raptor14
Expert Class
Posts: 264
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posted April 13, 2007 02:38 PM
Installed TechMount & Garmin Zumo 550
Just finished the installation of the Garmin Zumo 550 GPS (pics below). It comes with a RAM Mount which is fine. However I liked the looks of the TechMount Stem mount asit places the GPS right where I want it to be and it it looks better than the RAM mount. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and either mount will do the job. Word of caution for those who go the TechMount direction. The mount comes with three o-rings. My first attempt to push the mount into the steering head was a failure. The last 1/2-inch was impossible. I had even lubed the o-rings with a little soapy water. I almost never got the mount out. Had to use WD-40 and work it back and forth for 15 minutes. I wound up taking the bottom o-ring off and just using the upper two. It's mounted very solid and the stem mount goes all the way in. I wired it into the electrical system. Actually all I did was route the positive lead to the battery and ground the negative lead on the frame. The mount is very secure and can be adjusted over a wide range of positions.
Not sure if you can see it, but the splash screen which comes up first is a picture of my bike. You can download any .jpg image and use it as a splash screen. Nice feature.
  
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fish_antlers
Administrator
The Truth is Out There
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posted April 13, 2007 03:10 PM
 ... make sure you download the new firmware for the Zumo... fixes a bunch of irritating glitches...
http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=1907#Instruct
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What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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raptor14
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Posts: 264
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posted April 13, 2007 03:16 PM
Thanks. I did download the firmware update shortly after I got the GPS. I often like to pan the screen and the new firmwere lets me doing that without having to go to the browse function. I've used the Zumo in my car for about a week now. It's much easier to use than the Garmin 2620 that I also own. Major improvements in useability.
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shawnski
Pro
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posted April 13, 2007 03:19 PM
 Edited By: shawnski on 13 Apr 2007 16:21
looks good, nice job, clean!
how is the visibility?
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raptor14
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Posts: 264
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posted April 13, 2007 03:29 PM
The screen is at the right place to allow a quick glance down to check heading. I don't have to move my head any more than when I look at the tach or speedo. Further, its just enough out of my direct vision so it won't be a distraction. The unit itself does not interfere with visibility of the instrument cluster and does not interfere with inserting and removing the key. That's one of the reasons why I decided to pay a few bucks more and get the Techmount rather than use the included RAM mount. I haven't had the bike out in sunlight yet (winter just won't let go of the northeast). However, I have had the GPS out while walking around and the screen does not reflect glare and stays reasonably visible even when in direct sunlight. Motorcycle Consumer News just published a report on the 550 and stated that the screen was visible on the bike in direct sun.
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smokinzx14
Needs a life
Posts: 10197
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posted April 13, 2007 03:56 PM
Very cool ..Thanks for the report ..
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Smokin Performance Cycles..
Tampa Bay , FL .. Brocks Performance Dealer ..
Gen 2 ZX14R Best ET 8.43 , Best MPH 164.95
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fish_antlers
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posted April 14, 2007 08:20 AM
quote:
The mount comes with three o-rings. My first attempt to push the mount into the steering head was a failure. The last 1/2-inch was impossible. I had even lubed the o-rings with a little soapy water. I almost never got the mount out. Had to use WD-40 and work it back and forth for 15 minutes. I wound up taking the bottom o-ring off and just using the upper two.
That doesn't make sense... I've used it on the 14 and had no problem seating it all the way... you should be using all three o-rings. All I used was some good old spit on the mount .... inserted it all the way without a problem... had to give it a little extra for to seat the last bit but no problemo... (hold the jokes fellas  )
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What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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stevewfl
Moderator
Posts: 27920
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posted April 14, 2007 08:52 AM
I want to ride over to winter park and visit tech mount before purchasing just for the heck of riding over and visiting. Raptor I'm going to give them your input regarding the o rings and point at my 14 bike and hope they care to check it out in real time.
thanks for the info too - I guess I need to read my owner's manual, thesplash screen on mine will soon be the pic fish took of my bike with hooters gurlies all over it in this thread!
http://www.bikeland.org/board/viewthread.php?FID=27&TID=30329
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2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
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stevewfl
Moderator
Posts: 27920
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posted April 14, 2007 09:01 AM
I didn't even have to read the manual I just plugged the zumo in, copied the pic to the directory, used the zumo menu.... DONE! Pic reminds me of the good times with bikeland folks and friends I was at daytona with, unreal having it on Zumo
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2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
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d3000
Parking Attendant
Posts: 11
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posted April 14, 2007 09:03 AM
Can the Zumo be wired directly to the bike battery or does it only take disposable/rechargeable batteries?
Also, after it's on the ram/tech mount can it be easily removed?I don't own a zumo but plan on buying one once the
price drops a bit.
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stevewfl
Moderator
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posted April 14, 2007 09:20 AM
1. The Zumo connects to a power source, yes. And its internal battieries charge while its connected. I've ran mine 4-5 hours on the internal batteries.
2. The price has dropped for the loaded 550 with XM satellite and bluetooth cellular- amazon has it for $713 instead of over a grand like everywhere else when I bought mine (month ago so don't quote my prices as today's)
3. If you get one of these, you'll be addicted. I'm not one for anything to do with sport touring like luggage, back rests, corbin seats, or (especially) ABS....... but I luvs 'da ZUMO! There's something about recording top speeds accurately that got my attention. The rest of the it- GPS and all the gazillion other features, are just a bonus
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2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
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raptor14
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posted April 15, 2007 05:56 AM
1. Hey Fish. I'd prefer to use all three o-rings but I honestly could not get the stem mount all the way in. I tried three times, the last time using WD-40. After the extreme difficulty in getting it removed I decided there was no way I was going to use all three o-rings. I tried it first with just the upper one. Not a good idea. The mount is not solid. Then I went with the upper two. The mount installed correctly but I still had to use considerable force to get it all the way down. The o-rings were lubricated when I installed. With the upper two o-rings the mount is very solid. No movement or vibration when riding and it does not want to come out. I've pulled on it while rotating it with considerable force. It will come out, but not easily. I'm happy. This may be a unique issue with my bike, who knows. I do want to be able to remove the mount so I can tighten the steering head bolt (or remove it) whenever necessary. That said, I really like the TechMount. It provides a nice clean installation. I will be talking with them soon to see if I can get a shorter link between the stem mount and the platform to move the GPS to a slightly more favorable position.
2. I got my Zumo for $720.
3. The Zumo has a cradle which is attached to the Ram or TechMount mounting plate. It can be easily removed from the cradle. It has a security screw with a unique head and screwdriver which will secure it into the mount. It won't come out during riding with the security screw installed (probably won't without it but I use the screw for safety). However if someone wanted to steal it, it would be easy enough. In my opinion it would be more difficult to steal it if you have the TechMount. With the Ram mount all one has to do is take a couple of seconds and loosen the large wingnut which tightens the ball and socket attachment. Or, just pull hard.
4. Agree with stevewfl. I've ran my Zumo about 3.5 hours of the internal battery with no problem. I hardwired it into the bike. Very easy to do. Just run the positive to the + battery terminal and ground the - on the frame. Also, most of the features can be used without reading the manual. Some of the nicer features that a sport tour type like myself use require one to read the manual. This includes such features as downloading the log of a trip to Google Earth.
5. Wish my bike was taken with Hooters girls. That would be my splash screen as well but I'm not that fortunate.
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fastestbusaaround
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posted April 15, 2007 07:25 AM
Guys...you shouldn't use the + of the battery for the GPS install. When the unit is off, it pulls about 100ma from the bike's battery to keep the GPS fix (referred to as a warm start). That type of current drain will kill the bike's battery within a matter of weeks and is bad for the battery in any case. Use the ignition feed (switched power) instead; the Zumo will take somewhat longer to acquire satellites, but we're talking about an extra minute at worst case anyway. Doing it this way will keep your battery fully charged at all times, plus the unit will go on and off with the key instead of having to press the power button each time you turn it on or off.
Next thing: beware that once you change the splash screen, if you ever decide to revert back to the original screen, there will be optical distortion on the image which will never go away, because the screen is not the same as the original that the unit ships with, which is not accessible to the user in any case.
Raptor - the RAM mount that ships with the Zumo doesn't interfere with the key insertion in any way -- at least not on my bike.
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FYYFF!!!
