Well now, does it tell you where the weather is going to be bad, and give you an alternate route?
If not, that should be next years model feature
My last road trip was dictated by the weather. I didn't go anywhere I had planned, except to dads, and skirted the rain, and had a great time and saw stuff I didn't know existed. One nice thing about not following the planned route, the unknown scenery that I may have thought wasn't worth the time.
BTW I'd probably get the zumo 550?for the extra features, on top of the routing. Does it give fuel stop info on it?

 

Actually you can subscribe to weather service information through XM on it.

I just came back from a 16 day, 7000 mile trip. We had the entire trip, day by day, pre-loaded into the Zumo before we left. I programmed every stop for fuel for the whole trip. Also programmed in all of the state and country border crossings to warn me 2 miles in advance. It worked like a champ.

When I lead chapter rides, I program the ride route so I don't have to worry about missing a turn while also watching the group behind me. Am also, slowly, building a data file of neat places to stop that don't show up on maps. When I find them, I waypoint them, then download the location when I get home. Later I can grab them and add them to a ride if needed.

All that said, I still won't bet a ride on it. I still keep the old 2-d navigation aids and still take the time to pre-trip chapter rides.

 

I have my Zumo on a ball U-bolt mount on the handlebars. Turned the ball under the bars so that the GPS sits next to and slightly below the switch housing. Good spot for it, can see all the gauges. Nevertheless, I'd still like to find some way to mount it directly to the fairing, maybe on one of the blank areas on the upper left and right, a la the Quest/Conquest.

Anyone added the XM antenna?

[IMG]local://upfiles/4280/10DBE471BF1A4DB09280F611593BEF2E.jpg[/IMG]

 

speaking of weather function-how do i know its turned on or working???

 

You need an extra antenna and a subscription for traffic/weather.

 

Love my 550! Azhole, yes, not only does it give you fuel stop info, it gives you everything else too! If you set it up with your blue tooth cell, you can look up hotel/motel info and even call ahead! There's a built in fuel monitor on this thing that will alert you when you need to start looking for a fuel stop..........it tells you all about food stops, shopping, points of interest..............pick something, anything! The Zumo 550 will take you there! I downloaded a poi file (points of interest) of ALL HD dealers in North America! Really helpful when you're on a long road trip in unfamiliar territory and you need something, or just want to stop and grab a shirt or whatever...............oh yeah, I also use it every day at work (truck driver) What an absolute marvel this thing is..........how the hell did I ever make it before? LOL................the 550 is expensive, but more than very well worth it imho.

Troll

 

spring for the 550.... it comes with every mount you'll need plus the MapSource software. you can plan your trip on the Zumo but much easier to do it on the PC.

i don't think the 450 comes with MapSource or all the mounts.... and if you price the mounts and software plus the cost of the 450, you'll be at the same price as the 550.

got my 550 from PCNation.com plus a 2 Gig SD card for $700 to my door.

 

I just got my Zumo 550 recently. I've got to chip in here and add my praises. Mine is mounted using the supplied RAM mount on the left handlebars, just before the bend. There's no trouble seeing it, even in bright sunlight. I powered it from the power outlet/cigarette lighter on my SG. Audio is wired to the Aux input on the HD radio. I just ordered the Zumo's XM antenna. Since all I'll listen to is XM, this way the Zumo will interrupt the music for direction prompts.

Of course, you can give the Zumo a start point and destination, and it will plot a route. Or you can plot your own route on your PC using the supplied MapSource software. The instructions on that software are pretty lousy, and it takes a fair amount of practice to learn how to plot routes. Then you download it to the Zumo and you're set. There is an excellent users forum that has a lot of great information (look at the How-To section) at www.zumoforums.com.

I love to take back roads. Unfortunately, most printed maps have only the main roads. The other problem is that the back roads are poorly marked, if marked at all. Often the map will have the wrong route numbers for those roads. Prior to the Zumo, it was not uncommonfor me to blow by a side road that I wanted to turn onto, because I was looking for route 628 and the route I really wanted was 635. The Zumo eliminates any problems with those roads. They're all on the Zumo and MapSource databases, and if you plot the route, it will guide you. I no longer have to slow down at each back roads intersection and try to read the tiny route signs; now I just wait for the Zumo to tell me to "Turn Right in 200 feet."

All in all, it's a great product.

 

I just ordered a 450 from Abe's of Maine..............it comes with ALL the mounts for your scooter (doesn't come with car mounts) you don't need to buy anything else if your going to just use it on your scooter................$489 shipped

 

I picked up the TomTom a month ago. All the same features as the Zumo but cheaper. Came with a ram, mirror, dash, and ball clampmount(s). Has a hardwire lead that stays plugged into the basemount so there are no stray wires when its not on board. Works really well and the blue-tooth in helmet or earbud is easy to use. It does allow you to program alternate routing (no interstate and other options),traffic alerts and weather at destination.
I am currently having an issue with the basemount not powering/charging the gps (bad mount) so I'm awaiting a replacement from the company. Until then the battery will do. Oh and it was great on a recenttrip.....