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zumo 450

yankeeone

New member
Hi , Looked on the forum history about this, and found to much stuff, so I ask, does any one have and like / dislike a zumo 450 I have the chance to pick one up for 100.00 I have no experience with gps . this one comes with mounts ect, but does need update, yes, no?

Thanks
 
Good buy!

Zumo 450 is basically the 550 without Bluetooth or the car mounting that came with the 550. $100 is a very good buy, BUT make sure you get the 25 digit code and the CD's that came with it. This will allow you to install the program on your disputer, plug in the Zumo, and do any software updates.
 
I have had my Zumo 450 for a little more than a year and love it. The mounts and power cord alone can run $100. If it works, that's a great price. The only issue that I have had with mine is failing to power up. Garmin was more than helpful in getting me through this with one option being to remove the battery and reinstall.
 
$100 is a great deal. I like to use maps before taking a trip looking for secondary roads instead of using the superslab. My 450 finds gas stations when needed and keeps me from getting lost. After purchasing a Delorme USA Topo disc I'm slowly getting used to downloading planned route information to an SD card that you can plug into the 450. The accurate speed display (my bikes speedometer reads 80mph when actual speed is 72mph) is very helpful.
Ride Safe :usa :usa
 
BUY IT !!! BUY IT NOW !!! thats a great deal. I paid $ 399.50 for my 450 one year ago. it will cost $75.00 to $ 100.00 for the complete update package...
 
Cool, sent the money last Sat. The seller is a friend getting out of any but the shortest rides. He says he has all the cds and reg. number so it looks like I'll be learning gps

Thanks
 
well, the gps came and it seems to work, when I turn it on it says maps locked , but it seems to work fine if you type in an address, or use spedo mode, what else do I need? my friend couldn't find the reg number but it came with the disk , and I see
the web site I can down load maps ect. He also sent the check back with it so it was a gift!
 
well, the gps came and it seems to work, when I turn it on it says maps locked , but it seems to work fine if you type in an address, or use spedo mode, what else do I need? my friend couldn't find the reg number but it came with the disk , and I see
the web site I can down load maps ect. He also sent the check back with it so it was a gift!

you got any more friends with a gps they don't need? :)
jason
 
I've owned a 450 for a year and half and have mixed feelings. Many times in rural areas it has added detours to my routes, sometimes dirt logging roads (even when I have it set to avoid unpaved roads). If I check the route when I get back to my computer, the detour was NOT there. So I would very strongly advise that you turn the route recalculation mode to "prompt" so that if it decides to invent a detour, you have an option to stop it.
 
I've owned a 450 for a year and half and have mixed feelings. Many times in rural areas it has added detours to my routes, sometimes dirt logging roads (even when I have it set to avoid unpaved roads). Snip!

Yeah... Mine has tried to send my down an unpaved road once or twice but I still think that you'll love owning the Garman 450!

I bought a 550 last year, before my coast-to-coast ride and because I'm the kinda guy who can easily get himself lost, I really enjoyed having it along. I especially liked the fact that it makes riding someplace and "getting lost on purpose" or doing a few hours of wandering around sight seeing, something of a pleasure instead of frighting. It was fun to sometimes get off of my planned route for a couple or three hours and then, when I got tired of wandering, simply turning the Zumo back on and heading to my original destination or back to my camp site. It's also kinda fun to be 3500= miles from home and say "OK, I'll show you exactly where I live!" You pull out your Garman, hit "Go Home" and then show them exactly how to get from their house, to your front door!

If I might suggest...

Read the manual carefully at least twice, visit the forums and then play around with it on several rides/routes that you know well. Theres a huge difference between the instructions that you'll get with the Zumo set to "Faster Time" than what you'll get under "Shorter Distance" and in truly unfamiliar territory, a glance at a map is well advised if you have any doubts.

Also, set and reset the "Arrival Time" thingy until it approximates a reasonable ET. Otherwise, it'll either drive you crazy, get you stopped by a cop or have you checking into your campground long after dark. Mine is so optimistic that it's almost useless.

Oh yeah... Another glitch that I noticed is that the Garman tends not to get time changes right. So if you're crossing state/time/DST borders, check your watch. (I just looked at mine and noticed that it read two hours fast but it changed to the correct time when I reset it for "Pacific Time". The damn thing shoulda known!)

One of the nicest things about owning a Zumo is that I can put it in my car and when I need to find a place that I've never been to, I can call and say "Just give me the address and I'll be right there. No... I don't need any instructions, I'm a genius. Just give me the physical address please." :D

PS: If you check around or do an interweb search, you can find someone who can add in the Blue-tooth fetcher to your 450 at a cost of about $100. The guy who talked me into buying mine owned a 450 and had had the mod done and his worked just like mine does. The Blue-tooth stuff is in in the 450 but it needs to be turned on.

PS: Just wait until the day that you find yourself running out of gas, in the middle of no-where. Go to Fuel, hit "Auto Fuel" and pick the closest place. It might be 125 miles away but you'll know which way to hitch!
 
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