Garmin Zumo 660 4.3" Sat Nav for Motorcycles with UK and Full Europe Maps and Bluetooth

I agonized for many weeks over this purchase and considered the relative merits of the Garmin Zumo 660 vs the Tom Tom Rider V2.

The main reason I decided on the Garmin was because I wanted to plan my bike rides on the computer and then upload them into my Sat Nav. The Garmin software that comes in the box is really simple and I was quickly planning weekend ride-outs and a 12 day trip through Spain.

The routing software is really good, recalculates very quickly and I especially like that it tells you the street names, rather than turn left in 100 metres, turn right in 200 metres etc.

The second factor in choosing the Garmin was the MP3 player and I am really pleased with the functionality and sound quality. I've managed to load 200+ tracks into the units in-built memory and haven't felt the need to buy an additional memory card just yet.

This unit also comes with a car mounting kit and the Garmin recognises whether it is in the car or on my bike (with different routing preferences automatically selected with either cradle). This was an added bonus that I wasn't expecting and I have found it really useful.

Overall, I am delighted with this purchase and think it is worth every penny.

This is an excellent sat nav unit which is specifically aimed at motorcycle users and have to say I am very impressed with its use so far.

The kit comes with two mounting kits - One for motorcycles and one for car use.
Both use the RAM Mount (ball and socket type) system and with regard to motorcycle use, comes with a kind of universal mounting kit which can either clamp direct to your brake or clutch lever mount bracket, or via an included U bolt around the handlebars or other suitable location. The adjustable cradle houses the necessary wiring loom which is long enough to route to most battery locations, but personally, since I have more than one bike, I have chosen to fit a 12v cigar plug so I can transfer the unit between bikes. RAM mounts are relatively cheap (around £10 UK at time of this review) whilst the cradle is around £60 UK.

The other mount option is a car cradle that uses a suction cup for the windscreen, again with a suitable wiring loom that is pre-fitted with a 12v plug as standard, so also easy to transfer between cars.

Interestingly enough, the Zumo knows which cradle is in use and changes the little icon between car and motorcycle as required - an even nicer touch is that these icons can be changed for different ones that can be downloaded free from Garmins website.

The Zumo has a built in battery pack and should give around 4-5 hours use on its own which means the unit can also be used while walking or cycling if thats what takes your fancy.

The Garmin "GUI" is very similar to thier handheld units (Etrex) and so using it straight from the box was very easy without having to resort to the manual (included on the map software DVD). This also means that any tracks or waypoints created by an Etrex (possibly other units too?) can be easily transferred into the Zumo to aid later navigations to old haunts.

Car use is straight forward just like any other Sat Nav unit, but motorcycle use is enhanced by the fact that the motorcycle wiring loom also contains extra leads so that you can connect headphones to listen to the instructions whilst wearing a crash helmet and also a lead for a microphone as the unit can also be used with Bluetooth(tm) phones to make and recieve calls whilst on the move.
Alternatively, there are Bluetooth headsets that can be bought for fitting into crash helmets, but currently very expensive.
BTW, The Zumo also acts as a Bluetooth handsfree phone kit when in car mode.

Another nice feature, esp for motorcycle use, is that MicroSD cards can be used with the Zumo and filled with your favourite MP3 tracks which the Zumo will play as you ride along. There are separate volume settings for MP3 and traffic instructions which means your shouldnt miss that all important time to turn while listening to your MP3s.

Maps seem pretty good so far with free 60 day updates, and cover most European countries, altho I only intend to use mine for UK use so not worried about the extras at the moment.
Screen, at 4.3" is also excellent and quite easy to view even when riding in sunshine (altho in the UK, that isnt going to happen too often now is it???).

The additional software DVD is also great and fairly easy to use and allows you to pre-plan a route and when happy, you can download this direct to the Zumo via the included USB lead and its ready for your next ride out.

If there is one downside, then it has to be price which is quite steep at £440 when I bought my unit. However, when researching sat navs suitable for motorcycle use (and remember this is waterproof which is why it costs more), then this comes out way ahead of the TomTom Biker sat nav which appears not to be of the same quality standard as the wonderful Zumo.

So would I buy another in a few years time? Defintely, but then I love all my GPS units anyway!

Would I recommend this unit to any one? Again, yes, altho cant really defend its high price compared with comparable car only units.

