zūmo® 660
We have been using the Garmin Zumo 660 for over 2 years now. Well, Cheryl has because it’s on her bike attached to a TOURATECH Zumo 660 / 665 Handlebar Mount V2.0, Locking, Silver, and hard-wired to the battery. There is a learning curve and seems to not take you where you want to go at times, but this has been one of the best additions to our set up. We can not imagine traveling without a GPS anymore but we usually have good old fashion maps as our back up for those just in case moments. All in all, this has been through down pours, dust bombs, mud, rocks, debris of all kinds and keeps ticking. Not cheap of course but vibration proof, glove friendly and one of the best for a motorcycle.
On our trip this summer to Alaska, we saw a guy riding a really nice Harley. On his handle bar was a ram mount and GPS. A GPS made for a car and he had it wrapped in a zip lock baggy. Cheryl said to me….”WHY do guys buy expensive bikes and not the right GPS?” I said he must have spent all of his money on his bike and could not afford a waterproof GPS. 😉
So, no matter what you choose to get you from point A to B, you can’t go wrong if you buy one of the Garmin’s but it does not fit everyone’s budget. This gadget makes going through MAJOR cities a piece of cake navigating them. This also makes it safer for us not to keep stopping and avoid getting lost.
See below for other models.
Garmin zumo 660
See series models: zumo 220 with 8 hr battery life and SD slot; zumo 550 (microSD, XM radio/traffic compatible); zumo 660 (4.3″ widescreen, microSD, 3D building view); and zumo 665 (microSD, 4.3″ widescreen, 3D building view, XM radio/traffic/weather antenna included).
Designed by bikers, for bikers. Widescreen motorcycle GPS navigator with 3D buildings, lane assist with junction view and stereo Bluetooth.
The new Garmin zumo 660 features 3-D buildings, lane assist with junction view and a 4.3” sunlight-readable, glove-friendly touchscreen display. Both a motorcycle mount with hardware and an automotive mount are included, so your zūmo is ready to navigate right out of the box…no matter how many wheels it has under it.
The zūmo 660 offers full coverage mapping for the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The preloaded map data features nearly six million points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and attractions. The map data is provided by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping.
Enjoy Bike-Friendly Design
Tough and dependable, zumo is built for motorcycles:
• Glove-friendly touch screen with left-handed controls makes it easy to operate
• High brightness, sunlight-readable, UV-resistant display makes it easy to view your screen
• Motorcycle console for trip information, including resettable fuel gauge to warn you when it’s time to fill up
• Motorcycle mount with universal mounting hardware so you can mount it anywhere
zumo 660 Features
• Advanced 3-D navigation – see 3-D buildings on the map as you drive for enhanced situational awareness
• Lane assist with junction view – zūmo directs you to the preferred lane while driving. Also, see realistic images of upcoming junctions.
• Bluetooth wireless technology– enables hands-free connectivity for use with a cell phones and stereo audio (A2DP) with compatible headset, see
www.garmin.com/bluetooth for compatible phones
• High-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFix™ – zūmo has faster satellite acquisition times
• High-resolution, glove-friendly 4.3” touchscreen display – 480 x 272 pixels; WQVGA TFT display with white backlight
• Rugged, waterproof design (IPX7) – resistant to fuel spills and UV rays
• Turn-by-turn directions with spoken street names – “Turn right on Main Street”
• Motorcycle console for trip information, including fuel gauge to warn you when it’s time to fill up
• Advanced route preview and trip logs with up to 10 saved routes – can automatically arrange via points to minimize trip distance
• Preloaded street maps – includes detailed maps for the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico
• “Where Am I?” feature – find the closest hospitals, police stations, gas stations, nearest address and intersection. Also see your exact latitude and
longitude coordinates.
• Speed limit indicator – unit displays speed limits for highways and interstates
• Auto time zone – zūmo will automatically adjust your time zone while navigating
• Garmin Connect™ Photos – associate your favorite images with saved locations and visit Garmin Connect at http://connect.garmin.com to
download new images with included coordinates
• DEM maps – show you shaded terrain contours at various zoom levels
• Removable lithium-ion battery – up to 5 hours depending on usage
• Trip computer records mileage, max speed, total time and more
• Built-in travel kit includes features such as picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters and calculator
• Includes Garmin Lock™ anti-theft feature
• Simplified PC connectivity using USB mass storage
• With the POI loader program, users can set up proximity alerts for school zones, safety cameras, create custom POI’s and more
• Configurable vehicle icons –select fun, customized icons from www.garmingarage.com
• Search, Plan and share your rides with others at http://connect.garmin.com/zumo/
• Standard headphone and microphone jacks
• microSD™ card slot for optional mapping and data storage
• Unit dimensions – ”5.3W x 3.3”H x 0.9”D
• Weight – 9.5 oz (270g)
The Garmin nuMaps Guarantee: Simply register your new Garmin nüvi or zūmo at http://my.garmin.com within 60 days of first using your device and you’ll be able to see if a free map update is available.
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Advgrrl Motorcycle Adventures & More 
I’m in the haven’t-gotten-around-to-a-real-install boat as well. I run a power cord from the powerlet outlet on my F800 ST via the Powerlet.com stubby cigarette plug adapter, plug my android phone in. and use Google Navigate.
Phone stays in my pocket, bluetooths to my helmet, charges while navigating for me and all is well. It’s just not elegant and you get some weird looks in the summer because it looks like you are wearing a heated jacket lol.
Think I’ll bite the bullet and go hardwired next season, and the Zumo 660 is definitely the one I’ll be looking for.
Because we ride a lot in the states we usually do not buy a cell phone package..too expensive..hence not being able to use our phones on the rode most of the time. Also, when it is raining out our iPhones would get damaged. WE do use them when we have wifi to check out things but for maps the Zumo is on. Good thing about these devices is also they can find lodging near by or where you are going, food, activities etc…you need to keep the maps updated though and like I said they are not perfect. But just like our intercom set up we would never travel without the GPS and the communication. If it eventually fits into the budget you will not regret it. 🙂
I am thinking about getting the 660 also for my beemer. Did you do the installation yourself or did you have a BMW dealership do it??
Cheryl installed it. She just attached the wiring harness to the battery and used a touratech mount. I use the Garmin Montana600 on my bike and that is tapped into my PDM60.