GPS question

[wroman]

I am picking a GPS to use and I am leaning to 1300 series beacause I like the mount.  In the rain I will just cover it with a ziplock or such.
I cannot confirm what GPS units have roadside services listed as my old Streetpilot did.  I am talking fuel, food, hotel info.  Most seem to do fuel, police and hospitals and the way I figure it if I am traveling and a trip to the police station or hospital is in my future a free ride will come along with the deal.  Any help? I tried pulling up the owners manuals of quite a few units and can't find what I need.  I really like the hotels search while on the road and used it many times to find and make a reservation.
Walt

[kawacop1642]

I have been using the Garmin Nuvi 550 for several years with no issues. It's also water proof and mounts easily with a ram mount. I also use this when I travel abroad. has micro SD card slot. I have done several cross country trips with this one and found it very easy to navigate through.

[shreveportSS]

Should be under Points of interest and select what you want ie hotel, restaurant, fuel etc.

[PlaynInPeoria]

My Zumo 220 is motorcycle specific (works with gloves, ok in rain, handles vibration) and has all that stuff.  Food, fuel, lodging etc.  I love that thing. 

Plus, it came with some semi-funky software that allows me to plan custom routes and download them so I can do trip planning on my desktop PC with an entirely too large monitorr well in advance and just follow the route.  I can't speak highly enough of it.  If you want info, pm me and we can talk.

[maxtog]

My Zumo 220 is motorcycle specific (works with gloves, ok in rain, handles vibration) and has all that stuff.  Food, fuel, lodging etc.  I love that thing. 

Yep- I have a Zumo.  Made for bikes.  Way overpriced, though.

[VirginiaJim]

My 1490 has all that information.  Garmin's website should tell you that or at whatever site you are looking at to buy it I would think.

[Daytona_Mike]

which ever Garmin  you get if it is not Zumo then make sure you can get a RAM mount for it.
Those little ball end suction mounts for cars do not work on bikes.

[BruceR]

My 1490 has all that information.  Garmin's website should tell you that or at whatever site you are looking at to buy it I would think.

I have the 1490 also, but it's not useful for me on the bike.  I can't pair it to my Sena Bluetooth headset. 

[VirginiaJim]

I used it last year on the bike without any issues.   I turned off it's bluetooth as I use my Sena for phone connections.  It worked great for me.  It got me to Poke's place, Kent State, and my hotel in PA so I just don't see the need to pay out the wazoo for a MC specific GPS.  It's ridiculous what they want for it.

I do plan on opening it up and splicing in a connector for an audio cable to connect to the Sena audio port.

[BruceR]

I don't pair the 1490 to my phone at all.  I just wanted the gps audio through my headset.  That is the only downside though; I love the big screen.  So far I've just been using my Android phone w/ Google maps for phone, gps, and music.  Works okay but the sunlight sure washes the screen out.

[lablank]

I'm using a Zumo 660, which I easily transfer between my bikes by having the mount on each bike.  I secured it on the C14 with a Touratech mount - not 100% thief proof, but a bit of a deterrent. The normal mount that came with it has not protection whatsoever.

What I like most about the 660 is that I can build custom routes on the computer and then transfer them to the GPS. I also share those routes with my buddies. One of them has the Zumo 550 and the other has the 665 (he has the live weather on that one - that is cool!!)

I have had a Nuvi (not weather proof) and I found it was a pain having to cover it when it rained. The steam also built up under the plastic and it was hard to read the screen. I bought a box from Ram-mount and the same steam issue happened. I finally gave in and bought the 660 (also to keep up with the Jones' !!)

Rene

[ZG]

Zumo 660 here.

[Daytona_Mike]

Zumo's come with dual RAM mounts which are unique. The one for the car has a speaker. The one for the bike is waterproof and tracks your mileage ONLY while on the bike and not on the car. RAM stuff is not cheap.
the Zumo's are also covered under Garmin's $150 replacement- no questions asked.. send in the old get a refurb. I sent my old old Zumo550  back to Garmin once and only paid $100 because I complained and said it was their software upgrade i had just done  that broke it.(I could not tell it was a refurb- it looked brand new)
 The new one came with Life Time Maps. Win! Win!
Also  you can get parts and repair your Zumo your self. I always keep  a spare digitizer. It is not hard to replace.They are inexpensive on Ebay- 2 for $10.
I found the non - Zumo's hard to see in the sun.

