Customer Reviews

Garmin Zumo 550 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(137)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

People complain about the Zumo not having a built in speaker. Well, you wouldn't be able to hear it while riding your bike it if it had one, so it's a bit of a moot point.

On a side note, I think there are some features the unit lacks that can be somewhat annoying. First, and definitely the most annoying for me, the elevation by which you view your position on a GPS determines the amount of detail you see, i.e. POI's, street names, distance of road to travel, etc. The units I have used previously (factory nav in a Honda, other Garmins and the Mio 310 to name a few) had the ability to select zoom/elevation from the main nav screen allowing you to choose your "view" of the road so to speak, at anytime. With the Zumo, you cannot change elevation/zoom from the main nav screen, you can only adjust it while in map mode searching for a destination. The second you go back to the main navigation screen you loose the elevation you chose and go back to a default level of zoom, which for me is real irritating.

Another annoying feature is the keyboard for text input does not offer a QWERTY layout. I have not had to type on an ABCDEF style keyboard since the invention on the PC. In fact, I have a Garmin IQue 3600 that's 4 years old and it has a QWERTY keyboard?

Also, the search function on the Zumo is relatively slow at times. I once waited 4+ minutes while searching for a popular restaurant. It found it eventually, but for a while I thought the unit just froze up. I happen to be sitting in my driveway so it was only a minor annoyance, but if you were parked on the roadside with cars buzzing by it would seem more like an eternity.

One other issue, the built in hard drive is pretty much full with maps right out of the box, which isn't that big of a deal with the open SD slot. The SD slot lets you slip in a SD card for expanded memory capability (MP3 storage etc.), but when loading routes from your PC (which is a great feature I'll touch on below) you must save the data directly to the units hard drive in order for the Zumo to be able to read it. Well, that's going to be an issue when the hard drive fills up from firmware updates, etc.

While I'm at it, I think the icon that marks your position on the map is annoyingly large. It makes your car or bike look the size of a lake, or some other large map detail.

On the plus side, I believe that all of the issues I mentioned are correctable via a firmware update and a few bugs are to be expected to some extent given this is the 1st generation of a new model. Although, you can also argue that with the price this thing sells for combined with the experience Garmin has building GPS devices there is really no excuse for the Zumo lacking anything.

A nice feature, which is common on Garmins top units, is that you can map out routes on your PC, load it to the Zumo (again, on the built in hard drive though not the SD card) and away you go. This comes in handy if you're in sales for example and need to hit a few clients on a particular day or if you're going to be cruising on your bike and have a bunch of places you want to stop at during the trip. Rather than having to wait and program destinations one at a time as you make your stops, you can knock them all out the night before on your PC so you're entire trip is planned before it's even begun.

Also, the Bluetooth feature is sweet and works flawlessly. Pairing the Zumo with my Blackberry was a breeze. The Zumo was able to read my address book and displayed the contacts on the phone screen so there was never a need to touch the Blackberry once paired. When in the car, the speaker worked well and people on the other end seemed to have no trouble hearing me. I disagree with the one reviewer that said the mount looked weak. I think the mount would successfully support a cinderblock on rough road.

Installing the Zumo on my ZZR1200 took me about 30 min. It takes some time to run the wires and connect to the battery. You will need to crimp connectors (that are not supplied) on the end of the wires that go to the battery. The Ram mount is real solid. The Zumo does not move once you're locked in and on the road.

Now for the justification of the 4 star rating given I beat the Zumo up quite a bit. The build quality of this thing it second to none. It is literally built like a tank. I'd bet it would outlast anyone who buys it. Again, firmware updates will likely take care of all its shortcomings over time. And last but not least, Garmin tech support is second to none. No matter who you speak to they are knowledgeable, professional and will provide answers to anything you can throw at them (and I come up with some good ones) all without making you feel like you're annoying or a technological moron.

Therefore, I don't think you can go wrong with any Garmin, if you can swallow the price of the unit.

I just wanted to comment on the Zumo 550 with current software. I purchased this unit about 3 weeks ago and before I got it I was a little disheartened by some people's reviews on some lacking features. However when i got the unit and upgraded to the latest software (that was available as of 4/15/2007) many negative comments seem to have been addressed (if I'm understanding the commented issues correctly). First the views of the unit seem very flexable and I don't see the limitations. You can select between 2-D top down views for the people who are used to that view or 3-D. The unit has multiple levels of zoom/un-zoom from the big buttons on the outside as well as on the touch screen... I'm just not seeing any limitations. You can also taylor how much detail you want to see on the screen ( more or less). The only thing I do agree with is the Icon's used to show your position (you can choose between about 6 or so) are kind of large. Would have been nice to have the choice to alter that but I chose the 'wedge' and it works nicely with the screen size. Second, definitely a software upgrade was the addition of two different compus views.. .one small indication on the main map screen and a full 360 degree compus graphic with ELEVATION on a separate screen (selectable from the big rubber buttons or through the menu). The unit is unbelievable compared to earlier units I've had .. I can litterally stand in my family room under cover and turnaround and move 1 step (sometimes 2 is needed) and the unit will reflect the change in direction! I use this with a common motorola razr phone and a Scala Rider helmet bluetooth unit (on a shoei rf-1000 helmet) and everything works perfectly. Also, as far as weatherproofing the manual indicates it can be kept under 1 meter of water for 30 minutes! Great mounting hardware and super easy to use.. definitely a fantastic unit with the latest software upgrades. Thanks.

The 550 works very well. Specs say it works between 32 & 140 degrees. I ride all winter - so far it works at 15 degrees F. Surprisingly easy to use with heavy winter riding gloves. The motorcycle mount is much cleaner than I expected. Very flexible, allowing the unit to tuck in close and not look dorky. The car mount is clean with an acceptable albeit not great speaker. It's VERY easy to move between vehicles. I was somewhat disappointed at first about the lack of a built in speaker, but if I need to walk around with it, it's no big deal to use your cell phone Bluetooth with it. Maybe that's the price you pay for a truely waterproof unit. While riding, you can hear the alert tone using a cell phone Bluetooth, but cannot understand the audio. I plugged in iPod ear buds into the bike mount and it sounds great without being obvious about being "plugged in" (I ride a half helmet). If you use a full face with built in speakers you will be very happy with the audio.
Others complained about the lack of things like a real compass and satellite acquisition display and built in speaker. I have addressed the speaker issue. The compass displays eight points (like the one in the rear view mirror of your GM car). That's all I really need. Showing the satellites it has acquired is neat - but what do I really care - the thing is very sensitive. I get 5 of 5 bars IN my house. The MP3 player does work well although it does not have play lists. You can at least sort by album, artist and genre. To listen to decent quality audio, you will need ear buds. Displaying pictures looks good but the response is a little sluggish.
Storing up to 50 routes is great - and being able to download them to Google Earth and visualize them is very slick (it does take Google Earth Plus - a $20 annual fee to support this feature).
Overall I am VERY pleased with this unit - it does exactly what I need (and then some) - looks great - very sturdy.

The new Zumo 550 is a big step forward in ease of use, but sacrifices some of the flexibility of previous units (Streepilot series, x76C series). The touch screen display and integrated buttons on the left side of the unit are easy to use even with riding gloves, and the new locking mount is a big improvement. GPS reception also seems to be GREATLY improved; not getting lost under dense tree coverage. The display is relatively big, bright and clear; but difficult to read in really bright sunlight. Also, much of the screen is used for large display items and touch "buttons", so the actual map display is fairly small. The built in battery is an improvement over the StreetPilot, allowing the unit to be used when the motorcycle is off. The battery also allows the unit to be connected to a PC without an AC adapter.
The new operating system is easy to learn and use, but lacks some of the flexibility of other units. Long time GPS users may feel restricted by the fixed display formats, but new users probably won't notice. The operating software still has a few bugs and route guidance prompts need some work, but Garmin does a good job of making updates available (with WebUpdater) and has already released v2.3.
The MP3 player is simple to use but does not support playlists and still seems to have software bugs.
I have linked the ZUMO to a bluetooth helmet (Dainese) and phone (LG-VX8500) and it seems to work very well. Although told that the MP3 would not work over bluetooth, it does in my set-up.
In summary: even with the display restrictions and software issues this is a great GPS for motorcycle use.

