New Garmin Zumo XT Motorcycle GPS

[piotrek]

41 minutes ago, fddriver2 said:

I've had an old (got to be going on 10 years old) Garmin 750 that has been on the bike almost non-stop for a year and has been used off and on for 2-3 years.

I also have an old automotive Garmin on the bike... never remove it, save for when I need to load it with routes or for a map update. Glare Stomper over it for shade... unit works like a champ and have been through downpours with the screen completely soaked. Sometimes though I wish it would talk to me... 😏.

[BBB]

On 5/3/2020 at 10:13 PM, daboo said:

For those of you with a TomTom...how do you listen to music? 

I switch off bluetooth on my phone, then I start up  TomTom . When that’s booted up fully I switch on my Sena headset and let that connect to TomTom. It has to be connected first or it gets irrational and moody.

Then I can switch bluetooth back on the phone and it connects to the Sena. I play music through Google Play Music, normally using an offline/downloaded playlist so I don’t use my data allowance.

Doing it in this order allows TomTom to give me voice instructions, it just fades the music then restores it, listen to music and even take calls if needed. I have a remote control with the Sena, that sits on the left handlebar grip, and I can nudge to a different track or pause music, control volume etc.

[betoney]

If anyone is interested, the Zumo XT is on sale for $100 off right now @ gpscity.com.

https://www.gpscity.com/garmin-zumo-xt-5.5-inch-motorcycle-navigator

[1moreroad]

46 minutes ago, betoney said:

If anyone is interested, the Zumo XT is on sale for $100 off right now @ gpscity.com.

https://www.gpscity.com/garmin-zumo-xt-5.5-inch-motorcycle-navigator

That's a good price. I think I spent that on a Zumo 396 a year ago. 

[rustyshackles]

I moved my Zumo XT (which is quite good, a big upgrade over the 660) to my current bike and now find it to be a bit jiggly.  Location is above the instrument gauge using a Cosmo Moto RAM ball setup and short RAM arm.  Location on previous bike was on handlebars and there was very little movement of the GPS unit.

for those with the XT have you had it detach from the base?  The connection appears less solid that the 660.

[PhotoAl]

I've got several thousand miles with it on my 202 GT with no problems.  It is mounted on a RAM ball on one of the handlebar had down bolts.  HOWEVER I have such wonderful confidence in the mount that I bought a pack of lanyard bases and stuck one on the back of the XT, I took the lanyard and made a loop with a carabiner on it.  I then loop that around my handlebars using the carabiner to clip onto the loop. I've tested it by holding the XT by the loop cord and jiggling to simulate it falling off the base and bouncing until I can get stopped and re-attach.  I 3D printed the carabiner and it was worked very well, take the XT off every time I stop so a number of on off cycles.

[daboo]

I have a Zumo XT because my 595LM departed my bike after using it for several years.  Lesson learned.

One of the first things I did, was to attach a lanyard on mine, like PhotoAl did.  In my case, I used the cloth side of a strip of Velcro to attach it to the back of the body.  (In the winter, that's where I attach my wireless heat control.)  

Chris

[maximNikenGT]

Just turned on my incident detection in my Garmin Zumo XT. I was actually researching Garmin road bicycling computers and stumbled across this article where a mountain biker crashed into a tree in the forest that knocked him unconscious and with a concussion. 

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/fitness/garmin-edge-520-plus-calls-for-help-for-injured-mountain-biker/

After the crash his garmin bike computer detected what appeared to be a crash and after a certain time elapsed then sent a crash notification to his wife where it also contained GPS coordinates. I wondered if the Garmin Zumo XT had a similar function and lo and behold, yes it does.  Just turned it on and hopefully will not be a function I'll have to use.  

[maximNikenGT]

On 5/2/2021 at 11:23 PM, PhotoAl said:

I've got several thousand miles with it on my 202 GT with no problems.  It is mounted on a RAM ball on one of the handlebar had down bolts.  HOWEVER I have such wonderful confidence in the mount that I bought a pack of lanyard bases and stuck one on the back of the XT, I took the lanyard and made a loop with a carabiner on it.  I then loop that around my handlebars using the carabiner to clip onto the loop. I've tested it by holding the XT by the loop cord and jiggling to simulate it falling off the base and bouncing until I can get stopped and re-attach.  I 3D printed the carabiner and it was worked very well, take the XT off every time I stop so a number of on off cycles.

Any pictures of the lanyard and how you secured it?

[PhotoAl]

Tether is a NordicFlash camera tether I bought from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Camera-Tethers-GoPro-Cameras-Accessory/dp/B00JCTBSZQ/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=nordic+flash+camera+tether&qid=1626995917&sr=8-3)

The white clip is something I 3D printed from PETG, it has done very well.  I occasionally give it the shake test to make sure it will hold the Zumo while being shaken.  It has been thru 105F heat, rain and rain at 42F so I feel pretty good about it.  Not sure how long it will last and will probably replace it after a couple of years.  A 5 pack is $8 so not expensive.

[2and3cylinders]

Trimmed NordicFlash to fit as overhang offered no bond area and could actually snag and lever off mount.

I have 3 different tether options but the one attached is the most promising even though it looks thin it's very strong and quick disconnects.

[piotrek]

Has anyone with the Zumo XT tried loading GPX files to the unit from an Android phone using BT... or from a home network via Wi-Fi? I am working up a list of reasons to upgrade, and this would be a good one.

Edited September 7, 2021 by piotrek
Sp

[2and3cylinders]

2 hours ago, piotrek said:

Has anyone with the Zumo XT try loading GPX files to the unit from an Android phone using BT... or from a home network via Wi-Fi? I am working up a list of reasons to upgrade, and this would be a good one.

I'm still learning but am going to try.

It's a super unit though, especially for the $!!

[2and3cylinders]

On 3/28/2021 at 6:39 PM, rustyshackles said:

I moved my Zumo XT (which is quite good, a big upgrade over the 660) to my current bike and now find it to be a bit jiggly.  Location is above the instrument gauge using a Cosmo Moto RAM ball setup and short RAM arm.  Location on previous bike was on handlebars and there was very little movement of the GPS unit.

for those with the XT have you had it detach from the base?  The connection appears less solid that the 660.

Note dampening strut

[daboo]

I lost my 590 because I didn't snap it in fully.  That's after owning it for several years and about 60,000 miles of riding.  It only took that one time.

When I got my Zumo XT, I decided that wasn't going to happen again.  So I added a tether to it.  If the connection you asked about ever does fail, it isn't going to drop more than a couple inches. 

Chris