Tales Of Zumo

[SEBSPEED]

Now mind you it was probably before the recent rains when they shot this Satellite photo and the campground was a little greener and packed but you can really see where I was. I will not have to steal any more of Sebspeeds pictures for my trip report.

:lol: :lol: And I was about to let you sponser a road trip in California for me, in exchange for pics from the 101!! :P Great little gadgets, those GPS's are. I had a Magellan unit that I took with me on my big trip, but I never even turned it on... just used directions I printed out from Yahoo maps...

[VFR4Lee]

I had a Magellan unit that I took with me on my big trip, but I never even turned it on... just used directions I printed out from Yahoo maps...

I'd at least have turned it on. Paper maps are fine by me so far. For a long trip to unfamiliar turf, yeah then I might really want one. :thumbsup:

I love the satellite images / maps. I've seen plenty on computers, and they're getting better all the time.

But, Do they have those on handheld GPS now? That would be cool. :unsure:

Still not necessary though. I must be a cheapass. :rolleyes:

[BonusVFR]

Now mind you it was probably before the recent rains when they shot this Satellite photo and the campground was a little greener and packed but you can really see where I was. I will not have to steal any more of Sebspeeds pictures for my trip report.

:lol: :lol: And I was about to let you sponser a road trip in California for me, in exchange for pics from the 101!! :P Great little gadgets, those GPS's are. I had a Magellan unit that I took with me on my big trip, but I never even turned it on... just used directions I printed out from Yahoo maps...

I have noticed that some of the younger folks on this board have problems with high technology stuff. :goofy:

Maps I don't need no stinking maps!

http://www.moviediva.com/MD_root/MDimages/badges.wav

Lodging available at Casa BonusVFR.

Here our house rules. I found these bad examples in somebody's album.

Just remember you can not sit on your ass or smoke in California! <_<

And none of this in the house.

Look forward to the photos!

Edited March 22, 2007 by BonusVFR

[BonusVFR]

I had a Magellan unit that I took with me on my big trip, but I never even turned it on... just used directions I printed out from Yahoo maps...

I'd at least have turned it on. Paper maps are fine by me so far. For a long trip to unfamiliar turf, yeah then I might really want one. :thumbsup:

I love the satellite images / maps. I've seen plenty on computers, and they're getting better all the time.

But, Do they have those on handheld GPS now? That would be cool.

Still not necessary though. I must be a cheapass. :goofy:

He is young and probably likes his beer cold too. And maybe even this

Got to give him credit for some of those pics though! Those maps seem to get him to the right places.

I am frugal to say the least ........... and it takes me forever to pull the trigger. In this case my bride called Santa! I am a lucky guy and really it is fun to play with ---- the Zumo I mean. And of course the maps will be still here on the tankbag. :thumbsup:

[BonusVFR]

I finally got a chance to really see how the gas gauge works on another trip to Julian on Friday. Some of the screen shots I took to illustrate how it works were not in sequence as I could not push all the screen shot buttons at the time to make the point. And I was experimenting.

At first blush the gauge seems kind of redundant on a VFR or for that matter a Wing but……..on a trip this could be very useful.

First step is to make sure you reset your mileage functions on the fill up and ensure that the Tank range or “Miles Per Tank†is set appropriately and your fuel gauge is zeroed out. Be conservative on Tank range as there is no actual tie in with what you are actually using here just a guesstimate. There is only one setting so if you have two bikes be careful.

The fuel gauge only works when the Zumo is in the MC mount.

Besides the fuel gauge with the below picture you can see that effectively you have two more odometer functions ie Fuel Odometer and miles since you reset you Zumo odometer. That makes four total on the bike with the two that come stock.

You can see this screen anytime by touching the Speed reading on the lower left of the main Zumo screen.

You can also see that my gauge is getting to the Red Zone on my fuel. But no warning yet.

From the above screen you can reset:

Odometer – I only reset this to log each day.

Max Speed – Do you really want this recorded?????

Trip Data – I will reset this prior to a long trip and ensure beforehand that I have downloaded tracks from previous trips. This data is what goes into Mapsource and Google Earth and can also be displayed as tracks on the Zumo. Do not reset this at a gas station or your multiday trip data will be lost.

Fuel Gauge – This is what you reset when you fill up.

Miles Per Tank – Again a one time conservative setting in miles on how far your bike will go on a tank. In this case I had mine set at 240 miles (Wing this time out).

