Looking for a good GPS - Touring, no off road. Considering Garmin Zumo XT - thoughts?

[Mooster]

Looking for a good GPS. Touring, no off road. Considering the Garmin ZUMO XT. What are your thoughts?

 

[troop]

Looking for a good GPS. Touring, no off road. Considering the Garmin ZUMO XT. What are your thopughts?

Garmin Zumo XT2. They go on sale frequently for $100 off. Many riders also use these type units, but I have no experience with them.

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[jzeiler]

I went with the ZUMO XT2 as it uses the new "Tread" app for for routing and it syncs with your phone to bring in new routes. Garmin has abandoned the old Base Camp software and even though I was very proficient at routing with it, I have found the Tread app to be very intuitive and easy to use. Plus the XT2 has a bigger screen.

 

[Sagebrush]

Looking for a good GPS. Touring, no off road. Considering the Garmin ZUMO XT. What are your thoughts?

I have the Garmin XT mounted on my 2024 S2S. I like it a lot. Bright screen and buttons easily navigable with gloves. Strictly Bluetooth though, no wired connections. Will not connect to the S2S, you will need a wireless headset to hear directions connected to the GPS. Garmin Drive App required on your phone connected to the XT for full functions including road conditions and weather radar.

I connect my S2S to an old Android phone that I leave permanently in the frunk and charging constantly as an MP3 player. I connect the S2S to one bluetooth channel on my Cardo communicator and the GPS to the other channel on my Cardo. That way I can control music volume via the handlbar switches and get my turn by turn directions from the GPS. I can hear the music much better that way than using the XT as an MP3 player; also, with more connections available on the bike than the GPS, my passenger's Cardo is connected to the bike so she can hear the music as well. Music will automatically mute for the turn by turn directions.

Because Garmin Drive is also required, I can receive and make phone calls via the GPS. Everything seems to work pretty well with that setup. One major drawback is that I have to create the routes point by point on the XT's built in TripPlanner app. Unable to import a route.

 

[hogmemberisold]

I have our Garmin Zumo 590 mounted on the 2025 S2S and love it, but...

Earlier this year the 590 was in dire need of a battery, and I couldn’t find one that worked. We have both a 6 inch and 8 inch Garmin Drivesmart GPS for our SUV and car, and after having a GPS with a bigger display, it changed the way I looked at things.

I almost ordered the Garmin Tread-2 SxS Edition which is an 8 inch model. It costs a little more, but after having an 8 inch display in the car, it’s hard to give it up. I did find a replacement battery that worked for the 590 and I am currently using it.

If anything was to happen where a replacement GPS was needed for the trike, I’ve already made up my mind to look for a larger model.

 

[racoon]

I bought a Garmin Zumo XT GPS when I bought my 2024 Spyder, as Can Am was still figuring how to get Apple CarPlay to work.

I agree that Garmin BaseCamp is horrible and way too complex for casual use.

I was able to use Garmin Express to import GPX files (GPS Exchange Format) to the Zumo XT.
Any mapping application that can create GPX files can be used to plot a route, then export to GPX and then import to a Garmin GPS.

Now that Apple CarPlay is working on my 2024 Spyder RT S2S, I use the Google Maps desktop application to create my routes, then sync them to the Google Maps app on my Apple iPhone. Then I just plug my iPhone into the USB port in the glove box of my Spyder. My Honda Ridgeline also supports Google Maps, so the navigation works whether I'm on my Spyder or in my Ridgeline.

 

[TheMariner]

I have the Garmin XT2. Works well, nice big screen & easy - enough to see in daylight. Paired well with my helmet coms for verbal route instructions. Doesn't like charging via USB from my PC (probably the PC's fault) but a normal phone charger works well.

Communication using the Tread app on your phone is OK, but I'm old school... I like a wired connection better. I prefer mapping on a decent size screen rather than on a phone app and I use Google MyMaps these days.

Map the route in MyMaps -> export it in .kml format -> email the .kml to myself -> open the email on my phone & save the .kml -> find the .kml on the phone & open it with the Tread app. -> sync the imported route to the XT2, it'll import as a 'track' -> open the imported track, and convert it to a route using the XT2's tools.

