GPS Pros & Cons of differnt units

K

Kid R

New member
nuvi=hard to see screen in sunlight most not waterproof except the nuvi500,550 -apx200$ zummo way to go on bike pricey not that good of deals on the 550 yet tomtom not as user freindly or as reliable as garmin garmin has better customer service.
 
The Zumo 665 is the nicest setup out there, but it's spendy. I've got a 550 with the XM and it does just fine in the truck and on the bike.
 
I don't use one all the time either. I just use my Nuvi 260 (out of my truck), w/a $40 RAM Mount. It works fine and during the one rain event that the Nuvi was through (and it was a down pour), I ziptied a clear plastic bag over it and it was good to go...
 
I have a Street Pilot 2720. As state before it is discontinued so you can probably find them cheap. I use a RAM mount and they are rock solid.

PROS:
Decent size screen. The right side of the screen displays various information (dist to turn, ETA, speed, ETC). It is fully customizable. Large, small, different info when following a route or not,

Auto darkening

Ability save tracks to PC and create routes and send them back to the GPS. Nice for when you find a really nice route to a certain destination.

Weatherproof

Touchscreen works with gloves and 4 side buttons are large.

Ability to mark and name locations (Photo ops, rest stops, etc,) that are not on the maps

CONS:
No internal battery

Speaker is located in the 12v lighter plug (seperate direct wire kit available with audio out)

No auto power off. (I have accidentally left it on and fully drained the battery.

No MP3 or Bluetooth. (28XX series I think have BT)

I never thought I would need it but it is nice when you see twisty roads vs straight roads on the screen. Plus when your done not paying any attention to where you are, just hit "go home"

Hope this helps. New to this forum and my first Harley (Road King) is only 3 days old but I have been riding my 2002 Vulcan Meanstreak with the 2720 on it for about 4 years and it has never let me down
 
No one has mentioned the Zumo 450 great unit. You can find them on line now for a coupe hundred less than the 550. the difference is no Bluetooth fine with me. Robust unit and comes with cradle handlebar mount and direct wire Harness
 
I bought a Garmin Nuvi 765T for around $200 and bought a RAM mount and used it once on my bike and all the other times it's working out good in my cars. I travel alot and found it's great to use in rental cars, too.

I never hard wired it to the bike so the screen is hard to see while on battery power and it's not waterproof. I will keep using it in my cars and probably get a Zumo.

Bottom line, I should have just bought a Zumo for the bike and been done with it.
 
Train,
How does the XM radio and MP3 work and sound? if it all sounds good and work easily I may consider the Zumo 550. I could sell my XM Radio which is a XpressRC color screen to help offset the cost and consolidate. Also found the Zumo 550 for $599 does that seem to be a good deal to evryone who has bought one?
 
I'd say save your money until you can buy a ZUMO....they are well worth the extra money IMO. You can find something cheaper of course and might not have any issues...but it only takes one good rain storm and forgetting to cover it to find out what happens. I absolutley love my zumo and I use it for a lot more then just directions. The fact that you can use software on the computer to map things out...even download your trip to see your route. Just my $ .02
 
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