michnus
Bachelor Dog
The E-trex was going to be my weapon of choice for our trip. I got Elsebie one aswell, just for the hell of it so both got Touratech brackets and will be the same should the need arise to swap GPS's for whatever reason.
Then Pauli from GPS4Africa buggered up that idea for me. I had to get some GPS wiring and maps sets from him and every time I spoke to him he told me to get the Zumo 660, I kicked back like a true cheap ass KLR rider, this is lots of moola, and I don't get excited about stuff like this. Told him I heard some stories of the Zumo range being a bit iffy and things go wrong with them. He assured me the 660 is a different breed and will be able to handle the knocks and abuse. I was pleasantly surprised with this GPS.
Elsebie wasn't that happy that I got the big ass TV and she got to use mini-me version. No money left for Touratech bracket for this unit I attached it with a normal RAM mount as supplied and wired it up. Pauli loaded all the maps for me and got it trip ready. I don't use the music function and talk function so can't comment on that.
What I can say is for the last 6 months I used it virtually every day and not once did it gave me problems or had hiccups. It load up every time, it's properly water proof and dust proof. I don't know if the screen will last or be able to handle dusty fingers swiping over it without scratching. I had a screen saver plastic thing on the screen and replaced it 3 times due to dust scratches, I will not use it without it. Some times it was left in the sun the entire day, or it would stay on the bike for days on end. Build and durability, I think is good enough to ensure this unit can take some knocks and abuse.
What I could gather on the net when I did some research on this unit they said it is waterproof to IP7, that is the International standard for water and dust ingress protection. It can be submerged in water up to a 1meter for 30min. We use the same standard for our ATG bags.
It is a load better than using the E-Trex or similar ones, it's easy and clear to read in traffic even when we trying to navigate a madhouse place like Nairobi. It's user friendly and easy to use even for my wife and she is no GPS fundi.
What I like about the unit is, it works fast, the system is damn fast and responsive, especially when drawing the maps and features, includes 3-D mode. I did not have to stop and wait for the thing to work out what to do.
As consolation price the unit comes with all the fittings and you do not need to buy anything more to fit it to a bike. The bracket makes use of a clip to hold the GPS onto the bracket, initially I was worried people might steal the GPS of the bike because it can't lock. Seems my fear was unwarranted, I left it on the bike most of the times, seems most people have no idea how it fits to the bracket it looks as if it's one unit.
The features are to much to list, but lack nothing a biker need, can also be used in a car.
It's not cheap but hell, it's a bloody nice GPS and works well on a bike.
Guess which mountain pass this is :mwink:
Then Pauli from GPS4Africa buggered up that idea for me. I had to get some GPS wiring and maps sets from him and every time I spoke to him he told me to get the Zumo 660, I kicked back like a true cheap ass KLR rider, this is lots of moola, and I don't get excited about stuff like this. Told him I heard some stories of the Zumo range being a bit iffy and things go wrong with them. He assured me the 660 is a different breed and will be able to handle the knocks and abuse. I was pleasantly surprised with this GPS.
Elsebie wasn't that happy that I got the big ass TV and she got to use mini-me version. No money left for Touratech bracket for this unit I attached it with a normal RAM mount as supplied and wired it up. Pauli loaded all the maps for me and got it trip ready. I don't use the music function and talk function so can't comment on that.
What I can say is for the last 6 months I used it virtually every day and not once did it gave me problems or had hiccups. It load up every time, it's properly water proof and dust proof. I don't know if the screen will last or be able to handle dusty fingers swiping over it without scratching. I had a screen saver plastic thing on the screen and replaced it 3 times due to dust scratches, I will not use it without it. Some times it was left in the sun the entire day, or it would stay on the bike for days on end. Build and durability, I think is good enough to ensure this unit can take some knocks and abuse.
What I could gather on the net when I did some research on this unit they said it is waterproof to IP7, that is the International standard for water and dust ingress protection. It can be submerged in water up to a 1meter for 30min. We use the same standard for our ATG bags.
It is a load better than using the E-Trex or similar ones, it's easy and clear to read in traffic even when we trying to navigate a madhouse place like Nairobi. It's user friendly and easy to use even for my wife and she is no GPS fundi.
What I like about the unit is, it works fast, the system is damn fast and responsive, especially when drawing the maps and features, includes 3-D mode. I did not have to stop and wait for the thing to work out what to do.
As consolation price the unit comes with all the fittings and you do not need to buy anything more to fit it to a bike. The bracket makes use of a clip to hold the GPS onto the bracket, initially I was worried people might steal the GPS of the bike because it can't lock. Seems my fear was unwarranted, I left it on the bike most of the times, seems most people have no idea how it fits to the bracket it looks as if it's one unit.
The features are to much to list, but lack nothing a biker need, can also be used in a car.
It's not cheap but hell, it's a bloody nice GPS and works well on a bike.
Guess which mountain pass this is :mwink:
