- Generously sized waterproof screen with clear display
- Loaded with features like speed
- Designed with motorcycles in mind, with large "buttons" on touchscreen for gloved use
- Pricey
- Sometimes a bit laggy when registering touchscreen input
- Battery life not sufficient for longer rides, making it necessary to hard wire into the bike
- Price: $799.99 (suggested retail)
- Waterproof design with 4.3 inch, 480 x 272 pixel WQVGA color TFT display
- 9.5 ounces
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery, with up to 5 hours claimed life
- Speed limit indicator
- Lane assist
- Bluetooth with A2DP technology
- 3-D building view
- MP3 player
The Garmin zumo 660 is designed specifically for motorcycle use, so I took a test unit loaded up with European maps to Italy for a 570 mile journey from Bologna to Florence, Rome, Cortona and back again, all aboard the Ducati SportClassic GT1000 Touring.
I didn't hard wire the GPS unit to the bike's electrical system, choosing instead to run on battery power and use a u-shaped bracket that mounts to the handlebar-- which was easy enough. Battery life is advertised as 5 hours, so I played it safe and shut the unit off during long stretches on the Autostrada. The setup wasn't ideal, but it did keep me from running out of juice during six days of riding, opting to recharge the unit nightly in my hotel room.
The zumo 660 has loads of extra capabilities like Bluetooth, a picture viewer, and Navteq traffic (for a one-time subscription fee of $49), but I kept it simple on this trip, essentially using it for turn-by-turn directions. Though there's been negative buzz about the 660's earlier software versions, my tester came loaded up with version 3.30. The interface worked well, though there was an occasionally lag between touchscreen input and the system's recognition of the input. Fast typing sometimes took a few extra moments to register, but it was possible to type fast and let the system catch up; a hard reset seemed to improve performance.
Once a destination is entered, the screen has enough real estate to comfortably display a generous landscape view of the map, with information insets including vehicle speed and posted speed limits (where available), official local time, and a customizable field that can show distance or time to next turn, heading, or even elevation. A motorcycle icon defaults on the screen, which can be changed to a variety of different vehicles (including a few novelties like a NASCAR race car, a dirtbike, or other topical rides that can be downloaded at Garmin's website.)
Though I only scratched the surface of its functionality, the Garmin zumo 660 performed its basic functions rather well. It offered clear, easy to read directions with added graphics indicating everything from lane exit information to diagrams of roundabouts and even 3-D buildings. Nearby landmarks, restaurants, and gas stations were easily summoned. And if you're feeling nostalgic, the 660 can display or download maps and stats of trips you've taken.
My experience testing the zumo 660 was generally positive-- hence this review's 3.5 out of 5 star rating-- but I also wanted the opportunity for further testing, so I extended the product loan to allow for installation into the inbound Triumph Bonneville long term tester. So, consider this an initial report of the Garmin zumo 660, with more to come!
