Motorcycle compatibility

Ewwww Water proof never made me feel so dirty.
Umm, Probably makes it theft proof too.

I LOVE it!! A man after my own style.

And, I miss the good old English grammar from my previous travels with the US office of the Best4x4xFar! (You don't happen to live & work in Solihull, do you??)

As to the topic-I've used an mp3 player velcro'ed to the tank of my Harley for years, with no ill effects. It's not waterproofed, so I just remove it & stick it in my pocket when I need to. Haven't tried it yet with my nuvi's but I'm going to especially now that you mentioned the condom mod 'upgrade'.

Some tank bags have clear map pockets on top - might be just the place for a nuvi.

Its also designed to be really expensive! LOL

The Zumos do seem to be overly expensive for what you get. Don't seem much different than the auto units, except they're waterproof, and maybe more shock resistant than than the auto units.

Of course the TomTom Riders are quite expensive also. We'll have to see if the 660's come down in price after they're released.

I currently have a StreetPilot 2610 mounted of the dash shelf just a little left and below my direct line of sight. As other posters have said GPS can be a distraction. I agree with that for new and less experienced riders, but for a lot of riders that's not the case.

I sometimes zoom in to about 500 feet scale just so that I can "look ahead" through twisty sections of road. If I get to sections where distraction could cause dangerous conditions I make sure that the audio volume from my intercom system is turned off.

I also never makes changes to routes or look up POIs while moving. I always make sure I'm stopped for those activities.

A unit designed for use in inclement conditions is a must on a bike. I'm on my second 2610 in 25,000 miles, and when it goes a Zumo is my next unit.

Just my $.02

I got a 2720 for my husband's bike. They are pretty inexpensive now. I think I paid $129 and now I've seen them for $97

Not sure about the company but here is the link.

Refurbed by Garmin with a one year warranty. $97.00

Here is the link http://www.cascadegps.com/store/garmin-refurbished-streetpil...

I've wondered if there might be a speed discrepancy. I've never tried my speedo on the GPS but have noticed that when my bike tells me I'm going way too fast, everyone on the road is still passing me by.... I'll have to clock it sometime.

I have a Garmin Nuvi 660 and was wondering if this would work with the Aqua Box. Mine has a pop-up antenna that does not look like it would be accomodated with the Box. The antenna has to be up to get a signal.

Although it doesn't weatherproof it I suggest checking out these too: http://www.gpscity.com/item-ram-mount-nuvi-6xx-series-zinc-u... http://www.themountdepot.com/RAM_B_149Z_GA23U_p/ram-b-149z-g...

I've got a Nuvi 350 & a Goldwing. I don't use the Nuvi in rain, & I've used it for thousands of miles. No problems. Of course, the Goldwing has a softer suspension than most bikes & it IS the size of a small car. I use a disk & my normal car mount with some painter's tape as an extra hold-down. I haven't had any problems. Your mileage may vary.

I also installed a cig lighter socket to power it & I can connect it thru the Wing sound system for mp3's & nav instructions.

Fred

I've been using a RAM Mount for my 255W. Here's the link to the whole setup http://www.gpscity.com/ram-mount-garmin-nuvi-200w-465t-motor...

It works really well, and it is very secure even at highway speeds.

RAM mounts work fine.

I used the GPS III for years until it quit working in cool weather. I gat the Zumo 660 and love it. It has tons of features the GPS III did not. There is Only one thing I do not like. That is the speaker. I can not hear the thing on my Harley. I tried pluging the 660 via the external speaker to the Harley's sound system. Works great but does not mix. In other words, no radio, CD, CB etc. so it is GPS sound only or normal Harley sound system. I wish there was a fix for this....
If anyone knows how, please let me know. I do not want to use ear buds or buy a bluetooth just to hear the GPS.

thanks

Check here.

http://www.zumoforums.com/index.php?action=forum

Not sure why you would want to listen to anything other than your pipes and the sounds of the road

I have three Garmin's Nuvis, 205W, 255W and a Nuvi 660. The Nuvi 660 is my favorite because of the way it mounts. The Nuvi 660 is used on my ZZR1200 the 205W and 255W is used on my Suzuki Cavalcade. The mount and the connection on the Nuvi 660 is one unit. As soon as you mount it, it has power. I have been using these items on many motorcycle tours without a problem. I wear gloves while riding and for the most part there is not a problem. In my opinion a person doesn’t have to buy a motorcycle GPS unless that have money to burn.

If you want to try using an automotive GPS on your bike with a baggie on it for the rain that most non-weekend warriors do end up riding through, go ahead. I'd rather opt for safety and the functions of either my Zumo 550 or my newer Zumo 665. It's not money to burn, it's personal choice and as a touring rider, I'd settle for nothing less.

