Product Description

4.3-Inchglove friendly zumo 660 features lane assist, 3D buildings, and lane junction view. The zumo 660 comes preloaded with US, Canada, and Puerto Rico mapping. It comes equipped with stereo bluetooth hands free technology for pairing a phone and headset or helmet. The zumo 660 has a advanced trip log which features the ability to save multiple trip logs and comes with a rugged mount with wire harness for integration into the motorcycle power and audio system.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1941 in Consumer Electronics
• Size: 4.3 inch
• Color: Black/Gray
• Brand: Garmin
• Model: 010-00727-00
• Dimensions: 3.25" h x .87" w x 5.25" l, .59 pounds

Features

• 4.3-inch, sunlight-readable, glove-friendly touchscreen display; motorcycle and automotive mount both included
• Motorcycle console for trip information, including fuel gauge to warn you when it's time to fill up; rugged, waterproof design (IPX7) is resistant to fuel spills and UV rays
• Full coverage mapping for the US, Canada and Puerto Rico; preloaded map data features nearly six million points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and attractions
• Lane assist with junction view directs you to the preferred lane while driving, provides realistic images of upcoming junctions
• Built-in travel kit includes features such as picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters and calculator

From the Manufacturer
From the Manufacturer Take a ride on a new route and explore the open road with the zūmo 660. This motorcycle-friendly navigator was built to lead you on all of your two-wheeled adventures. Whether you're on a weekday ride just across town or a weeklong trip to an annual rally with friends, the zūmo 660 is ready to show you the way.

Whether you're on a weekday ride just across town or a weeklong trip to an annual rally with friends, the zūmo 660 is ready to show you the way. Click to enlarge.

The zūmo 660 GPS motorcycle navigator features 3-D buildings, lane assist with junction view and a 4.3-inch sunlight-readable, glove-friendly touchscreen display. Both a motorcycle mount with hardware and an automotive mount are included, so your zūmo is ready to navigate right out of the box....no matter how many wheels it has under it.

The zūmo 660 offers full coverage mapping for the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The preloaded map data features nearly six million points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and attractions. The map data is provided by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping.

Designed By Bikers For Bikers
Featuring a bright 4.3" touchscreen color display, the zūmo 660 puts all the information you need in an easy-to-read format as you travel down the road. The zūmo 660 also has a glove-friendly intuitive interface with large buttons and left-handed controls that make entering information as easy as shifting gears. In addition, the wide sunlight-readable display makes for easy navigation--whether you're riding during a bright day or a moonless night. And with a rugged waterproof case that resists fuel sprays and UV rays, the zūmo 660 was built for life on the road.

Combined Trip Computer and Compass page with custom fuel meter. Click to enlarge.

Large key multiple page keyboard make typing with gloves easy. Click to enlarge.

Lane Assist and Junction View show you more of your surroundings and make sure that you'll always know the right lane at the right time. Click to enlarge.

Go Your Own Way
Pick your path and hit the streets. The zūmo 660 is ready to go right out of the box. It's preloaded with City Navigator NT street maps and millions of points of interest (POIs) that include motels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, and more. In addition, the zūmo 660 offers 3-D building view and lane assist to show you more of your surroundings and make sure that you'll always know the right lane at the right time. The zūmo 660 also comes standard with a digital fuel gauge so you can keep track of how many miles you have left before it's time to get gas.

Keep In Touch
The zūmo 660 features Bluetooth wireless technology so you can stay in touch while you're on the move. With it, you're free to safely talk on your phone without having to remove your gloves or helmet. Simply connect your zūmo 660 to your Bluetooth-enabled headset or helmet and then pair with your cellphone to make and receive calls on the go. You can also call POIs through the zūmo's Bluetooth interface--perfect for last-minute change of plans or a quick pit stop for food and fuel. And with spoken street names functionality, the zūmo 660 will also transmit voice prompts to your headset for wireless and worry-free navigation.

