Customer Reviews

Garmin Zumo 350LM 4.3" Sat Nav for Motorcycles with Europe Maps and Lifetime Map Updates

This item is worth every penny, it connects to any Bluetooth Helmet system and is very (VERY) easy to use and completely biker friendly. It also comes with a Car Mount and the lifetime mapping is a good selling point. I have already used it in Europe.... it's BRILLIANT...!!!! Best price was AMAZON.

I was considering buying the 660 but decided to wait until this one hit the shelves.
I have a Garmin for the car but one for the bike is new ground. At this sort of cost , you really don`t want to get it wrong.
OK, the mounts good, everything you need to bolt it up. It has a bracket that bolts to your switch gear with two longer bolts(supplied), however ,on my Triumph the originals are offset so I simply clamped it to the handlebars. The unit itself feels high quality, really nice stylish case. It clamps into the mount with a two stage fixing.
Power supply is about the size of a box of matches . It has a supply lead to the Garmin that runs all the way under the tank that then plugs into the gps mount (don`t lose the tiny screw that secures the plug! The power in leads come bare (you have to fit connections on (not supplied). I have an optimate loom fitted for charging, so I bought an extension lead for the charger then cut the end off and soldered the Garmin supply onto it. I can now plug my Garmin into the existing loom. (make sure you get the live and neutral round the right way!
There is no blanking plate for the mount when the gps is not fitted , that's about the only gripe!
I like the fuel tank range feature. When you get to your chosen range the fuel icon appears, you touch that and a list of fuel stations appear. You can record all your servicing details, I like :)
I have hard wired into my auto com intercom. Bad side of that is ,if you fall off it comes with you. Upside is you will not forget to remove it when you leave the bike. Luckily I had a lead to connect it! (not supplied).
Value for money, hard to say. I am off on a two week tour of Europe........I`ll let you know
UPDATE. We did a 5000 mile plus trip of nine countries in Europe, so there we were in Graz and our first hotel let us down with the secure parking , had to find another hotel at the end of a 500 mile day in the dark in a city center. With this , simply no problem. Budapest , 1 mile from our hotel, road closed and no diversion signs, with this , no problem. Switzerland , broke a drive chain, we could tell the breakdown people where we were , no problem. My wife and I would navigate with maps all across Europe easily and then have a blazing row trying to find our accommodation, worth every penny.

I waited to take the plunge on a motorcycle satnav and had heard that Garmin were going to release the Zumo 350LM. I am very glad that i waited, the 350LM performs very well, i recommend using it in conjunction with a Bluetooth headset, my preference being a Cardo Scala G9. The features i like are the spoken turn by turn directions and the Basecamp software. The turn by turn spoken directions are useful because you don't have to keep looking down to confirm where you are going and the Basecamp software (free download) has some great features when it comes to planning outings. All in all a good value product and very good for motorcyclists.

BACKGROUND
I bought this as a replacement for a Garmin Zūmo 550. I was quite happy with the 550 but recently the motorcycle mount stopped working when it filled up with water, corroding the internal electronics. Also the power pin on the GPS unit itself partially burnt and pitted creating an intermittent connection on both the car and bike mounts. I could have bought another used Zūmo 550 and mount but was tempted by the design of new 350LM (I never considered the less robust looking 660) and liked the concept of lifetime maps.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
It's great. Equally as good as the old 550 and far better in some respects. Solid build, more of a function over form design than the arguably more 'stylish' 660LM. I prefer the Zūmo 350LM case design - the all black sits better with my black bike.

INSTALLATION
Garmin have cleverly removed all the electronics from the mounts, which based on my recent experience is a good idea. No need to worry about covering up the mount when not in use. If the mount should become damaged by weather the only part that is likely to need replacing is the power cable.
But what have they done with the power cable? The 350LM runs on 5V so the 12V bike power needs to be stepped down and filtered and to do this they have added an inline box that's a bit bigger than a matchbox, along with a noise filter. This would be fine in a car, but on a bike? Where are you supposed to mount this box? I'm struggling to find a location on my BMW K1300s, not to mention the box means I can't feed the cable through any small holes when fitting. Brilliance and stupidity all in one Garmin!

FEATURES
On my old Zūmo 550 I had 1000 MP3 tracks loaded on the SD card to listen to on long trips. You can't do this on the 350LM. I figured this might be the case because everything is going iPhone and Bluetooth these days, but it's still disappointing. If you like your MP3s on your sat nav you need to buy the 660LM.
Can I pair my iPhone with the new 350LM and play music through it? Nope. Only a bluetooth headset. Text messages? Forget it. You'll need to buy the 660...
To get around these connectivity issue I'm now forced to buy a Scala G4 SOLO Motorcycle Handsfree Bluetooth Headset so I can stream music from the iPhone to the headset and pair it with the 350LM to hear voice prompts (voice prompts automatically dip the sound from the iPhone). In short to be able to listen to music occasionally has now become a whole lot more complicated than simply plugging in my ear buds and clipping the Zūmo 550 onto the mount! Now if I want music and voice prompts, even if I only use either occasionally, I must have a bluetooth headset attached - and that's another thing to charge overnight!

