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Garmin 550 Installed

Wheeler~

RT-S PE#0311
My Garmin 550 bracket was installed late yesterday afternoon. A KewlMetal bracket was used and installation took about an hour. Received the Bracket last week Wednesday. I'm pleased with the results! :2thumbs:
 
Looks good. :thumbup: Looks like the bracket extends up past the top of the garmin. Any thoughts on trimming the bracket down? Looks like a potential snag point for gloves or something when reaching for the key.

Chris
 
Looks good. :thumbup: Looks like the bracket extends up past the top of the garmin. Any thoughts on trimming the bracket down? Looks like a potential snag point for gloves or something when reaching for the key.

Chris

With all of it's slots and holes, the bracket is shaped to accommodate several different devices. The bracket doesn't extend far enough outside the height of the Garmin to be a problem and the finish is smooth where snagging doesn't pose a problem. His original pics of the first prototype, just didn't look properly finished. The bracket I received, is well designed and finished. Great job Matt!
 
Wiring

Looks great Wheeler~. I've ordered the same combo. Got the Garmin from CostCo and the KewlMetal mount. How did you handle the wiring? I was thinking of installing a PowerLet. Did you hard wire?
 
Looks great Wheeler~. I've ordered the same combo. Got the Garmin from CostCo and the KewlMetal mount. How did you handle the wiring? I was thinking of installing a PowerLet. Did you hard wire?
It is hardwired. I don't do much mechanical work on my bikes but I watch to become familiar. Several skins had to be removed to route the wiring. I can't see where most work on the Spyder isn't going to involve stripping it to the bones. It's a vehicle with it's heart and moving parts, well hidden.
 
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Nice job. Looks great.

I eagerly await my mounting bracket from KewlMetal.

When I installed the Starcom 1, I pre-wired everything in anticipation of mounting the Zumo 550.

When did you order yours ? Mine supposedly came back from the painter last week and was ready for shipping.

Did I mention that I am eagerly waiting for my mounting bracket to come in ? I'm leaving for the Dragon (or parts nearby if it's not open) on April 17th. I'd like to install my Zumo before then.

I posted this in another thread, I hope to come up with some sort of cover for the Garmin mount so it doesn't sit there looking all clunky and naked with the Zumo removed. The BRP 660 mount has a nice cover to clean up the installation when the GPS is removed.
 
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Install?

My Garmin 550 bracket was installed late yesterday afternoon. A KewlMetal bracket was used and installation took about an hour. Received the Bracket last week Wednesday. I'm pleased with the results! :2thumbs:

Did you install the mount or the dealer? I'm fairly handy and am curious if I could do it myself? Thanks!
 
Skypup:
You can certainly install it yourself. We made our own and mounted it. We have not done the permanent wiring because we are expecting the CB in the near future so I only want to tear it down once.

Click on our signature picture for PE 528 and it may show you the picture of the handlebars.

Cap
 
Skypup:
You can certainly install it yourself. We made our own and mounted it. We have not done the permanent wiring because we are expecting the CB in the near future so I only want to tear it down once.

Click on our signature picture for PE 528 and it may show you the picture of the handlebars.

Cap

Thanks..........saw it. Is that a mount you designed or a kewl mount? How does it attach?
 
Kewl Metal Disappoints

I mounted mine yesterday afternoon & was disappointed when I opened the center console storage door & found that it now hits the bottom of the Zumo 550 GPS cradle and drops back closed. I believe there is room for improvement on this bracket design. I will look at it further to see if I can possible drill new holes and mount the GPS cradle higher.

Of the three KewlMetal items I have purchased, this bracket, the mirror extensions & the highway boards brackets for my wife's '08 GS, only the highway boards brackets have not produced unintended consequences (I'm very happy with these brackets!). I'm inclined to believe that, in their rush to get the other two products out for sale quickly, their designs of the mirror extensions and this GPS bracket suffered.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this GPS bracket.
 
