Scratching the GPS itch- Stick with the 2720 or buy a 550

I've treated myself to a new 1200GSA and am about to refit all my accessories from my old 1200GS.

I have very happily used my Garmin 2720 on numerous trips and it has always been reliable. I have it connected to a Starcom unit and powered from the socket under the headstock. My only reservations are that I sometimes can't read the screen in the sun, the touchscreen buttons are slightly difficult to use in gloves and the unit is physically quite big (I mount it using the BMW mount on the bar across the screen).

I am wondering whether it would be worth upgrading to the Zumo 550. It looks neater and the screen looks bigger. I could use my phone with it if I had to! But most of all I have got a bit of an itch to buy some new bling for my new bike!

What is the collected wisdom of our Forum? Is it worth replacing my 2720 with the Zumo? What would be the main benefits?

If it is worth replacing what would be a reasonable price to ask for my 2720 (Its just over 18m old and was replaced under warranty by Garmin) has a sunscreen and all the associated car kit etc and is in good nick.

I would really appreciate some advice on this matter as as much as I tell myself its an unnecessary purchase I keep on finding myself looking at 550 reviews and prices.

Thanks in advance.

The Zumo screen is bigger with I believe a higher resolution, in real terms it means it can display more but not necessarily in a larger size so your Mr Magoo issues won't go away.

The Zumo screen is bigger so therefore a bigger target for the sun to catch.

The buttons on the Zumo are all well and good but I don't think I've used them more than 2-5% of the time and I can't see them at night.

Yes you can bluetooth your phone if that's important, though your phone could have been connected anyway via the Starcom so the advantage is a heads up display so you can know who's calling and answer (avoid) as necessary.

There are issues with the Zumo cradle which may mean you end up needing to replace it, whereas the simpler 2720 cradle (like my old 2610 cradle) was extremely reliable.

Do you want an MP3 player built-in to your GPS, for me this is key as I no longer have to get bothered by my iPod battery going flat or getting battered about on the bike/in the bag. Four 2GB SD cards now keep me all tuned up and the iPod is preserved for off bike use.

POI loader and proximity alerts can be equally useful/annoying both are switchable though.

But the 2720 is old, the Zumo is new and all itches need scratching

+1 to everything Judge says except...

There are issues with the Zumo cradle which may mean you end up needing to replace it, whereas the simpler 2720 cradle (like my old 2610 cradle) was extremely reliable.

.........I've had no problems and wasn't aware of any issues, please enlighten me Andy.

Originally Posted by AndyW

+1 to everything Judge says except...


.........I've had no problems and wasn't aware of any issues, please enlighten me Andy.

Electrical contacts between cradle and bottom of Zumo is a common failure point, far more common than the 26/27/28 power cables greening up and providing a poor electrical contact.

Mine isn't good and results in a crackly audio connection which I need to sort.

[nick]

I know of people who have had 3 or more replacement Zumo cradles. This is something that deters me from buying a Zumo.

Maybe the design has been improved in newer ones.

Does anyone know if this is so ?

[ralphy]

Can't comment on the cradles (as haven't had mine fitted to the bike yet) but am very impressed indeed with my 550. It's better in every respect compared to my SP111 and having all the maps already loaded into it is great; it took me faultlessly around Northern Spain a couple of weeks ago.

R

[Jim McSharry]

Haven't had any issues with the craddle (touch wood) - quickly replaced the screw thing with one Migsel sells for about €5 delivered - sounds a lot for such a small item but well engineered and quickly does the job.

As for the 550 - I used to have the 2610 and, for a few weeks thought I'd made a mistake but just used it on a long trip and couldn't fault it.

Be guided by the GPS Guru! (Judge)

[EVO]

Electrical contacts between cradle and bottom of Zumo is a common failure point, far more common than the 26/27/28 power cables greening up and providing a poor electrical contact.

Agree, but, if you get a small soft wire brush and some WD40, they can be cleaned up. I only know this as a friend of mine has done just that, and then put some light oil on a rag and covered the contacts, this seems to have worked.

I have had my ZUMO 550 for about three weeks and must say it is great.

Took a little time to learn how to drive it after the Nav 11, but biggest plus point for me is that you can search by post code on its own. This function is not needed for the Bike, but for the car and work.

As Judge stated the other plus point is I now have music on the ZUMO, so can keep my IPOD for off the bike. It was always a worry that it would get broken whilst riding. My record on dropping Sat Navs and other items speeks for its self.

Apart from the bling factor the two best features of the 550 are the ability to store practically unlimited (weeks if not months) of tracklogs, and the ability to use the unit on battery power off the bike to plan routes.

The unit is much easier to read in the sun due to a brighter screen. There are some other nice features, for example if you plan a route on your Zumo, you can easily share this with other Zumos by SD card transfer rather than having to do the work all over again. There are some annoying features as well, such as the difficulty in retrieving the lat/long of a Zumo waypoint if you need to text the details to someone; it's possible but difficult.

However... the cradle is a weak point and I've had four replacements in about 18 months. It's not the electrical contacts, it seems to be water-ingress related. I now have three working cradles, one for each bike plus one spare to take with me on trips just in case.

On the positive side, the Zumo screen film seems more resiliant than that of the 27xx series (I had three replacement 2710 units due to this).

Tim

Thanks everyone for the sagely advice. In the end the availability of music, the appearance of the 550 and the availability of some decent deals made the itch overwhelming. A new 550 arrived this morning.

Expect to see my 2720 0n here soon!

[Roge]

Originally Posted by allthegearnoidea

Thanks everyone for the sagely advice. In the end the availability of music, the appearance of the 550 and the availability of some decent deals made the itch overwhelming. A new 550 arrived this morning.

Expect to see my 2720 0n here soon!

I've had a 550 here since they came out mounted on the 1150, 1200GSA and the DRZ 400E and used it in its car mode on the Lancruiser for off roading , Its never failed to know where i am its been in vicious sun and teaming rain, rough corrugated tracks numerous 'offs' and still is as good as ever.
Mr Magoo/ use zoom.

I have it in a TT locking mount without the anti vibration (makes it un readable) and its permenantly fitted to one of the vehicles so is out in the weather permenantly.

I keep the contacts clean using the magnetic cover on the cradle, I have 2 one on each bike.

Top bit of kit that has taken a hammering and keeps on working.

[Wraithwrider]

The 660 cradle is obviously different as the cover isn't magnetic.

My two cradles have been great. I'm not bothering putting the Zumo onto the Buell though. I need to watch where I'm going

[Roge]

Originally Posted by Roge

I've had a 550 here since they came out mounted on the 1150, 1200GSA and the DRZ 400E and used it in its car mode on the Lancruiser for off roading , Its never failed to know where i am its been in vicious sun and teaming rain, rough corrugated tracks numerous 'offs' and still is as good as ever.
Mr Magoo/ use zoom.

I have it in a TT locking mount without the anti vibration (makes it un readable) and its permenantly fitted to one of the vehicles so is out in the weather permenantly.

I keep the contacts clean using the magnetic cover on the cradle, I have 2 one on each bike.

Top bit of kit that has taken a hammering and keeps on working.

http://www.gsclubuk.org/forum/showth...t=lynx+fairing

The Adler mount (I think thats what its called, mounts well to the GSA screen support, the TT mount for the same place is pants. I might even have tha adler mount here still somewhere