Harley Conquest or Zumo 550
- Thread starter SDRK
- Start date
Hammerheadc4
Member
I use a Garmin Nuvi 200W with a Ram mount and I just got the Aqua Box for it.
FifthGear
Member
I own the HD Garmin Conquest. Like any other electronics the rapid development and price reduction leaves my Harley Conquest behind the times for the price. It doesn't mean that it isn't a valuable tool, it's just that there are better options. I do appreciate the Harley dealer location program it has built in. It's just that for the money there are better options now. Even the non waterproof Garmin 200W price has dropped nearly in half within a year. So if I was to do it all over again I may chose to go with a GPS with far more features for the money. But I must say that after 38 years of touring and getting lost in Miami twice, I would not be without one since paper maps just don't hold a candle to these new fangled gadgets. 
You see, I travel a lot but try not to cover the same ground twice, but I usually do. But when I find myself in a big city I just don't want to stick to the main freeways. SO when I finally realize I need a route out of it I find it hard in my old age to have to remember 6 or 8 turns after stopping for a paper map read. By the time I get to about the 4th street name or turn I have forgotten and by the time I find a place to pull in and check my paper map I have to start all over again. These GPS systems are just MADE for motorcycles where you can't spread a paper map out while you are riding. I can do without one in a cage if I have to, but on a motorcycle racking up thousands of miles in strange cities a year, I would do without electric start or reliability any day to have a GPS. The high tech times we live in now are remarkable and have made touring just that more enjoyable. It's like the difference in using a big chief tablet and number two pencil compared to a calculator..it can be done but what a difference in speed and convenience the technology has brought us They say, according the the article I read at the time, that when the Apollo space craft that got in a bind back then it was doomed. And that if every one at Nasa had had a pencil and tablet that it would have taken them 20 years to make the calculation for reentry that even the privative computers made in a short time to get those stranded astronauts back home. I never, from that point on, regard technology as something that isn't a plus to making life easier. I just love some technology but appreciate the simplicity in many forms...including my carburated Harley.
You see, I travel a lot but try not to cover the same ground twice, but I usually do. But when I find myself in a big city I just don't want to stick to the main freeways. SO when I finally realize I need a route out of it I find it hard in my old age to have to remember 6 or 8 turns after stopping for a paper map read. By the time I get to about the 4th street name or turn I have forgotten and by the time I find a place to pull in and check my paper map I have to start all over again. These GPS systems are just MADE for motorcycles where you can't spread a paper map out while you are riding. I can do without one in a cage if I have to, but on a motorcycle racking up thousands of miles in strange cities a year, I would do without electric start or reliability any day to have a GPS. The high tech times we live in now are remarkable and have made touring just that more enjoyable. It's like the difference in using a big chief tablet and number two pencil compared to a calculator..it can be done but what a difference in speed and convenience the technology has brought us They say, according the the article I read at the time, that when the Apollo space craft that got in a bind back then it was doomed. And that if every one at Nasa had had a pencil and tablet that it would have taken them 20 years to make the calculation for reentry that even the privative computers made in a short time to get those stranded astronauts back home. I never, from that point on, regard technology as something that isn't a plus to making life easier. I just love some technology but appreciate the simplicity in many forms...including my carburated Harley.
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I have had a Zumo 450 for more than a year now and love it! My Harley GPS owning buddies are envious. I remember having to stop on the side of the road for them to be able to read and operate their Harley GPS's. My Zumo is strickly "shift on the fly" and the MP3 player compares to none. I use Sony Fontopia earbuds and it sounds like the music is coming out of the sky! I ran an extension for the headphones under the tank and seat so the wire comes up may back. The large bright screen adjusts itself from daylight to dark and has big buttons for fat gloved fingers to operate. I believe the only difference between the 450 and th 550 is the blue tooth feature,... Who needs that! By the way, Harley has introduced the Harley version on the Zumo 550 in their new 2009 catologue. It is, of Course!, overpriced Harley merchandise. Look for a 450 on eBay for the best deal.
zman216
Member
Zumo 550 for $419.00 it is 799.00 at the HD dealership
at techondigital
sorry I needed to get 5 posts before i could post a link
Garmin zumo 550 Motorcycle GPS System
at techondigital
sorry I needed to get 5 posts before i could post a link
Garmin zumo 550 Motorcycle GPS System
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Rod Stewart
Active Member
flh;
Is that 250W weaher proof?
That would be my only concern about running a non-motorcycle GPS.
I have a running mate who just installed a 550 this year and he loves it. The screen is nice and big, and the touchscreen business is pretty handy.
I bought an HD Garmin Quest in 2005 when they first came out. It cost a bunch and the custom fairing mount only lasted one year before it started making intermittent electrical contact. That near drove me nuts until I bought a Ram mount and cable for it. Now it works well and I will continue to use it for a while yet.
It seems to me the GPS market is still changing rapidly and I wonder what innovations are coming along next. I would like to see a unit that automatically updates its map database from the GPS satellites, instead of having to get online every year and pay for updates, that still seem to be about a year out of date.
Rod
Is that 250W weaher proof?
That would be my only concern about running a non-motorcycle GPS.
I have a running mate who just installed a 550 this year and he loves it. The screen is nice and big, and the touchscreen business is pretty handy.
I bought an HD Garmin Quest in 2005 when they first came out. It cost a bunch and the custom fairing mount only lasted one year before it started making intermittent electrical contact. That near drove me nuts until I bought a Ram mount and cable for it. Now it works well and I will continue to use it for a while yet.
It seems to me the GPS market is still changing rapidly and I wonder what innovations are coming along next. I would like to see a unit that automatically updates its map database from the GPS satellites, instead of having to get online every year and pay for updates, that still seem to be about a year out of date.
Rod