New Garmin Zumo XT

[drrod]

Everything you want/need to know about the Kyocera Duraforce phones (and others) and GPS apps when it comes to using them as navigation tools.

Ultra rugged Kyocera phones,GPS smartphones ..my guide

The $50 -$100 smartphone GPS solution,from left to right the Kyocera family Duraforce XD 5.7 inch screen , Duraforce Pro 5.0 inch screen , and the...

advrider.com

Personally, I have been using the MyRoute Navigation app (developed by the Tyre to Travel guys) loaded on a Samsung S7 for GPS. I doubt I would ever buy a standalone unit again. Maps are constantly updated for free!! Does everything a standalone does plus acts as a phone. I have been eyeing a Kyocera Duraforce phone as well and recently there have been some other waterproof/dustproof/vibration resistant phones coming on the market like the Ulefone Armor and Doogee.

 

[beemerphile]

How do you work the phone with gloves? My does not reacts on gloves. Plus the sunlight makes it hard to see...

The hardened phones are designed for use outside in construction and military environments. Bring on gloves and direct sunlight. The biggest problem I have is with the nav apps that have small control icons. There are several apps now that address this. If my trials with the Samsung Galaxy Active Tab 2 work out, I'll have an 8 inch screen. I already have a charging cradle built for it and it is destined for the ST11 I currently have scattered around my shop in boxes and bins. In addition to GPS, the plan is for it to host the controls for a Neutrino Aurora and a motogadget m-unit blue.

. Problem with a phone is that it's not following me and I constantly have to move the map to see my location on it, but gloves cant work with phone.

The first problem is the choice of nav software. The second can be addressed by sewing a few metallic thread loops into the tip of the glove finger or using a stylus. More options here...

https://www.rideapart.com/articles/254151/best-touchscreen-motorcycle-gloves/

EDITED TO ADD...
https://www.kyoceramobile.com/business/duraforce/att/

 

[The Cheese]

Seems to me that it can't "play MP3 files stored on the navigator" unless it has a built-in MP3 player. I'm not sure I understand what the concern is.

I must not be too clear here. I agree it has an MP3 player. Just saying that Garmin has been a bit confusing with thier description. The MP3 player is missing from the specs page. It seems to dance around saying it has that feature in this place but in another place it says it does. Like them saying map updates included, but not "lifetime maps" as they once did with other Zumos.

 

[CYYJ]

Note that is always singular. So it would appear that pillions may be excluded from anything to do with the XT.

That depends, I think, on the characteristics and capabilities of the headsets that the rider and pillion use. If the headsets are multi-channel, then it may be possible for the pillion to hear voice guidance from the GPS via the primary headset (the rider's headset) connection.

I suspect that the XT itself will have dual-channel Bluetooth, to support a connection to a phone as well as a connection to one headset. I don't believe that Garmin has ever supported connections from one of their navigators to more than one paired headset.

Michael

 

[CYYJ]

But the XT has no wired connection.

This is an unfortunate trend with small electronic devices. The forerunner of the XT, the 590/595, dropped the provision to attach an external GPS antenna, something I always did to improve reception. Now the audio out is gone - unless Garmin has made it available via the power cable assembly, as they did with the 590/595.

Michael

 

[Shawn K]

If it has an internal speaker, you can add an external jack with some spare time, a few small pieces, and a little bit of initiative.

 

[bdalameda]

Or purchase a 3.5mm Bluetooth receiver for your headset. They’re cheap and rechargeable and they battery lasts a long time

 

[Larry Fine]

As good a place as any to ask: What does a bike-specific GPS do better than an automotive unit?

I use a Garmin 2460LMT in my van and on the bike, I don't rain-ride, and I don't use the sound.

 

[CYYJ]

As good a place as any to ask: What does a bike-specific GPS do better than an automotive unit?

Typically, a bike-specific GPS navigator will offer the following advantages:

1) The ability to create, store, and recall custom routes made up from multiple waypoints, and the ability to create those routes offline (on a computer or website) and transfer them to the device. Most auto-specific GPS units don't support route creation - they are strictly "A to B" units.

2) A touchscreen that is designed to be operated while wearing gloves.

3) Water & dustproof construction, with resistance to exposure to gasoline (liquid & vapour).

4) A sturdier, more robust mounting system than what is normally provided for car dashboards.

5) A display screen surface that is optomized to enable viewing in direct sunlight.

6) The ability to record, store, and download tracks that you have ridden.

7) A waterproof cabling system that is designed to be hardwired into the motorcycle's electrical harness.

Newer units tend to offer features aimed at motorcycle riders, such as XM radio, satellite communications support, sharing routes between devices via Bluetooth, stuff like that. The value of those features is kind of questionable - if a user wants the feature, great, but I think a lot of those add-on tricks go unused.

Michael

 

[Daboo]

As good a place as any to ask: What does a bike-specific GPS do better than an automotive unit?

I use a Garmin 2460LMT in my van and on the bike, I don't rain-ride, and I don't use the sound.

Much depends on where you live. If you live in the wheat field rural areas of Kansas, you don't even need a GPS. A paper map will do. The roads are straight from what I remember when I lived there growing up, and there aren't that many people living there (@5000). Where you live, the county has about 329,000 per the latest census info. The King county area where Seattle is, has about 2.5 million people. Along with that many people, the roads become far more complicated. Not only are there more, but the number of dead ends, culdesacs, etc. makes it difficult to find a place where you aren't familiar with, impossible for me without a GPS. And the amount of traffic makes it impossible for me to spend time looking at a map or GPS to figure out where the next turn is.

So why is a motorcycle GPS important? Because you need to hear the instructions. Taking your eyes off the road to look at your Garmin 2460LMT will have you rear-ending someone in no time at all.

I used a Navigon GPS years ago to go to a BMW rally in Couer d'Alene. It had always worked fine for me till that trip. Even with a long hood, the sun washed out the screen and made it impossible to see. Being a car GPS, it had no BT sound to the helmet. I almost missed a freeway exit and did one of those last second exits across the area that you shouldn't be driving on. Later, I mistook a side street for the turn I was supposed to take and did a U-turn on a narrow street and almost dumped my bike. As I was trying to get it turned around, I thought to myself that I could easily spend more money on fixing the tuperware on the bike, than on a motorcycle GPS. Why was I being cheap? It was going to cost me more in the long run.

On that trip, the next day, it rained. The car GPS had to be put into a plastic bag. Still couldn't hear anything from it, and had to rely on looking at it for the next turn in an area I was totally unfamiliar with.

And I still remember what a woman wrote who said, "If you don't ride in the rain in Seattle, you don't ride." Not exactly true, but true enough.

Last example of when you end up wanting a motorcycle specific GPS (or smartphone that is waterproof and rugged). My post-retirement ride was to accompany a friend from Seattle to Utah to swing through the 5 national parks they have. We had reservations for each night to make sure we roomed in the same place and had a room in touristy areas. As we left, a large storm system came in and affected the first couple days. We had pouring rain for the entire first day. Sure, I could've stayed home and delayed the ride...and lost the cost of the motel rooms because I could never get down there to catch up with the reservations.

So if you stay at home in a small town community and don't go on trips, you don't need a motorcycle GPS.

Chris

 

[Uncle Phil]

The Fodsport(were Chinavasion) Motorcycle GPS (less than $120) does everything that Michael says a motorcycle GPS should do. They are plenty waterproof as mine have been in the rain for many hours and never croaked (IPX7? IIRC). The nice thing is you can do your route planing on whatever software suits your fancy then use GPSBabel (freeware) or a similar program to convert the route to kml (Google Maps). It's a simple 'drop and drag' to a particular folder to load the routes. Everything lives on a microsd card so if the unit died, you could pop out the card, plug it in another unit and continue on your way. These units have a hardwired headset jack and a bluetooth connection. The only issue I've had with them is the screen washes out when sunlight is directly behind you about like the ST1300 dash. At their price, you buy a couple just in case you are concerned about their reliability. I have them on all 4 of my ST1100s and use them pretty much everyday. They work great with heated gloves or regular gloves. The routing software is the same that is used on most European automotive GPS systems - but it ain't a Garmin and it doesn't come with the Garmin price. I've used them all over the US, Canada, UK and New Zealand and they got me where I needed to go. In fact, I did my route planning in the old Garmin Mapsource (there was free New Zealand Map add on) then converted it to kml.

 

[Linked2Mark]

My brand spanking new Zumo XT showed up yesterday. I am now in the process of figuring out where to mount it. I have two criteria: functionality - including the practicality of mounting/running power - and aesthetics. I want it to be very practical/functional while riding - dont want it to block anything AND I dont want it to look like someone put it on the bike with a pipewrench(so to speak). This is the best placement I have come up with:




The unit comes with a gadget that is designed to mount on either the clutch or front brake assembly. I 'think' I can drill two holes in the right handlebar - relatively small holes - and bolt the ball holder to the bars. I would like to put something between the steel of the holder and the aluminum of the bars to absorb vibration and to move it over to the left just a bit so that it is more centered but I dont know yet what to use. Open to suggestions on that.

The pictures shows the approximate position of the final installation +/- a little bit of fudge. I am pleased with it so far. All I would have to do is drill the holes and bolt the unit to the bars. That and the power will need to be installed.

I am a bit disappointed that it does not support the Garmin TPMS system at the moment and talked to Garmin. I am told that they are considering updating the software to include TPMS. We will see. That would be a nice addition although their sensors are $$$. I currently have a CycleOps TPMS on the bike but its almost impossible to see in daylight.
any suggestions? Be nice....

This post is guaranteed to be Corona Virus Free.

 

[paulcb]

Wouldn't Garmin also need a hardware update to read the TPMS sensors? I use this TPMS and can see it just fine in bright daytime...



Another option is HawksHead or Rupse, same device.

 

[Linked2Mark]

Wouldn't Garmin also need a hardware update to read the TPMS sensors? I use this TPMS and can see it just fine in bright daytime...



Another option is HawksHead or Rupse, same device.

Yes - they I would have to buy their sensors which cost about $60 for each tire. Other Garmin units will display the TPMS and it would simply be nice to have it all in one place I think. I dont 'think' they would need a hardware update - at least the guy at Garmin didnt lead me to believe that. I am trying to get a setup that I can move to another bike when I want and use the same GPS on both. Will probably be an F800GS that I havent found yet.

I have the Hawkshead T valve stems and CycleOps sensors.

 

[paulcb]

Yes - they I would have to buy their sensors which cost about $60 for each tire. Other Garmin units will display the TPMS and it would simply be nice to have it all in one place I think.

So the XT has the TPMS receiver already built in? Personally, I like a stand-alone TPMS because I always want to see my TPMS, but I don't always want to have my GPS mounted. I'd hate to have to buy a whole new GPS just because the TPMS quit working.

 

[Daboo]

I'm always very leery about drilling holes in something. I'm sure that as soon as I drill the holes, I'll find there was a better place to mount it.

Have you looked at RAM handlebar mounts? They aren't permanent and if you decide you really want the GPS moved over an inch, it isn't a big deal to move it.

I mounted my 595LM on the left side of the handlebar. For me, it works perfect. I wear contact lenses and the left eye is set up to see near and the right eye is set up to see far. This puts the GPS in an optimum location to be seen clearly and quickly.

Chris

 

[Uncle Phil]

I use the Hawkshead and Rupse devices and have no trouble seeing the readout in daylight. And they have a light sensor to backlight them when it gets dark. The Hawkshead sensors are supposedly the same size as the Garmin sensors but I've not had both in hand. The sensors for the Rupse are a bit larger but not a problem.

 

[CYYJ]

...any suggestions?

Hi Mark:

I think your proposed mounting location is perfect - it is exactly where I have mine, and I have been very happy with it. I don't think it's a good idea to mount the device off-centerline on a clutch or brake master cylinder, because you then run the risk of creating unwanted steering inputs when you use the touchscreen.

Aftermarket vendors sell devices that mount between the handlebars and have a RAM-Mount ball on them to allow you to mount the device in the middle. In my case, I purchased a Heli-Bars riser plate with a RAM-Mount ball, that killed two birds with one stone - moved the handlebars back and up a bit, and provided the mounting location for the GPS.

Michael

GPS Mounting

Isn't that too low to read it while riding?

No, not at all. My experience is that I hear the voice prompt, then briefly glance down at the device for visual confirmation of the maneuver. It's pretty much on the same line of sight as the speedometer - it's not a problem to look at it when necessary. If anything, I think it's better than having the thing up high and in view all the time, which I think would be distracting, especially when riding at night.

MIchael

 

[Linked2Mark]

I'm always very leery about drilling holes in something. I'm sure that as soon as I drill the holes, I'll find there was a better place to mount it.

Have you looked at RAM handlebar mounts? They aren't permanent and if you decide you really want the GPS moved over an inch, it isn't a big deal to move it.

I mounted my 595LM on the left side of the handlebar. For me, it works perfect. I wear contact lenses and the left eye is set up to see near and the right eye is set up to see far. This puts the GPS in an optimum location to be seen clearly and quickly.

Chris

Haven't looked at Ram mounts but will do that - thanks for the tip.

 

[Linked2Mark]

Isn't that too low to read it while riding? You'll have to look down to see it. I have mine on top of the dash right in front of me. The best place to see it without looking away from the road. It seats on a ran mount boll.

I live in AZ and it isnt as 'dense' as it is back east. I dont really see this as something that I will allow to distract me. I could mount it up higher but it gets in the way of speedo and other gauges. I dont think that would be my choice.