Zumo XT back on sale

[gsinnc]

https://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/moving_sale/miscellaneous_items/garmin/zumo_xt_gps.html

 

[fmdualexhaust]

Toura tech has it on sale also but you have to get their locking mount with it.
I have the locking mount already because the Zumo mounting system is so feeble.

 

[gsinnc]

Toura tech has it on sale also but you have to get their locking mount with it.
I have the locking mount already because the Zumo mounting system is so feeble.

Yep saw that too, never been a fan of their locking mount.

 

[saddleman]

I just purchased 3 locks for my Zumo XT mounts from the website in the Netherlands at www.zumolock.com Very simple to install & use.

 

[gsinnc]

I just purchased 3 locks for my Zumo XT mounts from the website in the Netherlands at www.zumolock.com Very simple to install & use.

Don't get wrong the Touratech locking mount is awesome but to me it just looks a tad over engineered. I like things simple. But honestly my RT has no lock on the GPS and I never have hand any issues ever on any of my bikes.

 

[fmdualexhaust]

Don't get wrong the Touratech locking mount is awesome but to me it just looks a tad over engineered. I like things simple. But honestly my RT has no lock on the GPS and I never have hand any issues ever on any of my bikes.

That's a $500 gamble I'm not taking.

 

[gsinnc]

That's a $500 gamble I'm not taking.

Understand I never commute on my bike and when I park it it's usually within sight. I rarely travel to iffy locations like big cities and such. So for me it's a very low risk gamble for sure. I take in into the hotel with me every night as well. But hey to each his/her own. I've seen guys lock up jackets, helmets, gloves at a lunch stop.

 

[saddleman]

Don't get wrong the Touratech locking mount is awesome but to me it just looks a tad over engineered. I like things simple. But honestly my RT has no lock on the GPS and I never have hand any issues ever on any of my bikes.

My motorcycles are my main method of transportation to work, shopping, racing events, funerals & memorials, rally's, RTE's & the list goes on. When I stop for a short time somewhere anywhere I like the option of having my electronics locked or easy to remove & store in a locked case.

 

[fmdualexhaust]

Garmin has it on sale at the same price.

 

[gsinnc]

Garmin has it on sale at the same price.

Yeah usually when one has it at $100 off they all do the same deal

 

[The_Veg]

Hmmmmmm, very tempting! Years ago I was using a Zumo 550 but between durability issues and the so-called 'lifetime' updates being discontinued, I moved on about 8 years ago to a Tom Tom Rider that has been fairly disappointing for several reasons. Might have to give the XT a try! Those of you who've used it, what do you like or dislike about it?

 

[fmdualexhaust]

I like mine a lot.
Can do more than I will be able to figure out.
Very readable in any light.
Awhile back, my riding partner and I were proceeding at a pretty good clip.
All of a sudden I started getting alarms about traffic.
I'm thinking where? We are in the boonies.
Well, 1/2 mile later, around a corner, there it was.
Police and a backup on the other side (luckily) of about 3 miles.

Touratech has a tutorial for it. Over an hour long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZHLMfzNPXI

 

[SteveAikens]

I was one of the first to grab the XT when they showed up in @ early/mid 2022. Security of the XT [IMO] falls on the owner.

Personally, I have no problem quickly removing my XT where I deem it necessary and locking it up. Takes less than a minute. Push the button and it's in my hand.

OTOH, I leave my Nav V on the bike all the time when travelling.

Never a problem.

 

[The_Veg]

Bought the XT, got it installed today, rode a bit and played-around with it, and I have to say I'm impressed! One thing though, the TomTom Rider that it replaces had a far-better mount. But the XT wins by a mile on everything else. Looking forward to getting some good use out of it!

One thing that raised my eyebrow though: I think I had to turn it on five or six times before it stopped asking me to accept the EULA.

 

[lkraus]

One thing that raised my eyebrow though: I think I had to turn it on five or six times before it stopped asking me to accept the EULA.

The EULA appears every time the XT starts. If you did not have to agree to it, it was probably just asleep and not powered off.

For a complete shutdown, you must press and hold the power button until the prompt appears on screen to confirm. (See the manual, page 1)

Simply tapping the power button, or removing power, only puts the XT to sleep. That's fine for fast re-starts after lunch or gas stops, or even a few days in the garage. Longer periods asleep will drain the internal battery, and may make it difficult to get the XT started until the battery has recharged a bit.

Garmin makes a pretty good GPS, but they do a miserable job of explaining how they can work and can be used. That leads to a lot of frustration, complaining, and ruined rides when we don't understand the Garmin approach. A fellow user is testing and studying the XT to figure it out, and has compiled his findings so far into what I consider the manual that Garmin forgot. You can find it here:
[url]https://issuu.com/jfheath/docs/zumo_xt_-_missing_info_v3.1_part_1[/URL]
[url]https://issuu.com/jfheath/docs/zumo_xt_-_missing_info_v3.1_part_2[/URL]

It is also available in a different format here: [url]https://www.zumouserforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1464[/URL]

It's a work in progress, as Garmin is still making changes and fixing bugs, and it takes a while to discover them.

New XT owners really owe it to themselves to check it out, or at least save the bookmarks so you can refer to it when your XT does the unexpected.

 

[The_Veg]

The EULA appears every time the XT starts.

So agreeing to it once isn't enough for their lawyers? Jeez. NO. OTHER. PRODUCT. is that awkward about it.

For a complete shutdown, you must press and hold the power button until the prompt appears on screen to confirm. (See the manual, page 1)

Simply tapping the power button, or removing power, only puts the XT to sleep.

Damn, that's making this unit lose some luster already and I've only done one ride with it! Sounds awkward as hell (again).

Garmin makes a pretty good GPS, but they do a miserable job of explaining how they can work and can be used. That leads to a lot of frustration, complaining, and ruined rides when we don't understand the Garmin approach.

I think their 'approach' sorely lacks any regard for user-friendliness, which makes me wonder how they've managed to become the market leader.

It's a work in progress, as Garmin is still making changes and fixing bugs, and it takes a while to discover them.

And this thing has been on the market how long again?

The TomTom I'm replacing has its share of shortcomings and disappointments but at least it was more user-friendly on a basic operational level. I'll keep the XT because once it's running it's really nice and has some great functionality, but DANG.

Thanks Larry for all the good info! I'll definitely give those links a look.

 

[cajunrider]

I think their 'approach' sorely lacks any regard for user-friendliness, which makes me wonder how they've managed to become the market leader.

From what I've seen, Google and Apple have taken over as market leaders for GPS... even though they have nothing more than software on a cell phone. I see very few people using dedicated GPS systems. I blame Garmin (and similar companies) sitting on their hind sides instead of improving the user experience with their devices. They should have gone into overdrive creating user friendly software and faster devices the moment Google maps became pre-installed on every smart phone you buy.

When my current GPS unit fails, I will definitely try using a smart phone (minus a SIM card) on a trip to see if I can make it work well.

If Google Maps (Andriod) ever decided to offer a paid software that allows me to permanently download maps, create & store custom routes, and import all my GPS waypoints... I'd probably never go back to dedicated GPS systems.

 

[lee]

Damn, that's making this unit lose some luster already and I've only done one ride with it! Sounds awkward as hell (again).

.

That's how the BMW Navigators work and it's not a big deal.
On a trip there's no reason to fully power it down, just let it go to sleep.
The only time I fully power down ours is when I bring them into the house and they will sit for a few weeks or months.
On trips when I bring the units into the motel I just let them go to sleep.

 

[88bmwjeff]

I think their 'approach' sorely lacks any regard for user-friendliness, which makes me wonder how they've managed to become the market leader.

I think a lot of this is user preference. Personally, I don't like Google Maps, Apples Maps, etc. on my phone/table. Also, Google maps is wrong is some areas around my house that they just won't fix (I've sent in notifications several times), so I don't have a lot of confidence with Google Maps. Last time I was on Apple maps, my location kept bouncing around several blocks, so I don't have a lot of confidence with Apple maps either. I think Garmin's user interface and information provided on the screen is the best on the market; however, Garmin's desktop application (Basecamp) is the opposite IMO, which certainly detracts from the user experience. I don't use Basecamp that often and every time it's like I'm trying to figure things out.

 

[rhbike]

From what I've seen, Google and Apple have taken over as market leaders for GPS... even though they have nothing more than software on a cell phone. I see very few people using dedicated GPS systems. I blame Garmin (and similar companies) sitting on their hind sides instead of improving the user experience with their devices. They should have gone into overdrive creating user friendly software and faster devices the moment Google maps became pre-installed on every smart phone you buy.

When my current GPS unit fails, I will definitely try using a smart phone (minus a SIM card) on a trip to see if I can make it work well.

If Google Maps (Andriod) ever decided to offer a paid software that allows me to permanently download maps, create & store custom routes, and import all my GPS waypoints... I'd probably never go back to dedicated GPS systems.

Google Maps on a cell phone is my primary navigation source when in the car, while using the built-in car nav is usually just a backup when Google Maps won't work (such as when out of cell service).

For me the big problems with cell phone navigation for motorbike use include:
1 You need cell service or wifi in order to punch in a destination and for Google Maps to be able to plot a course. Fine when I'm in an urban area where there is reliable cell signal. A lot of my most preferred riding areas has me riding for many hours at a time with no access to cell service or wifi. If you are out of signal and need navigation to get out, you had better have a real GPS and/or some darn good paper maps and a good sense of direction.
2 Cell phones don't seem to take too kindly to the temperature/weather extremes or vibrations that purpose built GPS units can. I don't generally ride in quite the temp extremes that some do, but I have routinely run into problems with my bar mounted cell phone acting up, freezing, or rebooting or powering off from temp extremes that is otherwise rock solid when off the bike. A cell reboot would be disastrous if I was using the cell phone to navigate in an area with no cell service.
3 Google Maps can allow some customizing when plotting a route when using Google Maps on a Windows PC, but from a cell phone you get to pick from one of 2 or 3 route options, and it may or may not even honor that. Google maps is hard to beat when you need the shortest or fastest way between two points, which is why Google Maps is my preference when in the car. But for the vast majority of my motorbike trips, the route between A and B is as much or more important than getting to B. Some of my routes would resemble the most convoluted way to get somewhere. I research and plan out very specific routes with Basecamp in advance, complete with gas stops for when the next gas option could exceed my tank range.

Google Maps and what I understand of BMW's latest Connect App abomination are still a long way from achieving very specific routing with adequate number of waypoints/shaping points to ensure my chosen route is honored, working with spotty cell signals or in temp extremes.

I just added a Garmin Zumo XT to my bike in the spot my cell phone previously resided to become my primary navigation. The cell phone now resides in a pocket out of the elements. I still have a BMW/Garmin Nav VI in dash as a backup nav, but primarily to retrieve real-time bike information, which is why it remains in dash. I'm on my 3rd Nav VI warranty replacement, so it can't be counted on as the only nav option. And I have never been able to master how to type addresses into any Garmin in a way that Garmin can find them, which is why I was reaching for Google Maps for simple A to B navigation until I got the Zumo. The Zumo doesn't provide the bike information, otherwise the Nav VI would become a doorstop. If you have a cell signal or wi-fi connection, you can use the Garmin Drive app to search for and send addresses or business names or what have you to send to the Zumo as intuitively/conveniently as doing so in Google Maps. That's been a huge game changer for me. Once sent to the Zumo, the Zumo plots the route with its always offline maps, and off you go. So long as you have cell signal, the Garmin can get real-time traffic info should you want to reroute around problems. If you have no cell signal, you can still use the Zumo interface to select where to go, but at that point you're back to dealing with specifying addresses the way Garmin wants them. With the Drive App/Zumo, I now have robust navigation options, that allow me to keep the cell phone tucked away out of the elements, unless for some reason I need Google Maps as a backup.