And before ya say owt George I know you don't approve :mfr_lol: :mfr_lol: :mfr_lol:
I've decided that I fancy changing my Tom Tom Sat Navand am considering the Garmin Zumo 660
What experinece/advice has anyone on here got that might help the decision making process.......... all help greatfully received :yes:
I'll be using the device in the U.K and on the continent
Hi
I recently upgraded from the 550 to the 660. Both are very good sat navs but I would say the 660 has the edge on the 550. The screen is bigger and better, facilities like lane assist plus at some junctions it will show you a picture of junction and which visually show which lane to take (came in very handy on complex motorway junctions in Europe) are very handy.
I don't listen to the voice directions so can't commen on those but general navigation for motorbikes is very good. I like hat you can add a micro sd card for things like music and the bluetooth connection/quality is pretty good. The only dislike is having to take rear cover off to connect it to the PC but that just a minor niggle.
The PC software Basecamp, which replaces Mapsource, is very good but it took me a long time to learn how to get the best out of it in route planning - I have over 600 routes. For straight forward use it is easy to use plus you can tailor the motorcycle profile to suit your individual preferences.
I like it and would recommend it for consideration.
If you are an IAM member you can get 20% discount from Garmin, which makes it cheaper to buy than say Halfords.
Hope that helps
Steve
ive had the zumo 550 for a few years and always been very happy with it, id never have a tom tom only because i like my zumo so much. Im sure the 660 is better with the bigger screen but the 550 represents much better value for money being the older model. I never use the voice commands , just have it on a high mount so i can easily glance at it
What do you want to use it for? Just navigation or do you want to listen to music from the SatNav as welll? There are cheaper Garmin options if you want simple navigation, the Zumo 220 for example and they are bringing out the 350LM (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=135&pID=107979) later in the year.
We listen to music and run both a 550 and a 660. The 550 is easier to see in bright sunlight but the 1000 track limitation of the MP3 player, limited memory and smaller screen of the 550 give the 660 the edge IMO.
The fact that both allow routes to be preplanned on the PC using Garmin software is what pushed me towards Garmin in the first place rather than TomTom. Having said that I can't agree with Routemaster's assessment of Basecamp which I think is pretty appalling (the software, not Routemaster's assessment!). It has grown out of hiking software and is not as usable for route planning as Mapsource - the Find feature is primitive (even compared to Mapsource) and it won't do post codes. Fortunately Mapsource still works and I'm sure they'll get Basecamp sorted out in the end.
Kevin
I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack! :mfr_lol: which is to dsay the 660 is a great unit, the only time it gets lost when the roads sometimes don't match the map and of course the idiot who puts the routes in.. :oops:
I am very happy with the Zumo 220, it replaced my good old Quest that died after many years of hard use.
Thanks for the replies :smiley:
I will be using the unit for navigation but would also like the facility of MP3.
I haven't decided as yet, but and favouring the Zumo 660 as it seems to offer the most suitable features for my needs.
+1 with Routemaster ... got my 660 last year and am very pleased with it .. no music on it yet ... keep meaning to get it sorted ! Quality bit of kit .. mess around with map source and make up your own routes etc .. lots of demos on You Tube which you may find useful ... have used it in the car too.. nice big screen easy to operate and find your way around ! Thoroughly recommended by me !! :smiley: :smiley:
Tom Tom Urban Rider Europe was my choice, so far so good, links in with my autocom a treat.
Alan
Quote from: BigAlan on June 18, 2012, 09:39:25 PM
Tom Tom Urban Rider Europe was my choice, so far so good, links in with my autocom a treat.
Alan
Half the price - twice as fast..... +4 time more pretty! :laugh:
Thumbs up for the 660, if you get into the custom route planning and creating waypoints directly on the map, a great edge. Also with the SD card you can get a lot of extras such as restaurants maps, city guides and so forth...blue tooth works well but will drain the battery very quickly on your helmet com.
A pal of mine has just bought a Zumo 660, he's been using TomTom for a few years. Prior to which he had an earlier model Zumo
He rang tonight saying that the volume on his new Zumo is very poor and only about half as good as his current Tom Tom... he's tried it hardwired and Bluetooth, strangely the bluetooth option is slightly better..he uses an Autocom comms set up
Have any of you Zumo users experienced problems with low volume on your device ?
No not had any problems with volume control - my 660 is connected to a Scala G4 unit. Just on the odd occassion the bluetooth connection will drop out and I think that is the G4 issue rather than the 660.
Kind regards
Steve
Quote from: olde coney on June 22, 2012, 10:17:09 PM
A pal of mine has just bought a Zumo 660, he's been using TomTom for a few years. Prior to which he had an earlier model Zumo
He rang tonight saying that the volume on his new Zumo is very poor and only about half as good as his current Tom Tom... he's tried it hardwired and Bluetooth, strangely the bluetooth option is slightly better..he uses an Autocom comms set up
Have any of you Zumo users experienced problems with low volume on your device ?
Which interface lead is he using? The later lead Part number 4066 (http://www.chainspeed.co.uk/products/NEW-AUTOCOM-Garmin-Zumo-Hardwired-Interface-500%7B47%7D550%7B47%7D660.html) - is much better from a volume perspective. The page I linked to says Bluetooth will be louder but ours is wired and we have the volume on the 660 at about 80% which is quite audible but we do use in-ear monitors.
Kevin
Quote from: Kevin on June 23, 2012, 07:22:57 AM
Which interface lead is he using? The later lead Part number 4066 (http://www.chainspeed.co.uk/products/NEW-AUTOCOM-Garmin-Zumo-Hardwired-Interface-500%7B47%7D550%7B47%7D660.html) - is much better from a volume perspective. The page I linked to says Bluetooth will be louder but ours is wired and we have the volume on the 660 at about 80% which is quite audible but we do use in-ear monitors.
Kevin
Thanks Kevin.....I'm not sure of the part numbers in question, he rides a GS, he did say that the lead he's using has a suppressor or filter and that may be the cause of the problem
He too uses moulded ear noise defenders but has had no problems at all with hearing the Tom Tom, Apparently he reckons that some concerns have been expressed about low sound levels on the Garmin forum
Hi Olde Coney!
I used to use a TomTom Go for my car and really liked some of the features, like accelerometers and stuff for when you're in tunnels etc. it could also update traffic etc. on the fly when connected to yer fone over 3g.
Then when I got the GTR I was going to get the Rider, but no speaker for use in the car. The 660 has, and looked like it had lots of other good features for the bike so I bought it.
It may be that I was used to the TT system, but I have always felt a little disappointed with its interface, and ability to,keep track of where I am in built up areas. This is a particular pain because I have the sense of direction of an elderly goldfish.
However, it does track routes well, is easy enough to update... When connected to the PC anyway. It won't do anything clever with 3g but frankly it does a decent job.
Never had a problem with volume although this may be because I have a stormin' autocom (can't remember offhand which one right now) and a reasonably quiet helmet. Either way, full volume hurts my ears... The autocom controls the volume.
I am basically pleased with it and refuse to look at the TomTom specs in case there are features on there that I miss... And then I'll have to spend more money!
One other thing, it sometimes takes a few minutes to get a useable satellite lock. I guess this depends where you are compared to where you switched it off last!
Hope this helps....
Ros
Edited to add that I have just seen in another post of yours that you have a Starcom1 Digital. I have the same system! No probs for a Zumo 660. However, I would recommend not bothering with bluetooth connections as they have proven unreliable for me.
Incidentally, I initially purchased Starcom1 bluetooth headsets but had tremendous difficulty keeping them working. They swapped me for the Digital wired system. Excellent company.... It all works very well. I have had my phone connected to the Zumo for calls, but decided that it was stupid to use the phone pn the bike so I don't bother now.
Ciao
Dont compare TomTom Go with 660... it should - at least - be Rider2 or Urban Rider (that last edition). :oops:
Yeah I know. I didn't mean to come across as if I was comparing them but just sharing my experience. I expect the Rider (2) and Urban Rider have a similar interface to the tomtom car systems... But I never tried them. The Zumo was quite a change for me.
In any case, typing on an ipad is a real bugger too so maybe I wasn't concentrating enough :rolleyes:
Ciao fer now
Thanks for your input Ros... the jury is still out on the Garmin..
I think that the Zumo 660 should be a good unit it is after all highly acclaimed by BMW who basically use it within their accessory programme, and I know from experience with BMW that it is the unit of choice for many BMW riders
I'm still mulling it all over
BTW my Tom Tom is the Euro rider 2
Just fitted my Garmin 660 to my old Z1100A prior to going to Germany this week for the 40th anniversary bash for the Z1.
http://www.z-rally.eu/
Any way, when I get back, I really must fit it to the GTR as well. Has any body got a description or pictures of a nice neat and tidy cable run to the accessory connectors in the l/h fairing under the rubber cover. I have not trouble fitting the sat-nav, just hoping to save time and head scratching on the best route for the cables.
Hi - I fitted my Zumo 660 last month to th GTR - took 10 mins!! As you know, hook the power up to the existing bullet connectors under the left hand side fairing and I used the Kawasaki mount for the Zumo and added a ram mount so that I could position it a tad higher up so I can open the tank glove box - the glove box isn't present on 2010/2011/2012 models, so you may be ok having it an inch or two lower. I ran the cable through the little metal hook on the left hand side of the fork and cable tied the huge amount of cables under the left hand side fairing - no problems so far! If you're near to Bucks, I'll happily help you.
Cheers - oops, just notoced you're in naaaafolk!
Piginawig
Thanks for that, I take it you do not use the fly leads for the speaker,mike and USB ?
I may make a small hole in the bottom of the glove box [2011 model] and store the leads in there. The box a'int much use for anything else !
Quote from: doebag on July 02, 2012, 08:18:03 PM
Piginawig
I may make a small hole in the bottom of the glove box [2011 model] and store the leads in there. The box a'int much use for anything else !
If you use the glove box to store electrical stuff, make sure you insulate it first, as it gets very hot in there.
I insulate mine with car bonnet sheeting.
If you want to make it tidy, use a fuse box, then all your accessories run through it, it is tidy and efficient when fuse problems arise...
Hi Doebag - you're correct, I don't use any of the other leads, so all wrapped up and out of the way. If you fancy a trip up to Pinewood , I've got millions of tools, a garage and cups of tea!!
Zumo 660 gets a massive :clap: from me - had one for two years and swapped it for a Nav 4 (same unit different software) and this too is excellent.
Have used both with Autocom - both have performed excellently.
well I've been mulling it over for a while now and have decided to get myself a Zumo 660
I'll post some pics of the installation when its done :clap:
Check with Autocom exactly what you would require. Trevor Allman is the sales manager there and is briliant to deal with
Quote from: Winston Smith on July 02, 2012, 11:26:25 PM
Check with Autocom exactly what you would require. Trevor Allman is the sales manager there and is briliant to deal with
Thanks Chris, good advice (as usual) ... I use the Starcom Digital comms unit which, as I understand, should be compatible with the Zumo 660.
I may have caused some confusion in a previous post surrounding Autocom, which is what a mate of mine uses on his GS. :oops:
NOW..... all I need to do is find the best Zumo deal :yes:
Again - Speak to Trevor! The company is now TecStar and they deal/administer/produce both brands, Autocom and Starcom.
I will contact Trevor tomorrow Chris, thanks for the heads up
In the meantime I have spoken with Garmin who were extremely helpful and knowledgable, and they confirmed that the Zumo 660 is completely compatible with my Starcom Digital and that it would connect via Bluetooth onto my BTM02 (Dongle).
just to throw a curve ball spanner into the mix, before our euro jaunt I spunked up the £74 for lifetime maps from garmin for my zumo, ive always and still am a big garmin fan.
the updating of my zumo turned out to be a bit of a nightmare, i got the usual , not enough memory ect messages. I ended up downloading to my pc which basically took 3 days due to download failures, bugs , ect ect. Once on my pc i added a 4gb card to the zumo and then put the maps onto the unit, this was also fraught with hours and hours of problem solving ect.
Zumo loaded up with new maps and off we went. Now the new maps are on the card and overlay these new maps onto your old and originalmaps still within the zumo ! this caused lots of duplications of hotels and fule sites ect.
Our problem was once we got abroad and tried to set out destination each day we continually got a "not enough memory spare to calculate route", which is bazzare. when i took out the new SD card with the new maps the zumo behaved fine. plus the recalculate route time is huge and can take minutes and when you move the screen with your finger the " drawing process can take a minute or so
we went on some roads that we used 4 years ago that the zumo did not recognise and even with the new 2013 software still does not recognise many roads.
im phoning garmin this week as the map updates has turned by zumo into a slow incompetent dinosaur
.
Viper, I haven't (as yet) used a Garmin Zumo, but I can say that when I did an update on my Tom Tom I was faced with exactly the same situation as you describe, namely "insufficient space on memory card", to overcome this problem it was necessary to delete all previous maps,which is a bit worrying, but that does release sufficient space to upload new information, and did result in my Tom Tom being bang up to date, and quickly too, (about 30 minutes from start to finish) :yes:
My guess is that you didn't delete previous maps and therefore ended up with a duplication of information which would confuse the Zumo device. This situation would also lead to the upload taking a massive amount of time whilst the device and the upload tried to interface, a pal of mine also had to leave his device uploading 'overnight' in much the same way as you describe.
I suspect that when you contact Garmin they will confirm that this is the case...good luck and please let us know how you get on.
thanks cloney, thats what i expected, there didnt seem an obvious way to delete the old stuff and tbh i was not going to risk it at trip minus 3 days in case i was left with nothing.
will let you know how i get on
Yep I fully understand what you mean Viper :agree:
Hey guys
I have installed a standart car GPS inside the glovebox on top of the fuel tank.
Its great because it do sat nav and music player (I have installed 2 speaker + amplifier)
I beleive that's the best solution : Its hidden , practical and sexy
cheers from France
Quote from: badaboum on July 04, 2012, 10:24:08 PM
Hey guys
I have installed a standart car GPS inside the glovebox on top of the fuel tank.
Its great because it do sat nav and music player (I have installed 2 speaker + amplifier)
I beleive that's the best solution : Its hidden , practical and sexy
cheers from France
Sounds like a good idea...any pictures ?
Hey guys.
I will do the pictures tonight or tomorrow night depending on my work load.
Its the best system you can get...and riding the bike with some ACDC runing...its a hell of a pleasure...
I'd love one but they do seem like a bit of a luxury (unless I ever get round to a trip abroad ) considering a car sat nav can be bought for under £150 - the bike ones seem a total rip off ---- It might be more work but unless I have a bit of a windfall I'm afraid I'll just have to stick with the old fashioned fold out paper maps.
Quote from: seniorminnion on July 08, 2012, 10:01:48 AM
I'd love one but they do seem like a bit of a luxury (unless I ever get round to a trip abroad ) considering a car sat nav can be bought for under £150 - the bike ones seem a total rip off ---- It might be more work but unless I have a bit of a windfall I'm afraid I'll just have to stick with the old fashioned fold out paper maps.
Yep, they are more costly but don't forget they have to be waterproof and possibly a bit more robust in construction, plus the car market for Sat Navs is much much bigger
guys,
Here is my setup.
Sorry about the quality but it was taken in my garage.
(http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/360/img1338ad.jpg)
Shot at 2012-07-08
(http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/4996/img1337jv.jpg)
Shot at 2012-07-08
(http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/1886/img1336ng.jpg)
Shot at 2012-07-08
(http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/33/img1335t.jpg)
Shot at 2012-07-08
(http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/8905/img1334r.jpg)
Shot at 2012-07-08
A couple of more information :
There is a Hugel/Takara GP63 car sat nav that has europe map, MP3 player, video player.
There is a thermometer with a probe that I have taken under the rear view miror so that temperature is taken quite far from the engine
There is a 2* 20 watts speaker with amplifier hidden under the seat and a remote control near the GPS
Its absolutly perfect
I also added 2 bose emblem to the speaker :-)
Its not that difficult to do..
Cheers
That's quite a setup! Can you hear the music when riding?
it works absolutely well
Even with my X1100 Shoei closed.
Its way enough powerfull...
now that's ingenious.... :clap:
That's brilliant! Best use of the '09 model's glove box ever!
Just out of interest, elle est debridé, ta bécane?
Hey
Thanks for your support.
I have studied the bike for week before arriving to that system.
I have done the same on my 2008 Burgman 400 scooter but with a single speaker (self made).
The bike is ''limited'' still. I am ready to unleash the 155hp but waiting for the law to change.
The bike is already way powerfull enough with the 106BHP.
More mods are on their way : BMW K1600GT style blinkers..
CHeers
QuoteThe bike is ''limited'' still. I am ready to unleash the 155hp but waiting for the law to change.
The bike is already way powerfull enough with the 106BHP.
Indeed. Mine is also 106hp French spec. Do you know what progress is being made about the law change?
The bike is indeed powerful enough for most riding, although I do miss some extra oooomph when riding two-up with half a ton of baggage.
The 'ECO' mode is crap and jerky, though and I can see no difference in fuel consumption. Have you noticed that?
I don't think I have ever taken mine to the red line just because there is no point. I would like to feel the 'elastic band' effect that my old English ZZR had with power increasing pretty much all the way to 14,000revs....... The 'rest of world' GTR must be incredible to ride. It is apparently better on fuel economy than the FR one too.
I'm currently trying to weigh up whether to sell mine in France and buy one in Italy, or import the current one to Italy and have it breathed on.... I'd prefer to keep the current one because... Well, because it's mine! :mfr_lol:
Well finally found some time to install my Garmin on the 1400
A lot easier than expected, though a ready fitted bracket and accesory leads were a big help.
I routed the cable through the left side cable guide, then looped it around the left hand fairing to the panel in front of the tank [ 2011 model ]
All the fly leads are looped under here, but can be accessed by removing the panel. The 12v pos and neg leads then go back to the front accessory connectors. I have the 'speaker out' lead exposed [ running down the panel join gap ], the rest are under the cover panel.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/doebag/Garmininstallation007.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/doebag/Garmininstallation006.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/doebag/Garmininstallation005.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/doebag/Garmininstallation004.jpg)
The law is going to take time to change in France... but I beleive it will eventually arrive.
I agree that sometime I would like more BHP when riding with my girl...but lets be honest, the GTR is 106 BHP and when you are at full load , around 500kg, that gives you 200 HP per ton... way more than any car...
Drop one gear down and the problem is gone...
But that's true, the limited bike heat more and are less fuel efficient.... but, there is a big advantage :
The life of the bike will be longer as all the part a stressed less than the 155BHP they are supposed to get... I am talking about the gearbox, the shaft etc etc.... So I expect less problem than a full bike...
Right?
Mine is an 08, so I am the ECO mode :gunsmilie: :gunsmilie:
Doebag, the cable you have showing on the photos, is it preventing the panels from sitting flush? It might just be the light or angle the photo was taken at but it looks like it has forced a gap between the panels.
I just ran my power cable to the Garmin bracket up by the headstock and cable tied it to tidy it up.
Lonewolf.
