Garmin 276Cx

This soon to be released GPS has me intrigued. My Nuvi 550 drove me nuts on my last rally. It would continually lock up on me, and also lose external power. I'm thinking the mini-usb port is probably shot. Anyway, I'm looking for a 2nd GPS to compliment my 590. I really don't want another from the Zumo family as they are all pretty similar. I'm thinking this new 276Cx might be the ticket. Suppose to be released later this month.

http://globeriders.com/article_pages/article10_gps/article10_gpsmap276cx.shtml

You should be able to pick up a Zumo 665 fairly cheaply these days. XM radio and weather in a water proof case. I've put my thru many rallies.

jodog said:

You should be able to pick up a Zumo 665 fairly cheaply these days. XM radio and weather in a water proof case. I've put my thru many rallies.

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Bob, That would certainly be the economical way out. I really like the idea of seeing secondary roads on a lower zoom level and also seeing waypoints that are not directly on your route like I'm used to with my Nuvi. Will be a tough call. I'll probably wait for some additional reviews.

I'm happy they are offering this should my 478 ever quit working. But I'm still holding out hope Garmin will combine a GPS with an inReach since Garmin bought that product. Delorme made a GPS (the PN 60 I think) which would show the location of other riders in your vicinity who also had PN 60's. I'd like something like that in a Garmin along with the ability to send check in messages. For street riders, I'm not sure the new 276 is the best choice but if you have multi use in mind (dual sport, street, hiking, dirt riding, etc.) I think it's the best choice.

jonz said:

I'm happy they are offering this should my 478 ever quit working. But I'm still holding out hope Garmin will combine a GPS with an inReach since Garmin bought that product. Delorme made a GPS (the PN 60 I think) which would show the location of other riders in your vicinity who also had PN 60's. I'd like something like that in a Garmin along with the ability to send check in messages. For street riders, I'm not sure the new 276 is the best choice but if you have multi use in mind (dual sport, street, hiking, dirt riding, etc.) I think it's the best choice.

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I agree it's probably not the best choice as your main GPS. I plan to use it as a 2nd GPS for rallying. I think it makes more sense than running 2 of the same or similar units.

msrp is over $1,000 (CAN) from what I see....holy moly!

PFD023 said:

msrp is over $1,000 (CAN) from what I see....holy moly!

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I know!! But in an effort to justify it to myself, I look at it this way. I spent over $1000 on my current TV (13 years ago). I look at my GPS way more than my TV these days...hahahahaha. True story

kendoo said:

I know!! But in an effort to justify it to myself, I look at it this way. I spent over $1000 on my current TV (13 years ago). I look at my GPS way more than my TV these days...hahahahaha. True story

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That's funny right there!!

PFD023 said:

msrp is over $1,000 (CAN) from what I see....holy moly!

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True, but by the time the winter is over, various resellers will have sharpened their pencils, and the price will drop a bit.

It's worth noting that after adjusting for inflation, the price of Garmin's newest navigator that is suitable for motorcycles has remained almost constant over the last 15 years. The first one I bought was a StreetPilot III in 2001. I think I paid about CAD $400 or $500 for it.

Garmin has been quite clever when it comes to maintaining their margins on motorcycle navigators, which are not as 'generic' in nature as automobile navigation units. There is a lot of cut-throat competition in automobile nav systems, which is why they typically cost only about $200 USD. Unfortunately, those auto units don't support offline route creation (creating routes in MapSource or BaseCamp & downloading them to the unit), and that is a feature that I believe most motorcycle riders want.

Michael

Weighing in at 15.9 oz. will the current GPS mounts handle it?

Len

lenparkin said:

Weighing in at 15.9 oz. will the current GPS mounts handle it?

Len

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I want to think so, since it uses the same AMP mount as my Montana.

Edit: There's a 15 page and counting discussion of the 276Cx on adv rider.

Fred D said:

I want to think so, since it uses the same AMP mount as my Montana.

Edit: There's a 15 page and counting discussion of the 276Cx on adv rider.

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I've been following that thread.