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Garmin Nuvi 660 is a BIG winner
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GPS (Global Positioning System) units are not really computers, but in the last half dozen years or so they have become, for all practical purposes, computer peripherals. As such, they are fair game for Computer Buzz's review and evaluation team.
Computer Buzz has a couple of bikers on our staff, so we decided to let them have a go at a unit that can be mounted on a motorcycle. After some deliberation, the GPS unit we chose was the upscale Garmin Nuvi 660 with a street price of about $550. The motorcycle we chose was a venerable Kawasaki KLR 650. The Nuvi can run for the biggest part of a day on its sealed rechargeable battery, but the KLR can be easily modified with one or more cigarette lighter style power takeoff sockets that the Nuvi can plug into. The Nuvi has a snap-on ball and socket mounting bracket on the back that can be mounted/attached as easily to your motorcycle's handlebars as to your car's windshield or dashboard.
The KLR falls into the catagory of "dual sport motorcycle" which basically means that it is a light duty dirt bike that is street legal. Everyone who takes a dual sport motorcycle off-road should think seriously about packing some sort of a GPS unit to find their way back to civilization. Computer Buzz thinks that the Garmin Nuvi is one of the better units--though certainly not the cheapest--on the market today. Initial setup is simple and straightforward. If need be, it can communicate with your computer (Macs as well as PCs) via a USB port.
Let's be honest; we love getting off road with the KLR, but the large majority of our motorcycle mileage is on the asphalt. So we ponied up a few extra bucks for Garmin's optional Plug & Play Street Maps software that comes on a microSD card. We just replaced the stock SD (SanDisk) card that came with the Nuvi with the P & PSM card. It's easier than changing the battery in a cheap watch. Most motorcyclists will never need the extra data on the P & PSM card, but it's nice to have in an emergency.
Off the pavement, the KLR's stiff suspension is pretty hard on electronic gear, solid-state circuitry notwithstanding, but the Nuvi held up nicely and didn't complain a single time. We initially had some concerns about that, because seven or eight years ago a much earlier Garmin GPS became erratic and eventually inoperable when we subjected it to similar rough treatment in the high elevations of Colorado. We're pleased to report that the Nuvi is one tough unit that can take a licking and keep on ticking.
Menus on the Nuvi are straightforward and intuitive. You can easily adjust the screen brightness, sound volume, color mode, or call up a simple calculator; you can even switch your vehicle image in the center of the screen from a car or a triangle to a motorcycle. Needless to say, Computer Buzz does not recommend that you fiddle with the on-screen controls while your motorcycle is in motion.
Your can pay more for a Garmin Nuvi--the Nuvi model 880 lists for $899--but we think the Nuvi 660 is one of Garmin's best bang-for-the-buck deals right now. The 660 works as well, or better, on the dashboard of a car as it does on the handlebars of a motorcycle, and we hereby give it the Computer Buzz Seal of Approval.
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