| Author | Message | ||
     Kttemplar |
Just in case anyone was thinking of adding a GPS to his or her bike, here is what the Zumo 450 looks like on my bike. I saw a picture of a Quest on one of the other threads. I used to have a Quest on mine, but it had a hard time acquiring satellites and was not reliable enough for me. It may be that I dropped the Quest too many times or the fact that I got it refurbished instead of new and then dropped it several times. Not to mention, the quest is very difficult to operate with gloves. The buttons on the Zumo are big enough to use with gloves on, and the screen is touch sensitive. The antenna is super sensitive, so having it in the faring is not a problem. It also is water-resistant and the materials are resistant to fuel. It works really well for me and I have not had any problems yet. Everything I needed to mount it was included with the unit. I mounted it to the brake bracket with the included adapter and screws that came in the package with the GPS. I did not wire it to the bike because I did not want to add any additional voltage draw to the electrical system and I do not currently have a plug to plug it into the accessories plug provided on the bike. I just run it off the GPS internal battery, which lasts about 4 hours and carry a charger with me. I had to buy the AC charger separately. The GPS comes with the cable to wire it into the bike if you want to do that. Anyway, if you like to know where you are, and you want a reliable unit, this is what the Zumo 450 looks like. BTW, it cost me about $500. Moreover, if you are wondering, it does not get in the way if you want to go into a full tuck or interfere with turning in either direction; some factors with which I was concerned. Mike +++ jpeg +++ 363777 +++ +++  | ||
| Kttemplar |
For some reason the first picture did not show up. so here it is again.  | ||
| Ccryder |
That's how I have my 550 mounted. RAM also makes an arm that twists in the middle. You may find you want the display rotated back towards you some more. Either the arm that rotates or some Dremel action. Neil S. | ||
| Slaughter |
Zumo 450 is a very usable tool! Don't leave home without it! | ||
| Kttemplar |
Ccryder, Thanks, I will look into that arm that rotates in the middle. I got the 450 instead of the 550 because I did not need all the extra stuff the 550 had and it was about $100 less for the 450. Mike | ||
| Kravfighter |
any comparisons between zumos and tom tom riders? | ||
| Ponti1 |
I have been considering a GPS for the bike, but have not seen good things from a friend with a TomTom. His has strange route choices, and even using the latest maps has guided us to gas stations that look to have closed down years ago. The Garmins used by people I know seem to be MUCH better in both choosing/customizing routes and finding you locations that are actually still in business. YMMV | ||
| Bearly |
I really like my 550. I use the car mount that comes with it for rental cars all the time. I have bike mounts on the Uly and the 1125. My house monster has a mount on her blast. | ||
| Kttemplar |
I have not used the Tom Tom, but I have used a Magellan roadmate which I liked. I was going to stick with Magellan when I had to buy a GPS for my boat a few years ago, but I got it and it just was not on the level with the other Magellan I had. I went with a Garmin 76CS, which I used on my boat and on my Vespa. I dropped the 76CS several times and the last time from several stories which caused it to crack. I decided to get a refurbished Quest instead of paying $175 to Garmin to refurbish the 76CS. The refurbished Quest was only about $180. It worked great and I used it on my Vespa and then my Blast. I just replaced the Quest with the Zumo 450 because I dropped the Quest a few times and it stopped working after the antenna cracked. The Zumo also has a better antenna than the Quest. I have also used some other GPS units from Loran, Ratheon, Zenith and RIN-6, which is a military version. I have had good results from the Garmin GPSs across the range of products they produce. All of their GPSs are good products. Points of Interest (POI) like gas stations and such are usually a secondary function of any GPS and purchased from third parties which manage the data. They are updated sporadically, because they are not the primary funciton of the GPS. POIs are always going to be Hit-and-Miss regardless o the GPS you buy. Many of the companies purchase the POI data from the same source and the info will be the same. The bottom line, get a unit that works well and routes well. Garmin has good products and I have had excellent results with the Zumo. The antenna is so good that I am able to keep the signal with the unit partially sheltered in the fairing through Manhattan, which is a very patchy signal area for any type of electronic device. The routing is also very good. I am very happy with the Zumo. Just my two cents. Mike | ||
| Kttemplar |
If you really want to make sure you have a good selection of POIs, then download the free POI loader from Garmin and then get up-to-date POI information. Garmin provides a page with third party POI vendors. http://www8.garmin.com/products/poiloader/POISourc e/ (Message edited by kttemplar on May 27, 2008) |