At EXACTLY 30 miles before your tank range you get an aural and a visual low fuel alarm . The alarm

Your main Zumo Screen looks like this now. Note the Fuel Pump icon.

You touch the Fuel Pump Icon and you get this.

Is this great on the road or what. This is handy especially if you like one type of gas or you have a Mobile Speedpass thingamajig on your key ring which allows you to fill up without pulling out your credit card and wallet.

You select your Gas Station.

That phone number on the gas station could also mean that you could call on your BT phone/Zumo rig – why I will never know. Actually you could use a Zumo search and find this station if you had a puncture or whatever.

Directions to selected Gas Station.

The odometer page after the alarm has sounded. No change here except less gas.

I think that this function is valuable and I will use it on my longer trips on unfamiliar terrain. :rolleyes: :thumbsup:

What do you think?

[BonusVFR]

Final Zumo Install

I purchased and installed another Zumo Power Cord and wired it to my previously described switched Bluesea fuse box. The rationale for the relay controlled input to the Zumo was that I did not want to have permanent power to the Garmin MC cradle. In this shot, I do not have the Zumo leads on the fuse box yet.

I ran the power cord up the left side of the bike between the seam of the frame and tank. I rigged the cord so that I could use the Zumo on the left grip housing or the tank RAM mounts. I wanted the option as I may need the flexibility based on the gizmos I strap on.

I ensured that I had enough cable for at least the Std/Med RAM arm which is needed to clear my tank bag be it on the left or tank RAM mount.

Please note that the short RAM arm is included in the Zumo package.

Alternatively I found another power cord option from Powerlet, which would work well with my BMW style Powerlet power plug in my stem. I prefer to keep my Powerlet free for other useless doodads.

I also tried out the long RAM arm on the center tank mount, which brings the Zumo up a couple of inches and is easier to see at a glance. This is probably how I will run my Zumo.

The long arm provides this view from the cockpit (helmet/rider view), when a tank bag is fitted.

N.B. I am sitting on my new Sargent courtesy of the VFRD. Thanks again. :thumbsup:

I fit the tank bag on all of my long trips and you need at least the Std RAM Arm to clear the bag.

For the moment, I will use my 3.5 mm IMC headset or earbuds for my Navigation prompts, MP3 tunes and cell phone input.

Downstream, I may rig a transmit capability for my cell but it is not a priority on the VFR. I already have that functionality on the Wing.

[BonusVFR]

Hi,

I've been convinced. I'm supposed to receive my Zumo tomorrow. :salesman:

Where did you get your ram tank ball and all the accessories needed to install the zumo between the tank and the handlebars?

Thanks for the infos,

You will be happy.

Try the Ubolt Ram Mount and toss the Ubolt :wheel:

http://www.cyclegadgets.com/Products/product.asp?item=RAM-BA

These guys work as well as anyone.

You can see what the top part with the Ram Ball looks like here.

and here

You will need to get slightly longer bolts but almost any specialty bolt place has them.

[BonusVFR]

I had a question as to what wire I tapped to get the hot lead for the relay.

I have a 99 so here goes.

There are two wires coming from my licence plate light. One Brown and one Green. They are protected by a black wrap. This is confirmed from the wiring diagram courtesy of VFRD. All of the wires for all the lights go back into a common harness/rats nest also wrapped in black.

The hot one is the Brown. Green is ground. You can confirm the ground as all the other lights on the rear end use color wire in common - a Green ground. You can see that in the picture below.

I spliced into the brown wire - the green wire goes behind the Tconnector (in the picture) back into the black wrap.

To test, before I spliced I used my red relay wire to hook into the plug where the brown L. plate light lead was. You can see the existing connector that I used - it has a male connector. The test worked the relay worked and the L. plate light did not. Obviously the brown bare lead goes to light and since it was unpluged the L. plate light did not work.

Make sense?

Edited April 1, 2007 by BonusVFR

[BonusVFR]

I am off to the Southern Sierras for a full road test of the Zumo and my Mapsource skills (?) When I get back I may be smart enough to write up a dumbman's guide/lessons learned to Mapsource and the Zumo. Maybe???

My last trip (May 06) to the High Sierras and numerous wrong turns were the genesis of my desire in the first place for a GPS/Zumo.

I reposted/expanded my original VFRD Sierra Trip Report below. Several new pictures are posted including some RC45s.

For you guys going to the GP, take a pass through the Sierras!

"Relatives and then the High Sierras on a VFR and a Wee in 06"

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217076

[BonusVFR]

More On the Road with the Zumo and Mapsource

Just got back from a 1,300 mile trip to the Southern Sierras and a full Zumo test.

The GPS gets high marks and more than lived up to my expectations. I took my Wing on this trip as the Zumo is fully integrated into my sound system and I have the cell transmit function setup and I was anticipating some slab work to get there and back. But do I have to apologize?

Oh yes, I also have heated grips on the big bird and have not installed mine on the VFR yet.

But first you have to talk about trip planning. I planned the four day trip on Mapsource 6.12.3. This is critical to know as there have been several recent upgrades/fixes to MS to better support the Zumo. Make sure you upgrade both MS and the Zumo, which is up to version 3.20 now (4changes/updates since Santa came).

There are three enormous advantages in using Mapsource with the Zumo over Street and Trips and trust me the list does not start with the user friendliness of Mapsource.

#1. Since the PC planning software map is the same when you find a place to stay in Kernville on your PC for example and then plug the route into the Zumo – the Pine Cone Lodge will be there as the map and POI/places databases are the same.

And Voila you follow the route and the Pine Cone is there.

#2 When you finish your trip and want to figure what you did versus what you planned you just have to load the trip logs into MS and you are ready to go to include loading the files into Google Earth with the touch of the mouse. This is the Borrego Campground, I showed a few thousand posts ago. You can also see the dotted track data on the Mapsource screen shot above as it heads north out of town as we tried to get over the pass the next morning – road closed though.

#3 When you craft a Mapsource route properly you do not build a lot of hard Waypoints like you have to do in Street and Trips to drive the route to a particularly twisty section whatever. You just use the route tool and change your route to accommodate your road preferences. The advantage of this is that you do not have a bunch of unnecessary flags/waypoints on your display which causes your Zumo to announce these places even though you do not care or want to hear about it.

You can see the waypoints/flags on this route constructed in Street and Trips or in MS if you use hard Waypoint – all of those flags interrupt your “Run the Ridges†MP3 file!

When you construct the route using MS and the route tool you eliminate all that.

This is a simple instruction set that I purloined off the Zumoforum website, which has replaced the old razorbike forum I posted previously.

http://www.zumoforums.com/zumo/viewtopic.php?p=2965#2965 There are more tips on the site.

1. In Mapsource, click on Route Tool. Click first (start) waypoint on map, scroll map to where your next waypoint should be, click again (2 waypoints will join), repeat this until you finish your route.

2. Is a waypoint in the wrong place? select 'Selection Tool' (arrow), click on waypoint to move, drag it to new position, click and revised Route is drawn.

3. Add additional waypoint into route? Right-click on yellow line of existing Route, select 'insert route selection', move (as 2.) to desired position.

4. Open Route Properties, untick 'Autoname', write your name fore this route in box.

5. Select Transfer / Send to Device, select Garmin, click Send

6. Unplug Zumo from USB, In Zumo click Yes to 'New Data Found', select Routes, click Import. Route is now in Zumo Route folder.

Here is another post that I had to read many times - “Mapsource Basics or MS for Dummies†– wonder why? Great stuff!

http://zumoforums.com/zumo/viewtopic.php?t...light=mapsource

Next - More MS and Zumo lessons learned

Edited April 10, 2007 by BonusVFR

[V4 Rosso]

You can see the waypoints/flags on this route constructed in Street and Trips or in MS if you use hard Waypoint – all of those flags interrupt your “Run the Ridges†MP3 file!

That viappoints are announced like waypoints, was introduced with recent versions of Mapsource I hate it and I hope they fix that soon.

Tip from other gps forum: To reduce the number of flags, only put a waypoint at the start and the end of a route. Place viapoints on intersections where the route goes straight on. If you have to take a left or right at some intersection, put the viapoint at the next intersection where the route again goes straigh on. When a viapoint is placed on an intersection it is not announced.

This only works for the Zumo, on Streetpilots the viapoints are still announced.

Here you'll find a webapplication that takes a Mapsource generated route in gpx format and transforms the viapoints to hidden viapoints that are not announced on the Zumo. Use the button "bladeren" to upload your gpx file en press the button "verberg via-punten". Download the manipulated gpx file and upload it to the Zumo.

Edited April 10, 2007 by V4 Rosso

[BonusVFR]

I have suspended my lessons learned bit till I get this out of my system.

