Garmin zumo 220 Motorcycle GPS Navigator Review

Garmin zumo 220 Motorcycle GPS Navigator - Driving on the open road, and feeling the rush of the wind against your helmet while your motorcycle makes its way down the highway is such a thrilling experience and it take a lot of discipline to travel on two wheels. Braving the elements along the way is an adventure in itself, as you need to be as tough as you can be to over come the challenges of the open road. Nevertheless, you still have to know exactly where you are going and since riding a motorcycle is as thrilling as it is difficult, you need to have the most dependable navigational equipment to guide you through the most intricate roadways along with being able to withstand the incremental weather. One such navigation system is the Garmin Zumo 220, which was built to be as tough as the rider himself when it comes to facing the challenges of the open road. The Zumo 220 is one of the most weather tested GPS navigation system designed by Garmin which can be used under any circumstances, whether that be rain, sleet or snow.

Garmin zumo 220 Motorcycle GPS Navigator

The Zumo 220 has a 3.5 inch resistive capacity LCD colored touchscreen which can offer a high resolution image quality that shows the most important details along your route. Its LCD touchscreen can be used under any lighting condition as it can fully adjust itself with regard to brightness and contrast automatically if needed. The Zumo 220’s touchscreen uses a resistive touch technology that allows riders to access its important control interface even if they are wearing gloves. Aside from this, its screen has a glare repellent feature that reduces the effects of sunlight on its screen’s surface. Its display features include a lane assisting notification that shows the following consecutive lanes that a rider should take before they reach that point. It also has a Bluetooth capability that gives voice notifications directly to a Bluetooth capable wireless headset along with a visual representation of upcoming changes in lanes or turning points along your route.

Added to this, its Bluetooth capabilities allows incoming phone calls from any compatible smart phone which can then be forwarded to the Zumo 220 along with its sharing compatibility with other Garmin navigation systems. It has a compact design that fits well on a motorcycle’s handlebar since it has a measurement of 6.5 inches in length by 6.5 inches in width with a front panel measurement of 4.3 inches, making it small enough as not to obscure your motorcycle’s instrument panel. Weighing at 2.1 pounds, the Zumo 220 won’t offer you any inconvenience whatsoever with regard to the weight that it imposes on your handlebar, as it will not give you any difficulties while you steer. The Zumo 220 has a fairly decent battery life as it can continuously operate for as long as 8 hours, which is ideal if you plan on going hiking while using it as a hand held GPS unit.

Besides its two built in maps (City Navigator NT and MapSource City Navigator), users have the option to load additional maps through the Zumo 220’s expandable SD memory card slot or through its USB data port on a computer. As for its mounting system, it is good to know that Garmin also included two sets of mounting system which allows you to attach the Zumo 220 to either your car or motorcycle, allowing users to use it interchangeably without the need for additional mounting accessories. Included with the Zumo 220 is a USB data cable, a DVD software, a user’s manual, an automotive charging adapter and two separate mounting systems for your car and motorcycle respectively.

Design:

Its compact feature that enable the Zumo 220 to have one of the smallest LCD resistive touchscreen with a measurement of 3.5 inches, given that the whole casing of the Zumo 220 measures in at 6.5 inches in lengthy by 6.5 inches in width and with a front panel area of 4.3 inches makes this motorbike GPS navigation system small enough to fit inside your pockets. Its impact resistant ABS polymer casing also provides adequate waterproofing to protect its electronic components from the harsh elements, including ultraviolet rays, corrosive oil based substances such as gasoline and other harmful compounds that can virtually melt plastic materials. Its small dimensions makes it very well suited to be mounted on a motorcycle’s handlebar as it is also light enough (weighing in at 2.1 pounds) as not to inhibit the way you drive your motorcycle along with allowing you to have a clear view of your instrument panel.

Features:

The Zumo 220 is light and small enough to be used as a hand held GPS navigation unit and along with a decent battery life expectancy of being able to run straight for about 8 hours, users can find an extended use for it that goes beyond a navigational system for vehicles. Built to withstand the elements, the Zumo 220 is a fully waterproof system that can be used under any weather condition as to provide motorcycle-riding enthusiast an efficient navigation system that can competently guide them on each turn they make. What really makes the Zumo 220 stand out among the rest is its special gas mileage feature that coordinates the need for you to fill up your gas tank with regard to the calculated distance that is set up with the route that you are navigating. This unique feature enables the Zumo 220 to estimate the total distance of your route with the amount of gas you have inside your tank and will suggest waypoints that will point you out to the nearest gas station along your route to refill your tank before you even run out of fuel along your way. Added to this, it also has a lane assistance with a voice notification feature that reminds riders through voice and visual representation prior to every turn that they should make without missing any of it.

LCD:

As the same with all Garmin product line, the Zumo 220 uses a resistive touchscreen LCD display which can respond to any slight finger pressure applied on it, whether you are wearing gloves or not. This enables its LCD touchscreen to quickly access any aspect of its control interface without giving its users a difficult time in exerting too much effort in applying substantial pressure while using gloves since it is a safety regulation when driving a motorcycle. Despite having a 3.5 inch touchscreen, the Zumo 220 can render high quality images that can be readable under any lighting condition since its LCD was designed to repel sun glare and automatically adjusts its contrast and brightness in conjunction with the time of day and ambient lighting conditions.

Final Thoughts:

Most people would agree that $529.99 is a bit steep if we were talking about some other GPS navigation system, but considering that it is a Zumo 220 that is made by Garmin and that it comes with a free mounting system for both your car and motorcycle, a $529.99 price tag is pretty reasonable. Besides this, the Zumo 220 has this fuel mileage function that monitors your fuel consumption and accurately calculates your distance with your gas consumption which can save you a lot of time and money on gasoline as it can give you an estimate of your route’s distance with the fuel you need to use to get there. Being a weatherproof GPS system with a battery life of 8 hours enables the Zumo 220 to be used as a hand held system for such reasons that you may want to go hiking in the backwoods. Although the entire GPS unit is waterproof itself, there is a slight issue concerning its charging port that is connected to the motorcycle electrical system since the charging port itself lacks adequate protection from the elements that you have to make certain that it does not get wt as not to induce a short circuit in your vehicles electrical system, especially when it is mounted on your motorcycle handlebar.