The easiest way to make custom maps for your Garmin is to use Google maps. Drag any line you make in directions to where you want.
Use the link and import that into T.Y.R.E.--- Track Your Route Everywhere ---
then export from TYRE to Garmin or TomTom  formats.
Buy Zumo- well worth the extra money.

[maxtog]

I'm using a Zumo 660, which I easily transfer between my bikes by having the mount on each bike.  I secured it on the C14 with a Touratech mount - not 100% thief proof, but a bit of a deterrent. The normal mount that came with it has not protection whatsoever.

The Zumo mount does have some protection- you can use a little allen wrench screw to prevent removal of the GPS from the mount and that will cover the cable which acts as a tether.  Granted, it isn't MUCH protection, but that is what Garmin claims is their anti-theft.

I have the 550.  Most of the time I just don't care anymore and leave it on the bike.  Sometimes I will cover it with a towel or something.  If I am parked somewhere busy and feel less safe, I will remove it and lock it up.  But I seem to be having problems with the mount now that sometimes when I remove and put it back on I get no sound or one channel drops, which is extremely annoying and I then have to play with it a while to get it all working correctly again.

[lablank]

The Zumo mount does have some protection- you can use a little allen wrench screw to prevent removal of the GPS from the mount and that will cover the cable which acts as a tether.  Granted, it isn't MUCH protection, but that is what Garmin claims is their anti-theft.

I have the 550.  Most of the time I just don't care anymore and leave it on the bike.  Sometimes I will cover it with a towel or something.  If I am parked somewhere busy and feel less safe, I will remove it and lock it up.  But I seem to be having problems with the mount now that sometimes when I remove and put it back on I get no sound or one channel drops, which is extremely annoying and I then have to play with it a while to get it all working correctly again.

Max: you are right but only the 550 has that special screw. The 660 and 665 do not. I'm sure about the new 350.

That's why I bought the Touratech mount for protecting my 660. http://www.gpscentral.ca/accessories/touratech-zumo.html

[maxtog]

Max: you are right but only the 550 has that special screw. The 660 and 665 do not. I'm sure about the new 350.

Wow- they must have dropped it then (it seemed pretty stupid in the first place)

That's why I bought the Touratech mount for protecting my 660. http://www.gpscentral.ca/accessories/touratech-zumo.html

$190 to $260... Pricey!  Neat stuff thought, had no idea it even existed.

[lablank]

$190 to $260... Pricey! 

I agree it is pricey. I just did not want to go into the store to pay for my gas and come out to see my $600 GPS unit gone!! 

[jaclaw]

I can't see how the "motorcycle" Zumo can possibly cost that much more to produce than a more generic Nuvi.  seems like so many other products that add "motorcycle" to the description and 200-300% to the cost.  I have used a refurbished Nuvi 1490 now for 3-4 years, if it dies (or gets stolen) I'll buy another and still be ahead.

[maxtog]

I can't see how the "motorcycle" Zumo can possibly cost that much more to produce than a more generic Nuvi.  seems like so many other products that add "motorcycle" to the description and 200-300% to the cost.  I have used a refurbished Nuvi 1490 now for 3-4 years, if it dies (or gets stolen) I'll buy another and still be ahead.

It doesn't cost anywhere near THAT much more to produce, although it is a better design.  They charge a lot more simply because they can.  Supply and demand.

The Zumo is a much superior product for motorcycle use, but the price is a rip-off when you start to compare it to a non-motorcycle product (like a Nuvi, which is not as watertight, is not vibration/impact resistant, is not glove friendly, has no hard buttons, has no MC screens, and does not include a sophisticated mounting system).   To many people, the extra price is worth it.

[wroman]

  Ok, thanks for all the opinions. If I had unlimited resources I would order a Zumo.  What I ordered was a refurbished Nuvi 2550. After watching the many excellent videos on GPSCITY.com I like the way it functions and seems to have been well thought out.  It will accept downloads from Road Runner and custom maps and way points should I choose.  $119.00 from GPS City along with a ram cradle to mount inside one of the  Bags Connection GPS pouches and mounted on a Bags Connection gadget mount.  I will look into adding the wiring from the internal speaker to an old fashioned earphone.  The neat thing about the GPS pouch is it unzips open and can be left open for non-rain use.
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/bags-connection-navi-bag-pouch-for-quick-lock-tankbags-and-gadget-mounts-medium

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/bags-connection-gps-pda-ram-gadget-holder-bracket-for-quick-lock-tankbags

The GPS  pouch/holder has dual zippers and will accept a lock and lanyard to make more difficult to steal but it should be easy enough to remove the mount and all or GPS and put in trunk.