I bought this unit to have a waterproof, small unit that would work well on my motorcycle. This unit has met all of my needs. Although I am not able to hear the turn by turn directions, the screen is bright enough that I am easily able to go simply by the visual cues. There is only one thing I don't care for about this unit...the memory is so small that maps can be loaded only for half of the United States at a time. While this is not likely to cause me any real difficulties, I wish its capacity were such that it could hold all of the maps in its memory.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I purchased a refurbished unit about 6 weeks ago and have no real complaints. My primary use is on the motorcycle but I also transfer the unit to my other vehicles with the included suction cup mount and power cord. It is small enough to not be in the way of controls and gauges or line of sight on the motorcycle yet large enough for comfortable viewing even in the truck. I also purchased a Ram mount and bare wire power cord for use on the motorcycle. I highly recommend both of these items for motorcycles. Battery life is good, especially if you keep the brightness level down. At full brightness (necessary in full sun on motorcycle) battery life is only about 4 hours, which is why I recommend the kit to hard wire it to your battery. For me I have found that accuracy in driving mode is +/- 40 feet and speed indicator seems to be dead accurate. I updated the maps right after the purchase (free at Garmin's web site)but there have been a few times that it sent me on closed roads (only) when I was way off the beaten path. For the money, I do not think this unit can be beat for motorcycling. Wish it had an audio out or bluetooth capacity so that I could hear it in my helmet speakers but this one short coming is not enough to justify twice the cost for the Zumo series.Read full review
I bought this GPS unit primarily because I wanted a waterproof GPS for use on my motorcycle without spending the big bucks on a Zumo. So far I am very pleased with this unit. The different modes available, such as driving, bicycling, scootering (which I use as motorcycling with a free downloaded motorcycle icon instead of the scooter) are especially nice. These different modes allow for different avoidances in the settings depending on how you want to travel. Also, the walk mode is really nice for when you drive close to a location, such as a geocache, then switch to walk mode and it'll take you there using its compass and map as you travel off-road. I have been very happy with this device and the other day got caught in the rain while using it and it proved its waterproof capabilities. The only thing I have noticed that I don't like about this Garmin is the fact that occasionally the touch screen seems to get a little confused and types a letter I didn't intend (although this could be my fingers not striking exactly where I want). However, this happens very rarely and is easily resolved by erasing the incorrect letter and moving on. Also, being a touch screen, you will notice smudges on the screen, as you would with any touch screen. There is no way around this unless you wear gloves all the time. However, not having any buttons to press probably allows it to be waterproof a little easier, so I guess its a decent trade off. Overall, I would definitely recommend this GPS unit for anyone who wants a multi-mode waterproof GPS and doesn't want to spend lots of money.Read full review
There are two things that particularly attracted me to this GPS: (1) it is waterproof; and (2) it has unusually long battery life for this size GPS - approximately 8 hours. For those who use GPS regularly, you'll realize that an eight hour battery life means, in most instances, you can get where you're going without a power cord. Once you're on the freeway, you typically don't need the device until you're off. You can use this in back country, on the water and even on the airplane. I recommend this to anyone looking for a great all-around GPS device.
This is a simple unit with a bright display and detailed maps of all of North America. I use this on my motorcycle but it's the most versatile GPS I own as it can be used off road, walking, geocaching as well as bicycling. It's waterproof which is a big plus for me. It's very sturdy and has an 8 hour battery life plus a 12 volt power cord. It also has a micro SD card slot for memory expansion. Highly recommended! I spent $237 shipped. Why spend $600-$800 on a zumo? Only cons: I wish Garmin sent this with a USB cable to connect to computer and a bike/motorcycle specific mount in addition to the suction cup vehicle mount.