Reviewed by: drewduffy1 on 08-Oct-07 Rating:

Strengths:easy to use even with my cold weather gloves on!

Weaknesses:I don\'t have enough vacation time to ride more!

Summary:\"I received my Zumo 550 in the mail on the day I was leaving for a five day motorcycle trip. I did not have time to read the instructions, only time to mount it and go! The unit was so simple to use I was an expert by the end of the day. I traveled 1900 total miles on this trip and the Zumo 550 became an invaluable tool! I used it in the mountains of North Carolina always expecting the unit to Not know where I was or loose satilites but that Never happened. The built in blooth tooth linked my cell phone and bluetooth headset and I was able to hear directions clearly! With the extra mount for my car, I am able to quickly move the unit from bike to car effortlessly. I look forward to adding the XM antenna to an already feature packed unit. I loaded my 2GB SD card and listened to my favorite music and also loaded pictures of the trip on the unit as well. Don\'t bother looking at any other units for your motorcycle, THIS IS IT!!\"
****You must use a wireless(blue tooth) or wired earpiece to use this on a bike which I have seen a few people complain about but how else would you hear a GPS on a bike at highway speeds?? This also alows you to link your blue tooth phone as well.

Reviewed by: on2wheels on 03-Jul-07 Rating:

Strengths:Easy to set up and use. Portability between bike & cage is great! Overall functionality is great. Display is very readable.

Weaknesses:Thumb screw on mounting bracket defeats the \"security screw\". Ability to create and download routes from PC needs to be improved. Universal mount not easy to use on BMW touring bike.

Summary:Overall the ease of use is very good. The kit includes the GPS, a motorcycle mount that can be configured 2 different ways, a car mount, and the software. Overall this package is very versatile and covers a wide range of uses.

I\'ve been very pleased with the unit. There are a few things that could be improved. Example, the motorcycle mount has an extension with a thumb screw that allows you to adjust the angle of the GPS unit. The thumb screw can be loosened, and the entire GPS unit can be removed from the bike. With this flaw, why put a security screw that keeps the GPS \"locked\" to the GPS mounting head? One defeats the other.

I\'d also like to see a better wiring pig tail on the motorcycle power cord. It\'s workable but very thin.

It\'s been easy to learn the GPS software for the zumo, but the software included for the PC is not overly user friendly. I can adapt, but better user functionality would be better. Other mapping software is much friendlier.

To correct one reviewer who said that there\'s no way to listen to the voice prompt\'s while on the bike, this info is not correct. The Zumo provides a 3.5 jack that can be hooked into helmet speakers or earphones. The jack is on the GPS mounting base, not the GPS itself.

The universal mounts aren\'t all that universal. The handlebars on my BMW K1200GT don\'t have either space for the \"U\" bolt, or the clutch mounting set up that the 2nd adapter is for. I found a set up that will work, but have ordered a different version of the RAM mount that should integrate it better. My honda 600rr also does not have room for the \"U\" bolt adapter, but will most likely work with the clutch mount.

Again, overall I\'m very pleased with the zumo, and look forward to many more miles with it on both the bikes and the car.

Reviewed by: mikepotter on 30-Jun-07 Rating:

Strengths:Quick, easy to use, full of features, reliable.

Weaknesses:Doesn\'t list as many surrounding street names on the map as I thought it would and you have to \'request directions to\' points of interest instead of them just being listed on the map.

Summary:Love it! Just used it on a cross country drive and it really helps to keep me on track. The situational awareness is priceless. I never once missed an exit as I set it to ‘alert’ me of any turns. I haven’t even explored a fraction of its functions and already love this GPS unit.
I have used in dash units and this portable one seems to stack up to those just fine AND with some added features like the MP3 and Bluetooth.

Reviewed by: Stubenville on 07-Jun-07 Rating:

Strengths:Fairly well thought through. Car cradle with speaker a nice bonus.

Weaknesses:Software infuriatingly complex. Laughable security. Battery requires tools to replace.

Summary:I\'ve had a Zumo 550 for about a week and my impression is favorable overall. I just keep thinking \'If only...\" The software is badly written, with settings in odd places and necessary functions poorly implemented (example - to set the audio level for spoken directions you press a button with a \'musical note\' icon, then a button with a \'speaker\' icon from an array of other music controls which then displays a pair of volume controls, one for music, one for spoken commands. To get back to the map you hit a \'back\' key twice which dumps you into the main screen and then you select the \'map\' key, not the \'where to\' key that you first got to the map with. Confused yet? There SHOULD be a \'return to map\' button under the volume control.

The included MapSource software for your PC is counterintuitive at best. The only nice thing I can say about it is that it makes the programming on the Zumo look brilliant.

Garmin makes a big deal about their special locking screw to keep the Zumo from being stolen from the mount. They even include a special machined screwdriver with a screw on sleeve to put on your key ring. Nice touch. So why is the factory mount held together with a THUMBSCREW that anyone can undo? Okay, Garmin does include an option for a locking code, but it\'s not set by default and it’s unlikely that a thief will give the GPS back when they can\'t unlock it.

