Garmin Nuvi 500

[OlGeezer]

Is there anything wrong with this GPS device on a motorcycle? I don't need the best in the world. After all, I will be replacing a Garmin 2610.

 

[elkroeger]

It has worked great for me. It's actually an ideal unit for me due to it's multi user modes (hike, drive, bike, etc.).

 

One problem I had was after a couple years and maybe 10,000 miles on the bike, it wouldn't stop cycling the power when plugged in. It only did that on the bike, not in the car, so I figured it must be vibration. Oddly enough, my wife's unit (the same nuvi500), started doing the same thing at about the same time, so we suspected a software bug. There were others that I recall from threads here. A while back, there was a software update for the unit which was supposed to correct the problem. I've only ridden about 400 miles with it after the update, but it seems to be working properly again.

 

So in the end, I'm still pretty happy with it. I think the only real drawback that I hear people complain about is the lack of sound piped into your headset. But I don't like the thing talking to me anyway, so that's not a problem. I really like that it has different modes. I use it quite a bit for hiking, climbing, skiing, etc. and it's great. The 500 has a much larger battery than most automotive gps's, so you're not tied to the bike. That's really nice when using it on the couch (entering data, routes, etc.) Buy a little case for it. I've had a hard time with it turning on in my bag and draining the battery.

 

 

[OlGeezer]

It has worked great for me. It's actually an ideal unit for me due to it's multi user modes (hike, drive, bike, etc.).

 

One problem I had was after a couple years and maybe 10,000 miles on the bike, it wouldn't stop cycling the power when plugged in. It only did that on the bike, not in the car, so I figured it must be vibration. Oddly enough, my wife's unit (the same nuvi500), started doing the same thing at about the same time, so we suspected a software bug. There were others that I recall from threads here. A while back, there was a software update for the unit which was supposed to correct the problem. I've only ridden about 400 miles with it after the update, but it seems to be working properly again.

 

So in the end, I'm still pretty happy with it. I think the only real drawback that I hear people complain about is the lack of sound piped into your headset. But I don't like the thing talking to me anyway, so that's not a problem. I really like that it has different modes. I use it quite a bit for hiking, climbing, skiing, etc. and it's great. The 500 has a much larger battery than most automotive gps's, so you're not tied to the bike. That's really nice when using it on the couch (entering data, routes, etc.) Buy a little case for it. I've had a hard time with it turning on in my bag and draining the battery.

 

 

Thanks. I'm the same with sound. I've already got plenty of noise in my head. Is there any problem using the touch screen with light gloves?

[elkroeger]

oh yeah, the touchscreen. I'm not sure it's any different than other touchscreens out there. It's not great with gloves. I got around that by getting one of those plastic stylus pen thingys. I also had a key-card keeper (like this) that I glued to the back of my ram mount. The end of the cord is tied to the stylus. And finally, I used some velcro on the stylus and on the top side of the ram mount to hold the pen in place. The result is wonderful - the pen works flawlessly, it's convenient right there on top, and it'll never wind up on the side of the road.

[Shiny Side Up]

Is there anything wrong with this GPS device on a motorcycle? I don't need the best in the world. After all, I will be replacing a Garmin 2610.

 

Geezer - can you still use MapSource with the 500 like the 2610 Street Pilot? (I have 2 - 2610's and love the MapSource feature.

Thnking about upgrading but don't want to give up MapSource!!

[OlGeezer]

Is there anything wrong with this GPS device on a motorcycle? I don't need the best in the world. After all, I will be replacing a Garmin 2610.

 

Geezer - can you still use MapSource with the 500 like the 2610 Street Pilot? (I have 2 - 2610's and love the MapSource feature.

Thnking about upgrading but don't want to give up MapSource!!

I'm pretty sure I can't update my maps anymore. I don't know if you can use MapSource or another version. Those familiar with the newer models would probably be more helpful.

 

[marcopolo]

Is there anything wrong with this GPS device on a motorcycle? I don't need the best in the world. After all, I will be replacing a Garmin 2610.

 

Geezer - can you still use MapSource with the 500 like the 2610 Street Pilot? (I have 2 - 2610's and love the MapSource feature.

Thnking about upgrading but don't want to give up MapSource!!

I'm pretty sure I can't update my maps anymore. I don't know if you can use MapSource or another version. Those familiar with the newer models would probably be more helpful.

 

I'd go to Garmin's website and look up the Zumo 500's specs. I don't see why it wouldn't work with Mapsource. That said, Garmin is putting all of its effort into Basecamp (both Mac and PC versions) and is not going to further develop Mapsource. I switched to Basecamp in 2010 when I switched to a Mac. If Mapsource works for you, and you have a PC, there's no reason why you can't keep using it. Basecamp, though, works better witrh the newest Garmin uniys like the Montana 600 I bought a few months bcak to replace my long-in-the-tooth 276C.

 

As for the original question about the Nuvi 500, its suitability really depends on how you plan to use it. For me, I'd be concerned about it only being able to store 10 routes and 500 waypoints. I assume this is in its internal memory (unlike some units, Garmin does not say how large the internal memory is). It can accept microSD cards, so once again I'm assuming you can load more there. I don't see a rugged mount as being offered by Garmin, so you'd have to figure out how you'd mount it. Also, is there a power/data cable offered so that you can hard wire it to the bike if you wanted to?