 

[Knizar]

Looking for a good GPS. Touring, no off road. Considering the Garmin ZUMO XT. What are your thoughts?

I have the Zumo XT, can't compare to any other because its my 1st GPS, never had trouble viewing it in the sun.
Only complaint is the USB input to the Zumo is the old mini plug, NOT the type C.

 

[Smitty42]

I use the Gaia GPS Free version on my phone. It has, as far as I can determine anyway, all the roads and highways one would need.
Now I admit that it uses Gaia Topographical maps only; showing off-road trails also. The Premium version has many more maps (including Gaia Open Street map but for a yearly fee). I also have it on my desktop Windows 10 PC, which allows me to create a route on the PC, save it, and it gets downloaded to my phone automatically. It will also allow you to create a route by tracking your trip and save it if you so desire. When I was riding off-road and was a Ride Leader for our off-road club, I used it to create rides, but I used the Premium version because it allowed me to access many different maps. You can also import tracks or routes from someone else and use them.

 

[Columbia]

You raise a good question. One to which I have no clear answer.

My Spyder came with a Garmin 590. I updated the software to that found in a 595. (Easily done. Search the interwebs) The mount was at the center of the handlebars; a terrible location, requiring a downward look to see what it's doing. I moved it up in line with forward view. A hassle.

The Garmin software is, uh, poor, to put it nicely. I find route planning with Garmin to be more trouble than it's worth. So I plan elsewhere, convert to a GPX file and import into the Garmin. That works fairly well, but far from what I want.

On a recent trip, I found the Garmin's ability to find locations to be poor to nonexistent. YMMV, of course. I was looking for not very common roads and places. Its database contained few of the places/roads I sought. Other GPS apps (see below) did.

I've tried a bunch of GPS apps on a phone. Download app, download its maps. Most are better than Garmin, which is damning with faint praise.

I was a Sygic user for a long time, even bought the App to use on both iOS and Android. They keep adding "features"; too many features to make it clean and simple to use. I've tried Waze and a few other apps.

Finally found OSMand, which of all the apps I tried, is the best.

At the end of the day, I use a paper map. Most States will send you one for free (go to the State's Tourist zInfo web site and fill out the request form. Heads up: Washington State hasn't had a paper map since, I think, 2009. I've kept my copy. All the States around Oregon send me maps, and I've found they do what I want.) The Garmin is still there, largely to compare the speedo with the GPS' speed reckoning.

I probably won't be around to see it, but my impression of GPS technology for end-users like us is that it's a technology still in infancy. Maybe another decade of development will see a mature product that actually works and works for the sort of traveling real people do in the real world.
We'll see.

 

[racoon]

I think the first GPS device I owned was a Garmin Streetpilot i3. Small, kind of roundish, easily fit in the palm of your hand. Larger than a golf ball, smaller than a baseball. Google says the Streetpilot i3 was released in 2005, but the original Garmin Streetpilot (no number) was released in 1998, and a color version was released in 1999.

At one point I owned a Garmin Nuvi although I don't remember which model. It served me well while I was working as a software consultant and doing a lot of traveling in the US. I don't remember what happened to the Nuvi, as I pretty much stopped traveling around 2015

I bought a Garmin Zumo XT (original released 2020) in 2024 to use with my 2024 Spyder before CAN-AM got their Apple CarPlay act together.

I still have the Garmin Zumo XT, although I haven't needed to use it with my Spyder it since the BRP Connect 4.1 update fixed the CarPlay problems.


On an annoying note, at least from a CAN-AM perspective, Apple CarPlay in my 2023 Honda Pilot has worked perfectly from the day I bought it.

 

[jcthorne]

I went with the ZUMO XT2 as it uses the new "Tread" app for for routing and it syncs with your phone to bring in new routes. Garmin has abandoned the old Base Camp software and even though I was very proficient at routing with it, I have found the Tread app to be very intuitive and easy to use. Plus the XT2 has a bigger screen.

