which garmin

#1
Been thinking of running a garmin alongside the totom 2 systems will no doubt give different routing options sometimes me and tom tom are a little confused but have a feeling that garmin would be the same but maybe not both at the same time. Any suggestions on which garmin to buy do not want to spend a fortune so price is an issue as it is only a alternative to my main unit but it must map Europe. I am leaning towards 550 / 220 2nd hand or 390 ??? not really sure though.
 

biquer

Premier Member
#2
Zumos are all unreliable re: routing, the 550 is no worse than the rest. The tomtom interface and usability is a poor second to the garmins. But, if you're at a junction and the garmin says left, whilst the tomtom says right, go right.
 

GarminDave

Ex-Arkwright
Premier Member
#3
On 24th March I have a Zumo660 surplus to my requirements, it won't have a motorcycle mount but will have a car cradle. £150 sound fair?

Let me know if you want it.
 

FJRPilot

Brit Butt Rallymaster RBLR1000 routemaster
Premier Member
IBA Member
#4
The older zumo's won't give you full EU coverage. Not sure about the 300 series but they may well do. In rallies I use a 590 and 550. Both give me different arrival times and try and route me slightly differently to each other, probably something to do with their internal programming parameters. This is why it's often good to run two units so you have a comparison as well as a back-up.

My bike came with a 660 which I rode it back home with but I sold that, also via the forum so don't know what they're like. I think Phil runs with two 660s.
 
#5
Dave not sure still researching the 660?
Mark
Its the routing options I was thinking of figured different manufacturer different parameters. I have really got use to the tom tom I like its Bluetooth and usability it has its moments but they all seem to do that so figured different make less likely to have a moment at the same time.

So any advice is good for now

Full Europe maps a must have, as planning to be in Europe this year and looking at different options.
 

FazerPhil

President IBA UK
Staff member
Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#6
I started with two 550s now use two 660s.
In reckon which ever GPS you use you still have to expect that it is not perfect.

ie Map shows left and turn pic shows right
Takes you up fastest route which could be a 60 mph one lane road as opposed to a 2 lane A road.
Roads not on map set or now cut off!!!!
GPS reroutes from route set up with software
Quickest route turns out being slower because of traffic lights in town etc etc

It is just another tool.
I always set mine on map view , north to top so its like a map in front of me.
I have it set NOT to recalculate automatically. Id rather turn around than have to wait for a recalculate.
When two sat navs show different routes you have to take a judgement; that may not be the best choice.
The more you use it and play the settings the more useful you will find it.
Mine are both loaded the full European and USA map sets

Remember you may still not end up with the optimum route but it will be better than maps or guesswork!!!!

Mine (as will all GPS) will lead me to any place in Europe USA or any place I have a map set for. I still believe that some sorcery is involved.
 

GSears

Dambuster... Bouncing panniers...
Premier Member
IBA Member
#7
The older zumo's won't give you full EU coverage. Not sure about the 300 series but they may well do. In rallies I use a 590 and 550. Both give me different arrival times and try and route me slightly differently to each other, probably something to do with their internal programming parameters. This is why it's often good to run two units so you have a comparison as well as a back-up.

My bike came with a 660 which I rode it back home with but I sold that, also via the forum so don't know what they're like. I think Phil runs with two 660s.
Mark, I can get full European coverage on my 550s, using an 8GB card. I am still assessing the 590 I recently purchased. The arrival times on the old 550s reflect my riding style better than the 590.

Does anyone know if it is possible to change the average speed settings on the 590?
 
#8
Be aware that the 660 uses a weird "learning" algorithm for calculating arrival times. That is ... It compares your riding speeds over time with what it knows are the listed speeds for the roads you are riding.

If you do a fast Cert or Rally ride, then for the next few weeks it will have you arriving at work almost before you leave home. Conversely, after a few months of normal riding, it will be pessimistic about your arrival time when you know you need to "up the pace" a bit.

