Satnav recommendation

[Guest Nogbad]

I recently purchased a Garmin Zumo 550 bike satnav.

 

Have to say it is really well made, functions very well and came with all the gubbins to mount on the bike AND in the car, yes that's 2 cradles and 2 sets of power wiring and all the mounting hardware. Even without the voice prompts its easy to follow on the bike, with a large clear screen that just needs the odd glance as you come to intersections. In the car is it just as good, and functions as an excellent hands free phone too - very easy to pair your mobile with the device. There is a really upper class bird that gives directions, sounds just like Sophie Ellis Bextor. Yum. Must get a bluetooth helmet.

 

The touch screen in bike mode really is useable with thick gloves too.

 

Global Gizmos in Manchester are offering this at £369 which is a good £120 cheaper than anyone else I could find.

[Martin Barrett]

Sophie Ellis Bextor. Yum.

 

As a pubescent teenager I had the hots for her mum, I therefore feel just a little bit pervy ogling Sophie.

Luckily only just a little bit.

 

No that wasn't " I feel my little bit whilst pervyily ogling Sophie Ellis Bextor"

 

 

 

For our continental friend Janet Ellis was a presenter on children's programme "Blue Peter" until sacked by scandalously becoming pregnant out of wedlock- having done a bit of googling there is a bit of urban myth around this..

[Guest Nogbad]

Hey Martin you are a real satnav geek with all your geocaching and whatnot! How do you control the routing decisions it makes so that you are not boringly using the motorways. After all, it's supposed to be BIKE satnav, not some 42 ton semi route decision. Seems a bit random. At least the Sophie-alike-bint doesn't get miffed when I ignore her and make her recalculate umpteen times! Although I only get to hear her dulcet tones in the Skoda, but with my business mileage with a boot full of tools and stuff that's most of my mileage.

[Martin Barrett]

Not really a Sat Nav Geek.

We recently purchased a Tom Tom One and used it half a dozen times, have it on the "fastest route" setting but there are times when you just want to go your own way and it has to recalculate. I've tried in the tank bag a couple of times and might take it to Holland with me, once I've rigged a power take off, but I'm a bit concerned with waterproofing/overheating.

I use a Garmin Etrex for the Geocaching, whilst walking mainly but also on the pedley, which is a just point to the waypoint and count down. For longer distances its interpretation off the map as to which foot path you need to take to end up where you want to go it might not always be the one that the needle is pointing down at that moment.

 

I think the Tom Tom has an avoid motorways setting. There isn't a convenient route planning setting in which you can preplan a route by setting in waypoints, though there is an a avoid setting. Mostly use it for getting to a destination ones not familiar with so tends to be the tail end of the journey. Last time we used it was to go to an address in North London/Essex - off the map I'd have taken Junc 26 where the Tom Tom preferred Junc 27 off the M25, some times I follow its advise others I do my own thing. It's interesting to compare the algorithm it uses as to what you suspect would be the best route..

 

They're like calculators you need to know what the answer you should be getting out of it and not follow it blindly.

 

Mine are lower end of the market so it's used in connection with a map. Perhaps the more advanced will allow you to put a route in. But if you just put in a destination it will take you according to one of its algorithms. So if after an exciting ride look at the map before you set out, notes in tank bag. If you need to can use the GPS to get to an initial point, or after a days wallying around to get you to the final point pronto.

 

I use the female voice, reminds me of my first wife telling me what to do, but I can ignore this one and she doesn't always or for long insist that I do a U turn and do it her way

[Guest Nogbad]

The zumo allows you to put in a preplanned route using address, postcode or grid reference waypoints, so I guess if I want to put the work in I can preplan any route and store it. There is an SD card slot, and you can set it to record your route and later share and download the said route for other users. You can get other peoples routes from the Garmin site if they upload them.

 

I just have to get into the programming of the thing I suppose. I'm pretty impressed with it so far, given the additional functionality as a handsfree phone it wasn't bad value, and my accountant says its a legit business device so I won't pay VAT or income tax on the cash I spent on it either.

[grossohc]

My mate has the garmin as well, but his cradle was not charging the handset after leaving the cradle on the bike during heavy rain , he got a replacement and now if the bike is parked out with the cradle he puts a bag over to protect it , on the same vein my tomtom rider did the same thing very early on and i am still waiting for a replacement , i know what i will be buying next time.

Gary

[Guzzirider]

Same thing happened to me- the cradle failed after a Mandello thunderstorm- after that, the unit would not charge.

 

Took about a week for Garmin to send a new one after they agreed the old one was faulty.

