GPS decision time!

[bigblackfalco]

Ok all you GPS dudes, I've decided to buy a GPS.
My short list is either a Garmin Zumo 500/550 or a TomTom Rider 2.
I'd appreciate a bit of advice on which is best.
Can anyone tell me what the support/ back up is like from each manufacturer with regards to updating maps and system software etc?
The Garmin costs a few more £'s. Would I just be paying for a better brand name??
Cheers
Bailey.

[m25jambuster]

Bailey

A mate of mine was in the same situation as you and went for the TomTom Rider. He commutes into various locatrions in London each day and he got his GPS in December. The mounting has broken already and he is having a nightmare getting it sorted. He now regrets not spending the little extra and getting a Garmin.

[bigblackfalco]

Cheers Keith. I've been told that Garmin's customer back up is pretty good!
Bailey.

[sproggy]

Garmin's customer service is second to none. So are their GPS units. They may cost more than TomTom but they're worth every penny. Plus the cost of getting mapping for the whole of Europe (each country on a separate SD card) for a TomTom will far outweigh the saving compared to a Garmin unit that comes with City Navigator covering the whole of Europe on one DVD (or internal hard disk depending upon model).

[boxerpan]

I've decided to buy a GPS.........
Cheers
Bailey.

Thought you knew where you were going going soft more like

[throttlemeister]

I fourth the opinions above. TT sucks. They are toys. Garmin is the only serious alternative for motorcycle use.

[stoney]

Garmin 550 - I beleive you can get them for £450 these days - they come with all the kit you need to fit it to the bike - excellent bit of kit. I still have a Quest but the 550 is on my wish list. A mate I go riding with has one and it is a really good bit of kit - big screen, good mapping and easy to use.

The 500 only has UK on it and the 550 has all of Europe.

[m25jambuster]

I still have my Garmin Quest and despite the use and abuse it has not failed yet. The beauty is that it is weather proof as well. Should it ever get either A) seriously out of date or B) busted - then I would get another Garmin. The initial cost is higher but spread over the years of service it works out cheap really.

[Rob B]

I've had three Garmin units, the Zumo 550 is now on the bike and a great bit of kit. What all the others said about support. PM me a number if you wnat to chat about it. Beware, there are issues with linking a phone into it if you're serious about using the mobile on the move.

Best regards,

Rob

[bigblackfalco]

I've decided to buy a GPS.........
Cheers
Bailey.

Thought you knew where you were going going soft more like

I know to the end of our road....after that it's a bit sketchy

[bigblackfalco]

I've had three Garmin units, the Zumo 550 is now on the bike and a great bit of kit. What all the others said about support. PM me a number if you wnat to chat about it. Beware, there are issues with linking a phone into it if you're serious about using the mobile on the move.

Best regards,

Rob

I've read that you have to pair the phone with the unit and not the other way round. Which reminds me.... I must check which bluetooth phones are supported.
Bailey.

[Paul]

Another vote here for the Garmin. Having said that, as a Mac user you might have problems with the Mapsource mapping program, since it currently only runs on a PC... There is a statement from Garmin that they are porting it to the Mac, but I don't know if they have committed to a delivery date yet. Without Mapsource, the Zumo would offer not too much more functionality than the TomTom, but would still be a more reliable/robust unit.

Paul

[bigblackfalco]

Another vote here for the Garmin. Having said that, as a Mac user you might have problems with the Mapsource mapping program, since it currently only runs on a PC... There is a statement from Garmin that they are porting it to the Mac, but I don't know if they have committed to a delivery date yet. Without Mapsource, the Zumo would offer not too much more functionality than the TomTom, but would still be a more reliable/robust unit.

Paul

I've looked into that Paul and there is a Beta Mac OSX available. There has been much talk of full Mac support by Garmin by it's taking a while to appear.
I've looked at and downloaded the Tom Tom software for the Mac and it looks like a pile of plop.....infact pretty similar to the user interface on the Rider 2!
Bailey.

[paulR]

I've got a Garmin Quest and have been well pleased with it. Garmin customer service is excellent but it can take quite a while to get through on the phone (I think the head office in Eastleigh covers all Europe). I had a problem with the coating on the screen. It was still under warranty so I sent it back and they replaced the whole gps.

[stoney]

My Dad runs Mapsource on his iMac - via an emulator - called Parrellels with Windows. I've had a go and its really quick and a doddle to use. I'm also on a Mac so want to see what its like before I upgrade.