 "None Better for use on a motorcycle" | 2010-09-01 |
| - Reviewed By James M Munson from Portland, OR USA |
| Just used this unit to plan an ride a 2400 mile trip all over Oregon and California. Found it to very accurate and easy to use both on and off the bike. Love the tracking feature - I'll be using that alot to save new ride routes. Now I can map using Google maps/Earth too! I am very please with the fit and finish of the unit and it comes will all the extra hadware that use need to mount on your bike or in your car. Yes, it's not the cheapest BUT the user interface and rich feature set put it heads and shoulders above other units I've owned or tried. |
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 "Not a good deal" | 2010-08-08 |
| - Reviewed By tomfromboston |
Having bought this in Jan. 2010, I hooked it up to my computer to make sure the software and maps were up to date. So what do you get for a list price of $600? One update. After that, you have to pay $70 to update your map to the newest version. They also have an option for lifetime updates at another ridiculous price. I'm sorry, but this is pure greed. Not only are you paying an ultra-premium price on their GPS, but then you have to keep on paying just to keep the maps up to date. Mine came installed with the 2009 north america city navigator. I got one update to the 2009 only to discover there was now a 2011 version. Can I get that one? Nope. They want more money. I will never recommend this product to anyone based on this disgusting abuse of company greed.
And make no mistake, this is not an easy product to use. You can't look up a city by zip code, so you're stuck spelling it out, and the settings go on forever. Trying to find places to eat I uploaded was painful since they were not in a place you would think they are. All in all, for something to get you from A to B, this product falls far short of a $600 price tag. Garmin may not think so, but that is a lot of money. And then to request more money just to get the latest map? Pure greed. |
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 "Please note Memory Limit" | 2010-08-03 |
| - Reviewed By LG from Park City, USA |
No need to repeat all the details from prior reviews.
Please note-- You can no longer load the complete map set on the device (official response from Garmin tech support) due to memory limits inherent in the device. You will have to choose which areas you want to load on the device, e.g. you can't load Canada and the U.S. Very limiting if you plan on using the device during an extensive trip. |
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| "Nuvis 550" | 2010-07-30 |
| - Reviewed By David E. Moore |
| Have never owned a GPS before, have borrowed a few. Needed one that could handle the severe vibrations of my Harley all cammed up and all that it is. Read other reviews and decided on this. I opted for the H.D. Fairing mount over the handle bar mount that came with it, however if it'd been clear in description that it came with the handlebar mount I might have at least tried it before drilling holes in the fairing. Am happy with it though, minimun vibration and very secure. Anyway, only beef w/550 is the lane change technology could be better. It works very well, and only had an address off location a couple of times. But even then close enough to see visually. Very happy and would recommend to any serious traveler! |
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| "Zumo 550 GPSR" | 2010-06-29 |
| - Reviewed By Kurt B. from Norton,MA |
I got what I ordered quickly & everything needed to install it in a car or a motorcycle was supplied. I just wish that Ram Mounts made a conversion for the suction cup to a old style Garmin 2610 Street pilot dashboard mount. I hate the suction cup to the windshield idea, & there are two States that forbid that mounting. In my full sized truck it isn't too bad, but in my Wife's VW Jetta it really blocks the view!
So here is what I have gathered in the month that I have owned this:
My 2610 had more features than the Zumo 550 like in tell you what the address # is while you are just driving in map mode.
I could also change the information bars to just about anything I wanted, like see at what altitude I was at in real time.
This unit came with 2009 maps installed internally, & the only way you could get the newest maps upgrade for free on the Garmin site, was to install a 2Gb SD card & install that map there & then do the install from the SD flash card. Instructions were vague, & it took me some time to figure it out. It all got done in a few days of grief including new "MapSource" software. So, why couldn't Garmin install these for Amazon to sell? I guess this is the reason why the price is reduced...
For the people that are looking for a Motorcycle GPSR, yup, this one is OK, I wish they didn't split the MP3 & microphone outputs/inputs on the mount for the motorcycle, it really makes it tough to be able to tie in a way to hear the navigation voice prompts plus be able to tie in a way to speak for the phone. I have a Blue-tooth headset, so I could get both Nav & phone, but you can't hear anything over 35 MPH & I have a quiet stock Muffler on my motorcycle.
I have a Motorola flexible boom mike/ear phone with a 2.5 mm connector,it won't tie into the motorcycle mounting outputs/inputs & no adapter are available.
The good points of the Zumo 550 are that you really don't need the amplified remote antenna for it, it does just fine without one.
Display is great ( but doesn't compensate for the ambient light) like the 2610 did.
So far the mount has held the Zumo 550 in place on the motorcycle, not like the 2610 mount from Garmin that snapped out the holding piece on the case.
I have to rate this as a 4 star due to missing features I had really expected in a product that was $300.00 more than my 2610 plus a lack of mounting it on the dashboard with a 2610 adapter. The sticky that came with it will cost you over $10.00 plus shipping for each car you want to install it to, get my drift?
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| "Great GPS, Poor Quality" | 2010-06-25 |
| - Reviewed By Erik S. from Minneapolis, MN |
The Zumo 550 is the bit of motorcycling kit that I have both come to love and hate at the same time. I admit that Garmin has done a terrific job of making such a feature rich piece of technology. The Zumo has never failed to disappoint me with it's array of bells and whistles, and the usability of the device is great while riding, and while planning rides.
However, I have two gripes:
First, the routing isn't all that great. The Zumo can be set to route for shortest distance or shortest time, but no matter how it's set, it will often attempt to guide me in round-about courses in lieu of direct lines. This is particularly problematic when low on gas. I've learned that the Zumo should only be used to find where you're going, and then navigate yourself by following street signs instead. In short, if the Zumo tells you you are heading for Interstate 1, use your eyes to follow the signs to Interstate 1 - the Zumo will not get you there. Furthermore, the Zumo has attempted to route me on more than one dirt hiking trail. Not a good idea on a street motorcycle.
Secondly, the quality control on the 550 is horrible. I know many riders that have brought their Zumos through years of constant use, but in my case, I have had three replacement units through Garmin in five years. They have a tendency to just stop powering up one day. In each case, I was billed $150 for a refurbished replacement, so my current, refurbished Zumo 550 has cost me roughly $1200 to date.
With the arrival of the 600 series Zumos, the 550 should have descended notably in price, but it has not gone down much. For such a poorly constructed unit, I would have hoped to see them phased out entirely. |
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