I did not want to do this but my hand has been forced by my woeful attempts to KISS. You do not have to be a GPS aficionado (there are other harsher words I could choose) to operate the Zumo or for that matter Mapsource. If you are one of those simpler down to earth guys stop reading here. My wife describles me that way except she uses the adjective lazy too.

Warning - if you do read on do not consider this the Gospel just another neophyte passing gas.

Unfortunately, there are lots of confusing terms in regards optimizing Zumo routes ie waypoints, viapoints, favorites, shaping points etc and ad nauseum points. But as you get into it you most naturally want to fine tune what they can do with the machine on tour. I am starting to move in the latter direction as I become more comfortable with the Zumo/mapsource interface. This is not an esoteric discussion as some of the above does change how your Zumo performs and talks to you literally.

But you can manage without most of it so go back to paragraph two if you still kept reading and really did not want to. You can get there from here or to here.

To get a grasp of the nuances of route planning you just have to read the Manual eh WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those stinking Manuals are just to get you going or to make you dangerous so go back to para two again if you must!

No, you have to spend some quality time, surfing and experimenting with the MS/Zumo. This awareness does not come by osmosis or by doing this the night before while on tour. :beer:

You have got to work at it and there is no bible that I know of. Just a bunch of stuff written by good natured fools like me based on their experiences. Everybody is well intentioned but it is like trying to reverse engineer something much better to have the afore mentioned secret sauce but we do not!

Unfortunately this is also a moving target as both the Zumo and Mapsource software are changing concurrently. In other words what works today my not tomorrow as things change.

For example version 3.0 of the Zumo software offered this - "Added ability to treat certain route vias as shaping points which will not be flagged or announced. Qualified shaping points are Intersections and points on roads which are not addresses, such as I-35N or HwyA. Requires routes to be created with MapSource 6.12.1 or using the zumo route planner."

Whatever that means. Regardless, this is what V4 Rosso was alluding to in his post.

Ok here is the short course (intact) again lifted from others so I can proclaim "plausible deniability" or don't blame me if you take responsibility like I do.

Layman's Description of Waypoint/viapoints and Shaping Points source - http://www.zumoforums.com/zumo/viewtopic.php?t=1132

"It depends upon if you want those points announced or if you are using them just to direct the route.

Here's the way I try to think about it. First of all, all the points in the route are viapoints.

Some are waypoints which are listed under the Waypoints tab and will be announced if they are inserted into the route. If you bring up the properties box, you can edit all the properties of the waypoint.

Some are shaping points which are special points that are placed at intersections to direct the route. The point properties box calls them a "map intersection" point and you can't edit the properties.

Some are neither. The point properties call them "map line" points instead "map intersection" points and you can't edit the properties.

For me Waypoints are places I want to stop along the route. Whether that's a restaurant, a scenic overlook, or whatever. I want the Zumo to tell me when I've gotten to those places. They are important to my trip. They will be flagged and announced on the route.

Route shaping points are points that simply exist on the route to "force" the route down that particular road. I don't need to have them announced because I'm not going to stop there. I don't even really care about the point itself. It exists solely to make the route go where I want it to. If properly placed, they won't be flagged or announced on the route.

The points that are neither will be flagged and announced on the route. Sometimes this in a pain if the points aren't important to the route which is why there are shaping points. Sometimes though, there's no intersection for you to place a point and you have to place one of these.

When you are making a route in MapSource, if you put the viapoints on intersections, they will help "shape" the route, but won't be flagged or announced when you are routing. They exist solely to force the route to go down that road, hence one of the members here dubbed them PONI (points of no interest."

OK I am back albeit briefly here is a further explanation of the new kid on the block shaping points. Source - http://zumoforums.com/zumo/viewtopic.php?t...t=shaping+point

"Waypoints are saved locations (they show up in the Mapsource Waypoints tab) that may or may not be used in a route. If they are added to the route, they will be flagged and announced on the route. Also, of course, the route will be "forced" to that location.

Viapoints are simply points along the route that are added by the user. They may be Waypoints, shaping points, or neither. If they are added in accordance with the method described for creating Shaping Points, they won't be flagged or announced. If they are added by selecting the route and dragging it to a location that doesn't qualify as a shaping point, they will be flagged and announced. Either way, the route is "forced" to go to/through the location.

Shaping Points are points on the route that are created at intersections and points on roads which are not addresses. You can add them to your route by them by creating points along your route which meet these criteria. They will not be flagged or announced. The route will be "forced" through the location.

