Garmin mapping is supplied by "Here" maps (formerly Naveteq). Most of the faults you describe relate to the wonky feature set of the mapping. You can get round this by using Garminised open street maps. There are a couple of other issues with the unit. Garmin's logic for routing means that faster time now = faster roads which will take you away from motorcycle friendly roads unless you plot decent routes on Basecamp or other route editor. It also has a glitch that relates to repeated U turn if you miss a shaping point and the unit recalculates, this can be avoided by making all "imported routes" "Saved Routes". Both these issues are known to Garmin but no fix has been issued. All that said I've experimented with phone apps for the last 18 months and find that I return to using the XT despite having Android Auto on my Honda Africa Twin. Its a good unit with great legibility. However, for actual navigation I find my old units (Streetpilot 2610, NAV IV, Zumo340 and 390) that I've used on my old R1150GS to be even better.
Thank you for a thoughtful response! I guess the reason that I am so annoyed is that I really like XT. I prefer it to phones or tablets! I don't want to try a different device, I just want Garmin and their map supplier to be better. Thanks again for watching.
I am using the Garmin XT in Europe. It works well, however, sometimes it doesn't find my destination during my trip planing, but later on closer to it the destination appears on the locations menu! Sometimes I search for a hotel address and the data base can't find it; however if you search the location (city) then selter you will find the hotel and the address that was impossible to find before!! I have few others minor issues because I have to learn the XT logic that is different from the google maps. I keep my phone as spare option. Something I love on my XT is that the screen is always clear and easy to read. Have a safe ride.
Yeah, I often assume that my issues are user error. It can do so much more than I have learned, but the problems I had on this trip were definitely not me. At least the spelling error Lol. I like the device but it should be better. Thanks again for tuning in.
I use Garmin a lot, however my 365 has an intermittent power connection problem and the XT let me down really badly this year as I crossed the Elbe into Northern Germany, when the routing totally failed, through Denmark and Sweden. There is poor connectivity between my phone and the GPS, but I can play music, receive text messages and check the weather for the next heavy rain shower. Oh and the XT does not show supermarket fuel stations in the UK either. I am seriously considering the Chigee AO5 as an alternative.
That is disappointing, eh! In the past, I had charging issues with the XT, and Garmin replaced the mounting /charging unit. Then, this year, I had connectivity issues with my phone and the media player after an update. The latest software update seemed to fix that. That left me with just the issues with navigation. The most important issues! Like you, I have found many gas stations not showing up. I find these deficiencies to be truly annoying. Thanks for tuning in! Travel safely!
Nice review, I would add longevity to the GPS list of pros. I have a BMW Nav5 that I purchased in 2014 and it still receives regular updates at no cost. I have had a few times where navigation had some glitches but in general it does an admiral job. The most memorable fail was on a trip to Gaspé we had booked a room at Auberge - Pourvoirie de la Rivière Matapédia which is on the other side of the Matapédia River to route 132 we were traveling on and the covered bridge had been under maintenance when the map was last updated so Garmin took us across the river a little sooner and then along some back roads that deteriorated to logging roads. It was getting dark and the road had few washouts and steep grades that weren’t fun two up on the RT so we made U-turn and checked in at a B&B we had passed 20 minutes earlier. We ended up paying for the room we slept in plus the reservation we had. We stopped at the place in the morning when we realized the bridge was open but they basically said your bad luck and charged the card. The rest of the trip was great.
Doh! That was bad luck. On the balance of things, the Zumo XT is a good unit. What irks me is that the failings, like spelling errors, show a general disrespect for the client. If this was a cheap Chinese device, I would accept it, but they charge too much for these problems. Lol, I have turned into a grumpy old man. Thanks for continuing to tune in.
I have the Zumo XT as well and I do echo your concerns. It is good but for the money it should be better. As well the Garmin Base camp which I use to plan out routes (then transfer to the ZumoXT) has the same issues. Missing roads, towns etc. Definitely a thorn in my adventure side. Cheers
I hope that you love the Trans-Taiga as much as I did! Have you seen my other videos from the trip? It was truly incredible. Feel free to ask me any questions if you want. You can reach me on Facebook or at tigercoward1200@gmail.com. Thanks for tuning in!