Base Camp has not been abandoned. Garmin has released updates recently and its still the best available routing software for Garmin navigation devices. Its also just as usable with the XT2 as with any other unit. ALL Zumo devices accept Garmin standard GPX files, the only difference is in how they are transferred.

That said, there are trade offs between the XT and the XT2. The XT2 has the better and larger display. The XT has the far more stable software stack and supports bluetooth to share route files between units and your phone. The XT2 does not support bluetooth data transfers. Choose wisely. I used an XT for years, 'upgraded' to an XT2 not long after they came out for the better screen and gave up on it after about 6 months of frustration and went back to the XT which I still use every ride. It just works.

Hopefully it's nearly time for Garmin to release an XT3 that has the best of both units in one, along with other improvements.

 

[jcthorne]

I think the first GPS device I owned was a Garmin Streetpilot i3. Small, kind of roundish, easily fit in the palm of your hand. Larger than a golf ball, smaller than a baseball. Google says the Streetpilot i3 was released in 2005, but the original Garmin Streetpilot (no number) was released in 1998, and a color version was released in 1999.

At one point I owned a Garmin Nuvi although I don't remember which model. It served me well while I was working as a software consultant and doing a lot of traveling in the US. I don't remember what happened to the Nuvi, as I pretty much stopped traveling around 2015

I bought a Garmin Zumo XT (original released 2020) in 2024 to use with my 2024 Spyder before CAN-AM got their Apple CarPlay act together.

I still have the Garmin Zumo XT, although I haven't needed to use it with my Spyder it since the BRP Connect 4.1 update fixed the CarPlay problems.


On an annoying note, at least from a CAN-AM perspective, Apple CarPlay in my 2023 Honda Pilot has worked perfectly from the day I bought it.

The main problem with Carplay is that Apple maps nor Google Maps on IOS support ROUTES. Only destinations. For planning motorcycle rides, routes is a requirement when YOU want to choose the roads. Google maps does, just recently, now support routes on Android but alas, BRP has chosen to actively make Android Auto impossible on the Spyder, even with an adaptor that other brands of motorcycles are using just fine. For now, the Garmin is the only solution on a Spyder.

 

[racoon]

I'm not sure if I understand your complaint about "routes".

I just opened the Google Maps application on my computer and asked for directions to my local grocery store.
And not just a web browser going to the Google maps website, but the actual Google Maps application that I downloaded and installed on my computer (and on my iPhone).
It plotted the route by entering the start and destination locations and showed several options. The default selected route was 8.2 miles.

I grabbed a section of the route and dragged it to move the route to go the opposite direction when leaving my house, ending up with a route of 13.7 miles. I then clicked the "Send directions to your phone" link and after a couple seconds the route showed up on the Google Maps app my iPhone, with the route I had selected by dragging.

And yes, I was logged into both the Google Maps application on my computer and the Google Maps app on my iPhone with the same Google account.

 

[JayBros]

JC is right in the bull's-eye about BaseCamp. It is still a very functional, effective route creation tool, but is one with a steep learning curve.
In my travails with it I've found two very good sources for learning the software. The first is the New England Riders tutorial on learning BaseCamp:

https://www.newenglandriders.org/learn-basecamp/

and the second is a gent in FL - Ez Moto Tim, who has an excellent series of video tutorials on Youtube:

https://ezmototim.com/basecamptutorials/

Tim really knows his stuff.

My touring partner and I live about a hundred miles apart and when I plan our major annual excursion, we meet somewhere half way and I download all our routes to his Zumo XT, and it's just as simple as downloading them to my Zumo 590.

 

[StalkyTracker]

Another BaseCamp user. I've used it since it replaced MapSource. I use it currently with a Zumo 590 on the Ryker and a Drive 60 in the truck.

 

[2dogs]

Xhunt

 

[jcthorne]

I'm not sure if I understand your complaint about "routes".

I just opened the Google Maps application on my computer and asked for directions to my local grocery store.
And not just a web browser going to the Google maps website, but the actual Google Maps application that I downloaded and installed on my computer (and on my iPhone).
It plotted the route by entering the start and destination locations and showed several options. The default selected route was 8.2 miles.

