Garmin zumo 350LM 4.3-Inch Motorcycle GPS

Even though it's expensive, I think it's worth the money. It's hard to see this screen in direct sun light when I'm using it on my motorcycle, but I'm on a motorcycle in the direct sun light, so I kind of expected that! I like the Service History App, on this Garmin. It doesn't actually remind me when service is required, but if you fill out the mileage when you actually preform the service, it will store this data for you to review. The unit is built tough and is holding up very well. I bought an 8 GB SD card for it, so that when I update the maps and info, it will hold it all, because the available memory filled up fairly fast. I can't hear the voice directions when traveling down the road at highway speeds, but I wear a helmet and again I expected that, so I wasn't disappointed. Overall, it's a very good Garmin GPS, that works very well on a motorcycle.

Garmin zumo 350LM 4.3-Inch Motorcycle GPSGENERAL: I purchased the Zumo 350LM to use on my ATV. It appears to be very sturdy and weather proof. I am still learning about the 350LM, but thus far it has exceeded my expectations. It's a bit pricey but at that price everything you need for connecting and mounting the unit is included. It can be operated with your gloves on.The primary reason I gave it a "4" rating rather than a `5' rating is because of a singular CON, but it`s a big CON.PROS: The use of the name City Navigator by Garmin is misleading, implying it is for navigating in cities; it has A LOT of dirt roads in it, which if you purchase this unit for off-road travel like I did, that`s paramount. I was surprised and very pleased to find that most anything that isn't a trail, is in it. I've checked it out in some of the most desolate and isolated country in the United States (Owyhee County, Idaho) and found that most dirt roads that have a name are in City Navigator. Some of the roads in this area that are not officially named have non complimentary but explanatory user names.The easiest way I have found to create "routes" has been to upload into the Zumo accumulated "waypoints" from prior trips (gathered via an etrex) or from waypoints created in BaseCamp/Mapsource. Then I follow the "create trip" instructions and add the appropriate ones to the route. You can either "drag" them to the correct location in the route or let the Zumo "optimize" the route for you. Using this method, you can add 29 waypoints (Via Points) to a trip/route. Always preview any routes you create in Zumo in BaseCamp/Mapsource. Sometimes surprises are not good.If your waypoint doesn't have a road that leads to it in City Navigator, the Zumo 350LM will show a straight line to the waypoint from the closest road it has.When I am following a dirt route on my ATV, I display one of my added topo maps. This stops any attempt at "recalculating" and leaves the track displayed on the topo map with my vehicle symbol appearing to follow along. If you are navigating in City Navigator you have the option of turning off the "recalculate" function.CREATING AND SAVING TRACKS: It is simple to create and save tracks with the Zumo. You can leave them in the Zumo as trips if you want. Saving them is a breeze by transferring them with MapSource/BaseCamp.I uploaded one Zumo created track to EveryTrail.com and it worked perfectly.THE BAD NEWS ABOUT TOPO MAPS: There are usually nonexistent roads displayed on topo maps just as there are roads that do exist that are not on topo maps. The age of the map doesn't seem to make a difference either. The latest USGS 1/24000 Topo Maps dated 2010 have the same failures as the 1975 versions.City Navigator has these failings also. Always check your dirt road routes in Google Earth to see if they exist! Paper maps are also essential.Just because a road is in the Zumo 350LM, doesn't mean it's navigable. At best you might consider some of them suitable only if you have a high clearance vehicle, better yet a 4X4 , dirt bike, or ATV. A good example is one of the roads on all of my topo maps as well as City Navigator is washed out. It has been washed out for many years, long enough for sagebrush to grow six feet tall and for BLM to place a permanent sign there advising it is closed.INSTALLING TOPO MAPS: Using a 16GB micro SDHC card, I initially installed Garmin Topo U.S. 2008 and a 1/24000 Idaho land ownership map (Topo Idaho, obtained from GPSFile Depot). I found that the Zumo split the Topo 2008 into 5 parts and displayed two of them in the map section. The Topo Idaho didn't display.After experimentation I finally isolated the section of Topo 2008 that pertained to Idaho, only to find it didn't have parts of Nevada and Montana I wanted. The Topo Idaho displayed at this time. Since I wanted the portions of Oregon, Nevada, and Montana in the Zumo, I used the Topo 2008 and created a custom map in MapSource with the pertinent area. Now I have it and the Topo Idaho land ownership map available in the Zumo.Adding the newer Garmin 1/24000 maps would not work for me as this would require having two of them to cover the area desired. Also, I would have had to change micro SD cards every time I crossed certain state lines. Micro SD cards are too small for clumsy fingers to handle and hard to find if and when you drop them in the field. Instructions with the Zumo advises to use a maximum 8GB micro SD card, but the 16GB seems to work OK.From my preliminary experimentation, the Zumo will only display two additional maps along with City Navigator. All routes/trips are created in City Navigator.SCREEN VISIBILITY: The screen is large and bright enough to be seen in full sunlight. I did notice when the sun is to your back, the glare can be an issue. This really isn't much of a problem though as I always stop my ATV to study the Zumo. Sometimes just moving your head or body will shade the screen enough to block the sun. One of the primary reasons I purchased the Zumo was its big legible screen and thus far I have not been disappointed.It has an "auto" feature for the screen brightness, but you can override this if necessary.Another feature of the screen is that by using your finger, you can zoom in and out and "drag" the map around for different views. Very convenient!MOUNTS: The handle bar mount supplied with the Zumo is a top quality RAM Mount. It installed easily and I had no trouble fishing the included power wire to the ATV battery, especially since I got my son to do it. It was actually an easy install and all the wiring is under the ATV's plastic. Sufficient wire was furnished to have it fastened to any place on the ATV that I wanted.The mount has a specialized power connection point for the Zumo. It comes with a cover for the power connections and looks weather tight and strong and vibration shouldn't be an issue. Fortunately the power connection is not a USB type connection which could be problematic.I have friends that power their GPSs with USB type cables and they report problems with this type of power connection breaking the GPS USB port. There is also a lot of discussion about this problem on various websites.There is an automobile type mount included with the Zumo and it is a standard Garmin suction cup type mount. It has a furnished USB type power connection to the Zumo with a 12 volt plug to what used to be called a cigarette lighter.USERS MANUAL: There is a "Quick Start" sheet in the box with the Zumo. The users manual is only available online and is downloadable as a PDF file. This works for me as I carry my laptop in my travel trailer when I am camping. I out grew a tent years ago.You can go to Garmin's website and preview the Users Manual before you purchase a Zumo 350LM if you want to check out certain details. The LM stands for lifetime maps.TRACBACK: The Zumo has this feature and it's easy to use. I personally don't expect to use it much as I usually ride a loop, however it could be very beneficial in unfamiliar areas or if conditions prevent you from seeing landmarks.SATELLITE ACQUISITION: The Zumo quickly locates and locks in satellites. It has no problem finding satellites while inside my residence about 20 feet from the nearest window. I have only used it on one ride where I was deep within canyon walls which might have impeded satellite signal reception, and that was in the Snake River Canyon, but it worked well. I imagine you can find some steep terrain that will give it problems.BATTERY: It has a non replaceable, at least by the user, battery. Garmin claims the unit should operate 7 hours by battery power alone.CON: You can not load "tracks" as tracks into the Zumo 350LM. There is a workaround of sorts, however one shouldn't have to do this at this price. However you can convert "tracks" to "routes" in Base Camp/Mapsource and load them.Note: If you do this, be aware that the Zumo 350LM will edit them into 30 each "Via" point segments. For example, if you have a 300 point track/route, the Zumo will convert it to ten routes and number them 1 through 10. It is a pain, but workable. I have gotten pretty skilled at creating 29 point routes in MapSource.Hopefully, Garmin will address this `lack of track loading' deficiency (others have also complained) in the future with a software update.OTHER FEATURES: It has Bluetooth and the capability to add a traffic feature with an additional antenna. I won't use either of these. It does not have satellite radio or the capability to play music.It has "turn by turn" voice prompting when operating with the City Navigator Map, but this feature will not get much use by me. It also has the lane change assist feature if you want to use it in your travels.

