GPS Advice

[Andyroo]

I'm off to france in the summer and am looking to upgrade my sat nav and am looking at the garmin zumo, any bad points what are the good points?

is it easy to use, I have had a quest previoulsy and found it a bit more fiddly than I would like

really after advice on peoples experiences, I have used tom tom and like the functionality of the software but the zumo seems a bit more robust for use on the bike

all comments would be most welcome

[Lutin]

Moved this to Bike Tech as it will get more views.

[Dee Duble Yuh]

I loved being able to locate a destination town, find a local hotel, dial it automatically to reserve a room, then navigate straight there. On some parts of the continent (esp. Germany) it took us along brilliant roads I'd never have used if I'd followed a map. Great fun.

As others have said, always keep paper maps as a back-up in case of failure and to double check that the Zumo isn't taking you by a stupid route - sometimes happens.

[davsato]

i have the quest too, and it does me fine(especially as i dont have the cash for a zumo) but it is a bit crappy these days i suppose. even my mates ancient black and white GPS-V has post code search, so why not the quest? thats my biggest bug with it, its slow to input anything.

ive played with the zumo in the shop and its loads easier to use, the touch screen makes it a lot faster, and you can put in post codes or even part of post codes.
what i dont like about it is the weird size and shape, whats that about? and the MP3 and MP4 player is a bit pointless if you only have a 4hr battery, are you supposed to watch videos on your bike or something?

garmin should make a waterproof NUVI, that would be more practical.

[StumpyFingers]

I have the Tom tom rider 2, it does what I need.
I know there are pros and cons but you find that on most GPS systems.

[Dee Duble Yuh]

...and the MP3 and MP4 player is a bit pointless if you only have a 4hr battery, are you supposed to watch videos on your bike or something?

Not sure if I understand this correctly. When mounted on the bike it draws power from the bike's power system. You can listen to music on the move all day.

It plays MP4 simply because, with the technology already on board, it can! Garmin has suggested that video "travel guides" could be downloaded onto your device to help you make the best of your time at each destination. I don't know if anyone has released any yet. The travel guides on the Garmin web site appear to be text and still photos.

[davsato]

yes it can draw power from the bike, but some people choose not to wire it in, and some use their GPS for hiking so 4hrs is a bit naff considering we have Li-ion batteries these days. even my quest lasts 10hrs of full navigation.
i just wish they would come out with a simple unit for the bike that was waterproof, had the touch screen, had a big enough memory for europe and a fast processor. like an updated quest or 60cs, no bells or whistles. make it NUVI size and shape, and IPX7 and bingo. whats wrong with a gps that's just a gps?

i would never answer the phone, listen to music or watch telly when on my bike, im too busy trying to enjoy the ride.
its just another gizmo that garmin can put on it to justify the bluetooth and charge you another £150 more than necessary, so people can say
"i need the phone in case the wife wants me, but shes on the back which means i need an intercom which means i need a GPS with bluetooth to connect it all together which means i need two bluetooth headsets so that we can argue over what to listen to which means we need two more helmets that are more comfortable etc etc ....." and spend a fortune so that they can stand around on the verge wondering why they cant "connect".

i would be horrified if someone tried getting hold of me during a ride, but there are plenty of folks out there who just cant ignore a ringing phone.

[Dee Duble Yuh]

Don't buy one then.

[davsato]

i wont.

[Dee Duble Yuh]

yes it can draw power from the bike, but some people choose not to wire it in, and some use their GPS for hiking so 4hrs is a bit naff considering we have Li-ion batteries these days. even my quest lasts 10hrs of full navigation.
i just wish they would come out with a simple unit for the bike that was waterproof, had the touch screen, had a big enough memory for europe and a fast processor. like an updated quest or 60cs, no bells or whistles. make it NUVI size and shape, and IPX7 and bingo. whats wrong with a gps that's just a gps?...

Ok, fair question. The Zumo has been designed to meet a particular type of need, e.g. long-distance motorcycling, not 10 hours of hiking. 4 hours battery life is more than ample for most of us, and the shape is partly due to the screen-side buttons that are useful when wearing gloves.

If you have alternative requirements look elsewhere, such as this:
http://www.road-angel-gps.co.uk/road...turer-7000.htm
Nuvi-like shape, waterproof, battery designed to last up to 6 hours, can add Ordnance Survey maps.