cal
Well-known member
Ive had a Montana 650 for 6 years and 43 countries , rugged mount on 2 bikes , still using it.
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I need a new GPS
- Thread starter Dave.0
- Start date
Multi bike + multi surface + multi map = Montana
Maps, display settings, routing parameters, tracking settings, etc change with the profile. Make your OWN profiles.
Set profile, no drama.
It blows me away how profiles were crippled in the XT.
+1 for In-Reach.
Maps, display settings, routing parameters, tracking settings, etc change with the profile. Make your OWN profiles.
Set profile, no drama.
It blows me away how profiles were crippled in the XT.
+1 for In-Reach.
JustAnotherSquid
Used to ride a motorcycle
I'm looking at the Montana 700 on Garmin's website right now. How long does the battery typically last during use? I see they sell replacement batteries - can you easily swap them out while on a ride?
A Montana plus a few spare batteries would be a decent solution for me, as we have five street bikes and I ride them all. Having to wire something into all five would be a pain in the ass.
A Montana plus a few spare batteries would be a decent solution for me, as we have five street bikes and I ride them all. Having to wire something into all five would be a pain in the ass.
Does that base model come with lifetime city navigator?
JustAnotherSquid
Used to ride a motorcycle
I don't know. Do you have to get at least the 700i to get street maps? Ugh.
I think so. Still not sure about the lifetime update option?
I have multiple bikes as well. I have a RAM ball on all of them then just switch the powered rugged mount between bikes and plug it in with an SAE connector.
It will have street maps loaded, though, in true Garmin fashion, they probably won't be the best as they like to sell you better maps. The Montana is probably a better off-road GPS than a street GPS.
Negative. If you're a street rider, the Montana is probably not for you. I sometimes forget, not everyone tries to stick to dirt as much as possible.
Bone stock Montana 600 works great for me as a street rider, at least from a US standpoint I've not found a paved road it hasn't had but the few dirt/gravel roads I ride have typically not been present. OTOH I don't use the navigation functions at all, just the map and a single destination waypoint for stats.
4PawsHacienda
Member
Had a Zumo for many years, perfect for street and a touch of gravel. Best use was just aimless riding - it let me know at a glance if the upcoming road was long enough to consider turning on to. Older version, had to connect to computer to update. Even with SD card it finally stopped updating. Tried many cheap car GPS options on the bike, most worked ok for a while then either weather (despite baggie on them) or vibrations got them.
The heck with it, Zumo is pricey but dang it - it works and lasts.
The heck with it, Zumo is pricey but dang it - it works and lasts.
cal
Well-known member
Bone stock 650 here and yes the city navigator NA works well even in Central America and Mexico, I also loaded open street maps for the southern countries. I have city navigator Europe which also works well, I bought it in Bulgaria for little money!
I wouldn’t shoot for battery only operation.
OSM is your friend. Free, routable maps. The OSM map detail is good IMHO.
My 680 didn’t come with any roadmaps. I’ve used OSM from day 1.
I’m not on with Montana being sub optimal for road. Put OSM or Garmin maps on it and it’s not really different from the zumo/xt.
I’ve road raged all over the country with my Montana. The Montana does not fear the road.
OSM is your friend. Free, routable maps. The OSM map detail is good IMHO.
My 680 didn’t come with any roadmaps. I’ve used OSM from day 1.
I’m not on with Montana being sub optimal for road. Put OSM or Garmin maps on it and it’s not really different from the zumo/xt.
I’ve road raged all over the country with my Montana. The Montana does not fear the road.
My wallet fears the optioned out Montana.
philipbarrett
Well-known member
Garmin GPS, RAM Mounts, Lowrance GPS at GPS City
GPS City has Garmin GPS and RAM Mount. We carry GPS, RAM Mounts and GPS Accessories for Garmin GPS, Lowrance GPS, Magellan GPS, TomTom GPS, Holux GPS and more. RAM Mounts include GPS Mounts, Laptop Vehicle Mounts, Motorcycle Mounts, Marine Mounts and more.
I bought mine refurb from these guys
Yeah, I set up my main three bikes with the Zumo 660lmt, got all three units for less than 200 ea.
Now I'm spoiled to each bike set and ready to go. I'd have to do that again with newer units.
The 660 is still a solid unit with replaceable batteries. The new bright screens tempt me.
Now I'm spoiled to each bike set and ready to go. I'd have to do that again with newer units.
The 660 is still a solid unit with replaceable batteries. The new bright screens tempt me.
philipbarrett
Well-known member
To the subject of maps - these are really good & free. I actually donated as the guy has put a lot of work into this site -
www.openmapchest.org
Map updates for Garmin navigators
Map updates for your Garmin in BaseCamp, MapSource and gmapsupp formats.
Thanks, I'll look into that. I have two old 295W I'd like to update.To the subject of maps - these are really good & free. I actually donated as the guy has put a lot of work into this site -
Map updates for Garmin navigators
Map updates for your Garmin in BaseCamp, MapSource and gmapsupp formats.
philipbarrett
Well-known member
I found an issue with one of his maps & he emailed me directly, thanked me for finding the bug & had updated the map in 24 hours!
smdub
Member
I have a Montana 700i. I'm not totally impressed with it. The interface is so clunky. I find phone apps like OSMAnd to work better but my phones have been harder to use with gloves. I pre-ordered a CarpeIter Adventure Control and will see how that works out when we do the NEBDR in a couple months. I'll be running both the 700i and the phone+controller+DMD2 in parallel. If the new setup works well enough I'll probably sell the 700i and get a much smaller 66i or Explorer+ to keep as an InReach device and backup GPS.