Been using my Nuvi 350 for several years on my Goldwing. It's suspension is soft by moto standards but I've attached it more firmly than the way it is fastened in my auto. As far as weather resistant, I dismount it prior to riding thru rainstorms. I'm also able to run the Nuvi mp3 player thru my music system on the Wing too.

I really do recommend GPS's designed for motos though.

Fred

Fred

Just for the record, I am not a weekend warrier either. All of my motorcycle average over 15,000 year. My 1999 HD, I sold it with over 110,000. My 2003 ZZR1200 I have 38,000 and my Cavalcade I have 35,000 I put 10,000 in 2010 on the Cavalcade, I bought it with 20K in May of 2010. On the cavalcade I completed the Iron Butt 1000/24 and 1,500 in 36hours. I currently own the ZZR1200 and the Cavalcade. My name is on IBA list. Last year I went to Butchart Gardens in Victoria and I went to the Four Corners Ride which ended at the points of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico & Colorado. My son and went to Sturgis 2009 and 2010. If you think you are up to it we can ride. I live in Sacramento, CA. I rode in the Snow, Rain and high winds. However, I don’t ride when it is raining and windy. If your wondering, I put about 5K on the Cade since 1/1/2011.

I have used a TomTom 310 that someone gave me since last summer with no adverse effects.

--

it's the dog's fault

My brother uses a TomTom and he loves it. When there is a difference in our routes, the times are about the same. Both of us have had good success with our automotive type GPS on our motorcycles. Light sprinkles we keep riding but if it turns to heavy rain we will cover our units the same way we cover ourselves while riding.
Ride Safe, Ride Long.....
Have A Good Riding Year in 2011....
~Mark~
~Sacramento~

Agree!

I wish they'd get the Zumo 660 firmware working properly - after all this time it should have ZERO bugs. But it does. The latest release was two giant steps backward - I've left mine at 3.80 - it works almost acceptably well with that version.

2005 Roadstar...screw the EZMount right to the speedo (nice and flat)...plug it in to the Kuryakin bullet plug on the big bars, wrap the cord and loop it through the base of the unit/mount and ride all day. The only negative affect I've encountered is the plug vibrating out of the socket.

Oh and for the record I am not a weekend warrior either Been riding 32+ years now...all kinds of weather...except ice (HATE ICE)...snow was weird

Ted

I have used my Garmin C330, Nuvi 765T on my bikes. The most recent is the Nuvi 765T. It's been on my 2007 HD Ultra Classic since I bought it new. I have it mounted on the handle bars with a RAM Mount and I haven't had a problem in the last 32,000 miles. Vibration don't seem to effect it and I keep a zip lock bag handy in case it rains. I have it hard wired to my Acc. plug and I listen to it on the radio. So far so good.

On my zumo 660 I was running 4.10 firmware w/2011.30 maps and it would ocassionally turn off while navigating and I would have to restart it. With 2011.10 maps that it came with I would have to hold the ON for about 10 seconds to get it to restart after it kept shutting down.

I actually retuned the first zumo 660 for a second unit (same software and maps) that had the exact same problem. Since loading 2011.40 maps it has not failed once. It has not logged any new errors since the map update either (press and hold compass screen). I even sent the GarminError.xml file to Garmin with an excerpt of the track I was navigating at the time of the shutdown.

Was shutting off your problem also? Have you tried the latest firmware/software combination?

Ride Safe,

Just and FYI ...

I received a response from Garmin and they actually confirmed (using the error file and track excerpt I sent them) that it was a problem with the 2011.30 map that was causing the shutdowns on the zumo 660.

So I use the Nuvi 500 for the ATV. With power from the quad, and a cradle with a Ti mount to the handle bars, it works pretty good.

Also there are free Topo Maps available for Garmins.

It's a perfect match.

As I get older I am wishing Garmin would come out with 5" screen waterproof gps. The 3.5" screen is getting smaller each year.

Swmbo and I are seriously looking at Can-Am's Spyder RTs. When I saw that they have a mount for the Zumo 660, I got excited cuz I love my Nuvi 350. Garmin's site and this forum were my first stops for info on the Zumo 660.

Thanks to all who have posted here for your comments. Will definitely include Zumo 660 in our considerations and purchase planning.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=135&pID=15000

My 2011 R1200RT has bars that are attached by by bolts on the left and the right bar. Dealer replaced one bolt with a special bolt that has a RAM ball on top. The Zumo motorcycle mount is clamped to the ball with a short double-ended extention that accepts the ball on the bar and also the ball on the zumo mount.

It can be seen even with a tank bag, and still allows all but slow speeds to be seen on the speedomoter, but I use the zumo for speed display anyway, since it is accurate.

Would not go far without the zumo.

Works like a champ.