I grabbed a section of the route and dragged it to move the route to go the opposite direction when leaving my house, ending up with a route of 13.7 miles. I then clicked the "Send directions to your phone" link and after a couple seconds the route showed up on the Google Maps app my iPhone, with the route I had selected by dragging.

And yes, I was logged into both the Google Maps application on my computer and the Google Maps app on my iPhone with the same Google account.

Try it again with a longer distance, and multiple stops like gas stops and lunch along the way and ending up at a hotel. Now edit the route selecting the roads you wish to use and then try sending to your phone again. Only the first destination will get to your phone.

Besides that, half the population does not use fruit phones or work in the fruit universe's walled garden. Android Auto to use google maps cannot be made to work on the Spyder's display.

 

[racoon]

Try it again with a longer distance, and multiple stops like gas stops and lunch along the way and ending up at a hotel. Now edit the route selecting the roads you wish to use and then try sending to your phone again. Only the first destination will get to your phone.

Besides that, half the population does not use fruit phones or work in the fruit universe's walled garden. Android Auto to use google maps cannot be made to work on the Spyder's display.

Actually, I have a much longer trip coming up in a few weeks, so I guess I can plot it out now.
It's a trip to visit family for Thanksgiving, and a quick check says it's about 800 miles and 13 hours driving, each direction. 13 hours there, 13 hours back.
I'm planning to break it into a day and a half each way, with an overnight stop on the way, an overnight stop in a different location on the way back, and four days visiting family.

And I can't help with your aversion to "fruit phones". CAN-AM chose to support Apple CarPlay, which does require an Apple iPhone, or a device that allows an Android phone to use the Apple CarPlay protocols.

Google found this site that tested a number of CarPlay adapters:

2025’s Best Wireless CarPlay Adapter Tested – Plug Into USB Port & Instantly Upgrade Your Drive

compareguru.org

I have no clue as to whether any work with CAN-AM, but it gives you a starting point.
I'd contact each company to see if their device has been tested on a CAN-AM.

Going back to Google with a different question it seems to think that, in the USA, about 58% of the people use Apple iPhones, and 42% use Android phones from a long list of different manufacturers. The variety of Android phone manufacturers brings up another concern about how many of them have been tested with one of those CarPlay adapters?


And another dive into the Google-verse -

"What motorcycles support android auto?"

Motorcycles with built-in support

• Honda: Many Gold Wing models from 2018 onwards (with a 2020 infotainment update) and the Africa Twin are equipped with native Android Auto support.
• Indian Motorcycle: Models like the Chief, Chieftain, Roadmaster, and Challenger, which feature the Ride Command system, have Android Auto capabilities.
• Harley-Davidson: Models with the Boom! Box GTS infotainment system, such as the Road Glide and Street Glide, support Android Auto.

There's a longer list of "Motorcycles that may require aftermarket solutions."

So there's not a lot of motorcycle support for Android Auto.

 

[racoon]

Try it again with a longer distance, and multiple stops like gas stops and lunch along the way and ending up at a hotel. Now edit the route selecting the roads you wish to use and then try sending to your phone again. Only the first destination will get to your phone.

So I tried to plot the route I am taking to my sister's house for Thanksgiving, and Google Maps gave me lots of problems. I could create the route using the Google Maps application on my computer, and then try to send it to my iPhone, at which point it only said I could email a copy of it to my email address.

And the route I plotted on my computer included drag and drop changes to avoid the downtown areas of Nashville TN, Memphis TN, and Dallas TX.

A bit of poking around, and it turns out there was an update to the Google Maps App for iPhone that I had yet to download and install. I did that, and it still was complaining. There is a requirement that you be logged into both places with the same Google account, so I logged out of both, logged in again, and repeated the steps.

And it sent the route to the phone, but NONE of the individual changes to the route.

In fact, it plotted a completely different route than the original baseline route, and without any of my changes.

So I'm frustrated and confused, as I know I've used Google Maps before.
Time for more research...