I have held out for a long time to review this product, I purchased it in 2012. This GPS unit has so much going for it but if it doesn't charge while on the road and keeps shutting off, it is more of a hazard. I would not recommend this unit to anyone.After troubleshooting, the issue is the cradle. The device does not stay on firmly with the cradle, loses connectivity and will turn off and on intermittently. This is distracting, frustrating when you are on the road and dangerous. I have tried several way to secure it but the charging contacts are so small and thin, nothing works. I had only used this a hand full of times, I have been waiting for a solution with the exception of buying a new cradle when I spent so much money for this product. It is extremely disappointing when I have used other devices from Garmin and have been satisfied with them.If you need to have a GPS unit on your motorcycle, I suggest you buy one with a GPS unit built in, buy a mobile phone bracket and install on your handle bar or have a map on you.. I have decided to use my trusty iPhone bracket, study my route and carry a copy of a map on me. I would sell this item but I don't want to be responsible for putting anyone in danger.

Even at 100% brightness, the display is very hard to see in bright sunlight, and will wash out completely when the sun is at particular angles. I've tried a variety of different mounting angles to no avail. At less than 100% brightness, it's impossible to see in daylight at all. Worse, at 100% brightness when you ride into a shady area the display becomes a giant light shining in your face. Oddly, switching to night mode (in the daylight) helps a bit because the contrast between roads and the black background increases. I have the GPS located directly adjacent to the LCD dash of my bike, which is perfectly visible under the same conditions. Garmin's claim that this is "sunlight-readable" is laughable.On the plus side, it mounted to the bike very easily, powers on quickly, and is easy to use with gloves on.Overall, meh. I'm not happy that I spent $700 on this thing.