Review on 🏍️ Garmin zūmo XT Motorcycle GPS Navigation Device, 5.5-inch Ultrabright Display, All-Terrain and Rain-Resistant by Bob Moonin

I'm not sure how many GPS's (almost all Garmin) I've had and used on the motorcycle. Somewhere around 10 I think. This is the first "motorcycle" GPS that I've tried because until recently, motorcycle GPSs were too small for me. At the time of writing this latest version of the review, I've had it for about a year. However, due to pandemic restrictions/considerations and lack of appeal to ride in our Florida heat and humidity, my actual usage was somewhat limited. A few notes: the screen is awesome! Very bright and readable even in direct sunlight with polarized sunglasses. Much better than any GPS I've used in the past. MAJOR ADVANTAGE! The data fields are very easy to read and the speedometer will glow pink if you're going too fast. The GPS has a handy screen when wearing gloves. Maybe this year I can escape Florida to try. The 5.5 inch screen seems to be the perfect size. The last 3 GPS's I've used were massive 7 inch trucks/RVs. Large, easy to read (except in direct sunlight) and extremely competent, but too bulky. This screen's brighter screen slightly outperforms the others' larger, dimmer screens, and the much smaller overall size fits much better into the dash area. Another plus. Zumo XT is rainproof. The car/truck GPS navigators I used were not like that. That was never an issue, but it's nice to not have to worry about the GPS getting wet anymore. Surprisingly, Garmin finally made a GPS with a standard 1-inch ball mount. No special stands or adapters are required. I didn't use a Garmin handlebar and arm mount though, opting for a previously installed Ram clamp ball and 6" arm that I already had in the big box of Ram extras. When the GPS snaps into place, it appears to be very securely attached to the included docking station/mount. You can remove the GPS in a split second by simply pressing the button on the back and lifting it up. There's no connector to fiddle with as the cable stays attached to the mount. Garmin even included a small rubber cover for the contacts if no GPS is installed. Installation is about the same. Just clip back and forth. That's all great as long as you have a safe place to keep your GPS. Some might think it's not great considering a thief can press the same button and run off with your $499 GPS. The wiring was simple and clear. You just need to connect the negative and positive wires somewhere. Mine is plugged into a constantly hot circuit so I don't have to turn on the ignition to mess with the GPS. Another important thing that I really like and that I believe will make this GPS more useful than any other. One of the newer GPS units I've used is that the map retains detail when zoomed in further. Unlike a four-wheeler or a van, I usually don't follow a predetermined route on my bike. Often on the bike I tend to fly with only a rough idea of where I'm going and use the GPS more like an electronic road map than just following a route blindly. When the map detail is fully expanded you can still see the side roads when the screen zoom is fully zoomed out to 0.8 miles. Most turn off secondary roads somewhere above 0.3 or 0.5 miles. If you want to know where that small road you want to explore leads to, this GPS lets you see it by simply zooming out, instead of scrolling and losing perspective of your location. I usually turn autozoom off while I work, preferring to adjust the zoom level myself. So far the auto-scaling seems to have worked automatically to a useful level. I will try now. Time will tell... UPDATE: Yes, I got tired of zooming in and out on my own and just manually adjusting it. So far, my only major disappointment has been how this GPS handles custom POIs (points of interest). For the uninitiated and layman, custom POIs are lists of places you may be interested in that are not typically included in the POIs that the GPS installs at the factory. These may be sets from a specific chain of restaurants and/or retail outlets, or they may represent a specific type of attraction. The lists can be downloaded via a site like POI Factory, or if you want to get really creative you can make these lists yourself. accessible by browsing the menu system (Where/Categories/Custom POIs). The top level "Where To" search doesn't seem to contain any custom POIs. I could live with that, but the worst part is that there doesn't seem to be a way to get this particular GPS to show custom POI icons on the map. Whether it's a Harley dealership, a New England covered bridge, or the all-important Taco Bell, it's always nice to just glance at the map and see if there's one nearby. TO UPDATE! After the last system update, the device started showing my custom POIs! Please note that the Zumo XT must have the 'Ahead' checkbox activated in the map settings menu in order for your POIs to be displayed. It also displays Garmin's less-than-useless system icons for fuel, restaurants, and motorcycle-related POIs, and it can clutter the screen a bit, but I agree. Speaking of POIs. In the recent past I've found Garmin's preloaded POIs to be extremely inaccurate and awkward to use. Too many times they've sent me out to hunt wild geese in a shop that was either somewhere else or didn't even exist. A frustrating nuisance on a motorcycle, much worse in a large RV. Because of this I stopped using Garmin POI a few years ago and now always use other alternatives when looking for fuel, food etc. HEY REALITY. NOW THEY COULD BE BETTER. I do not know. I've been burned so many times it will be a while before I try to use them again, if ever. UPDATE: Against my better judgment and for the first time since I've owned it, I let the GPS show me the nearest gas station. He stated he was 0.5 miles from us so we drove off. I passed the gas station in a way the GPS didn't know and it took me about 5 blocks up the street to a run down old building that probably once was a gas station, but definitely not for long, long. Perfect. Later that day we checked out an RV site for a future trip, and while I sat in the RV site just for fun, I let the GPS search for nearby RV sites (a category the GPS claims to know). Little did he know that this vast, well-established fleet of vans existed. Result. If you need to find a location, do yourself a favor and forget about using Garmin POI. Just search Google Maps on your phone and then enter the address into the GPS. The weather radar overlay collects data via a Bluetooth connection to your smartphone. I haven't had any showers chasing me for street-level updates every minute, but everything seems to work fine as long as you have a good wireless data signal on your phone. This is a really cool feature. I've only done a few short trips with them, but if it's like one of my current Garmins they almost always find the address and you can be pretty sure they'll get you there eventually, but also take some pretty bizarre routes at times. Always quickly look at the suggested route and please. Always use common sense, not what any GPS tells you. This thing is expensive. Painfully expensive. In fact, this is the most expensive non-marine GPS I've ever bought. So far I have not regretted it and would buy it again in a heartbeat. Update: After a year of ownership, I still think it's great and don't want to be without it anymore. I will likely update this review over time. and I will learn more about it.