There's no "button" to change a Waypoint into another "type" of point. You just need to create a new point (and then possibly delete the other point if you don't need/want it).

Yes, when Waypoints are part of a route, they are called Vias because your route is going "via" that location. Otherwise, they are like Favorites. They show up, but they don't help define the route

In the Zumo, a waypoint is called a favorite. Waypoints is the old name Garmin have used until they invented the "Favorite", in the new series of navigators, where the Zumo is one."

OK I am done clear now??????? <_<

Do you wish you had finished at para two? I warned you. :beer:

But with the Zumo and using the basics can get you to this easily

Next Simple Tips and Lessons Learned

Edited May 2, 2007 by BonusVFR

[BonusVFR]

Sorry, but I have been thinking whether I should have weather on Zumo???? Don’t ask me more.

The Zumo does everything at this point except weather radar which I have seen on the 478 series and is very neat.

I am fairly spoiled in California in terms of local climate change, but I can see this would be real handy on a long tour. Before I go on a trip I look at the long range forecast but it only goes so far and is only so good.

The weather XM capability requires the add-on GXM30 antenna.

The subscription for the NavTraffic (which includes weather) is about 10 bucks per month. These shots borrowed from another user for illustration purposes only :beer:

Really - lessons learned next

[V4 Rosso]

Quite a few have been surprised with the number of software fixes/upgrades the Zumo has received. More are expected. Garmin are responding to the MC side anyway.

Indeed. I heard a lot of Zumo owners complained that recalculation of the route is not optional, like the streetpilots, but that it will be after the next software upgrade.

Also, did you allready check out Zumo Connect on the Garmin website, where you can share routes?

Guess what, I thought the use of shaping points only worked on the Zumo, but I tried them with my SPIII and it works like a charm, they are not announced :thumbsup: It seems that that it works on the Zumo, SPIII and SP2610. the SP2720 & 2820 behave differently, that is, shaping points are still announced.

It takes a little more work to draw a route in Mapsource using shaping points, but at least you're able to draw a route without using that many waypoints. Biggest issue with uninteresting waypoints on a SPIII is that the SPIII is not that fast in redrawing the screen, which it has to do several times when you're about to pass a waypoint.

[BonusVFR]

Then there is “next generation†radar (NEXRAD) weather, which is not available yet on the Zumo. This is for the hard core tour and adventure guys.

Gee, I think I will pull under a tree or do the "Beverages on the Road" thread thing! <_<

[V4 Rosso]

A guy on Dutch gps forum found a way to increase the volme of TTS for Zumo and Nüvi, here you find the howto using a simple hex editor: http://www.xs4all.nl/~marcop/upload/garmin...o_TTSvoices.pdf

HTH.

[BonusVFR]

I know this is the VFR forum, but like you I have both a 98 VFR and a 2002 GL1800. I am considering the Zumo and was wondering how you connected the GPS to the GL1800 integrated intercom and soundsystem. Does it come with the Zumo or do you need a accessory from Kennedy or similar?

Why would anybody want a VFR and a Wing?

Anyway the install on the Wing is pretty easy. Use the RAM mounts that come with the Zumo to put on your left grip. I did use the med length arm but I am back to the short arm that comes with the Zumo package.

Next wire the Zumo power harness to the accessory terminals (which are switched) on the stock Wing fusebox and run the wire up (someway) to the left glove box area. Alternatively you can tap into the switched power connectors under the left glove box.

Go down to Walmart and buy a $5 dollar 3.5mm plug/wire extension and attach it to your Aux plug which is (you guessed it) under the left glove box.

Now you have a switched Nav/MP3/Cell receive capability.

If you want to talk on the cell through your existing intercom/headset call Jon at Goldwingadgets and buy the Kennedy GL1800 microphone integration components for about $115. That is what I did and would do again.

http://www.goldwinggadgets.com/GPS.htm#ZumoMic

Jon/Kennedy do have a cleaner power plug/auxext/phone input harness, which is cleaner looking than the above but am not sure how much it costs.

I can talk on my cell thru the Zumo, which incidentally has a lot better screen than any cell. You do not need anything to listen to the cell on Wing once you plug the aux in and turn on your BT on your phone. Phone and Zumo link automatically. I just leave the cell in the glove box plugged into the 12v charger.

You have to turn on the intercom to talk on the cell – works fine. You have to monkey with the mute and stuff but you can figure it out when/if you get it.

There are more expensive and comprehensive Kennedy integration kits but this does the basics well.

