Garmin Zumo 550 versus TomTom Rider 2

[veeeffarr]

Which one would you pick?

Euro mapping would be a must, as it is to get me out of the house and to give me more confidence exploring

TomTom is attractive with Scala Headset and RAM mount, but the 550 is supposed to be more responsive and faster calculating routes.

T

[Polarbear]

TomTom2

Now they have sorted out all the problems with 1.

Scala rider and ram mounts are what I have bought to use with my tomrom1 and they are standard with v2.

I love my rider, been all over europe, driving rain, dropped it.
kicked it and it still works.

Its great and the version two has cured all the problems with version 1.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[veeeffarr]

Fantastic - Did you find it gave you more confidence to go exploring?

T

[Polarbear]

Certainly, the fact I could programme it to get home wherever I was, brilliant, I would never go anywhere in europe without a sat nav.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[nrml76]

I haven't played with the Zumo or Rider, but garmin GPS systems on the whole are head and shoulders above most of their competitors at their price range. These guys used the Zumo for their trip https://www.theepicscooterspizzadelivery.co.za/progress.htm which is a bit harder equipment than most trips. Click on the garmin button at the bottom of the page to see their comments.
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Everyone who lives dies, yet not everyone who dies has lived. We take these risks not to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping us.

[Itchy]

OT but neither, some of the most fantastic places I saw out in Europe and around here are from getting completely and totally lost , ie the road before Onyeux , N202 Barcelonette, amongst a few others.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[KTM Gordo]

Garmin have been doing this sort of thing for a very long time, and their mounting kits are robust and easy to use.

You can also use the excellent Mapsource software that comes with it to create routes on your PC, manage way-points, export track logs etc. which I don't think the Tom-Tom has.

The original Tom-Tom Rider seemed to be a good unit, let down by a poor mount. However, other Tom-Tom users have noticed that the Tom-Tom has an odd idea of routes, preferring to take you two sides of a triangle instead of a quicker, more direct route.

Garmins aren't without their moments either, but I've got a Zumo 550 and on the whole I'm very pleased with it:

https://www.gordo.eclipse.co.uk/pictures/bikes/ktm/GPS/IMG_0794.jpg
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Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.

KTM 990 Adventure | KTM EXC 250 Racing | Land Rover Freelander SE Td4

[T1z3R]

tomtom all the way.
been supporting GPS systems for over 3 years now and never have been a fan of garmin.

the next man may think differently though so go to halfords or some shit and try them both out before you commit your cash
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duck my sick!

[Finglonga]

Got the Zumo 550 can't fault it. Put it against a mates TomTom and it calculated routes much quicker and with a more direct route.
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Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[D O G]

Road atlas FTW. Make your own decisions, don't follow a machine.

Cheaper too, and more fun to read than pages of instructions.

[Finglonga]

[veeeffarr]

Zumo 550 it is then! Thanks guys!

Can you call/text from the unit with a bluetooth connected photo like you can the TomTom?

It's a shame they don't include a Scale Bluetooth unit in the box like the TomTom, the price is high enough already!

[KTM Gordo]

[Robby]

[veeeffarr]

[KTM Gordo]

[Itchy]

Buy a Noland N-com helmet? its like an extra £30 ontop of the std helmet cost , the VPS is a nice one (its a flashy lighter version of the lid I was looking at , at the Mancs bike show).
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[veeeffarr]

Another quick q, Sorry!

Are the RAM mounts bike specific? They look it on the RAM website?

Thanks,

T

[Finglonga]

[veeeffarr]

Ownage, ordered the "550T" model with live traffic, and a Scala Rider.

Nice.

T

[nrml76]

Would you mind if I asked how much you paid for it? Just wondering if it is cheap enough for me to consider changing my modified streetpilot i3.
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Everyone who lives dies, yet not everyone who dies has lived. We take these risks not to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping us.

[veeeffarr]

[sceats]

I find generally don’t use my headset for the TTR1; unless you’re navigating back-streets and turning rapidly, glancing down to the v clear yds to next turn along with direction of turn is v helpful and enough. And then you can wear earplugs so you get to keep your hearing too…

FWIW I’ve found the TTR user interface v g and easy to use, and comparing with a friends Garmin Zumo 550 on a recent trip up to N Wales they both ook us pretty much identical routes. The TTR is somewhat cheaper, but there are a few glitches (i.e. endless loop around Clapham Common) but using a bit of nouse usually sorts them. Haven’t tried the TTR2 or Garmin so not really in position to be definitive, but all in all v happy with my TTR.

[sagalout]

Had my TTR1 over a year and been very pleased with it. Its incredibly robust, although because of that slightly ugly, but the UI is just so easy. Never had a problem with the original mount either - used it on 3 bikes over some very rough ground and its always been totally secure as long as you double check its engaged itself properly.

Re plotting of routes from the PC, you can use google maps to create routes, dragging out roads etc and then load them direct to tomtom - this is the best UI I've ever used for plotting routes - see my thread in Touring for details. I think you can use other programs like autoroute aswell - basically anything that can output an ITN file.

Nothing against the garmin as I've never tried one, but I wouldnt choose one over the other because of the time taken to calculate routes. The TT took about 5 seconds to calculate Harrogate to the Isle of Skye. I dont know what advantage there would have been if it could have done it in 1 second? I've always found recalculations due to missed junctions to be extremely quick - pretty much instantaneous.

As with the person above, I never bother with the headset. On the tiger its very easy to glance at it, and to be honest thats all you need - a quick glance now and again to get your bearings. It was a bit more awkward on a sportsbike though due to to being in your line of sight.

The one thing that annoys me on the TT is the safety feature of it not working when on the move. I usually navigate by waypoints if I'm out for a scenic ride, and if I cut a corner or change my route on the fly which misses out a waypoint, I cant mark it as 'visited' without stopping the bike, which can be a pain.

Battery life is good - in fact I've never got round to wiring it in as it lasts about 7 or 8 hours of constant use.

[KTM Gordo]