 

A forum for Zumo nerds: Zumo forum

 

Guy

[chap]

I recently purchased a Garmin Zumo 550 bike satnav.

 

Have to say it is really well made, functions very well and came with all the gubbins to mount on the bike AND in the car, yes that's 2 cradles and 2 sets of power wiring and all the mounting hardware. Even without the voice prompts its easy to follow on the bike, with a large clear screen that just needs the odd glance as you come to intersections. In the car is it just as good, and functions as an excellent hands free phone too - very easy to pair your mobile with the device. There is a really upper class bird that gives directions, sounds just like Sophie Ellis Bextor. Yum. Must get a bluetooth helmet.

 

The touch screen in bike mode really is useable with thick gloves too.

 

Global Gizmos in Manchester are offering this at £369 which is a good £120 cheaper than anyone else I could find.

 

Hi,

Do you have a picture of your Zumo 550 on your bike?

Thnx,

Chap

[Guest Nogbad]

Hi,

Do you have a picture of your Zumo 550 on your bike?

Thnx,

Chap

 

I will take a snap at the weekend and post it up for you.

[chap]

I will take a snap at the weekend and post it up for you.

 

 

Thank you.

That would be great.

[wambiker]

Hi I've got a Garmin streetpilot 2610, with a RAM mount on the left hand mirror base, so that I can see it when the tank bag is on. This model has been updated by 2620 and I think a 27?? model. Mine has no internal battery (2620 does) and relies on a power lead, either from the bike, or from mains(included with kit) which is useful for downloading routes from the garmin or memorymap software.

It has settings for specifying roads, type, speed of journey etc, also search facilities by name and postcode, and has a speed camera overlay. It is good and gets used in the car as well-just done 2500 miles in Europe, It is not infalable, but very useful, especially for not having to wrestle with maps on the bike.

The main thing I have found with this and some other units is you can not just throw them on and expect to get the best out of them. I reckon it took me 3 months of regular use to sort out the facilities and details, and also learn to interpret exactly what it was telling me.

I have heard some good things about Zumos but not a lot of good opinions for tom tom riders. We have quite a number of different models in use in my club, but garmin streetpilots and quests are the prefered models. Hope this is of some help if a little late.

Cheers Gary

[Dan M]

Hi I've got a Garmin streetpilot 2610, with a RAM mount on the left hand mirror base, so that I can see it when the tank bag is on. This model has been updated by 2620 and I think a 27?? model. Mine has no internal battery (2620 does) and relies on a power lead, either from the bike, or from mains(included with kit) which is useful for downloading routes from the garmin or memorymap software.

It has settings for specifying roads, type, speed of journey etc, also search facilities by name and postcode, and has a speed camera overlay. It is good and gets used in the car as well-just done 2500 miles in Europe, It is not infalable, but very useful, especially for not having to wrestle with maps on the bike.

The main thing I have found with this and some other units is you can not just throw them on and expect to get the best out of them. I reckon it took me 3 months of regular use to sort out the facilities and details, and also learn to interpret exactly what it was telling me.

I have heard some good things about Zumos but not a lot of good opinions for tom tom riders. We have quite a number of different models in use in my club, but garmin streetpilots and quests are the prefered models. Hope this is of some help if a little late.

Cheers Gary

 

 

I have a 2610 as well. really great unit. Garmin is the brand to buy and if I were shopping one the Zumo would be it. Like anything else, more capability=steeper the learning curve. I'm one who loves paper maps but there is no flapping around at 75MPH with the Garmin

[chap]

I have a 2610 as well. really great unit. Garmin is the brand to buy and if I were shopping one the Zumo would be it. Like anything else, more capability=steeper the learning curve. I'm one who loves paper maps but there is no flapping around at 75MPH with the Garmin

 

I saw a Zumo on a BMW K1200S.

Can it be installed on a Le Mans in the same way?

 

 

 

Chap

[Guest Nogbad]

I saw a Zumo on a BMW K1200S.

Can it be installed on a Le Mans in the same way?

Chap

 

Yes they supply an adaptor that mounts over the the clamp on either the clutch or the brake lever; longer bolts are supplied. There is also a "U" bolt kit allowing the same stem to be mounted to a round handlebar in another position. Using the lever body bolts is good on sportsbikes with clip ons. I have mine mounted to my Buell. The kit comes with all the bits you need. Having trouble uploading the pictures as this site only allows small ones. I have to shrink 'em before I post or upload them to photobucket, but I forgot my password!

 

Hope this works: