Chaps ...
I know there are some of you out there with Sat Nav's and of course I want to hear from you with your opinions ... I am going to get one this summer for a trip to France.... every year I rely on everyone to check routes and way points etc so I thought this year I would do my bit and get one ... but WHICH ONE ?? I have read many reviews and of course one or two have a bad experience but on the whole they very much appear to end up as personal choice.
I have had a basic Tom Tom for the car for the last 3/4 years and for a basic model ( about £99 ) it has done really well, never gone wrong and been totally reliable ... a good friend has a Zumo .. old model now .. but swears by it ... so what do you think ?
I simply want European maps easy to follow and operate, not bothered about music / bluetooth etc but I do fancy pre planning routes on the I Mac and then dropping them into the Sat Nav ... ideas and thoughts please.
For what it's worth I have had the Tom Tom Rider 1 and Rider 2. Problems with the first one were specifically the plastic mount which developed stress cracks from the bikes vibration and very quickly too, well within a year of purchase from new. Tom Tom support was poor. They were aware of the design fault but could not replace the mounts as they did not manufacture them and couldn't get sufficient stock in to cover the returns.
The Rider 2 overcame the original fault by being supplied with a better design mount, however it was still the weak link in the product.
Last year I bought a Zumo 550 with European mapping. The unit is well manufactured, the mount system is extremely well made and customer support at Garmin is first class. The unit I bought cost me £250 approximately off EBay as opposed to £500-600 new. I've never had any trouble with it despite it being second hand. The only reason I had to contact Garmin was to switch the software licence for the mapping to my name from the previous owner who had registered the licence when he first bought it. It took about ten minutes to sort and the staff were extremely helpful.
I would personally never buy anything other than Garmin in the future. They are the market leaders in sat navigation.
The 660 & 220 are reliable alternatives to the 550 but all will work adequately.
Hope that's of some help.
+1 I had the Quest then upgraded to Zumo 660.
Be sure to buy a bike specific unit though, they are more robust for the extra vibration they get as well as water proof.
Garmin are from The Fatherland are they not ? That would account for the excellent customer care, which as we all know is as important as the unit itself. Thanks for that ... I shall check out E Bay too, may save myself some £.
Anyone else have Sat Nav history ??
Have the tomtom rider v2 excellent only fault from me is have nokia n8 so get the phonecalls alright but cant get the data transfer to work.
I would never shell out the extortionate amount they charge for bike specific Navs!
I have had alsorts on the Hayabusa as far back as 2003 with a Sony Clie and Mapopolis!
My Qtek 2020i with car kit and Tomtom, and a mini computer and a 7" touchscreen display! 8)
All with home made mounts that survived the high frequency vibes of a Busa.
None of the above suffered from bad weather and we had torrential rain on many occasions.
Just bag it! A freezer bag and a tie is all thats required!
I'm thinking of going down one of the following routes for the GTR......
A. TomTom XXL europe 5" screen approx £150 or £99 recon from TT.
B. 7" Android based tablet PC, all the mutlimedia is there if you need it! Can run Co-pilot and other Nav software. This can be brought in for around the £150 mark.
I have a cheap £50 quid one from eBuyer onto which I installed TomTom. Its not waterproof but has lasted three years so far, and that's with tons of abuse
Interesting comments .. thanks everyone ... I am leaning towards the Zumo .... not sure I am too keen on plastic bags but I get where you are coming from !!! .... they are a lot of £ it has to be said. Thanks again.
Which one NB, I didn't know you could change the nav system on them.
It's a Navigo. They are just windows mobile services at the end of the day.
ah, nice one
Cheers
I have been using a Garmin Quest for five years, it has been on three bikes, used in a light aircraft, for walking in all weathers, and I have also got the mapping for the USA and Cyprus so I have used it on several holidays in hire cars. This is a fantastic little unit and they are being sold on E-bay for less than £50. If you want a low cost very good unit to start you off this is the one I would recommend.
You can get a fancy Zumo when you are happy Garmin are as good as I think they are! Having said that I played around with a friends Zumo and found my old Quest easier to use, but I am sure things would get better with more playing.
Zumo 550, had it fitted to a Srint with auto com, now on GTR with Schuberth SRC and still does exactly as I want, mobile bluetoothed to Zumo, SRC bluetoothed to the Zumo, music loaded on a flash card and away to go.
Having ridden in a group with various makes of satnav it seems that the garmin navigates different routes to the Tom Tom but then they do use different map data.
All in all think its down to personal choice. The mapsource route planning software with the garmin is easy to use as well.
Still checking this thread ... so thanks to you last guys for your input ... seems cheap can also good which is nice to hear, so once again thanks for your time.
I have tom tom for my car and zumo 550 for the bike.
The tom tom is easier to use, but I tend to plan routes in advacne on the zumo on the laptop.
P
Quote from: patrick on February 23, 2011, 08:23:04 PM
I have tom tom for my car and zumo 550 for the bike.
The tom tom is easier to use, but I tend to plan routes in advacne on the zumo on the laptop.
P
Ditto, I have a Tom Tom in the works car & the Zumo on the bike. Not sure what system software I have in my own car, its all built in.
I'm still using my original TomTom Rider 1 V1...there is a fix for the Bracket issue, its a metal cage that clamps the bracket in place and stops the bracket destroying itself...have it fitted to the GTR..however this was my Third charging TomTom bracket in 5 years, and to be fair, it is a fairly huge design flaw.
If you're looking for simple sat nav, no sound, bluetooth or anything else then i suggest using a cheapo Halfords sale Satnav and buying a bike specific waterproof case, also if you have a a smart phone, TomTom Co Pilot is a good idea..but consider fitting a power Supply, as GPS functions hammer the batteries
As for Bike Spefic SatNavs, i reckon Garmin is King, they do a reasonably cheap one (Zumo 220), which has the basic functions (no Music etc), but waterproof with stand alone battery and optional power supply, and bike specific bracket. Garmin supply their own route planning software called Mapsource which is so-so, but does the job. TomToms route planning software sucks...however there is a Third way, is a free programme called TYRE (Trace Your Route Everywhere.....google it), this allows you to plan routes in Google maps format and then convert into either TomTom or Garmin fiiles (handy if you are route plannign for a group with mixed devices, makes sure you all use the same route)
I do find that TomTom and Garmin will follow the same route if waypoints are entered accuratley, also you need to make sure you have your unit set to the same option i.e. both TomTom and Garmin planning inbetween waypoints for example -Avoiding Motorways, opposingly if one is set to quickest route, and one to avoid motorways, then that's were different units plan different routes, like i mentioned earlier the trick is to make sure that there is enough waypoints in the right places to make sure whatever you are using stays on the same roads
For me my next one will be a Zumo 660 ;D, cause i like the farkel and listening to music on long hauls :o
In this day and age I wonder if it's better getting an Android phone which comes with all the latest gizmos. You can get an Orange San Francisco for 90 quid, which is free to unlock
Quote from: fatharry on February 28, 2011, 04:30:58 PM
however there is a Third way, is a free programme called TYRE (Trace Your Route Everywhere.....google it), this allows you to plan routes in Google maps format and then convert into either TomTom or Garmin fiiles (handy if you are route plannign for a group with mixed devices, makes sure you all use the same route)
I used to use something similar to convert Autoroute maps into TomTom itinerys. I think it was called intinery convertor IIRC.
Used to use plenty of waypoints to get the disired route and the TT route would be spot on.
Is there anything similiar for the Zumo range of sat navs?
I've downloaded TYRE http://www.tyre.tk/ (http://www.tyre.tk/)
Not played about much yet but it seems as thoguh it will be useful
P
I used tyre to plan my route in france last year ,excellent piece of software you can load routes or individual places as favourites.
I Have the 550 and it is fine. Don't bother buying the GPS bracket from Kawasaki though, I just used the original Garmin one that came with the bike.
Just noticed that the date of this post is Feb! lol If you haven't sorted it by now, you are probably lost! lolol
Zumo 660 for me purely coz I'm blind and need the bigger screen.
Well I plumped for the halford special last weekend, the RAC 5000.
It has a 5" screen, wince 5 based, and can run Sygic mobile navigator which you can use itineraries with. Also tried the Igo Primo which seems nice but as yet I don't think it has a way of importing itineraries.
Quote from: Nygie on May 06, 2011, 11:26:08 PM
Well I plumped for the halford special last weekend, the RAC 5000.
It has a 5" screen, wince 5 based, and can run Sygic mobile navigator which you can use itineraries with. Also tried the Igo Primo which seems nice but as yet I don't think it has a way of importing itineraries.
How are you going to use it on the bike?
i have tom tom rider 2 never had any problems with mount nice and neat when sat nav not on bike very easy to use and you can pre plan routes useing tyre on pc then download it it to sat nav personaly i dont like the idea of plastic bags on car sat navs
Couldn't workout how to attach pics to messages so for anyone who's interested this is how the Zumo660 looks on a GTR albeit with a slightly modified bracket but does give an indication of sizes, with a normal Kawasaki bracket it would be where the ball socket is and what the route planner looks like
Ooops guess I should have shrunk them
With the Zumo off - this is the Kawasaki Bracket and Garmmin cover on the mount
(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r183/Hoody_photo/026.jpg)
Zumo on - Very different to Freds
(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r183/Hoody_photo/DSC_0021.jpg)
(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r183/Hoody_photo/186.jpg)
(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r183/Hoody_photo/182.jpg)
(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r183/Hoody_photo/185.jpg)
(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r183/Hoody_photo/187.jpg)
(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r183/Hoody_photo/188.jpg)
Is that cruise control you've got on your bike?
Quote from: Norman Bates on May 08, 2011, 09:40:55 PM
Is that cruise control you've got on your bike?
It certainly is ;)
Mine looks a little different as I fitted one of these so that it would still be on the bike after I had an olympic breakfast
http://www.nippynormans.com/products/touratech/cockpitgps/item/a-touratech-lockable-mounting-v10-for-zumo-660-black-tat-065-0521
Think there's a V2 out now
Quote from: fred24 on May 08, 2011, 10:47:22 PM
Mine looks a little different as I fitted one of these so that it would still be on the bike after I had an olympic breakfast
http://www.nippynormans.com/products/touratech/cockpitgps/item/a-touratech-lockable-mounting-v10-for-zumo-660-black-tat-065-0521
Think there's a V2 out now
Didn't realise they'd done one for the 660 - Had the Touratech for my Quest. Nice bit of kit, but could still be bent if you were determined. Good kit though
Quote from: Winston Smith on May 06, 2011, 11:48:55 PM
How are you going to use it on the bike?
I'm going to modify (beef up) the supplied mount or make my own and just use it with earphones.
I may put it into a little amp with 2 audio outs and individual volume controls so the wife can hear the music too.
Also came across this solution on the bay of fleas.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Arkon-Waterproof-SatNav-Case-%26-1%22-Ball-for-Ram-Mounts._W0QQitemZ380258197509QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=232425460053&clk_rvr_id=232425064460&imp_rvr_id=232425064460&clk_rvr_id=232425064460&cguid=1151bfea1280a0aad0e207f2ff523524
You getting one Nygie? that waterproof case would be good for a cheap GPS solution
Looking at the dimensions, my 5" nav would just fit BUT there would be no room for connectors.
Ram mounts do an Aquabox which has internals of at least 8 inch, which would be ideal, would be a good system. It's a hard box that connects to any RAM mount and has a clear membrane allowing use of touchscreen (not iphone tho). £50 quid tho plus the RAM mount base and arm. Not a bad solution tho!
Ok Chaps, after 3 pages and many reviews, a few weeks of looking about and asking the blokes at work, AND E mails from some of you I have just ordered the Zumo 660 from an online site for a total of £382 inc VAT and next day delivery. Full Europe maps etc ... The GTR is in for a service next week so I shall get the K Sat Nav bracket fitted at the same time .... " What ? " I can hear some of you scream..... I have no doubt it's very simple but nuts and bolts and technical stuff is not for me so the dealer can wire it all in and I shall just have to sign on the dotted line.
I'll let you know how I get on with it all ... quite excited to be honest !
Ps..... thank you for all your inputs and suggestions.
Rusty, that seems a damn good price for the 660, unless its knocked off of course ;D
bloody 'ell £382...thats an absolute bargain ...where's that from?? ;D
Quote from: fatharry on June 10, 2011, 07:27:22 AM
bloody 'ell £382...thats an absolute bargain ...where's that from?? ;D
I think he's keeping it to himself! ;)
No No chaps... good stuff is here for all of us to share !! .....Just Google " Satnaveasy " ... I found them when looking for reviews on the 660 .... £382.55 was the total bill... ordered it last night at about half ten, just had an E mail to say it's in the post ! It's usually over the £430 mark from what I have seen so as you all agree this is a good price .. take a look at the site, they do a load of Sat Nav stuff.
http://www.satnaveasy.co.uk/garmin-zumo-660-i6040.html (http://www.satnaveasy.co.uk/garmin-zumo-660-i6040.html)
I was looking a few weeks ago and found this, 660 for £375, but they are NOH units (newly overhauled by Garmin) bought a 220 for £275 from Amazon in the end. Matching Currys sale price.
Thanks for putting that link on Cartman .... he has 44 in stock ( its now 4pm ) .... last night when I ordered he had 56 !
No worries ;D starting to wish I'd bought the 660 too now....
Interesting if they newly overhauled by Garmin does this mean that Garmin have had problems with the 660 and customers have been returning them???
Well the 3 people i know that bought 660s when they came out have had 8 between them, as they kept turning themselves off or just crashing totally.......however since the latest firmware upgrade all of them have worked flawlessly.
Had my 660 for 2yrs without any problem and currently using it in Spain without any problem although it does still think the speed limits are 120km/hr
Last month while I was riding through Holland my sat nav insisted I was riding through a rather long speed camera area with a 80km/h limit while all the signs said 100.
The warning bells nearly drove me nuts. And I had just downloaded the latest maps before I left.
The Zumo 660 arrived on Monday morning ... I have just got home from work so the unit is charging up whilst I have a look through the paperwork.
4000 mile service in the morning plus wiring in the sat nav .... no more than a couple of hours if that I would think .... then start looking at " France " on the maps ......
Rusty, if you are going to use the front connectors for the sat nav, its probably a ten minute job at most.
Rusty, how did the sat nav perform?
It did very well thanks ... wired in at the service with the cables tucked away under the left part of the fairing ( for the moment ) ... I just got used to playing around with it in France, just the very basics, " Where to ? " etc, and put some favourites into the memory ... just going to plumb it into the I Mac in the morning to register it etc and play with the maps and planning etc. We used it once for the coordinates of a campsite and it took us straight there ... better than post codes I have to say. So at the moment, still very new but an excellent bit of kit.
I have always been an anti " listen to music on the move " chap as I think it would be distracting etc ... but I really feel that the music etc is going to be a big part of the Zumo and the French trip has proved that almost everyone was listening to music etc with no problems at all ... so I think i shall get some moulded ear plugs made up and go from there ... hard wiring as opposed to wireless me thinks.