Hi,
As the title of the thread reads, think I'm finally going to invest in Sat Nav.
I've toyed with the idea for ages and borrowed friends and relatives units from time to time for in car use.
When going somewhere unknown, especially a specific address, I think they're an invaluable tool.
Why anyone would want one squawking at them around town is beyond me!
My only other prerequisite is that I want 1 unit that can be used on both motorcycle and in the car.
On the bike it'll be used for the 'unknown destination' and also to see both where I've been if out for a ride with friends in unknown territory, but also to pre-plan a route at home then follow same while out for a ride.
I'm leaning heavily (no puns guys) towards the Garmin Zumo 550 as it seems to offer the most even though it's a tad pricey. You do get a lot in the box!
It comes with car and bike mount (meets 1 main criteria), preloaded maps etc.
What I don't know is what Blue Tooth Headset to go for.
I'm not too bothered about making or receiving phone calls on the move but I suppose if the facility is there it can be used.
Not bothered about the MP3 player either - I like to hear my bike and whatever else is going on around, like sirens etc.
What I do want is to be able to hear the audable directions from the GPS.
What I don't want is to have a bulky microphone stuck out anywhere as I use a FF helmet.
I have absolutely no interest in being able to converse with any pillion or other rider - this should also limit the cost of the headset (I hope)
If I do use the phone facility I want people to be able to hear me without lots of wind noise.
Anyone out there got / had Zumo ? Likes / Dislikes?
More to the point, can anyone recommend a BT headset?
Cheers,
Graeme.
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Sat Nav - Taking The Plunge But Which BT Headset?
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storminateacup
- Posts: 715
- Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2007 3:38 pm
- Location: Maldon
Have a look at the Southwing Neo 507. I use a southwing for my mobile and it fits nicely under the helmet. I dont use it for the sat nav as my quest isn't bluetooth, I use a hard wired earpiece. The Zumo is an excellent piece of kit a friend uses one on his Goldwing and says it's ace.
I was born with nothing and I still have most of it left.
graeme i use sat nav on bike ( when needed) currently got a tom tom which i use in car too, on bike i use it with an autocom''.... works great crystal clear even at silly silly speeds, also conects my phone and mp3 player, so i can sing, talk and listen at the same time, plus i can also talk to other bikers on the same systems 
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RedStormV
- Posts: 1372
- Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:41 pm
- Location: West Yorks (Bronte Country) - Home of the Negro Lesbian Cornet Players
- Contact:
Hi,
Thanks for your input guys.
TBH I looked at headsets and being able to converse with other riders etc, but it seems that you really need to all have same make and / or similar models.
I rarely carry a pillion either, so couldn't really justify the extra cost for the intercom models. Not that I want anybody bleating I my ear while I'm going for it either
So I have taken the plunge and gone for Garmin Zumo 550 - mainly because it comes with everything for bike and car use (apart from ear piece or BT headset). Additional car or bike mounts are an option with the 500 but @ £90 a pop makes it expensive.
It also comes with full Britain and western European maps as well as quite a few Balkan / Eastern Europe maps.
I also went for the Cardo Scala Rider BT headset - not sure if I'm going to like it but I'll give it a go and see if I can live with it.
It does have a boom mike and clips to bottom edge of your helmet neither of which I'm enamoured with but I'll give them a fair go.
If I look like a right knob (more than usual - before anyone else gets it in) or like a BMW / Aspncrate rider with it in place, its days might also be numbered!
It'll be nice to be able to hit a POI (point of interest) on a run then see just where that nasty bend or lovely rolling series of bends was for future ref.
Boys and their toys huh?
Graeme.
Thanks for your input guys.
TBH I looked at headsets and being able to converse with other riders etc, but it seems that you really need to all have same make and / or similar models.
I rarely carry a pillion either, so couldn't really justify the extra cost for the intercom models. Not that I want anybody bleating I my ear while I'm going for it either
So I have taken the plunge and gone for Garmin Zumo 550 - mainly because it comes with everything for bike and car use (apart from ear piece or BT headset). Additional car or bike mounts are an option with the 500 but @ £90 a pop makes it expensive.
It also comes with full Britain and western European maps as well as quite a few Balkan / Eastern Europe maps.
I also went for the Cardo Scala Rider BT headset - not sure if I'm going to like it but I'll give it a go and see if I can live with it.
It does have a boom mike and clips to bottom edge of your helmet neither of which I'm enamoured with but I'll give them a fair go.
If I look like a right knob (more than usual - before anyone else gets it in) or like a BMW / Aspncrate rider with it in place, its days might also be numbered!
It'll be nice to be able to hit a POI (point of interest) on a run then see just where that nasty bend or lovely rolling series of bends was for future ref.
Boys and their toys huh?
Graeme.
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RedStormV
- Posts: 1372
- Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:41 pm
- Location: West Yorks (Bronte Country) - Home of the Negro Lesbian Cornet Players
- Contact:
Update on the Zumo.
After initial teething troubles (mainly me not reading instructions) with volume......
I'M LIKING IT........A LOT!
Comes with two mounts, one which replaces part of clutch lever clamp for clip-ons and a 'U' bolt mount for conventional bars.
Using the clutch mount is fine, if I was to be critical I'd say it was maybe a little too close.
This is fine until riding with a tank bag, as the unit fouls the bag and vice versa, also can't see unit for the bag either!
After looking on Ram web site I found a fixing that plugs in the top of the steering head tube and expands like a rawl bolt.
I rang the UK office and was told by them that a guy in Manchester does a better one! He basically takes a standard Ram unit and re-engineers it to make a far better product.
Telferizer
Guy's name is Bob he specialises in bike mounting solutions and he's very helpful.
So with Telferizer fitted, an additional 5 1/4" Ram Arm and what's referred to as a 'butt plug' (short bar with Ram mount ball at each end), Hey Presto, I can now see the unit even with either the double Bagster bags or the expandable Alpha bag on the tank.
Anyone with a Zumo, I'd highly recommend joining Zumo Forum. At first glance the site looks barren, but there's a whole lot of content you cannot see until you register, which is free.
There's loads of info on there and the guys are very helpful. The Admins are a bit tenacious, moving stuff about but they're OK.
Used the Zumo quite a bit on the bike now, all last weekend on IOM and yesterday doing a nice circular route round the dales. It's easy to read, quick to re-calculate if you choose to ignore it, and at speed, still tells you your turning is coming way before you go shooting passed.
The Mapsource software it comes with isn't the most user friendly package, but once you get used to it, it's easy to plan routes and download them to the Zumo. Importing tracks and routes is easy too.
Apparently you can also utilise Google Earth, but haven't played with that side of it yet.
The Scala Rider is fine, between that and the Zumo, there's more than enough volume for even the noisiest of bikes / helmets. Apparently the FM version comes with 2 earphones, which if you're wanting to listen to radio or MP3 (stored on Zumo SD card) would be a better option than mine which is the single earphone version.
I've had phone conversations whilst riding and the other party has heard me no problems, even at relatively high speed. For saftey reasons though, I would advocate stopping to make, or as soon as safe to do so if receiving a call.
Graeme.
After initial teething troubles (mainly me not reading instructions) with volume......
I'M LIKING IT........A LOT!
Comes with two mounts, one which replaces part of clutch lever clamp for clip-ons and a 'U' bolt mount for conventional bars.
Using the clutch mount is fine, if I was to be critical I'd say it was maybe a little too close.
This is fine until riding with a tank bag, as the unit fouls the bag and vice versa, also can't see unit for the bag either!
After looking on Ram web site I found a fixing that plugs in the top of the steering head tube and expands like a rawl bolt.
I rang the UK office and was told by them that a guy in Manchester does a better one! He basically takes a standard Ram unit and re-engineers it to make a far better product.
Telferizer
Guy's name is Bob he specialises in bike mounting solutions and he's very helpful.
So with Telferizer fitted, an additional 5 1/4" Ram Arm and what's referred to as a 'butt plug' (short bar with Ram mount ball at each end), Hey Presto, I can now see the unit even with either the double Bagster bags or the expandable Alpha bag on the tank.
Anyone with a Zumo, I'd highly recommend joining Zumo Forum. At first glance the site looks barren, but there's a whole lot of content you cannot see until you register, which is free.
There's loads of info on there and the guys are very helpful. The Admins are a bit tenacious, moving stuff about but they're OK.
Used the Zumo quite a bit on the bike now, all last weekend on IOM and yesterday doing a nice circular route round the dales. It's easy to read, quick to re-calculate if you choose to ignore it, and at speed, still tells you your turning is coming way before you go shooting passed.
The Mapsource software it comes with isn't the most user friendly package, but once you get used to it, it's easy to plan routes and download them to the Zumo. Importing tracks and routes is easy too.
Apparently you can also utilise Google Earth, but haven't played with that side of it yet.
The Scala Rider is fine, between that and the Zumo, there's more than enough volume for even the noisiest of bikes / helmets. Apparently the FM version comes with 2 earphones, which if you're wanting to listen to radio or MP3 (stored on Zumo SD card) would be a better option than mine which is the single earphone version.
I've had phone conversations whilst riding and the other party has heard me no problems, even at relatively high speed. For saftey reasons though, I would advocate stopping to make, or as soon as safe to do so if receiving a call.
Graeme.