Zumo 550 vs 660 vs Nuvi 550, what to buy for a GPS noob?

[Woland]

I´ve never had a GPS before and am now seriously pondering getting one for my lovely F800ST.

Since I´ve never had one I need some quality advice by people more experienced in these things than me, thus I turn to this trusty community ;)

My wanted capabilities/needs/uses are pavement only, route planning on pc(mapsource?), weatherproof since it rains a lot where I live, bluetooth isn't necessary, audio jack is pretty useful I guess for voice prompts and/or mp3´s.

It will have to be able to steer me the right way on a planned 8000km long journey around Norway and Sweden this summer.

My main reason for looking at the zumo´s rather than the nuvi 550 is that as I understand it you dont get mapsource with the nuvi which is somewhat of a sticking point.

I will need to pay some 230-250€ for a nuvi 550 with a bike mount, 360€ for a Zumo 550 and 500€ for a Zumo 660.

So is the zumo 550 worth the premium over the nuvi or should I skip them both for the Zumo 660? Or is there some other alternative I´ve missed all together?

Money isnt a big concern as such but I´d rather not spend more than I need to

TIA

[danham]

U.S. purchasers of nuvis have had very good luck obtaining MapSource for free from Garmin; Euro users less so. But there are also legal workarounds to get it, so this should not be the deal killer. For example, it comes with your first map update, if you order it on DVD.

Neither should waterproof: in a light rain my nuvi 760 stays right in place, perhaps with a plastic baggie or shower cap thrown over it. In heavy rain it goes inside my Olympia jacket pocket, wrapped in a baggie, where it continues to navigate and give me spoken directions just fine.

I'd save the money and not buy a Zumo. Various nuvi models give you almost all the Zumo functions except some high-end BT stuff and they cost a hell of a lot less.

For details drop by the nuvi forum I help moderate:

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/f...p?FORUM_ID=172

-dan

[A.B.]

I've had a Zumo 550 for several years and found it excellent. Easy to operate with gloves on, maps and directions are spot-on, and the bonus of an MP3 player. Totally Rainproof in my experience.

[pray4snow]

I've had the nuvi 550 for about a year now. No problems thus far. I got mapsource online when I did my first update (I'm located in Canada ... not sure what the legal issues are that danham referred to for European users ... but he'd be the one to know).

I haven't had it out in a torrential downpour, but have been out in light rain, and no problems. I have it on a Ram-mount, and it's pretty well protected behind my windscreen.

I haven't missed the lack of headphone jack as I don't use the audio directions and I use an ipod in my jacket (with a Scosche wireless remote mounted on the bars).

I did 'invest' in some of those semi-adhesive screen protectors, just because I do a fair bit of riding on gravel, and it's a touchscreen. (Usually have to blow the dust off with compressed air after a ride on gravel roads).

Cheers,
P4S

[danham]

Sorry; didn't mean to sound cryptic about MapSource -- all I meant was that Garmin has been pretty good about sending MapSource out on request to US users, but much less so to Europeans for some odd reason. But anyone can obtain the program legally (no need to risk infected filesharing versions).

-dan

[Woland]

Decisions decisions, I hate making them. Leaning towards the nuvi 550 atm. Since it seems probable that mapsource shouldn't be a problem getting and weatherproof is kind of essential where I live.

Considering Ive never owned or used a GPS before it may be overkill investing in a zumo off the bat.

[Dave May]

I had the same decision to make last month. My little Garmin Quest needed replacing with something more up to date. I looked at the Nuvi and Zumo. Although the Nuvi is cheaper it doesn't come with the motorcycle mount which would be an extra £70 making it more comparable in price to the Zumo. I eventually bought the Zumo. It is easy to use 'on the move' with glove friendly keys, turn and distance instructions are clear and easily followed, I use a wired earphone but have the option of Bluetooth, routes are re-calculated quickly if you take a detour and the MP3 feature is a good bonus.

[REvans]

I've used a zumo 550 for several years and this is what I like about it:
- Excellent motorcycle mount, except the rubber connector cover broke off.
- Easy to remove the top half of the motorcycle mount when not in use.
- Car mount allows it to do double duty when you need it in the car.
- Touch screen and four rubber buttons are easy to use one-handed.
- The saved routes feature is great for pre-planning or what-if planning while en route.
- Ear-plug style earphones are great for reducing noise and hearing navigational instructions and music.
- SD card reader and MP3 player great for long rides; automatically paused during navigational instructions.
- Absolutely waterproof in many heavy rain storms that I should not have been riding in.
- Helmet bluetooth headset for phone calls is useless due to wind noise.
- Like any GPS, no need for paper maps, easy to travel off the Interstates and on complex scenic routes, automatic recalculation makes it very forgiving of missed turns and impulsive side trips.

I have now switched to the zumo 660 and have noticed the following:
- All the same benefits as the zumo 550 with some differences noted below.
- Larger screen and newer software are good.
- Miss the four rubber buttons, but not really a problem.
- Thinner for easier pocketing.
- Hardwired harness means the top half of the mount can't be removed when not in use.
- Clip-on mount cover when GPS is removed keeps the bike looking neat.
- Jabra BT3030 with ear-plug earphones has excellent sound quality while untethered to the bike.
- Haven't had a chance to verify if it is waterproof in heavy rain storms.