Stay Entertained
Have a long ride planned? The zūmo 660 is your all-in-one entertainment center. Featuring an on-board mp3 player and advanced Bluetooth A2DP technology, you'll enjoy crisp and clean stereo sound with your compatible headset. It's also loaded with a picture viewer for taking friends and family on the road and it supports audiobooks to help break up the miles when you're in for the long haul.

Plan and Share Your Rides
Found the perfect backroad to share with your riding buddies? Or perhaps you're planning a cross-country trip and looking to avoid as much interstate as possible. With the zūmo 660's powerful trip planning tools, you can create your custom routes via computer and then transfer your saved route directly to your zūmo. And when you've returned home, you can review your rides in Google Earth. In addition, micro SD card expansion makes it easy for sharing routes and adding storage.

You can also visit zūmo Connect--Garmin's online community of routes and riders. It's a great resource for finding new rides and planning trips.

Two wheels, four wheels, or no wheels--you're covered.

Select your own route with options for Fastest Route, Shortest Route and Off Road Route. Click to enlarge.

3-D buildings take the navigation experience to the next level. Click to enlarge.

Move Between Modes
Just because your bike's parked doesn't mean your day is done. The zūmo 660 also pulls double duty as an in-car navigator when you're on four wheels instead of two. In addition to the included motorcycle mount, the zūmo 660 also includes a carrying case, vehicle mount and power cable. It's like having two full-featured navigators for the price of one.

HotFix
HotFix, aka Satellite Ephemeris Data Prediction, enables Garmin units to predict satellite locations for faster acquisition at startup. Prediction data is calculated off of satellite data collected over a consecutive two-day use period. This will then give the user three days of prediction data.

Automatic Time Zone Transition
Automatic Time Zone Transition allows the user to no longer have to remember to set the time as they travel. When the unit acquires a position fix it automatically sets the unit to the correct Time Zone.

Navigate by Photo with Garmin Connect Photos
Using Garmin's Connect Photos Web site, you can choose from millions of geo-located photos provided by Google's Panoramio photo sharing community and download them to the nüvi for a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide.

Enjoy a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide with Garmin Connect Photos. Click to enlarge.

• Choose from Panoramio's collection of photos from around the world.
• Easy to use interface displays photos on Google Maps.
• Search for photos by location name or map area boundary.
• Transfer photos directly from Garmin Connect to device with the Garmin Communicator.
• View photos in Google Earth.
• Supports Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 3+ on Windows and Mac.

Additional Features:

• Advanced Routing and Avoidances
• Advanced Trip log features with the ability to save multiple Trip logs
• Two user selectable data fields on the Map page
• A combined Trip computer page with Compass display
• Turn-by-turn directions with spoken street names--"Turn right on Main Street"
• Advanced route preview and trip logs with up to 10 saved routes--can automatically arrange via points to minimize trip distance
• "Where Am I?" feature--find the closest hospitals, police stations, gas stations, nearest address and intersection. Also see your exact latitude and longitude coordinates.
• DEM maps--show you shaded terrain contours at various zoom levels
• Removable lithium-ion battery--up to 5 hours depending on usage
• Built-in travel kit includes features such as picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters and calculator
• Includes Garmin Lock anti-theft feature
• Simplified PC connectivity using USB mass storage
• With the POI loader program, users can set up proximity alerts for school zones, safety cameras, create custom POI's and more
• Configurable vehicle icons--select fun, customized icons from www.garmingarage.com
• Standard headphone and microphone jacks
• microSD card slot for optional mapping and data storage

What's in the Box
zūmo 660, preloaded City Navigator North America NT, motorcycle mount with mounting hardware, automotive suction cup mount, automotive power cable, carrying case, lithium-ion battery, USB cable, dashboard disc, quick start manual, Installation instructions

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Customer Reviews

10 Reasons the 660 doesn't compare favorably to the Zumo 550
I have a Zumo 550 and it was with interest that I helped a friend install his Zumo 660. After taking two road trips in the car and working with the 660 I have some comparisons to make to my 550.

