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It's time to replace the GPS. Oh boy, oh joy....

Tom NWGA

Tom NWGA

Member
Member
Got quite attached to my nuvi 760, with bluetooth and MP3 included, that I could attach via cord to my helmet speakers.  Even bought another one, just to have a backup.  In the past month, BOTH have gone down for the count, and so now I'm faced with finding replacement unit(s).  My old unit is no longer supported by Garmin, and none of the newer models have the same set of features that I grew to like so much. :-[

Am looking at the nuvi 1690 or the nuvi 550.  Any of you have experience with these units that you can share?
 
Any nuvi model is going to have a shorter lifespan on a motorcycle.  They are not designed for the shaking and vibrations on a motorcycle.  Take a look at the Zumo 660, it is similar in size to the nuvi models but ruggedized for motorcycles and with the menus also optomized for gloved operations. 
 
The term 'Zumo' refers to the price, I'm afraid.  If the life of these devices is not more than a couple of years anyway, it almost seems to make sense to buy cheaper and replace a tad more often.
 
Did you contact Garmin?  They will sometimes have some refurbs fairly cheap, and may be able to replace your Nubi760.  I have spoke with their customer service a few times, and have had good results each time. 
 
Have a question with Garmin now concerning availability of maps with nuvi 760 or 765T.  Both units are shown as discontinued, and recently I lost my access to maps on Mapsource.  Thinking it was because my units were too old, but who knows?
 
As much as a gadget geek as I am... I've so far resisted replacing my trusty Streetpilot 2610.  Sure... the thing is a massive brick by todays standard... but it's weather tight and built to stand up to the rough stuff.

My iphone is good enough for the jeep or other less-harsh environments, but if I'm going anywhere out of cell range, it's the street pilot with the full load of maps.
 
Volcantour said:
The term 'Zumo' refers to the price, I'm afraid.  If the life of these devices is not more than a couple of years anyway, it almost seems to make sense to buy cheaper and replace a tad more often.
Click to expand...
Wrong! 
It makes sense to buy a model that will last and Garmin will support (and has and does) for many many years. That would called ZUMO if you own a motorcycle. My screen went bad on my  Zumo 550 and it cost me $100 to have it replaced and this one came with lifetime  map updates which is worth more then the $100 alone. My original  Zumo was more than  5 years old.
 
Volcantour said:
Got quite attached to my nuvi 760, with bluetooth and MP3 included, that I could attach via cord to my helmet speakers.  Even bought another one, just to have a backup.  In the past month, BOTH have gone down for the count, and so now I'm faced with finding replacement unit(s).  My old unit is no longer supported by Garmin, and none of the newer models have the same set of features that I grew to like so much. :-[

Am looking at the nuvi 1690 or the nuvi 550.  Any of you have experience with these units that you can share?
Click to expand...

They did a referb swap on my Quest 2 for $65.00 shipped. The one I got is like brand new. They discontinued mine 3 years ago. Go to their support page and click on out of warranty repair you can get a quote right online. They have the Nuvi 760 for $99.00 exchange.

http://www8.garmin.com/support/outofwarranty.html
 
I would check with Garmin as far as the possibility of them offering you some consideration in replacing the unit. Garmin's customer service is prettty hard to beat.

OTOH, Garmin's newer offerings are, unfortunately, less ideally suited to m/c use than some of their previous units. I have what I consider to be the two best units for serious m/c use - the 2820 and the GPSMAP 478. Sadly, Garmin seems to be on a quest (no pun intended) to remove some of the features that used to be so desirable on their units - all in the interest of making the units simpler to use.

IF you happen to find a GPSMAP 478 for anything near a reasonable price, my advice would be to grab it - fast.
 
Volcantour said:
The term 'Zumo' refers to the price, I'm afraid.  If the life of these devices is not more than a couple of years anyway, it almost seems to make sense to buy cheaper and replace a tad more often.
Click to expand...


I am of this mind set ... besides every couple years they have new fangle gizmo's and features anyway.

if my $90 Nuvi breaks i will get another one, its been going strong now for over 2 years.  the Zumo's are not perfect and fail after a few years also.  But they cast $500+
the only advantage i see in the Zumo is it is water proof.  a zip lock bag over my Nuvi keeps it safe in the rain.

But to each thier own. 
 
Welp my nuvi 750 just died.
Surprised it lasted that long anyway. Had it 5 years 2 years on the motorcycle. Seen more then a few rain showers.

You know the question can get nuvi 1490 for $118.  or zumo 220 for $400.

although would love the zumo 660 but $650 is not happening anytime soon.

My wallet is saying nuvi with some sandwich bags and rubber bands.

 
that's what I ended up with arrived last night. nuvi  1490t Beautiful 5" screen, 8 bucks for ram mount.
it even has lifetime traffic updates

Need to figure out direct wire solution. Haven't really looked yet if its 12v into unit or need converter. its a mini usb power plug.

If it manages 2 years on the bike I'll be overjoyed. one season +  is what I expect.
 
I'm in the same boat as the OP needing to get a new GPS but can't afford the Zumo 550/660 or even the cheaper 220. So after much hair pulling and eye strain I've decided to get a NOS Nuvi 765T as it has the features I'm looking for - mainly multi-route capability, track back, Bluetooth (A2DP), head phone jack, SD card, MP3, FM transmitter, speed limit indicator, world travel clock, currency converter. $139 plus $99 for the Euro NT map disk. It's not built for a bike, but I figure a tank mount to minimize vibes and a ziplock for waterproofing and it should do fine.

Jim P.
 
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