All the write-ups suggested this Zumo 550 was going to be impressive. They weren't wrong. The BIG positives, from my perspective:

1. Satellite acquisition must be seen to be believed. In my basement it took less than 15 seconds, out of the box, first power-up. That performance has been repeated every time since, with the exception of first-power-up after upgrading the firmware to 3.2. Thereafter it went back to sub-20 second acquisition.

2. Its built like it should be, like you wanted it to be. Solid. Its going to spend time on my Harley ElectraGlide and in my Corvette and I wanted someting that matched their image. I got it.

3. Firmware upgrade was a 5 minute affair, no hassles, no fuss, no tears. Several nice new features were added, for my 5-minute investment.

4. Interchangeable top and bottom plates, in contrasting black, are a nice little extra. They even included the Allen wrench for the 3-minute task.

5. There's no need to buy extra (read, "expensive") accessories. This was the biggie, for me. This unit ships with a bike mount, complete with hard-wire power connector, AND it ships with a car-mount, with its own power connector. The fact that Garmin includes BOTH mounts with this unit was the deciding factor for me. The fact that both docking cradles with each mount are thoughtfully designed to allow super-quick, super-solid on and off mounting of the GPS unit itself, is a nice added plus. Also, the voice quality and volume of the built-in speaker in the car mount is impressive.

6. Bluetooth pairing of both my Blackberry 8700 and my Jabra BT800 was simple and flawless. Thereafter, when the BB and the Jabra were on and the Zumo was insereted into either the bike mount or the car mount, the Zumo automatically paired back with each unit, within 30 seconds of being mounted. I love technology that works. The real zinger was that the Zumo synched the 400-odd contacts in my BB8700, inside of 45 seconds.

7. For me, simply put, Garmin hit a BIG homerun with the design, execution and packaging of their new Zumo 550. Is it expensive? Not really, considering I didn't need to go out and scrounge up the expensive extras Garmin included for free. And the little things, like designing a magnetically-positioned weather cover for the bike's connector pins, is just icing on a big, well-decorated cake.

Bravo, Garmin.

The zumo is awesome. I knew I would like having gps with me while I ride, but I never knew how much it would change the way I ride. I use it to find small twisty back roads, make a route on the fly, and spend more time on my idea of nice roads than ever in the past.

The controls are easy to use and intuitive. I have only had to look a couple of processes up in the owner's manual.

The mounting systems are spectacular. It is so nice to be able to swap the unit between my car and bike effortlessly.

I purchased a 1G card to put music on while I ride. It works very well when it pauses the music to give verbal directions.

Compared to the prices of other systems, if you ride a bike, this is the best.

As you can see 4 stars. It is not perfect. I have been a Magellan user for 4 years and I first purchased a Magellan for my Motorcycle. It broke twice probably because it couldn`t take the vibration. Magellan doesn't make a GPS for Motorcycles.

I then tried the Tom Tom and was totally disappointed. It couldn't bee seen much better than My Magellan in sunlight and the map area on the screen was too small due to the on screen menu items. I packed it up and sent it back within two hours of looking at it.

The second time my Magellan broke, I ordered the Zumo. It doesn't have many of the features I am used to with my Magellan, and I am somewhat prejudiced because I am not used to the Zumo. On my first major trip, I missed an exit on the NY Thruway and It took me almost 50 miles out of the way because I unknowingly had an option of no U turns checked off. On several other trips it wanted to take me out of the way.

It is however, made for motorcycles. It even has a motorcycle icon on it. If you use it in your car and with your motorcycle, it will also automatically change configurations when it is changed from the motorcycle mount to the automobile mount.

There are various screens that you can turn to which show other functions of your travel and your trip. The speed is shown when you are on the map and one other window. This is important as most motorcycle speedometers are not accurate. They usually read 10% slower than your actually speed. After you look at your speed you must multiply the reading by .9. Too much driver inattention.

The handlebar mount allows the unit to be right up in your face so that you don't have to take your eyes off the road to see it. I do not use my speedometer any more. It is not very bright in direct sunlight and I intend to purchase or make a sun-shield for it.

On the trip window, it tells you your average speed for the trip, the average speed while moving and your highest speed. You can zero them individually. There is a gas gauge. It works by you in-putting the range of your full tank and it will notify you when you have thirty miles left. It then shows an Icon on the screen to locate gas stations in the area.

I could go on, but you can see I am pleased. I understand that this is a new unit and that the system will be upgrades as they get user comments.

Well I am off to learn about the traffic system as the satellite radio system that I think are internal and that you only have to purchase antennas for. It is probably easier for a user to learn it that has not used a different system. I still use my Magellans in my autos (cages)

Hardware:

This one is quite good, and I give it a 5 Star rating.
Easy to use, fairly intuitive, and WebUpdater software for updating the firmware inside the unit. Good brightness for motorcycle riders that have no shielding from direct sunlight (as car drives do).
Glove friendly is not just a selling point - it works quite well.

Software:

Routing is mainly subject to the included Garmin Mapsource City Navigator NT 8.0 which is included and pre-installed on the unit.

Once routes are transferred to the unit, they seem to work well.

Software is dismal. One star rating is kind.

I use MS Streets & Trips and it routes well, and has more granularity over the options and preferences in the routing tools.

It would seem that Garmin is a hardware company, and software us just a liability and not an asset. I have two previous versions and find no substantial differences between them.

The average is therefore 3 stars.

I love this product. I honestly, don't know what I would have done without it on a 9000 mile loop of the US that I made on my 2003 Harley in August of 2008. In addition to guiding my way through unknown wilderness without ever losing a signal even among the tall forests of Northern California and keeping me company one night when even truckers had the good sense to pull over rather than dare the desolate mountains (that were on fire!) at night, it was a great sense of comfort and help when trying to find lodging, and especially GAS!

That said, Garmin's not going to win any kudos for using maps that are at least 50 years out of date. I expected the maps that came with the unit to be a little more current for a new device, not to mention rather new technology. Maybe that's how they get their residuals on a product that is astonishingly free to use the GPS service. As, while firmware updates are free to download, map updates are rather pricy. Considering the accuracy of the included maps, I'm very reluctant to gamble that their latest (yearly?) update will be much better, even though they clearly have much room for improvement. I've found a number of major roads I frequently travel in NC and TN that were shifted or even layed over 20 years ago that aren't accurately recorded, some aren't even included. While it's kind of funny when the GPS shows you riding through pasteurs or even a lake alongside the road you're on, it's less cute when it detours you off a major highway, just to essentially cut the corner with a pair of exit ramps and re-emerge on the same road you just left.

But that's the least of the adventure that might lay ahead. In Wyoming it had me turn off a major highway that was hardly new itself, to climb a narrow, winding hillside, which was mapped perfectly, turn for turn, until I came to a dead end that the Garmin showed to keep on going. Looking over the gate at the end of this road that was only still open because of a seemingly little-used campsite at the top of the mountain, I couldn't even see any sign that a road had ever been there, just a steep dropoff and thick vegetation. If the road ever continued, it must have been closed off more than 50 years ago. Dodging deep potholes and large piles of both hard and fresh dung that had yet to be flattened, left by some animal I half-hoped not to encounter for fear that it would be a long time before the next passer-by (unless they have a Garmin GPS too), I made my way back to the road I was previously traveling where the Garmin quickly corrected itself.

That's one of the great things about a GPS, it quickly recalculates your route, if you miss a turn, hit a detour, or even if it's what messes you up and it warns about sharp curves in the road ahead. But, Wyoming was far from the only time I wondered if God was trying to tell me something (I'm not always the best listener) or maybe just trying to hold me up, as shortly after one such event in northern California, where the Garmin couldn't seem to get its bearing and then just as suddenly corrected itself, I rode up on a bike accident in the middle of nowhere that took several hours before emergency services were able to land a chopper to fly one of the riders to the nearest emergency center in Nevada. I wasn't much help; but I stuck around, just in case I was being called to lend a hand.

Of course, like anything I guess, it's a products problems that are most remembered, even something rather insignificant like a five mile detour just to have you turn around at the next major intersection and head back the way you came, when any business or smaller road along the way would have done just fine, all because you were facing the wrong way when you programmed in a new address. And, of course, there are things that aren't it's fault, like two different houses within 5 miles of each other outside Atlanta, that both have the exact same address - go figure. We sometimes tend to be overly quick to forget how dependable and helpful a thing has been before it has failed us. And many times did this GPS pull me out of a jam, find alternate routes when road construction had me baking in the hot sun, and helped me find a place to eat or lay my head when delays on the road held me up. More importantly it eased my worry that gas was within reach when my needle was hovering on empty. It also kept me from paying over $1 more per gallon at a station in the Southern California desert that seemed to prey on unsuspecting travelers who haven't seen a station in awhile and are unaware of their options just a couple miles ahead.

Being made to take the pounding and weather of riding, this GPS cost more than a standard model made solely for a car. Since I bought mine, you can now even get the same thing from Harley for nearly twice the price if you want it in black with an HD logo. But, if it's anything like their helmets, the premium is for the HD name more than any improvements, that and the lack of retailer discounting by Harley. By comparison the price of the original seems a bargain. This Zumo 550 has been through some blistering hot rides and some fairly cold weather too. It's been through rainstorms, windstorms, and over 10,000 miles on a Harley Fatboy that, while big and heavy, isn't really the smoothest riding bike for long treks. I even dropped the bike once when a strong gust caught me tired and unprepared in Yellowstone. And the GPS has fallen from the windshield to the floor of my truck several times when the car windshield adapter failed to stick due to dramatic changing temperatures and/or changing humidity outside during the course of the day (not to worry, the bike mount uses a handlebar clamp that won't budge, unless you adjust it, and licking the suction cup on the car windshield mount seems to do the trick too).

The elevation never had any effect on this GPS either. If memory serves, about 9000 feet above see level was the highest I climbed. Checking the elevation is a neat feature to have, in the Rockies especially. This thing has far too many features to mention, but ones that proved especially useful or interesting on my trip include: compass, current time, arrival time (constantly recalculated), fastest speed, average speed, current speed (accuracy varies depending on signal strength), non-blinding nighttime mode (automatically comes on at pre-set time, but can be disabled or adjusted manually), gas, restaurant, attraction, and lodging finder (includes phone numbers to check vacancy and rates beforehand). For a GPS designed for bikes, it surprisingly didn't include HD dealerships or service centers, though it did include such for most major car dealerships and service stations. So, Harley's tour guide with maps and dealer locations was still necessary when looking for service centers and helpful in plotting out where to go next, as I didn't really plan much over a day ahead during the month I was traveling. Also, maybe they did this to encourage pulling over instead of doing a search while riding (it's really easy to operate even while moving), but when looking for a hotel, the Garmin recalculates so often (searches for new options as your moving) that, after a mile or so, before you've had the chance to look through all of the previous search results, it searches again, which doesn't bring up any new options as the original results list options up to 100 miles away or more, but it does mean starting over at the beginning of the list, unless you pull off the road when you do your search).

I don't know how Garmin compares to other GPS units. At the time, TomTom was the only viable alternative I found for bikes; and it was getting a lot of negative reviews. This Garmin met my needs and aside from some quirky maps, far exceeded my expectations of how useful a GPS might be. I'm now sold on the technology and would recommend this particular unit to any rider venturing into unfamiliar territory.

I purchased this over the TomTom Rider for it's positive reviews and features. This Garmin model 5550 is supplied with more accessories than the TomTom Rider. You would just have to purchase what you need seprately. Read the customers reviews guys. Make sure this expensive piece of electronics has what you want alng the ease of use. Many Amazon reviews have been helpful.

I ordered the Zumo 550 along with a 2G memory for extra storage. The memory card has not arrived yet so I cannot comment it their compatibility/usage together.

The first thing I did was check out the GPS and all its accessories. I charged it with its supplied AC wall charger for about 3 hours. I then connected it to a USB port and registered it online. I installed the Map Source NT disk onto my desktops desktop, and unlocked that as well. There is a update for the map that expires in 90 days then you will have to pay for it. A product key code is provided with it before you download so write it down. I downloaded the update to my desktop and did not touch it until I backed up the Garmin program. I found on some reviews some folk's Garmin Zumo 550 gave them problems after the download.
I clicked on "My Computer" and it recognized the Zumo as a drive. I backed up the Garmin onto my desktop. It was about 1.09 gig. Installed the Mapsource supplied CD and nad the instructions say to disconnect from the computer and power off power on the unit. No problems. I installed the update and had a beer. It took a while even with my desktop Gateway's 4G RAM maxed out and a 2.39GHZ Pentium III. I guess I have a dinosaur. I also downloaded the free icons you can change for the Zumo 550. They looked like fun to fool with. It downloaded/saved as a zipped file.

The mapsource NT and update installed successfully. I played around with th Zumo in my living room and got full GPS signal strength. It has a few Mp3s installed for a demo I suppose. The Zumo has mutlilangual capabiliies. I erased the foreign languages.

A few quirks about my unit. I entered my address as a home and it showed up a bit down the road on the GPS. I did the same for my parents adn showed their address a 1/10 where it actually is. I haven't called Garmin to inquire why this is yet. I tried the address changes with the WAAS/EGNOS enabled too. No difference.

Some folks commented it doesn' show elevation. It does. just tap the screen for more info. The power button worked fine I did not have to apply a ton of force as others stated. The unit has its safe mode activated. It is a nanny program to keep you from entering things while operating your vehicle. I set the safe mode off. Also if you decide on the unit, set the map detail to "most" it will display alot of detail. For example. I a co-woker who had a pond dug on his property via bulldozer and a few springs were hit. The pond filled itself 18 ft deep and was dug 4 yrs ago. It shows up on the GPS as a bule body of water as I approached in my Ranger and passed it. The Zumo displays water near subdidisions that are les than 7 years old as well. The CD manual claims with the WAAS/EGNOS enabled it consumes more power but it won't dim yor headlights if connecterd to a power source in your vehicle. It warns you if you use the batery on it.
The Mapsource is an easy trip planner. Almost like using Google maps. I stay away from Mapquest. It has mislead me a few times on trips. However this can happen with any GPS systems because of ionosphereric disturbances and the fact that the earth rotates about 1000 mph at the equator.

I don't have a Blue Tooth wireless phone system. Nor have I decided to get XM radio. The extra $12.00 a month for subscription is needed to keep the gas in the tanks.

I have only tried it once in the truck using the supplied windshield mount. It changes color for night driving if it is set to "auto" you canset it day, night, or auto if you wish. Trips can be rerouted on the fly and you can add another way point before your destination at any time. Just be sure you are stopped or have a passenger do this. Anytime you are not concentrating on driving it is dangerous.

After you learn where all the features are and what they do, you should be pleased with the Zumo 550 if you should so decide to purchase it.