Let me predicate my review as it is based on the 660 Firmware update 3.20 that came out towards the end of July of 2009.

1. The 660 doesn't display all street names when browsing the map. I found my friends house using where to? button and it showed the house but none of the street names (including his street name) surrounding his house. The zoom level didn't matter.

2. Won't follow the route you specify in MapSource custom route download. The 660 will recalculate the route you download so there is no guarantee that the route you enter on your computer will be followed by the 660. You have to really get into the habit of using waypoints.

3. Construction of the 660 is like a nuvi. In fact, I think it is a modified nuvi. The USB connection on the 660 can only be accessed by removing the battery cover (which then causes an annoying message to appear that the battery cover is off) There is no tether for the cover, so if you loose it, guess what? All GPS functions are disabled! The 660 only works in GPS mode with the battery cover attached. The screen feels like soft plastic when you touch it. In comparison, the USB connection on the 550 is behind a hinged door, and it doesn't matter if the door is open or closed. So even if you break the door, the 550 still operates as a GPS. The 550's screen feels more like glass to me. In my opinion - for fit and finish - the 550 is built like a brick house, the 660 - not so much.

4. The 660 doesn't come with a 120v charger adapter like the 550 does. Both the 660 and the 550 will recharge with the USB connection but if you are planning a trip with your 660, you have a limited amount of battery power because if you plug in the USB cable to recharge it - it enters the USB Mass Storage Mode. The 550 will operate as a GPS plugged into a 12v source (cradle in car or bike) or the 120v adapter (like at home or your hotel room.)

5. The 660 utilizes a micro-sd card. Geeze! have you seen how small these are? About the size of your pinky fingernail. The 550 uses a easy-to-handle standard SD card. The SD card in the 550 can be plugged into your pc's card slot and read like a disk drive. Easy and convenient to do. The micro-sd card is so darn small, and inconvenient to get to, (you have to remove the 660's battery to get to it) it's hardly worth the trouble.

6. Never saw the lane change notice feature. Apparently none of the freeway interchanges we went through were programmed into the 660.

7. Even at maximum volume in the car, the 660's internal speaker was barely audible. This is a serious problem. You have to have all other music in the car off in order to hear the 660 through its internal speaker when using the car mounting. The external speaker in the 550's auto mounting gives you plenty of volume and can be heard over other noises in the car.

8. 660 doesn't have the screen change/flip/page button like the 550. You can toggle between screens by hitting the box button on the side of the 550 repeatedly. I find that a very useful way to navigate around the system. I could not find an equivalent key or process on the 660 to do the same thing.

9. On the 550 - touching the turn in xx miles portion of the nav map screen, the unit repeats the last verbal instructions again. I could not find an equivalent key or process on the 660 do do this simple task.

10. It may not matter to you, but the 660 is not integrated to work with XM radio and weather. One of the few things it doesnt support. The 550 will support XM and Weather if you get the GPX 30 antenna receiver and pay the subscription service.

CONCLUSION:
I still feel that after handling both units, the 550 is a true motorcyclists GPS, it does everything I ask of it. The 660 can be, but as stated elsewhere, it got released before all the bugs were worked out of it. It needs work.

It is interesting to me that Garmin is playing the field with the 660, the 550 is still a cataloged product, and is still for sale at most dealers. I don't know if they plan to phase out the 550 if and when more 660's are sold.

I do know that I'm very happy with my 550 for now and will watch Garmin to see what firmware updates they provide to address the shortcomings for the 660.

As of 07-15-2009 Amazon does not have this unit listed for sale as new. There is only one seller of this unit and it is listed as refurbished.

As of 7-31-2009 Amazon has taken this item out of the product catalog. It is not currently available.

Software update makes good
Garmin has released software version 2.80 for the Zumo 660. The update states the issues brought up in the previous reviews and corrects them. Kudos to Garmin for acknowledging the previous shortfalls, and concerns, then addressing them in a software update. It is always good to point out shortfalls to a company that responds, otherwise they don't know if there is anything wrong.

