the ability to be exposed in the rain, and perhaps a somewhat brighter screen than auto GPS units. It is this high price that forces us to look for a way around buying them.

Brian

Hey, I like to Farkle with the best of them.  OBVIOUSLY if money is no issue then by all means splurge on one of the new Zumos, but based on the title of the thread I am guessing it is.   I can buy 4 or more "Car" 765t nuvis and a box of Ziploc bags for the price of even a  USED 550.  I think I will take my chances.  Yes the Zumo has glove friendly buttons but how much are you really doing with your Zumo while riding a motorcycle down the road?  It can be mounted with Ram products for about $30.00  including shipping. I am still using a Garmin 2720 which is a MOTORCYCLE unit that can be found for about the same as the Nuvi 765T.  The Nuvi is a backup as my 2720 is aging and for the price it is packed with options.

[Pokey]

Use a Nuvi 255W most the time, but just got myself "2" Garmin 2720 units.........one of the best models they have ever made. Gonna use the 2720 on my DR650, they are tough, waterproof and rugged!

[B.D.F.]

That's true- it took weeks for my 2720 to quit working. The 2820 lasted a long time too- many weeks as I remember.

Seriously, I really did like the 2820. Unfortuntely Garmin just stopped repairs on those units (actually swapping them for 'rebuilt' units which in reality appear to be brand new) so this is kinda' the end of the line for that entire series.

Brian

Use a Nuvi 255W most the time, but just got myself "2" Garmin 2720 units.........one of the best models they have ever made. Gonna use the 2720 on my DR650, they are tough, waterproof and rugged!

[Pokey]

That's true- it took weeks for my 2720 to quit working. The 2820 lasted a long time too- many weeks as I remember.

Seriously, I really did like the 2820. Unfortuntely Garmin just stopped repairs on those units (actually swapping them for 'rebuilt' units which in reality appear to be brand new) so this is kinda' the end of the line for that entire series.

Brian

Hmmmmm.....had a used 2610 that was ancient and lasted me for 3 years, and have a buddy that has had his 2720 now for at least 3 years, those units are typically bulletproof. Want to talk about an "expensive turd IMHO" look no further than the Zumo models.

[B.D.F.]

Hey I am not picking on any one specific type, I have had them all fail and look upon all of them with a fairly even eye. (yep, a back- handed compliment). I started out with a Magellan Roadmate 700 back in the days when one of those was $1,300, and a Best Buy four- year warranty for something like $40 as I remember. Been through a handful of Magellan Roadmates (700's, 760's and finally 800's as the line advanced and the older models were unavailable). Then onto Garmins starting with a 2610 and working my way through Zumo 550's. Back in the olden' days it was great because I would just walk into a Best Buy and swap out the unit in hand for another of the same model. I believe I went through 19 units on that $40 warranty (seriously- I have the receipts around here somewhere). The Zumo before last was on Garmin because the cradle pins ate holes in the contacts on the bottom of the GPS and no longer made contact. The last Zumo was on me because we scratched the face (in Wellsboro, PA at a COG gathering in fact)- it was $150 for a remanufactured unit from Garmin in exchange for the damaged one. Before this last one, not a one in the bunch had so much as a nick on it and none had ever been dropped, gotten wet (other than the waterproof Garmins of course), or treated badly in any way.

I like GPS's but look upon them as somewhat unreliable and think of them as I would a parachute.... if you really think you will need it, bring along at least two.

Brian

Hmmmmm.....had a used 2610 that was ancient and lasted me for 3 years, and have a buddy that has had his 2720 now for at least 3 years, those units are typically bulletproof. Want to talk about an "expensive turd IMHO" look no further than the Zumo models.

[ZG]

I started out with a Magellan Roadmate 700 back in the days when one of those was $1,300

 
 
I remember back in the 80's when a Betamax was like $1,000 and had a cord that ran to the "remote". We've come along way with technology getting cheaper, $30 DVD players are now throw away's if they even act funny once...

[B.D.F.]

GPS's are throw- aways too, just more expensive than $30. But they are getting closer to that price all the time.

By the way, that first Magellan I bought was in 2003, not all that long ago really.

Brian

 
 
I remember back in the 80's when a Betamax was like $1,000 and had a cord that ran to the "remote". We've come along way with technology getting cheaper, $30 DVD players are now throw away's if they even act funny once...

[ZG]

GPS's are throw- aways too, just more expensive than $30. But they are getting closer to that price all the time.

By the way, that first Magellan I bought was in 2003, not all that long ago really.

Brian

     I agree 100% Brian, that's why I don't see the value in spending "Zumo" $ for one...

[B.D.F.]

Me too, or not me either (whichever one works best). I only have a Zumo because of a very long and convoluted warranty route (no pun intended) from that old Magellan. I do not think a Zumo is a good or even reasonable value. Cheap GPSs are now always under $100 and a Zumo 550, at $600 + is simply not six times better. It is really not even twice the value IMO. That said, I do use the MP3 and blue tooth features everytime I ride and MP3's on GPS's are getting pretty rare. The waterproof feature of Zumo is nice too- I use a Nuvi as a second GPS and it does leave something to be desired in the rain, even in a Ram Aqua- Box (visibility is poor during the day).

So that is where I am stuck: Zumo works pretty well but is too expensive. Couple that with my belief that all GPSs are basically disposable and the cost of a Zumo is prohibitive. But the more standard auto type GPSs do not work well on a motorcycle, at least not as I have been using them. ?

Smart phones are looking more and more attractive all the time but they are limited too, usually requiring a cell tower link to navigate. They are expensive too but in a different way; the up-front costs are much lower but there is a considerable monthly service charge. In a couple of years they will cost as much as very expensive GPSs.

I guess we are just typical spoiled Americans, whining about not being able to have the exact kind of GPS we want as cheaply as we want.... (funny and true, all at once).

Brian

     I agree 100% Brian, that's why I don't see the value in spending "Zumo" $ for one...