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Is the 660 still supported by Garmin ??
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Replied mate, thanks so much for your ideas
Sorry this is not really helpful just for information. I've been doing a bit of digging on the Zumo 660 and Nav IV units. When these came out with the then new NT maps in 2008 (I can remember spitting nails as this meant the CN map updates for the Garmin 2610 were no longer being produced) the whole of europe fitted on much less than 4gb of memory. These units only have 3.65gb of internal memory and the internal operating system takes up some of that. NW Europe that I have installed on mine takes up about 2.5gb and comprises Ireland, GB, France, Spain, Portugal and the Canaries and Balearics . You can load a further 4gb of maps using map install in basecamp. You are limited to 4gb irrespective of the size of the sd card because the unit reads one gmapsupp.img file and 4gb is the file size limit for Fat32 formatted sd cards. To be honest that would get you most of the rest of europe or a "corridor of mapping" to your destination. Here's one I prepared earlier. 
Still old and slow but no doubt would still work
Still old and slow but no doubt would still work
Interesting. When I went to a Sat Nav course back in 2020 at Sycamore Witham, the instructor told me it was far superior to the Nav 6 because it was so simple / basic.
I was using the old Nav IV on a BMW R1200RT and then on my Africa Twin until late 2022 when I got a Zumo XT. The old Nav IV which is a BMW 660, screen is not great compared to the XT but mine locks onto satellites pretty quickly (even when I'm sitting inside at my dining room table). As a navigation device it was/is faultless. The XT screen is lovely and it has a lot of features but it has its foibles in terms of fastest time/main roads routing and how it navigates "Imported Routes" in some circumstances.
After it got over its initial teething problems, the 660 was a very good device. Two editions of the BMW branded Navigator VI were plagued by ghosting problems, so much so that Garmin have now (relatively recently) released a third edition. This reportedly has cured the problems of the first two editions.
Anyone with a pre-edition three Navigator VI should contact Garmin, to request a replacement, whether their device ‘ghosts’ or not.
Obviously, you never used a StreetPilot III…
Ahah, no thank god, but I had little experience with a 72 (I think) back in the day.
Jokes apart, I always assumed it was my unit, but I sold it in here (someone might still remember the post
) and the new owner doens't seem to have had an issue.Like most Garmin devices, the 660 was slow. And they added some features that slowed it even more (markers on the map, I think there was some 3D stuff). My 660 had issues, not joking, keeping up with me riding across London. More than not I would be presented with a blank screen while the 660 took its sweet time to load the current map tile.
The screen glare was horrible. But that was TFT technology at the time with resistive touch.
Mzokk kindly provided instructions for OP on how to load free maps on it.
My two cents are: since the cost of these things is relatively low these days, just let go of old tech (that was already old when launched) and get a new one as it would be easier/better to maintain.
After the 660 I bought a 395/6 that was significantly better, and then switched to an XT.
Hopefully Garmin will come up with an improved hardware platform for their Zumo devices at some point, considering they are changing a lot of other things, including their mapping structure.
Consider that what Garmin considers "usable" is debatable, so that sets a very low bar for what we (me included as I still own and use both and XT and a 64s) accept as a "functional" GPS devices from Garmin. IMHO.
It's the bikermate's Stockholm syndrome. If they were some other type of electronic consumer devices...
BTW I use OSM routable maps from MapChest on my 64s.
Maybe the same can be used on OP's 660?
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That’s evolution, right there.
I’ll have a fully boxed XT coming up for sale in a day or two. It’s a back-up device that I bought, but no longer need. I just need to fire it up, update it and it’ll go up for sale.
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I did, still have it !
I had forgotten the weight of the thing.
Perhaps now the OP has decided to let go of his ageing 660 and try an XT, maybe you could approach one another to work something out between you ??
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Chances are that he has 2 (or more) gmapsupp.img files- no reply from suggestion
Still got mine Greg; my first was a Garmin III+
I still have the Old 2610 I got for Christmas in 2004 including its massive 256mb CF card (Later to be replaced by a 2gb CF card which took all of europe). To be fair we might laugh at these things now but at the time it was a revalation to me. My previous navigation technique was to pour over maps the night before a ride and jot down road numbers distances and turns (With Arrows) for a days ride. This was slipped over a map in a tankbag map pocket and worked great until you took a wrong turn (usually in a town). You then had to stop get the map out work out how to get back on track. I also used to mark maps with yellow highlighter for the main route.
I used the 2610 twice abroad in 2005 on trips to ports I'd never been before. Landing in Kristiansand in Norway and being able to drive though and out of the town was fantastic. Similarly I landed at St Malo later in the year and was able to do the same thing and even if I did take a bit of a wrong turn you had the comfort of "Off route recalculating"
For me the technology takes so much stress out of navigation compared to days of old.
I used the 2610 twice abroad in 2005 on trips to ports I'd never been before. Landing in Kristiansand in Norway and being able to drive though and out of the town was fantastic. Similarly I landed at St Malo later in the year and was able to do the same thing and even if I did take a bit of a wrong turn you had the comfort of "Off route recalculating"
For me the technology takes so much stress out of navigation compared to days of old.
I recall using my 2610 in Ireland in 2005, only to find the EU had paid for new roads everywhere, making a mockery of the units ability to navigate. Thank god for maps.
This is sage advice. My CAP screen (3rd edition) Nav6 seems to be fine. No real improvement on the Nav5 though, apart from perhaps a glossier screen.
Still wouldn't trust a Nav6 on a long, bumpy trip. That's what I keep the Nav5 for.
Sometimes I still hanker for my good old Zumo 550
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