Jon at Goldwinggadgets is a jock on GL systems.

Here is a diagram of how far you can go. Sorry VFR guys but this is important - you may need this stuff someday yourself....... <_<

Enjoy!

[BonusVFR]

Useful Things about the Zumo.

I have now played with the Zumo since the sleigh arrived in Dec and have pushed buttons during numerous short excursions on the MCs and truck. I planned two multi day trips where I built routes on the Zumo, and on the PC with Mapsource and Microsoft Streets and Trips.

The Zumo is very easy to operate. The touch screen and hard buttons are a snap to use even with gloves.

Here are some observations of what I like and use most so far:

First of all most new Zumo users will not appreciate how fast and how easily the Zumo homes on the satellites. You will take it for granted – well because it works very well and you have not experienced the delays associated with some of the older units. This is largely a function of the High-Sensitivity receiver or the SIRFstarIII chipset, which is considered to be the state of the art.

See - there is a reward for being late to the party or a procrastinator.

The redraw and recalculate times are even faster, which means you take the wrong road just to see what would happen the Zumo is instantly on the case unless you turn off or Stop navigating.

Whether you are in your garage, testing with your PC or in dense foliage or a canyon this thing never fails to get a fix and quickly. Even better when you are reviewing your route on battery at lunch or in some god forsaken establishment that evening, you will be able to calculate or change your route to fit your circumstances. While on the road I now know exactly where I am.

Knowing what is up ahead can be helpful in the twisties especially if you are riding a 900 lb motorcycle. But obviously watch the road too!

The feature I use the most is the distance to the next turn which is on the main screen. If you want a voice prompt beyond what the system gives automatically all you have to do is touch the lower right part of the screen and you get Jill or whatever babe you want to talk to you.

I like the fact that the prompt gives me the actual street name, ie text-to-speech, and distance as opposed to just take a left in X feet. This gets you looking for the sign precisely at the right time and actually improves your awareness I find.

Towards the middle of the day on tour, I start paying more attention to the ETA or Arrival time for the day. There are also two ways to get miles to go for the day either by getting to the MAP screen previously described.

Or by touching or sequencing the third hard button to the compass row screen.

This is of course all based on you loading one route for each planned day on the road. If your route or loop is longer than one day the ETA and miles to go features loose their bloom and value.

One significant bonus for the Zumo is that you can change your route on the fly and get an estimate of what it will take to get there ie miles/time.

Another especially useful feature on the road/tour is looking up the closest gas or hotels. Sure beats the heck out of cruising the town or even diverting into a town for a wasted search. Historically, I have planned with Streets and Trips and reviewed what town had dumps/gas in it. But on the fly, I just guessed. With Zumo I can instantly find what the choices are in Booneville USA. Now I see the choice on the screen, pick what I want and GO.

Rolling out of the twisties up to an intersection and not knowing which way is gas can be a problem. Go left or right I don’t know. No problem with the Zumo. I outlined the gas gage capabilities in an earlier post but that is prompted/alarmed by getting low as opposed to wanting to take a break and gas up at the same time.

Of course the Quality of dB is not perfect just like everything else. We pulled up to this place in Kernville on Zumo power – the price was right.

The main office. Friendly bunch with free continental breakfast.

Turns out the motel had moved down the street a touch. The places dB is of course out of date but tell me what set of records anywhere is not. Kind of funny though.

This one was in the dB.

My Outlook is controlled by me and guess what? It is not perfect either. As a former software company guy, I can appreciate the problem. Mostly right works most of the time on the Zumo.

Altitude feature when combined with the VFR/Wing temp gage gives you a sense when things could turn on you and what could be up ahead.

Ice on the road seems to be a fair indicator tooooo – Rt 168 by Lake Huntington.

I was not born with a cell phone as such as I indicated in previous posts I was skeptical of the whole Cell phone use on the Zumo at first. I am a believer now after using the feature on two outings.

And on last weeks Sierra tour, I called ahead and our dinner was ready when we crashed a buddies house for chow. Cool. Oh yea I can see the screen and cell functions on my Zumo about 100 times better than Razr cell.

More on Routing Next

[BonusVFR]

Just a note about extra storage and SD cards. The Zumo can now handle HC SD cards. I have loaded my 4 gig SanDisk card with my kind of music. As a guideline, you can anticipate as much as 500 MP3 Songs per gig, dependent the quality of your MP3s. Quality and volume are good.