I presently own three Garmin's, a street pilot purchased 4 years ago, a Nuvi purchased 6 months ago, and now the Zumo 660 for my motorcycle. The Zumo is obviously one of the most expensive GPS units a consumer can buy. It is by far the fastest screen updating and most accurate GPS I own. Beats the 6 month old Nuvi by a long shot. I recently drove (haven't mounted the 660 to the bike yet, wanted to test drive the unit) from central NJ to Baltimore. If the Garmin display was the windshield, I could have used only that screen, it is that fast and accurate. The lane assist function takes all thought out of figuring which lane one should be in for the interstate lane crossover. It was as if the 660 took a snapshot of the overhead signage in front of me and had it on the screen. In checking the accuracy of the unit, I found that I was looking too much at the Garmin and not the traffic, because I was amazed at the accuracy of the river crossings, the bridge crossings, the parallel service road vs. the interstate, to see if the Garmin picked up the subtle differences, it did 100%.

I will now use the included software to plan a route with POI and see how well it performs. With the software update, I'll let Garmin if there is any shortfall because I know they'll listen.

So far, I would recommend this unit and am thinking of adding the traffic cable for the next road trip.

A Half-Baked Product Release?
I am going on a 10-day motorcycle trip from the Bay Area to Colorado and back. So I decided to get the just released Garmin Zuno 660 to replace my TomTom Easy Rider. I received the unit last week and started using it in my car while I got the wiring done for my 1200GS. The unit is well built, the touch screen very responsive and the user interface easy understand to navigate. I also downloaded the latest mapping software, a free, one-time upgrade offered by Garmin.

Set up was straightforward and downloading the updated North America map was fine, other than the fact that it is a 2.7GB file! I use a Mac and the mapping software for the Mac works well, very similar to the PC version. Creating custom routes on the Mac and downloading it to the Zumo is straight forward. So far so good. I spent the weekend exploring the Zumo, including browsing the map. That was when I noticed that the Zumo does not show any city names, no matter what the zoom level. Not the largest cities, and not the smallest ones; just road names. I called Garmin tech support and they confirmed that the Zumo does not support city names on the maps, saying that you can find cities by doing a search by name if you want to find any city. Garmin could not say when or if this feature will be supported! Unfortunately, I like to look at a mapI I like to see where towns/cities are relative to each other and other points of interest and selecting the appropriate routes. So a map without city/town names is not a map!

Garmin Tech Support pointed out that cities can be located by doing the search function. Unfortunately Portland Oregon or Portland Maine, or Portland anything came back "no matches found"! Small towns like Gypsum CO came back "no matches found".

Finally, I tried creating a custom route, which turned out to be straight forward. I created waypoints on my Mac, downloaded it to the Zumo and created a custom route. Again the Zumo let me down; it was not able to complete the route calculation, just hanging at less than 100% calculated.

I do believe the Zumo has the potential to be a very good motorcycle GPS unit. I also believe Garmin did a disservice by releasing the unit before it is fully baked! Hence the one star. Actually I would give it a zero star rating as this unit is not yet ready for commercial release and review.

05/08/09 Update: Must have been "pilot error" on my part; searching by "Cities" works for Portland or any other city/town, contrary to what I first reported (I have no idea why or what I was doing wrong the first time) . Also, Garmin does now acknowledge a problem with maps not displaying city/town names. According to their tech support, they are working on a fix but do not have a release date.

Creating a custom route on the unit works well except for a quirk: I cannot make the unit compute a route that goes over Tioga Pass Road (I route I am planning for an upcoming trip to Colorado), hanging up while calculating the route and never finishing. Another quirk: the unit will not allow me to add Ely Nevada to a custom route via "Cities", only giving me Ely Twp, MI as the option when typing in Ely. Just happens that Ely NV is also on my planned ride to Colorado.