I mounted mine yesterday afternoon & was disappointed when I opened the center console storage door & found that it now hits the bottom of the Zumo 550 GPS cradle and drops back closed. I believe there is room for improvement on this bracket design. I will look at it further to see if I can possible drill new holes and mount the GPS cradle higher.

Of the three KewlMetal items I have purchased, this bracket, the mirror extensions & the highway boards brackets for my wife's '08 GS, only the highway boards brackets have not produced unintended consequences (I'm very happy with these brackets!). I'm inclined to believe that, in their rush to get the other two products out for sale quickly, their designs of the mirror extensions and this GPS bracket suffered.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this GPS bracket.

I just checked out the the glove box and you're right. It does hit the bottom of the GPS cradle when opened and therefore it does cause the center console door to drop closed. I don't think it's a deal breaker but it was nice when the door did latch open for easy item loading and removal. It doesn't appear it will blemish the lid unless you really push it open with force. I'm not sure the design of the 550 isn't the reason for that inconvenience. If the Gamin mount was higher it would make key insertion more difficult. Kind of a catch 22. None the less, I like the location of the Zumo and I can live with the minor inconvenience. It doesn't affect what you can store in the center console, just the ease of access.
 
Marc,

You can mount the GPS higher up on the bracket if you like. I will review this and any other feedback and we will tweak the design if necessary.

The current bracket is somewhat generic so it can be used for mounting a variety of things.

I just looked at this and because of the generic nature of the mount you can move the Garmin cradle up and use the 2 bottom screws with a washer behind and put the screws through the slots. Then there is a whole range of adjustment up and down and you can tighten the GPS down exactly where you like it.


Matt
 
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It would seem to me that a bracket that has a tighter bend at the bottom, plus shorter spacers/bolts might resolve this issue. The idea is to tuck the Zumo straight in, closer to the center of the handlebars, as close as is possible. This might give the clearance necessary to allow the center console storage lid to open as designed, without having to move the Zumo cradle up on the bracket. You might be able to gain 3/4" or more. I'm sitting here at work & not looking at the RT as I speculate on this, so my estimate of how much space would be saved is only a guess.

It would be interesting to see how the OEM mounted Zumo 660 addresses this.
 
Marc,

The bracket also mounts the 660 which is wider. Also, you have to accommodate the bend dies on the inside bend.

Like I said, try the washer behind the slot using only the 2 bottom screws (more than enough) and you will have quite a lot of adjustment. The hole patterns will evolve as I get more information and try different GPS units.

Matt
 
Marc,

The bracket also mounts the 660 which is wider. Also, you have to accommodate the bend dies on the inside bend.

Like I said, try the washer behind the slot using only the 2 bottom screws (more than enough) and you will have quite a lot of adjustment. The hole patterns will evolve as I get more information and try different GPS units.

Matt


I'l give that a try. Thanks!
 
550 Bracket for RTS

How long did you have to wait for your bracket to be shipped? I ordered one a t least 3 weeks ago and have contacted them several times and have been told the brackets are out for painting will be shipped soon. I got the same e-mail today. Just wondering if most have recieved the bracket or there is some problem with my order.
 
How long did you have to wait for your bracket to be shipped? I ordered one a t least 3 weeks ago and have contacted them several times and have been told the brackets are out for painting will be shipped soon. I got the same e-mail today. Just wondering if most have recieved the bracket or there is some problem with my order.

Ditto, Over a month now and I'm not holding my breath nor am I buying anything else...
 
Ditto, Over a month now and I'm not holding my breath nor am I buying anything else...

Me too. Got the same story that the brackets are just back from the painter and it will be shipped in the next few days. I got that story twice as well.

I'm leaving on a trip soon. I'm eagerly waiting for the bracket.

Did you guys see this post ??

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=190289&postcount=1

I may try something similar if I can't get the bracket. I've already got a RAM Ball that would do very nicely.
 
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