And, last the pronunciation of certain street names is hysterically bad. Okay, it’s a computer and I expect ‘Bala Cynwyd’ to trip it up, but pronouncing ‘Boot Road’ like “buuuutrd” made me laugh out loud.

Reviewed by: QTpye907 on 29-May-07 Rating:

Strengths:Love the waterproof aspect and bright screen- buttons on left side makes it easy to work GPS on the fly with gloved hand. Not many options on the market for a motorcycle GPS with bluetooth - awesome!

Weaknesses:I found it hard to hear through my headset when there were trucks and noisy vehicles on the road. Wish I could up the volume to overcome those loud traffic sounds at times.

Summary:I am really impressed with this unit. I believe this Garmin Zumo 550 was designed by a very smart motorcycle rider who knew just what was required of a GPS when taking a road trip. There are times when you need to press on due to weather or detours in unfamiliar territory, but now you can feel confident that this GPS will perform under any conditions and get you safely to your destination.

Reviewed by: w8vw on 27-May-07 Rating:

Strengths:unit comes complete ready to go right out of the box.

Weaknesses:hard to see in direct sunlight. downloading new software was a little harder than i think it should have been.

Summary:I needed a gps for my motorcycle and the car. the zumo 550 does it all. i bought without even seeing it. there are none around in any of my local stores. i bought it just from all the great reviews. this comes with so many features in a very small unit. i love the bluetooth and the text to speech. the motorcycle mounting hardware and wiring are top notch.

Reviewed by: fs1011 on 23-May-07 Rating:

Strengths:Fast, bright screen, accruate maps, everything included for Bike and car

Weaknesses:short battery life when not in a vehicule

Summary:This is by far the best GPS package I have purchased. I have been using different GPS on my bike (and car), but none were designed specifically for it.
Out of the box, starts up, easy mount (2 options for the bike, one mount the the car).
I did have to do the updates from Garmin.com (took me 5 minutes).
Routes are not the easiest to plan from the unit, but easy from PC. but it is still manageable. MP3, and pictures slideshow is also a great feature that I look forward to using on my future long rides.

Overall great product and well worth the pricetag (comes with all accessories you could need on top of a great unit).
A+

Reviewed by: AlanJAugust on 21-May-07 Rating:

Strengths:Glove friendly for biker!!! Easy downloads for radio and BlueTooth communications.

Weaknesses:Wish it had internal speakers for when I use it in the car. Pricey, but worth it!

Summary:This product is everything it says it is. The quality of this product is top of the line. It feels like I can drop it from 10 feet on concrete pavement, and it will still work with no problem. Looking forward to many, many miles with it. Installation is a breeze for both on the bike and in the car.

Reviewed by: rcrowleytx on 10-Apr-07 Rating:

Strengths:Works great for motorcycle the display is bright, the touch screen and buttons are easy to use. Using Mapsource to creat a route and shareing routes is easy. Playing mp3 tunes is also a plus. Getting verbal directions using street names is also a plus. T

Weaknesses:Creating a rout on the Zumo itself is possible, but not easy. Better route creation capability would be useful. Most of the resturants I have found with the Zumo are no longer in business. The resturants file needs to have peroidic updates.

Summary:I am very pleased with the Zumo. I used it on a recent trip to Big Bend national Park and it proved to be very valuable and saved me a lot of time and worry. I particular like to ability to accurately tell the distance to the next waypoint. One of my partner rides had an alternator go out and we were able to accurately access wheteher the remaining charge on his battery would get us to a place where we could get help. The ability to create routes on Mapsource and download to the Zumo and to share routes is a great feature.

Reviewed by: deltanole32 on 10-Mar-07 Rating:

Strengths:Definitely bike friendly with the controls on the left side. Easy to use and acquires GPS signal quickly.

Weaknesses:Bluetooth headsets can get pricey, but it\'s the only way to hear voice commands, mp3\'s or the phone thru the Zumo. while riding.

Summary:Great design concept for bikes. Lightweight and has an internal battery so that you can carry it from vehicle to vehicle without turning it off. Also comes with all the mounting hardware you need for both car and bike.

Reviewed by: pebkance on 09-Mar-07 Rating:

Strengths:Awesome unit for motorcycles! The best bike GPS availible.

Weaknesses:XM radio option pricey ~ $200

Summary:Robust and waterproof GPS unit designed for motorcycles but works well for cars too. The included accessories will outfit one motorcycle and one car. If you are not interested in the XM or Bluetooth option, I would suggest the Zumo 450 instead of the Zumo 550.

Reviewed by: rbcollins on 18-Jan-07 Rating:

Strengths:Plays MP3s while navigatingFast satellite aquisition. Doesn\'t lose signal under bridges, etc.Good Text-to-speechExpandable SD storage for MP3sAbility to load custom POIsWater-proof

Weaknesses:No MP3 player EQMapsource Software not the most user-friendlyExpensive antenna to add-on XM and traffic services

Summary:Overall I love the unit and would purchase it again. I think it\'s the best waterproof motorcycle option out there today. There are better values for the money for a non-waterproof car-only solution.