- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 27 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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17 out of 26 people found this review helpful
1.5 stars
"The Zumo 550 lacks basic functions."
Pros: Bluetooth, MP3, photos
Cons: No altimeter, no compass or bearing indicator
Summary: I purchased a Zumo 550 to go along with the many motorcycles I own. I thought it would be a nice tool to help navigate on my trips. It is a GPS and should be able to provide basic navigational information, right. Wrong! While Garmin added a lot of nice bells and whistles with Bluetooth and MP3 capability, it failed to include such basic functions as altitude and a compass that functions while the unit is navigating to a waypoint. It also fails to provide a heading indicator or any reference of direction on the route page. You can toggle to the trip information page and get a basic heading readout (N,S,W,E) but not a true compass heading. Give me a break.
Garmin needs to provide the following fixes to this product.
1. Provide altimeter readout. (this is a GPS isn't it?) It would be nice to know if you were operating at 500 feet or 15,000 feet.
2. Provide a compass that is accessible not only while off road but while navigating a route.
3. Provide a bearing indicator on the route page so that you can determine direction of travel while viewing this page. Again, it would be nice to look at the route page and be able to determine direction of travel. I know the Garmin 360 has a bearing pointer on the route page.
Garmin dropped the ball on this one. The information I have outlined above is critical to a motorcyclist. I paid close to $1,000.00 for this product and it has in some instances less capability than a basic model. It also requires a $250+ antenna to receive XM radio. What gives?
Garmin?s marketing campaign sums it up best, "designed by bikers...motorcycle-friendly...high end navigation features ". I think not. Someone should have included a motorcyclist on their design team.
- 12 replies to this review
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you say the Zumo lacks basic function? How can you say that. I know for a fact, because I've seen it on my unit, that there IS compass both in and out of "where to" mode. If you touch in the bottom left on where it says your speed, you will get another screen with all the info you could ever want. It will show you a compass, speed and fuel (if in motorcycle mount). Maybe look at your unit for more than 10 minutes before you give a great product a 3 of 10.
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You paid $1000 for yours. Try $675 with shipping.
Besides saving $325, mine came with a free user manual. It seems like yours did not. -
Everything that you complained about not being incluced is in the Zumo 550. You need to get back to basics and review the included manual, it's all there, compass, elevation, gps accuracy, plus more.
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Got my Zumo in April - fully functional compass included. Scroll through the screens using the SQUARE button!
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LOL. Your motorcyle must be different from mine. Your's must have wings or helicopter blades since you need an altimeter.
If your giving this gps a 3, then please show us your 10 rated motorcycle gps. lol. There isn't even one that comes close to this one. -
Why do you need to know what your altitude is on a motorcycle?
How much more would you pay for an altitude readout?
Why is it important to know which direction you're heading while navigating a route?
If it's daylight and you can't deadreckon your direction, would you want to admit that?
Why do you contend that the items that you want are "critical to a motorcyclist"?
Civilian GPS's have only been available for a few years - how can you explain that people have traveled hundreds of millions of miles on motorcycles without these functions that you claim are "critical"? -
I agree, I ride in the mountains and need an altimeter and would like a compass reading. I was going to purchase a 550 but will purchase a 450 and see if the next version has imporved.
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Zumo is an incredible GPS. This is a motorcycle specific unit and the features show it. The latest software update addresses all your complaints. Heading now on map screen, altitude readout and compass rose on next page. All this and more. Upgraded to accept 8meg SD flash card for thousands of mp3's and pictures. Give this unit another look. It's truly a giant step forward for Motorcycle GPS units.
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Why would you give a bad review of this because you can?t see a compass? If the GPS has plotted youre course why do you need a compass? In order to get a working compass, the device it would have to be leveled?.unless you want the unit to calculate the direction you are moving in accordance to what the GPS reads. A real magnetic compass that worked would be almost impossible in something like this unit. It would have to be leveled and shielded from all sorts on magnetic interference from not only itself but the bike you are on as well. Im sorry but you must be a complete idiot and likely shouldn?t be riding a motorcycle anyway. Seriously.
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I bought this unit for various reasons, I do not want to have several units to do what one GPS ought to do. The addition of the suggestions would help a lot. I really could care less about the XM radio...as this is going to change soon anyhow it seems....so anyone with an XM today will have to get a new one to be compatible with the new Sirrius/XM combo due to the merger. It would be nice if it included a headset of some ort, bluetooth preferred, as it is supposed to be a MOTORCYCLE GPS! Also it has got to be MAC compatible, this nonsense of everything PC has got to stop. It should also come preloaded with a topo map for the price of it. I want ot use it cross country. There needs to be a way to enter mistakes into your own database, so road closures etc can be entered easily. The Topo map I managed to load into it inturprets DR. as Doctor and ST. as SAINT...who programed this thing!?
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Riding a motorcycle requires extreme concentration and awareness of ones surroundings. This GPS has been designed by motorcycle riders for motorcycle riders.
This reviewer has a totally unrealistic expectations for a motorcycle GPS. We are not pilots flying an airplane. I have ridden the Smokey Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, to the Kangamangus Highway in the White Mountain Nat. Park.
The bottom line is this GPS distills the necessary information needed without distracting the rider with useless information. The directional pointer is displayed with the vehicle information screen that displays all trip information at a glance. One does not need the directional indicator with the map display.
This unit also works well in my truck.
It is primarily a motorcycle GPS and secondarily a auto/truck GPS. The auto interface is quite usable. -
The user missed the point of the device - and as for his "fixes", well, it ain't broke.
Most GPS's will not give an "altimeter" reading - that's a barometric measurement. Many WILL give an elevation derived from satellite data. Most modern street GPS's don't. Get an eTrex, Quest, or similar unit for that.
Once again, this is a street unit - a compass is not shown because it's plainly not needed. The vast majority of users wouldn't know what to do with that information, nor is it consequential in this type of unit. Solution? Again, an eTrex or Quest.
A heading tape (the "bearing indicator") would be totally redundant here. However, the Quest (see a trend here?) has a user-configurable display that will provide that constantly.
The point of this unit is to provide essential, critical route guidance with a minimum of extraneous data. While the other stuff is sometimes useful, it simply isn't necessary, and not within the design parameters for this. As a STREET unit, I think the Zumo is excellent. As a dual-sport or trail unit, I would recommend against it, and suggest instead a Quest, eTrex, or something that provided more detailed and variable data.
The bottom line is that the Zumo is a strongly designed GPS and, when used within the environment it was clearly designed for, out-performs most anything else in its class. For use outside of its design, one should first research it to see if the feature set still gives the desired type of data and presentation. If it doesn't, and you still buy it, son't blame the unit.
Where to buy
Garmin Zumo 550:
$592.77 - $899.99
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$639.99 | Yes |
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$638.90 | Yes |
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$729.99 | Yes |
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$614.47 | Yes |
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$729.99 | Yes |
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