When I play this … :music:

I am so glad I don’t have to use this anymore. :cool: Note the khaki RAM mount and real time archive system for track logs. :goofy:

This is what I listen to while running the ridges in the Sierras. I hope to get to TN soon.

There is apparently a software driven 1,000 song limit for now. And make sure you put the MP3s on in a separate MP3 directory on the card as apparently the root directory can only handle so many songs.

You can save pictures and routes on the card. This is how you can pass routes to other Zumo users on tour too. Screen shots of the Zumo go into a separate directory on the Zumo itself.

Another database, I put on the SD card was the list of Honda dealers in the US. The dealer and other lists are available on the net in a variety of places. Maybe you want Starbucks dealers (I don’t) on your Zumo for example – you can have it.

You load these supplementary data sets (in this case a csv file) on the card using the Garmin POI (Places of Interest) loader, which you can download from Garmin. I used the beta version only because I am an early adopter – NOT. But I did anyway.

I don’t anticipate that I will use this because I have a VFR but……….

Let us say you are on tour and about to ride CA 36 from Eureka to Red Bluff which I hope to do in May. Before you launch off on one of the great roads of California, you feel like you need to check out the rumors of a RC-45 motor in the 7th generation VFR at the local dealer, apparently it is on the showroom floor – now!

7th Gen Prototype with Traction Control? Bags optional.

You know how to get there. Just follow the Red Wing that is on the Tank and the Zumo and Touch GO.

Places of Interest – Honda Dealers Eureka California

Route Lessons Learned next - sorry

[BonusVFR]

Really awesome write up. I just purchased my Zumo 550 and will get it installed tomorrow for my Saturday ride. Thanks for all the VERY DETAILED information. It made my GPS decision a snap.

One :goofy: question though, if you dont mind, forgive me if you already posted the answers...I might have missed it amidst all your posts.

1. I would love to take advantage of the hands-free cell phone abilities. What is your method of using the Zumo with your bluetooth phone? I have a Blackberry w/ bluetooth and have looked at several products to get hands-free reception in my helmet. What is yours?

Thanks!

I answered this for the Wing at the top of page 4. Now for that lovely 25th version.

If it was me :cool: ........and I did not have a headset and I was not getting a autocom/starcom type box, I would buy a Zumo rig (see pic below) plus a headset from Edsets. Their headsets have a fabulous rep with the Goldwing guys.

For me I could use this headset on my Wing or the VFR. :thumbsup:

The only problem with the Edsets would be that it might not work with the auto/starcom boxes as those guys use lots of proprietary connections. This would be a problem if downstream you wanted to add a RD or some other gizmo to your listening pleasure.

If you already have a headset/earbuds - what kind? Then you have to figure out if you want to jury rig a transmit capability or buy a new headset/mic combo.

Remember you do not need to buy anything to hear the phone if you have a headset already. Just turn on the BT on the phone and you are linked to the Zumo. Talking is the problem/opportunity.

Edited April 19, 2007 by BonusVFR

[BonusVFR]

Awesome information. So in conclusion, I will hardwire for MP3s and future XM, then I think I will just use Zumo BT and pull over if I need to contact the wife :D

But before you pull over and take off all your gear, you will be able to see that you have cell reception or if she called.

With the Zumo - you do not need to do this

Because you already know! Plus you can read the Zumo screen 100 times better than any stinking cell screen!

[BonusVFR]

Let us put this BT/Zumo thing in context: :goofy:

You are riding along enjoying this road, 190 in the Southern Sierras - export from Zumo track log to Mapsource to Google earth

Or you are storing pictures of the "bikes" at the Laguna GP race on your Zumo

Your Zumo is primed and ready to receive it looks like this.

And this happens - what do you do?

Wow! <_<

Is this a new thread?

Edited April 19, 2007 by BonusVFR

[BonusVFR]

With regards to Route planning, I have done basically a 180 in my approach since December.

Previously in my posts, I outlined/restated some of the technical procedures used to construct routes, waypoints and shaping points etc. This time, I hope to give you a more conceptual approach to optimizing Zumo routes.

The only lesson learned I have mentioned so far really has been: one route – one day. :thumbsup:

Despite my predilection for S&T and its simplicity and effectiveness, I force myself to use Mapsource to plan my routes. I may use Street and Trips to plan with a broad brush, but not when I get to point of actually downloading a route to the Zumo.

Mapsource and Zumo together just have too many advantages to not use them for route making let alone the replay of the trip.