I only use the Garmin to follow a route, and I don't use most of the information. I plan my trips using MyRoute and upload them to my Garmin Zumo XT. I know where I going, but I don't care what restaurants, motels I'll use, and since my bike has a range of 250 miles, fuel is not in issue. I ride for back roads and remote dirt/gravel winding roads where only buggy tracks are present, small towns, and sights, not the destination. Last year I totaled my 22 CB500X in a puddle 3 inches of clay colored water into a pit with 25 inches of soft clay below it a month after my 80th on dirt/gravel road. The Garmin was ripped off its holder just before the windscreen as I was flipped over the handlebars and took them off the bike. Phone was wet but didn't matter, no cell service in the area. I found the Garman floating on top the puddle, it was working, no leaks. I used it to see if there was an shorter route to the last farm house. I took it with me and walked about a mile to nearest farm. The farmer used his dump truck to pull the bike out the pit and tow it to his barn. As you mentioned you will drop the bike at times, so I bought a Transalp 750 as replacement since it only weighs 20 more lbs. than the CB and I can lift it. There are waterproof rugged GPS tablets available that are much more motorcycle friendly than Garmin. The mounting ridge on the back of the Zumo was broken off, Garmin offered to replaced it with another for $135, so I didn't change
Thanks for tuning in! My Tiger has about the same fuel range as your bike, and I generally don't have to worry. However, on the Trans-Taiga, you can be 700km or 450 miles from the nearest village. It can be touch and go even with carrying extra gas. So, knowing your exact distance from fuel stops is important! I knew that and made it, but if others were counting on Garmin, then they would have been disabled. $135 for a new charger/mount seems crazy, eh? Stay safe, have fun. Thanks again for tuning in.
Usually, I assume that it is user-error when gadgets don't work for me, but I am sure that they spelled Diamond incorrectly! Thanks again for tuning in!
The fails are database issues, not technical problems. Garmin probably licenses the maps from someone else. Identifying a city by its boundary rather than the city center is wrong, but the other issues aren't Garmin's. I used Garmin on my trip through BC's Cariboo, and it beat Gaia in routing me through the bush. On another trip, it located a campground in the neighbourhood that I couldn't see on either Garmin or OnX without zooming in on the location. I'm still pretty happy with my Garmin XT, but I've got a new bike coming, and I'm considering a Carplay device, which means I need to ensure I download maps for offline use in advance of my trip.
Hey, thanks for tuning in. I think my Zumo XT is good but should be better. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what combination of suppliers, software, or components are used, the logo says Garmin. They are responsible for what they sell. All that being said, it wasn't that long ago that we didn't have any of this technology. So maybe my expectations are too high. I would love to hear your experience with a Carplay type device. One of my riding mates has just purchased one, but he hasn't tested it yet. Thanks for taking the time to leave me your story. I truly appreciate it!
I've tried to use the Zumo XT in the car. For some reason it wants to put me on scenic motorcyle routes, no matter what settings I use. Total disaster. I ran google maps concurrently. Thankfully that bails me out. Susbequently got the Garmin auto version. That works fine.
I just searched Chisasibi on Google maps and the same thing happens. The area is highlighted but the town itself is not marked and it also doesn't fall within the border shown. Seems like Garmin and Google are using the same data.
Data Issues are annoying. On the Dempster hwy between Hwy 2 and Eagle Plains the device has a turn (turn left in 130km) in the route just north of Tombstone campsite. Speed determines whether my Africa Twin can make it in one pull or not. This turn, in a straight road, dividing the total distance into 2 segments, makes it difficult to do the calculations and speed adjustments on the fly.
@@tigercoward I know that Garmin should be more up on their maps as I find the same issues whenever I am in remote places. I also have Open Street Maps on my zumo XT2 and can switch back and forth. OSM seems to be better on remote places but does not seem to have as many of the restaurants, hotels, etc as Garmin.
I'm not at all interested in Garmin or any other hardware dedicated to maps. I'd rather have a rugged phone with a minimum 6.5" screen or an 8" Android tablet. Also of rugged design. There are plenty of mapping programs to choose from, some free, that will give you every kind of detail. USGS maps, street maps, topo and satellite images. With a Garmin you limit what can be possible using other hardware.
Garmin mapping is supplied by "Here" maps (formerly Naveteq). Most of the faults you describe relate to the wonky feature set of the mapping. You can get round this by using Garminised open street maps. There are a couple of other issues with the unit. Garmin's logic for routing means that faster time now = faster roads which will take you away from motorcycle friendly roads unless you plot decent routes on Basecamp or other route editor. It also has a glitch that relates to repeated U turn if you miss a shaping point and the unit recalculates, this can be avoided by making all "imported routes" "Saved Routes". Both these issues are known to Garmin but no fix has been issued. All that said I've experimented with phone apps for the last 18 months and find that I return to using the XT despite having Android Auto on my Honda Africa Twin. Its a good unit with great legibility. However, for actual navigation I find my old units (Streetpilot 2610, NAV IV, Zumo340 and 390) that I've used on my old R1150GS to be even better.
Thank you for a thoughtful response!
I guess the reason that I am so annoyed is that I really like XT. I prefer it to phones or tablets! I don't want to try a different device, I just want Garmin and their map supplier to be better.
Thanks again for watching.
I am using the Garmin XT in Europe. It works well, however, sometimes it doesn't find my destination during my trip planing, but later on closer to it the destination appears on the locations menu! Sometimes I search for a hotel address and the data base can't find it; however if you search the location (city) then selter you will find the hotel and the address that was impossible to find before!! I have few others minor issues because I have to learn the XT logic that is different from the google maps.
I keep my phone as spare option.
Something I love on my XT is that the screen is always clear and easy to read.
Have a safe ride.
Yeah, I often assume that my issues are user error. It can do so much more than I have learned, but the problems I had on this trip were definitely not me. At least the spelling error
Lol.
I like the device but it should be better.
Thanks again for tuning in.
I use Garmin a lot, however my 365 has an intermittent power connection problem and the XT let me down really badly this year as I crossed the Elbe into Northern Germany, when the routing totally failed, through Denmark and Sweden. There is poor connectivity between my phone and the GPS, but I can play music, receive text messages and check the weather for the next heavy rain shower.
Oh and the XT does not show supermarket fuel stations in the UK either.
I am seriously considering the Chigee AO5 as an alternative.
That is disappointing, eh!
In the past, I had charging issues with the XT, and Garmin replaced the mounting /charging unit.
Then, this year, I had connectivity issues with my phone and the media player after an update. The latest software update seemed to fix that.
That left me with just the issues with navigation. The most important issues!
Like you, I have found many gas stations not showing up.
I find these deficiencies to be truly annoying.
Thanks for tuning in!
Travel safely!
Nice review, I would add longevity to the GPS list of pros. I have a BMW Nav5 that I purchased in 2014 and it still receives regular updates at no cost.
I have had a few times where navigation had some glitches but in general it does an admiral job. The most memorable fail was on a trip to Gaspé we had booked a room at Auberge - Pourvoirie de la Rivière Matapédia which is on the other side of the Matapédia River to route 132 we were traveling on and the covered bridge had been under maintenance when the map was last updated so Garmin took us across the river a little sooner and then along some back roads that deteriorated to logging roads. It was getting dark and the road had few washouts and steep grades that weren’t fun two up on the RT so we made U-turn and checked in at a B&B we had passed 20 minutes earlier. We ended up paying for the room we slept in plus the reservation we had. We stopped at the place in the morning when we realized the bridge was open but they basically said your bad luck and charged the card. The rest of the trip was great.
Doh!
That was bad luck.
On the balance of things, the Zumo XT is a good unit.
What irks me is that the failings, like spelling errors, show a general disrespect for the client. If this was a cheap Chinese device, I would accept it, but they charge too much for these problems.
Lol, I have turned into a grumpy old man.
Thanks for continuing to tune in.
I have the Zumo XT as well and I do echo your concerns. It is good but for the money it should be better. As well the Garmin Base camp which I use to plan out routes (then transfer to the ZumoXT) has the same issues. Missing roads, towns etc. Definitely a thorn in my adventure side.
Cheers
You nailed it. I should have you write my script! "Good but should be better" would have been a great line.
Thanks for tuning in!
Timely video… Doing the Trans Taiga in Sept 2025, and was going to be using my Garmin to navigate it.
Great video, thanks for the heads up.
I hope that you love the Trans-Taiga as much as I did!
Have you seen my other videos from the trip? It was truly incredible.
Feel free to ask me any questions if you want.
You can reach me on Facebook or at tigercoward1200@gmail.com.
Thanks for tuning in!
I only use the Garmin to follow a route, and I don't use most of the information. I plan my trips using MyRoute and upload them to my Garmin Zumo XT. I know where I going, but I don't care what restaurants, motels I'll use, and since my bike has a range of 250 miles, fuel is not in issue. I ride for back roads and remote dirt/gravel winding roads where only buggy tracks are present, small towns, and sights, not the destination.
Last year I totaled my 22 CB500X in a puddle 3 inches of clay colored water into a pit with 25 inches of soft clay below it a month after my 80th on dirt/gravel road. The Garmin was ripped off its holder just before the windscreen as I was flipped over the handlebars and took them off the bike. Phone was wet but didn't matter, no cell service in the area. I found the Garman floating on top the puddle, it was working, no leaks. I used it to see if there was an shorter route to the last farm house. I took it with me and walked about a mile to nearest farm. The farmer used his dump truck to pull the bike out the pit and tow it to his barn.
As you mentioned you will drop the bike at times, so I bought a Transalp 750 as replacement since it only weighs 20 more lbs. than the CB and I can lift it. There are waterproof rugged GPS tablets available that are much more motorcycle friendly than Garmin. The mounting ridge on the back of the Zumo was broken off, Garmin offered to replaced it with another for $135, so I didn't change
Thanks for tuning in!
My Tiger has about the same fuel range as your bike, and I generally don't have to worry. However, on the Trans-Taiga, you can be 700km or 450 miles from the nearest village. It can be touch and go even with carrying extra gas. So, knowing your exact distance from fuel stops is important!
I knew that and made it, but if others were counting on Garmin, then they would have been disabled.
$135 for a new charger/mount seems crazy, eh?
Stay safe, have fun.
Thanks again for tuning in.
Hmmm i have a 395 and 396, both have been stellar, wonder if you got a bad one..
Usually, I assume that it is user-error when gadgets don't work for me, but I am sure that they spelled Diamond incorrectly!
Thanks again for tuning in!
Yah agree spelling is a screw up for sure
The fails are database issues, not technical problems. Garmin probably licenses the maps from someone else. Identifying a city by its boundary rather than the city center is wrong, but the other issues aren't Garmin's. I used Garmin on my trip through BC's Cariboo, and it beat Gaia in routing me through the bush. On another trip, it located a campground in the neighbourhood that I couldn't see on either Garmin or OnX without zooming in on the location. I'm still pretty happy with my Garmin XT, but I've got a new bike coming, and I'm considering a Carplay device, which means I need to ensure I download maps for offline use in advance of my trip.
Hey, thanks for tuning in. I think my Zumo XT is good but should be better.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what combination of suppliers, software, or components are used, the logo says Garmin. They are responsible for what they sell.
All that being said, it wasn't that long ago that we didn't have any of this technology. So maybe my expectations are too high.
I would love to hear your experience with a Carplay type device. One of my riding mates has just purchased one, but he hasn't tested it yet.
Thanks for taking the time to leave me your story. I truly appreciate it!
I've tried to use the Zumo XT in the car. For some reason it wants to put me on scenic motorcyle routes, no matter what settings I use. Total disaster. I ran google maps concurrently. Thankfully that bails me out. Susbequently got the Garmin auto version. That works fine.
That is strange, eh?
Lucky for me, I want to ride those scenic routes.
Lol.
Thanks for tuning in.
I just searched Chisasibi on Google maps and the same thing happens. The area is highlighted but the town itself is not marked and it also doesn't fall within the border shown. Seems like Garmin and Google are using the same data.
That's strange, eh?
I am glad that I wasn't short on gas.
Thanks for tuning in!
Data Issues are annoying. On the Dempster hwy between Hwy 2 and Eagle Plains the device has a turn (turn left in 130km) in the route just north of Tombstone campsite. Speed determines whether my Africa Twin can make it in one pull or not. This turn, in a straight road, dividing the total distance into 2 segments, makes it difficult to do the calculations and speed adjustments on the fly.
That sounds frustrating!
It is a good unit, but should be better!
Ps. Thanks for watching!
All Garmin zumos use the same maps, so all of these issues would show up on any of the zumos.
That is interesting, and unfortunate.
Thanks for watching!
@@tigercoward I know that Garmin should be more up on their maps as I find the same issues whenever I am in remote places. I also have Open Street Maps on my zumo XT2 and can switch back and forth. OSM seems to be better on remote places but does not seem to have as many of the restaurants, hotels, etc as Garmin.
Yeah, I still use it and like it, but I don't trust it. So I use paper maps and my phone when I can.
Ultimately, it is good bitnshould be better.
I'm not at all interested in Garmin or any other hardware dedicated to maps.
I'd rather have a rugged phone with a minimum 6.5" screen or an 8" Android tablet. Also of rugged design.
There are plenty of mapping programs to choose from, some free, that will give you every kind of detail. USGS maps, street maps, topo and satellite images.
With a Garmin you limit what can be possible using other hardware.
Well said. This is definitely my last Garmin.
i stopped using overpriced garmin crap years ago
I hear you, brother.
The performance certainly doesn't match the price!