Only $270 for a Zumo 660LM!

DirtFlier

Site Supporter
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Messages
3,341
Location
Troy, OH
Bike
2010 Silver NT700V/ABS
I bought a new one (not a factory refurb) for $324 from GPS City about a month ago.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Messages
1,111
Location
Otsego, MI
Bike
'10 NT 84 BMW R100RT Ural
Gamin is a much better unit then TomTom, I suggest looking a lot on internet and find the best price. SquareTrade for extended warranty. A car GPS works find, but not water proof, I used a ziplock over the top of unit in rain, but since I purchased a Rider, I don't (but wish I stuck with just a car Garmin and a shade). I don't find any real advantage for a motorcycle GPS, a good hood to see in bright days and $400 in your pocket.
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2015
Messages
180
Location
Mechanicsburg, Pa. USA
Bike
2010 NT700V
I really like my Tom Tom. I used the winding roads program on my return trip from riding Skyline Drive in Virginia back to Pa. I could have taken the fastest route and been home in three hours and forty minutes on the slab. The winding roads took a little over six hours and took me through small towns, and great and roads. I made two stops at little stores on the 230 mile ride home and at each one talked to some local people who were proud to tell me about their life and their town. What a great country we have!!! BB
 

Fieroguy

Site Supporter
Joined
May 9, 2012
Messages
154
Location
Milford, PA
Bike
2010 Silver NT700
I was disappointed when I couldn't get my Garmin Nuvi to pair with my Sena 20S headset. Tried pairing to phone and phone to headset, but no joy. I've been putting off getting a Zumo for some time due to the cost. $270 for the Zumo 665LM (refurb.) seemed to be about as good as it gets, so I ordered one. No disappointments. It's a solid unit and it comes with EVERYTHING. Not expecting this, I had ordered some bits to mount it to my RAM mounts. Didn't need them.
Pros:
- A complete package with everything needed for MC and car mounting
- Lifetime maps!
- Bright display
- Unit feels solid

Cons
- Power Cable:
0- Wasn't long enough to reach from dash to power block under seat. Had to add a few feet.
0- There are so many connections on the cable, its ridiculous. We're wireless these days. They should offer/include a cable with just power. The connection for the XM antenna would have been better on the unit instead of the power cable for my purposes.
- It's an older operating system/interface. I like my newer, Nuvi better, but it's okay and will work fine.
- Plan on getting a microSD card. Internal memory is pretty much maxed out with the native software. Can't load MP3s or custom routes. An exhaustive internet search reveals a 16GB limit on microSD card size, although the manual is moot on this. Also, advise getting a fast (class 10) card or you'll be waiting for data to load, so they say.
- Pairing: I got a real education here. You can pair your phone (iphone) and the gps to the Sena headset, but only one of them can be primary (stereo). The other is secondary (mono). There are not less than six possible configurations. Each one contains a compromise.
- Sirius XM: At the time of purchase, the Zumo 665LM, includes XM Radio capability and was cheaper than the 660 without it. I ended up getting a subscription to enjoy this feature, but... the 665LM does not get all available channels. It appears to be limited to about 170 of the hundreds of available channels. If I'd have known that, I would have gone for one of the cheaper packages or none at all. However, since I paired the 665LM as a secondary device, I listen to XM through an app on my phone in order to get better sound quality. Note that there is no way to change channels through the phone app without going through the screen on the phone so if I want to listen to something else, I have to pull over, remove glove and change channel through the app instead of through the jog dial on the headset. bummer. If I had it to do all over again, I would have skipped the whole XM Radio fiasco altogether.
- Sound: So I'm listening to music through my headset via the iphone. Volume is near maximum and quality is good. Then the gps chimes in with directions... and nearly ruptures my eardrums! I have futzed with just about every possible setting and have yet to solve this. Same thing happens when I receive an incoming call. The volume of the phone ringing and subsequent call requires turning the volume on the headset way down low. I realize this is not a fault of the gps. The Zumo hands off volume control to the headset and tells you so. Wish I could find the magic setting that will even everything out.

Overall, I'm happy with the purchase and will sort the issues out as time goes on.
 
Last edited:

Fieroguy

Site Supporter
Joined
May 9, 2012
Messages
154
Location
Milford, PA
Bike
2010 Silver NT700
A lot of people don't realize that a non-motorcycle GPS won't pair with a Bluetooth headset. The BT headset will pair with a smartphone, and if you are using a GPS app on the smartphone, you'll get directions that way. But otherwise, you'll need a Garmin Zumo or TomTom Rider to go directly from GPS unit to BT headset.
And why is that, exactly? I can't find the logic in that limitation, other than the manufacturer exploiting a way to get you to buy a very expensive motorcycle specific unit. Other than not being able to hear turn-by-turn directions through the headset, my Nuvi worked flawlessly on the bike. Even at the discount price on a refurbed, discontinued model, it was still an expensive solution which has many issues. I don't mind paying for quality, but I do for redundancy.
 

Frosty

Site Supporter
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
603
Location
Spokane, WA
Bike
2020 Triumph 900GT
I use a car type Nuvi (cheap, but not water resistant). The Blue Tooth function works to allow hands free phone calls. If you are in a car, why would you want turn directions thru your phone using BT instead of the speaker, or music for that matter? On a motorcycle using the speaker does not work so well and BT is a better solution.

Cost? Number of units produced, auto vs MC? Water resistant, BT voice directions, MC unique software, etc. Features that are have been too expensive for me but this is a lot closer.
 
Joined
Sep 26, 2011
Messages
47
Location
Bothell, WA in the wet part of the state.
Bike
Red 2014 FJR
Fieroguy, they do make a cord for just the power. It's called cutting off all those extra connectors. To be fair, I had an extra original cord with everything on it or maybe I wouldn't have cut everything else off the 2nd one. It is so much easier to wire it in if you don't have to deal with all those things you will probably never use!

Garry
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2015
Messages
180
Location
Mechanicsburg, Pa. USA
Bike
2010 NT700V
As I said in a previous post, I really like the Tom Tom. I have a Sena SMH10, I pare my iPhone, (Voice activated to answer calls and set three speed dial numbers. I was riding at 70mph while talking to my daughter and she was asking why I was talking so loud, so I whispered and she heard me like I was in the same room.). Also, the GPS comes in loud and clear and well as the intercom feature with up to eight other riders. I can also connect my MP3 via a wire for music if I wish.

When I go out on a day ride, I head in a direction, when I decide it is time to head home I use the winding road program and enjoy the secondary roads home.

PS I have a Scorpion 1100 helmet with inflatable cheek pads.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Messages
1,111
Location
Otsego, MI
Bike
'10 NT 84 BMW R100RT Ural
TomTom is great with winding roads: BUT adding GPX files then getting it to follow route, changing route, finding points of interest (I.E. gas,) it is cumbersome to get to where you want to be. I don't have a Zumo but I do have a few Garmins, they are much easier to use.
 
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