Which 550 is best

Alloneword

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I have 2 x 550's and not to sure which one i should keep to be honest I’m not even sure if there is a difference between the Two.
So I’d like your advice on what the difference is between the 2 and which i should keep
Here are the links for the Honda version






and here is the images for the normal one







I do ride a Honda motorcycle but no idea if the Honda is a keeper or not.

Any advice, help or info you can help me with i'd be very grateful and one word of warning i'm a serious newbie so please not too much techie speak.

All1
 
I've a distant memory that Zumo 550s branded as Honda/BMW/Suzuki etc won't take some of the firmware upgrades that the Garmin branded version can. The main difference, iirc, is a 4GB limit on maps for Garmin branded devices and 2 GB for others. Unless you want to use maps of a huge area, or use OSM which is more demanding of space than Garmin's own maps (but is free) then I'd keep whichever appears to be in better condition. Changing the startup screen on older Garmins isn't again iirc, too difficult if that matters to you.
 
Not so to the above the one i sold on here had the lifetime europe maps and was suzuki branded and had no problem with bigger than 2gb files, i feel sure that there is no difference.
 
Well if there is no advantage to having the Honda one then i'll get rid of that one and keep the standard as they are roughly the same quality, i was looking at buying the lifetime maps from Garmin but they want somewhere in the region of £75 and i am not paying that, is there a cheaper way of getting up to date maps, i know there is a free option but would like to keep with Garmin stuff, i have seen SD card being sold for just a few (£20) quid are these even legal or is there a better way to update without shelling out £75?

All1
 
I have heard you can download the latest maps over on piratebay and stick em onto an micro sd card and away you go
not that I would ever do such a thing - :augie
 
i was looking at buying the lifetime maps from Garmin but they want somewhere in the region of £75....

i am not paying that...

is there a cheaper way of getting up to date maps....

i know there is a free option but would like to keep with Garmin stuff....

i have seen SD card being sold for just a few (£20) quid are these even legal

Garmin want £75 for a lifetime of map updates of an old device.

Unknown bods on the internet sell SD cards for a single update (age of mapping and quality of data unknown) for £20. Is it 'legal', well let's have a pretty good guess that they might not be entirely kosher, all be it Garmin did produce single updates on SD cards for bods to buy.

You demand Garmin maps, so you have rejected the legal Open Street Maps free downloads, that will perform perfectly well on your aging (but apparently still fully functional) GPS device and on BaseCamp / Mapsource route plotting software. You have simultaneously rejected Garmin map updates due to cost and are now in a quandary of conscience over the possible legality of much cheaper alternatives as a consequence.

Remember, like speeding, it's only illegal if you get caught and ultimately prosecuted. Before that it's just something to do.

Here's a really radical suggestion. Sell one of the two GPS devices, which you seem quite happy to do. Put the money made towards paying for the legal Garmin map update you crave. Job done.
 
Not so to the above the one i sold on here had the lifetime europe maps and was suzuki branded and had no problem with bigger than 2gb files, i feel sure that there is no difference.

At one time it was possible to browse every FAQ on Garmin's website. The present search facility doesn't let me search for map size limitations so I tried Google instead and found

http://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?110710-Honda-Badged-Zumo-550-software-update

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4245

http://www.motorcycleinfo.co.uk/index70a1.html?fa=contentGeneric.kpxvskahyouozlms&pageId=121437

All of this goes back a long way so it's possible that Garmin have done something about it since I last looked, but updating a friend's Zumo 550 a couple of years ago I found the changes included using 4GB of maps.

As regards pirated maps, there are two ways to go. One is to download a bootleg map set from someone you don't know via a website that by definition is dodgy. You might risk it but I wouldn't. The other is to find someone with a legitimate map set and find a tool (they are out there) to remove whatever it is that keys the maps to the unit they were supplied for. That's fine if you can get the correct maps for your 550, which uses CN NT maps rather than the current CN NTU version and you can find (again from a website that is by definition dodgy) a cracking tool with no nasty side-effects.
Assuming that one of your 550s is in good working order a legitimate map set from Garmin is straightforward, comes with no dodgy payload and is much cheaper than a new unit. Alternatively, there's plenty here about OpenStreetMap which is free, legal and trustworthy. The one thing it doesn't do is UK postcodes but apart from that it's excellent. I used it with a 2610 for a couple of years until I bought a Zumo with lifetime maps.
 
An alternative view

Car Satnavs with Lifetime maps and fast processors are cheap - probably around £75 on Fleabay. I would put one of those in a waterproof pouch and use a Ridermount bluetooth dongle to transmit the sound from the integral speaker up to the helmet. This would not help with using a phone, but I don't ever connect one to my SatNav.

550's are up for sale at very ambitious prices at the moment - you might do very well with your sale.
 
OK many thanks for all the replies folks, I'll stick with the standard one for this year and move over to a 660 for next season on the bike, i just need to do some reading on updating the maps etc, so once again many thx.

All1
 


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