You cannot turn this nightmare off, but you can use a 550 instead for all your critical info. If you have the cash, a Garmin Montana is probably even better.
 
#9
Map view on one sounds like a good option I know lots of people use the 2 sat navs have always stuck with one good to hear options to use them. long ago decided that brill as a sat nav is it can comes up with some dumb options see this in areas you know well. But have decided occasionally ignoring it then let it play catch up works, can take a while or instantly decide it knows another route. isn't a Montana a hand held sat nav ?? I'll have a look on line thought it was for walkers? thanks for the advice
 
#10
Map view on one sounds like a good option I know lots of people use the 2 sat navs have always stuck with one good to hear options to use them. long ago decided that brill as a sat nav is it can comes up with some dumb options see this in areas you know well. But have decided occasionally ignoring it then let it play catch up works, can take a while or instantly decide it knows another route. isn't a Montana a hand held sat nav ?? I'll have a look on line thought it was for walkers? thanks for the advice
The Montana is a highly configurable device suitable for use in most situations. It is not the best for on-road routing, but the display screens can be set up to show you masses of info displayed just the way you want it. It is the Zumo they should have given us.

As a secondary GPS it is very hard to beat, but it is not cheap.
 

FJRPilot

Brit Butt Rallymaster RBLR1000 routemaster
Premier Member
IBA Member
#11
Map view on one sounds like a good option I know lots of people use the 2 sat navs have always stuck with one good to hear options to use them.
That's how I mostly use mine. My main 590 is used Track Up so I can read the road ahead like an orientated map. My 550 is set to North Up so it's like having an atlas on your lap. I keep this zoomed out quite a bit so I can instantly see if there's a more logical route, for example around a town or city rather than straight through it. It also helps to remind me of where the hell I am in any particular part of the country instead of just concentrating on the bends ahead.

I still sometimes get suckered into turning off a perfectly acceptable A road onto some dodgy back lane simply because the limit on that road is 60 compared to maybe 40 or 50 on the A road. This happens in every Brit Butt Rally and every year I vow not to get tricked again :rolleyes:
 

Kendoo

Premier Member
#12
Be aware that the 660 uses a weird "learning" algorithm for calculating arrival times. That is ... It compares your riding speeds over time with what it knows are the listed speeds for the roads you are riding.

If you do a fast Cert or Rally ride, then for the next few weeks it will have you arriving at work almost before you leave home. Conversely, after a few months of normal riding, it will be pessimistic about your arrival time when you know you need to "up the pace" a bit.

You cannot turn this nightmare off, but you can use a 550 instead for all your critical info. If you have the cash, a Garmin Montana is probably even better.
Steve, I really like the learning feature. My Nuvi 550 also learns and "knows" I typically ride 10 over and gives me a real accurate ETA. My new 590 was like 3.5 hours conservative on my recent NY-Jax trip. In fact it's often slower than google for some reason. What good is that for predicting arrival times?
 
#13
sat navs that learn what will be next tom tom's don't sem to do that so I know what adjustment for the type of road is in the calculation. been giving this some thought still spending money is always a big concern for me even tried driving along with map view on the tom tom idea seems sound, 2nd hand garmins are not cheap looking at a new one as a better deal might be more expensive but your starting with a clean sheet favourite are 390 and 350 - the 590 is out of my price range and the 660 seems to do everything but make tea so I might get confused working it.
 
#14
Steve, I really like the learning feature. My Nuvi 550 also learns and "knows" I typically ride 10 over and gives me a real accurate ETA. My new 590 was like 3.5 hours conservative on my recent NY-Jax trip. In fact it's often slower than google for some reason. What good is that for predicting arrival times?
The problem is that it is unpredictable. That probably matters less on Cert Rides or leisure rides, but it is a giant pain in the butt when you need accurate estimates for rally riding.

With the others, you quickly learn the extent to which you can "outride" the arrival estimates on the Garmin, and you can actively adjust accordingly. With the 660 you never know which part of the "speed him up, slow him down" cycle your unit is currently operating in.