Initially my routes were a reflection of the way I used the Microsoft product – namely making waypoints/stops to force the route to specific mountain and scenic byways.

Hence when I made a route in Mapsource it looked like this. Note all the locations on the map which correlate with waypoints and ultimately Zumo Flags.

On the Zumo it looks like this – see all the flags which are waypoints or favorites.

Again the ramification of all this is that I would hear Jill all the time telling me stuff which was not critical to where I was going.

AND that was assuming that my waypoints were constructed properly :idea3: ...more on this later...!! <_<

With the old tank bag annotated map, a whole bunch of scribbling/notes is no problem as the human brain just ignores the irrelevant and focuses on what is important for the moment. That is a hell of smoothing algorithm – we should all be proud we have one.

Zumo is not that smart and has to tell you everything even if you do not care – cause it does not know what you mean just what you asked it to do – however unintentionally.

Using Mapsource with shaping Points at street intersections my routes now look more like this

See how the entire portion to the east was constructed without waypoints. I just used shaping points at intersections to make a seamless route.

In sum this is what I do now. I use the route tool and pick the start and end and let the computer have a shot a finding the route based on my preferences set in Mapsource. If I do not like it I use shaping points at intersections to drive the route to what I like. If you use shaping points at particular points as opposed to intersections it has basically the same result as a waypoint. Your via point (waypoint/shaping point) is announced.

Waypoints still have their place i.e. you want to stop at a particular place for lunch/view/pick up a friend, must see venues etc.

Some folks over at the Zumoforums are calling waypoints used solely to drive a route, PONI or Points of No Interest as opposed to the POI databases which are put in the Zumo because they have interest - my Honda dealers for example.

I went from Manual to Auto route making.

Now a word about setting up your preferences. From the new MapSource window, choose 'Edit -> Preferences' and then select the 'Routing' tab. For more scenic routes, it would seem that you should choose 'shorter distance' and set the road type slider more toward 'Prefer Minor Roads'. After all, VFRs are about twisty stuff right.

However if you set the bar too far towards the minor roads you will get on every feeder road in the western hemisphere, which can be a real pain trying to fix.

Trust me you do not need the slider bar all the way to the left to see this in the Southern Sierras...

or this

or this

Imagine you are taking a major road trying to head to the hills – you could get off every exit and parallel on flop house row. :goofy:

Anyway for what it is worth here are my current preferences.

Let me say this again with different words. Shorter Route or off highway routing tends to drive you to jump off the freeway/main road at every conceivable opportunity. I find it a lot easier to use the shaping tools to take you off the main drag once when you want to. As opposed to having to a route that has you off on the feeder roads every 2 miles. Remember you hit the highway trying to get across a hot valley quickly.

Next more on waypoint and shaping point placement and the pitfalls.

And Please Jump in here with more ideas!

Edited April 21, 2007 by BonusVFR

[BonusVFR]

Route Lessons learned Part two

Now that we are all using some sort of points, here are a few tips to avoid mistakes that I alluded to above.

The key is to really zoom in to make sure you point is on the road otherwise this happens. This illustration shot is by a GPS maestro (Goldwinggadget) who runs an electronic firm supporting GPS stuff mostly for the wing. This happens to be a waypoint.

You see that because the viapoint placement was off the road the route got hosed. You really can not see what you have done if you are planning from 50K Feet.

Another issue I have had is if you mark a particular town to force a route, that town or at least the center of it is often off the road you are traveling. Hence you get minor diversions to hit the geographic or political center of the town. With the waypoint tool in Mapsource the town name will appear before you select it. Could be a problem? If I followed the Zumo to the letter a couple of times I have had to get off the road to hit the point even if it a one horse town.

With S&T it is so easy to hook a town to add to your route. God knows what is going to happen when you transfer it to the Zumo.

Here is what the properties of a shaping point (a via point too) look like if you have it right. :thumbsup:

Note that the Type of point 30 is a Map Intersection and it confirms it in the Comment section by giving the respective roads.

Then Test Routes in your Zumo, before you claim brilliance! <_<

When I was experimenting using a waypoint at an intersection, this is what happened. Obviously my aim was lousy. Be careful.

If you start hearing U-turns you probably screwed up and you better hope you are not in the lead or trying to act smart.

Next a little more about the Recalculation of the Route and Trip logs

[Hobie1dog]

Great bunch of information here, especially with the pictures and explanations too.

Thanks for keeping this going guys. :thumbsup: