[Gregpinch]

Ok, I have a 2011 RT.
I have a Zumo 220 mounted on the Wunderlich dash mount.

For "me" the 220 woks great. It's basic, send voice prompts via BT to my helmet.

Lately I have been feeling I want music streamed to my helmet for those long rides.
Yes, I have an iphone 4 with a bit of itunes music downloaded.

I would prefer to hear XM radio just for the diversity.

I have read ton about the Zumo 665 and quiet frankly it seems to be really problematic.

As I said all I want is basic GPS functions and XM music streamed to my helmet via BT.
I don't need any complicated GPS mapping functions etc.

I have read tons about the XM puck antenna mounting options as well.
Again, have read conflicting reports on performance. I understand it has to be at least 12" from the GPS. Below the fairing would seem like a good spot and I have seen members do that. I have also read that the antenna has to have a clear view to the sky so under the fairing seems not an ideal choice ??

I am in Canada so I have also come across info that XM reception is problematic.

Lastly, seems like there are rumours of a 665 replacement happening??

 

[TWheels]

I've had a Zumo 665 for over a year now and really enjoy the XM radio. No problems with either the GPS or XM reception. I mounted the XM radio antenna in the rear section of my RT where the alarm is mounted.

 

[Gregpinch]

Great.... and you are in Ontario !

So, no XM reception issues with the antenna puck under the end of the seat?

Greg

 

[BecketMa]

My puck antenna sits a couple of inches away from my 665.

I tried listening to Sirius many years ago for blues music, but couldn't find anything I liked.

I picked up a Sena head set this year so that I can listen to the voice promps from the 665. Currently I'm looking for a good MP3 blue tooth player I can use instead of the 665's player which is very simple with ho-hum audio.

I bought a program that scans internet radio stations and records specific song by specific artists. It can record the audio files in a few different formats, On my long distance ride last year I had 22 hours in my 665. This year I have 34 hours and hope to add another 6-8 hours of music I really enjoy.

My ride this year will be around 40 hours via a direct route.

Some day, I'll find a tablet that has blue tooth voice activated GPS so that I do not have to ever touch the display. Course it will have a great MP3 blue tooth player and WiFi so that I can get on the internet whenever I stop, or spend the nite at a hotel.

Best from tucson
Bob

 

[Gregpinch]

You would think that all these new tablets would have bluetooth

It's really an embarrassment that Garmin charges $800. for the 665 when I can get an iPad for less.

I think we will see smaller tablets in the near future that will do all that we need.
Yes, the waterproofing is an issues as well as gloveless use. But as you said we will be doing voice prompts anyway.

Wish I knew if Garmin has a replacement for the 665 coming soon.

 

[RVB1019]

You would think that all these new tablets would have bluetooth

It's really an embarrassment that Garmin charges $800. for the 665 when I can get an iPad for less.

Wish I knew if Garmin has a replacement for the 665 coming soon.

The big problem is reception. While on my LT with my Zumo 550 with the Hockey puck attachment, I have full music all the time. It only cuts out occasionally when under a full canopy of leaves. Otherwise, signal is always crystal clear.

On my R1150R, I'm currently streaming Sirius via my iPhone. The reception is only as good as your cellphone's data reception. Dead zone- no music. In the mountains, reception sucks on t he Sprint Network. Plus, streaming is limited to 1 hour and then Sirius cuts you off due to "inactivity". Totally sucks!

I'm saving my nickels to get another Zumo mount and hockey puck for a more permanent solution the R. This way, I can simply unclip the GPS when I swap bikes.

 

[TWheels]

Great.... and you are in Ontario !

So, no XM reception issues with the antenna puck under the end of the seat?

Greg

No problems at all. There are some places that I ride where the road is lined with trees etc and I sometimes lose reception for a couple of seconds now and then. I rarely ride with the top case mounted but don't remember it interfering with reception.

 

[sdan451]

We've had the 665 for a couple of years now and have had no issues with it. On a very rare occasion we might lose reception while were in a valley with extremely tall mountains or hills around us. At the end of the month were heading into Canada via the Minnesota side and up around Lake Superior. I'll let you know about the reception up there. When we got the 665 I really struggled with a place to stick the puck, I tried quite a few locations and ended up fabricating a steel plate to mount on the brake reservoir. The puck with it's magnetic bottom just sits on the plate. Oh, by the way on the 665 I've got the weather feature turned on and I really like the radar screen. It warns us of what ahead and then I can visually see if we need to stop and take cover or go around the nasty stuff.

 

[Gregpinch]

Great !

I have a 2011 with the rubber reservoir mounts so I can't mount it on the reservoir.
I am thinking of making a mounting plate to attach it (permanently) next to the rear rack.

.

 

[TWheels]

Greg, Thought I would post a pix of my gps mount. It works really well.
Cheers
Peter

 

[Gregpinch]

I love that mount !!!

I ended up going for the Wunderlich dash mount.

Greg