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stevewfl
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posted April 15, 2007 09:32 AM
quote:
5. Wish my bike was taken with Hooters girls. That would be my splash screen as well but I'm not that fortunate.
Solution for that is join us next year at Daytona Beach bike week!
____________
2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
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raptor14
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posted April 15, 2007 11:46 AM
1. FBA - Thanks for the advice. I generally take the GPS off the bike when I'm through riding as I use it in my car or hiking. But I'll check the wiring diagram in the Service Manual and connect it into the ignition switch anyway. Thought of doing that but I was lazy. Wiring to the battery is the lazy man's way to do things. I don't plan on ever using the original splash screen. I may just update to the pic of stevewfl's bike with the Hooters girls. Nah, I'd probably crash if I turned the GPS on while I was underway. I'd get distracted. I have no issue with the RAM mount. Just liked the looks of the Techmount better. Both will do the job. I may use the RAM mount on my FZ1.
2. stevewfl - Thought about heading to Daytona Bike Week. Got a few friends left in FL that make that an annual event. Of course they all ride Harleys so I'd be out of place riding with them on the 14.
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raptor14
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posted April 16, 2007 08:06 AM
For those who like the ball and socket RAM mount, see the link below. Scroll down to the response from Paul. It's a nice setup using the RAM mount system. One nice advantage is that the GPS unit does not move with the steering head.
http://www.zx14ninja.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=6004
The custom part which replaces the stock gas tank front bolt can be found at
http://www.telferizer.com/prods.html#kawasaki
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fish_antlers
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posted April 16, 2007 08:12 AM
FYI if you buy a Zumo, it comes with the Ram mount, so it's easy to see what it's like.. you get it for free with your purchase.
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What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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stevewfl
Moderator
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posted April 16, 2007 09:45 AM
quote:
2. stevewfl - Thought about heading to Daytona Bike Week. Got a few friends left in FL that make that an annual event. Of course they all ride Harleys so I'd be out of place riding with them on the 14.
OK well your welcome to join us with the sportbikes during your Daytona festivites 
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2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
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stevewfl
Moderator
Posts: 27920
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posted April 16, 2007 09:46 AM
quote:
FYI if you buy a Zumo, it comes with the Ram mount, so it's easy to see what it's like.. you get it for free with your purchase.
I'm OK with the Ram that came with it, but as you know open-minded to a better solution~
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2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
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raptor14
Expert Class
Posts: 264
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posted April 16, 2007 02:33 PM
The Zumo does indeed come with the RAM mount, but does not include the custom part that replaces the gas tank bolt. Those interested in seeing the mount included with the ZUMO can find info at http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/1372_InstallationGuide.pdf. The included mount attaches to the handlebars via a u-bolt or to the clutch or brake clamp using a clamp bracket. It's fully functional and you do pay for it with the Zumo. I do like the installation with the gas tank bolt. Otherwise, the TechMount is a cleaner looking installation.
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zerMATT
Pro
Posts: 1931
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posted April 17, 2007 06:43 PM
quote:
2. The price has dropped for the loaded 550 with XM satellite and bluetooth cellular- amazon has it for $713 instead of over a grand like everywhere else when I bought mine
Be careful not to oversell the Zumo's features... if you really want XM, you still have to pay over $200 for the "antenna" (which is actually the XM receiver). Garmin is misleading customers by telling them that XM can be had by adding an antenna... that's not a simple antenna, it's the entire receiver with serialized chip and everything inside of it. An antenna wouldn't cost more than $50 or $75 (and that's overpriced for a satellite antenna)..
I still love my Zumo, but I feel like Garmin mislead me a bit... 
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'06 Passion Red ZX-14 | Black D&D Slip-ons | Speedo Healer | V1 | zumo 550 | Heli-Risers | PhantomX
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Bikerdad
Parking Attendant
Posts: 1
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posted June 18, 2012 06:02 PM
I have a 2012 concours 14 or Connie as you refer to it and I am in the process of installing my Zumo 550 . I have purchased and received the techmount which is easy enough to install but my question is more on how to wire it into the bike . I do not want to go to battery but would rather a 12 volt wire supplied with the bike . So is there somewhere a wire which can be used , a spare as such preferably fused . Is there a way from fuse panel to run wires to them ? I need some help here from you guys or girls to do a clean install on my new Connie .
Thanks Bikerdad
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