The most significant difference with the zumo 660 over the zumo 550 is the stereo Bluetooth feature that lets me connect my earplug earphones and Jabra BT3030 wirelessly and not have to be tethered to the bike.

Here's a good lesson learned when using a GPS: Don't plan on fuelling up at a lone gas station at the end of your fuel tank's range. That lone gas station might not be open or might not be there at all, leaving you without enough fuel to get to the next gas station.

I do this: Search for gas stations "along my current route" (an excellent feature) and look for a cluster of multiple gas stations at the same distance from my current position near the end of my fuel tank's range. In the cluster of gas stations there will always be at least one or two really there and open for business, and it is usually an area where there are places to eat near by and other local attractions.

[Woland]

Very nice comparison REvans. Got a nice deal on a Zumo 550 @ 350€ and pulled the trigger. Found the price difference between a nuvi 550 including the needed mounting hardware and the zumo to be to small to bother about and the difference to the 660 to big to be justified.

Like all new gizmos I buy Im sure the zumo 550 will turn out to be way overkill for my actual needs

[thunderbunny]

Does anybody have first-hand experience with a TomTom Rider 2? I'm also in the market, but I was surprised to find that the Rider 2 has been discontinued. I learned this after a call to TomTom that was motivated by noticing that it was out of stock at almost all online retailers.

Still, I think there are one or two places that have the Rider 2 in stock, so I'm at least entertaining the notion due to the pretty big price savings (doubly so since I'm planning on getting BT headsets for my wife and me anyways).

Cheers,
-m

[danham]

No first, but close second-hand. My Ducati pal has a TT Rider and we have ridden a bunch of miles together with both his TT and my Garmin nuvi 760 running routes.

There have been times when my Garmin or his TT have suggested lousy routes, so I'd call it a wash there. But there have been a few more occasions when he has really cursed at the TT interface for not allowing some things my nuvi does well. For example, his home is on a dirt section of an otherwise paved road. With his TT set to avoid dirt, it refuses to even plot a route to his house. My nuvi will get you most of the way there, and then simply recalculate and go with thee flow when you get to the dirt. If we decide to join a pre-planned route along the way, ie not at the beginning, my nuvi asks if that's what I want to do; his TT complains bitterly and makes it very hard to join the route in progress.

Is this a deal killer and does it mean the TT is no good? Of course not, but it and other examples we have encountered suggest to me that I made the right choice and that he made a good one, but not the best. He plans to try a Garmin next time, FWIW.

-dan

[thunderbunny]

Thanks for the experience, Dan. While it doesn't totally count out the TomTom, the fact that it's discontinued does put me off a bit. I think the decision has moved more into the Zumo or Nuvi camp. As I recall from reading other threads, there are even waterproof Nuvis (500? 550?), which would do just about everything except talk to me.

Normally, I wouldn't worry about the audio uplink, but since my wife's gung-ho on getting communicators, it seems like it would be worth it, especially if it lets me keep my eyes on the road a bit more.

Thanks again!
Cheers,
-mike

[danham]

Mike,

You are very welcome. So far I have not had any issues using a non-waterproof nuvi. Throw a baggie over it in light rain; pocket it (but still connected & talking to me) in downpours.

The big question for you may end up being audio. All nuvis will talk directions at you via their speaker or earphone jack, but only Zumos really integrate with BT bike comms.

-dan

[MJZ]

I had the Zumo 550 then jumped on the 660 when it came out. Bigger screen is nice but I was so used to the 550 I went back to it. One of these days I'll bite the bullet and make myself get used to the 660 and I'm sure I'll like it but until then the 550 suits my dumb arse very well.

[crick0234]

thanks to this forum, i have made a garmin nuvi 550 purchase. I purchased it in the states at a local vendor for 300 even (stupid taxes) and purchased a ram kit from gps city for ~50 bux. 350 total. Not too shabby.

I couldnt afford the zumo 550 or 660, it was running near 700 us dollars around here but i am happy because now i have the backup satisfaction of GPS from the nuvi, my iphone gps, and my awesome sense of direction (not really, i cant even find a bathroom in a department store)

[darkenduro]

I am curious, what sort of earphones or headset do you guys use on your GPS in order to hear voice directions?

[danham]

Etymotic ER6i. They do a very nice job of reducing wind and road noise, are fairly comfortable, and I use them via a Belkin RockStar passive (unpowered) audio mixer to get GPS directions, radar alerts and sometimes music.

-dan

[LJRAT]

I can't speak enough about the 550. It is excellent and is also integrated into my com-system as an excellent com tool!

[CJCim]

For those with a Nuvi 500 or 550, I created a post regarding a mod (ok, maybe more of a hack) I made last night to mine to enable audio to helmet speaker via direct or Bluetooth (with an adapter).

Basically, I hooked up a female 3.5mm jack to the external speaker. The method will work with most GPS units... As long as you can get at the speaker easily.

http://f800riders.org/forum/showthread.php?p=394405