Now, stop reading this and go and buy your own >:*)

Sat Nav on a bike? Who'd a thunk it.
I came to Garmin from many years with TomTom. Let me just say that I think the TomTom display is brilliant, but having read about many issues with the Rider 2, I went for the Zumo.

Installation: Piece of cake. I have a BMW R1200GS, bought the official BMW Canbus plug, soldered it to the naked wires on the supplied bike mount, plugged it in to the supplied socked below the headstock, and instantly had a working, intelligent electrical supply to the unit. The RAM mount attached very simply, and, to date, has been rock solid (although DO make sure the unit is correctly seated and clicked in, or it might jump out.

Bluetooth: Can't really comment as I don't habitually use bluetooth (I use a Schuberth C3 and Scala Rider etc are incompatible as the mic booms are too short and the bluetooth "pod" mount then fouls the sun visor mechanism - there is, I understand, a longer mic boom available from Scala, but frankly, life's too short). Worked OK with my Nokia N95 8gb when I tested it in the house, but haven't used it "in anger" though.

Cabling: I routed the cables under the fuel tank, and tucked the three sockets (audio, mic and USB (for the traffic receiver)) under the seat where I could get at them when needed.

Use: So far, excellent. The menu takes a bit of getting used to (remember I've been spoilt by TomTom for years), but is intuitive. Routes are easy to set up, both on the unit and on the PC ready for uploading. The sun can be a bit of a problem, especially when it shines directly on the screen. The unit is (allegedly) non reflective, but washes out in bright sunlight even on maximum brightness.
The voice commands are machine generated and take a bit of getting used to, but generally are informative and accurate. The MP3 player is a useful addition, and my unit currently contains an 8gb Sandisk Ultra micro SD card with lots of music on. The unit is also compatible with Audible audiobooks if you feel the need.
Master volume is much better afer the last firmware upgrade (Jan 09), and I use an utterly bog standard pair of helmet phones I bought off Ebay.
Navigation is as seamless as it can be, and generally accurate. I have found that I've sometimes needed to look at the proposed route, and occasionally use waypoints to get the route I wanted - but then that's a foible of all satnav. The good thing about this unit is that it allows you to do that easily.
It's waterproof - I went through a cloudburst in France. I resembled a drowned rat, as did my luggage, but the Garmin was fine.

Traffic: Connected to the GTM12 FM traffic monitor, traffic updates are generally OK (I routed the cable around the frame and secured it with cable ties, although be warned they're more erratic using the monitor mounted in the car). Have to say I don't use them a huge amount whilst on the bike, but they're helpful in the car.

Updating: Fairly straightforward through My.Garmin.com. You will have to download and install a plug-in for your browser for the unit to be "seen" by the site. I use Firefox and Chrome and have had no problems in Vista.

The map updates are more tricky however. You get one free update with the unit so that you start with the latest map. You will need to connect your unit and download an utterly massive file - 2gb+. Instructions say you will need 13gb free hard drive space - this is absolutely essential as the PC will then "unpack" the file before it processes it and uploads it to the unit. Once you've downloaded the immense file from Garmin (which can take hours and hours - be warned), and you click to open it, don't be surprised if you have to wait in excess of 20 minutes before anything happens - it's the indigestion created by the PC reading the massive file. In Vista you can turn off the security features which speeds things up considerably. Just make sure you don't unplug the unit at any point, or you'll have an expensive paperweight... I allow a good couple of hours for updating the map (which is the "all Europe" one) after downloading the file from Garmin.

Overall: I like it. A lot. Just remember to take it with you when you're on the bike and stop to fuel up!

EDIT : 8 Jan 2011.
Having lived with the unit and used it heavily for a year I am still very impressed. Garmin have revised the update procedure, using an entirely web-driven interface, so no more downloading huge files and trying to open them. That said, I still try to maintain a healthy space on the PC when I do the update. I bought the "Lifetime" maps for the Zumo, which give me updates quarterly.
There were some issue with firmware updates in 2010, that made the unit unstable and likely to suddenly turn itself off. I found a solution was to remove the SD card before doing the update. Since the last update (to 4.0) things have got better.
I also use the Bluetooth now. I don't want to take calls when I'm riding, so don't use a headset, but use a cheap Bluetooth unit for music I bought from Ebay. This lets me hear the route instructions and MP3s without having trailing wires. The downside being the Bluetooth unit is battery operated so I need to carry a charger.

All in all, a good package and a nice unit that (so far) has been reliable other than a few minor firmware induced glitches.