The gap betwen the fairing and the tank is the natural shut line between the two.
However, having checked the black plastic panel again, the front mounting bolt by the headstock takes up some slack [ assembley tolerances I guess] and there is enough flex in the panel to lift the rear edge where it sits on the tank.
I have spaced underneath the panel with a rubber washer at the front end, which gives enough lift to make the rear edge sit tight to the tank. The panel has a soft rubber seal to prevent water ingress, and this is easily dislodged from it's clips when refitting the panel.
I decided to purchase a Garmin Zumo 660, and after trying it out for the past couple of weeks I must say that its a great unit.
However Ive been trying to load music onto a micro SD card following Garmin instructions, and whilst the music has loaded onto the card the Zumo refuses to find anything within the MP3 file
Have any of you other Zumo 660 users had a simular experience or what am I doing wrong
I've tried loading to the card with an adapter and then putting the card into the device, (which I understand is the incorrect method) and that doesn't work. Also I've loaded tracks onto the micro card (whilst it was in place within the device) using a hard wire connection and that doesn't work either
Any ideas ???[/b]
How big is yer SD card. I heard it'll only cope with max 8Gb....
No probs with mine, but I have to say, I tried riding with Three Days Grace and discovered very quickly that riding with music in the helmet is VERY distracting... Also, it's not so easy to pause when necessary...
Might be better to install some big-ass speakers in the side cases :punk:
Quote from: Rosbif on July 24, 2012, 10:39:59 AM
How big is yer SD card. I heard it'll only cope with max 8Gb....
No probs with mine, but I have to say, I tried riding with Three Days Grace and discovered very quickly that riding with music in the helmet is VERY distracting... Also, it's not so easy to pause when necessary...
Might be better to install some big-ass speakers in the side cases :punk:
Its an 8gb card, which should be ok...I wondered if there was something within the device settings that was holding things up
Hi
I have a 16GB SD card in my Zumo 660 with about 1700 tracks loaded.
Just very very occasionally when I turn the 660 on the Media player fails to find any MP3 files and reverts to audio books which can be annoying. Usually I turn it off, wait a few minutes and then turn it back on again. In terms of loading the files on to the SD card I used Windows Media Player with no problems apart from the length of time it took.
Kind regards
Steve
Thanks Steve,....I've used Windows Media Player also. and loaded the files onto my Zumo via a hard connection with the micro card installed, through removable devices in 'my computer' it took a while, but seemd to load ok, the available space on the card reduced accordingly.
I've now tried switching the device on several times but it still wont find any MP3 files...its a mystery
If I put the micro card into its adapter its possible to play its content through my lap top so the files are definitely on the card...I'm baffled.
Quote from: olde coney on July 04, 2012, 08:16:34 AM
Viper, I haven't (as yet) used a Garmin Zumo, but I can say that when I did an update on my Tom Tom I was faced with exactly the same situation as you describe, namely "insufficient space on memory card", to overcome this problem it was necessary to delete all previous maps,which is a bit worrying, but that does release sufficient space to upload new information, and did result in my Tom Tom being bang up to date, and quickly too, (about 30 minutes from start to finish) :yes:
My guess is that you didn't delete previous maps and therefore ended up with a duplication of information which would confuse the Zumo device. This situation would also lead to the upload taking a massive amount of time whilst the device and the upload tried to interface, a pal of mine also had to leave his device uploading 'overnight' in much the same way as you describe.
I suspect that when you contact Garmin they will confirm that this is the case...good luck and please let us know how you get on.
phoned garmin support , who turned out to be fairly helpful and knowledgable. They talked me through deleting my old maps, in fact we moved them to a folder on the pc.
Once my zumo was clean of old maps , i installed uk only on the device and then loaded europe onto the Sd card, they suggested this as it helps with speed on calculations. Ive not tried the zumo yet but just the downloading went quick and without problems so im sure this is the fix, yah im back in love with garmin :mfr_lol: