I use the nuvi 500, works well for me, and its waterproof (i can quote empirical evidence concerning this if need be). Paid $250 for it, had it for 2 years. If it dies, I'm getting another one.

 

One of the biggest complaints about Garmins is their poor speakers.
My 855 is difficult to hear in my car, let alone the bike.

 

I use a Magellan 1475T Raodmate, not made for the bike but no problems, I never listen to the voice prompts when on the bike, I have it mounted so I can glance at it, it tells me how far to the next turn so I just pay attention.
The Garmins are great though, the thing that steared me to the Magellan was features for the money.
I have a Garmin in my PDA I love it, and still use it, the only problem is that Garmin stopped supporting it so no map updates.
Terry

 

Garmin Nuvi 500 is waterproof and has added advantage of topographical mapping option for the outdoorsman in you.... It does not have bluetooth capability but I only need a brief visual.

 

We have a garman 205 (cheapie... <$100). It's not the best one or the one with the most features, but it gets us where we want to go. Not waterproof... I keep a zip-lock bag to cover it when it get wet out. Most of the time I can hear 'Gertie's' directions. A riding friend has a 255W and uses the windshield mount stuck to his speedometer.

 

I use the Zumo 550. no need for plastic bags over it in a rain storm,. been thru that many times. mp3 and xm cant be beat for long trips.

 

zumo 550

used it for 8000 mile cross country.. ny to santa monica and back. many twists and turns in between. love it. load up the mp3s and plug it into the aux port and go.

 

Another vote for the Zumo 550. It IS expensive, but I've had mine now for over 4 years and it's been awesome! It's loaded with features that make a long trip much easier....you can find food, lodging, gas, etc., in seconds. It Is totally waterproof (mine's actually been submerged!) On a trip from Mass down to Tn I never listened to the same song twice! You can load up so much music on a card you'll forget what the hell's even on there! And finally, I did have a problem with the unit 6 months out of warranty. I contacted Garmin to see what it would cost to get it fixed. They told me send it in, they'd take care of it! I had a new one within a week! No charge. That by itself is worth the extra cost to me! Nice to see a company stand behind their product! Now if only HD would do that! lol

 

I have the Garmin Zumo 660 with the HD fairing mount kit (pn: 92238-09). It wires right into the bike and shut off when you turn the bike off. Plus, you can run the audio out line near the stereo and run a short line from that to the aux. in on the radio. Works great, can hear the turns, and can load mp3s into the GPS to listen to along the way.

 

+1 on the Zumo 660. Expensive, but you do get a lot of features which will save you time and money on the ride. Go put your hands on one and see how user friendly it is, even with your gloves on!