VOICE PROMPTS
The voice prompts don't sound as rich and full bodied as the 550. I guess because the 550 had an MP3 player it also has a good quality amplifier inside - or at least inside the motorcycle mount. The voices on the 350 sound thin and tinny in comparison but if you hadn't heard the Zūmo 550 before you probably won't mind. They're not unbearable but a bit 'telephonic' for my liking. I'm guessing the the 660LM would have better audio quality due it's built in MP3 capabilities.

SCREEN
The display is sharper than the 550 but Garmin have gone for more detail and reality in the map software which in my opinion just makes it harder to read. I'm sure I'll get used to it but at the moment I prefer my old 550. I've since changed the theme and level of detail on the 350LM to the lowest setting to see if it looks better. The bigger screen is nice but all it really adds is more information either side of where you are going to clutter up the view. The first manufacturer who comes up with a sat nav that works in portrait rather than widescreen orientation will have a hit I'm sure.

NAVIGATION
I have only had one short ride with the 350 but it seems to be equally as good as the 550. One new function I encountered is when you get closer to your destination the 350LM automatically switches to a higher detailed map setting, which is useful, until you accidentally miss a turn and ride away from your destination and the 350LM doesn't switch back!
The lane assist seems to work fine but it does split the screen when activated on so you really have to look carefully to see where you are going.
At last Garmin has added a "where am I?" button. In the past I've had to use Google maps on the iPhone for this function.
Finally my old 550 had nice big characters to display your speed which were easily legible. The 350 has smaller numerals displayed next to a graphic displaying the speed limit of the road you are currently on. Nice idea in theory but the small speed digits turn red when you exceed the limit and make them even harder to read!

CONCLUSION
If my 550 hadn't died I think I'd probably be sending the 350LM back for a full refund and buying a used Zūmo 550 and new motorcycle mount (�40). But as it is with technology once one has stepped forward it's difficult to step back so I'm sure I'll get used to the differences and work around the shortcomings. I recall I was initially apprehensive about the Zūmo 550 until I actually used it in anger and got used to it. I think I need to do another big ride to really give the new Zūmo 350LM a workout.
If you've never had the older Zūmo 550 you'll love the 350LM. Owners upgrading from the 550 may prefer the 660M instead. I'm sticking with the 350LM until Garmin bring out a 660M upgrade in the same case as the 350LM...

I bought this product after doing some research on the internet. I have a BMW R1200GS. To fit a similar unit from the factory would cost up to �850 including installation. I wanted a Garmin unit without the exorbitant price and this fitted well. The price was cheapest off amazon and delivery was very quick. The fact that I can use it in the car with a separate cable and fitting was a bonus. I went to an electrician to get the unit professionally hardwired to the battery (roughly �50). I have done a few rides totaling a few hundred miles with it. The unit connects to a bluetooth headset if needed else the speaker in the unit is pretty loud if you turn the volume up. The unit it attached to the mount with some rubber bushes which help to dampen vibration when riding and this works very well. It has map updates, speed camera warnings in UK and also tells you common places for mobile speed camera's as well (important for a biker!!)
The display is very bright and at night time automatically dims down. You can turn off the directions and voice with a shortcut directly on the screen. The unit fits on the permanently mounted clamp on the bike with a small button the the top of the unit and comes off once this is released. It works very well to hold it in place while riding. Charging is through a couple of small metal points on the back as well which work once its clamped in place. Over all the unit is very good and i am very happy with my buy!! happily recommend it to all my fellow bikers

So far the Zumo 350 has proven unreliable. How can you trust it on any journey when it freezes randomly? Reseting, updating...etc to no avail, support has been slow and unhelpful so far. Many forums are relating the same issue over the world but so far Garmin does not see fit to respond/acknowledge and the customer is left to do their quality assurance. I would pass until a fix is found and confirmed, potentially pass forever if speedy and efficient customer service is important to you.

** UPDATE **

After weeks of Garmin being aware of the problem, with no official communication on their part in the interim, they finally released a software update that fixed the issue. Great. BUT, what should we think of a company that fails to test the main functionality of its product? What should we think of a company that fails to communicate? What should we think of a company that even sent replacement units around the world, knowing it wasn't fixing the issue? How much cost do you think that builds in the product we are buying here? It's the 21st century and Garmin is running on fumes of once great consumer devices, marine and aviation. Wake up!!

previously had a Zumo 550.
This is much quicker and I like the variety of functions the 550 should have had, but didn't. Garmin have obviously listened to users feedback and incorperated in the 350LM.
Not quite as "glove" friendly as the 550, but the extra features more than make up for this.

Have this on my FJR1300, and it bluetooths easily to my (and my girlfriends) Sena intercom unit.

You can buy "cheaper" car units, but I wouldnt want to test how robust they are in rain etc.

Screen is easy to see and lifetime maps and speed cameras are essential for motorbiking, especially when leisure riding through unknown territories.

Basecap software is a bit ropey, but once mastered is an nice bolt on.

A salutary tale of "do not believe the advertising, ask the users"

Do NOT buy a Garmin 350LM get a TomTom instead…

I did the research; I compared the two in detail and decided, after many years with a Tom-Tom Rider, to change to a Garmin 350LM. Mainly for the following reasons..

1. The Garmin has an internal speaker, duel use in car or on bike.
2. The Garmin accepted a micro SD card for memory expansion.

It's not until you unpack your new toy and go about setting it up and putting it to use that the customer experience starts to deteriorate. I will list them and then expand.

1. Map download is very large, watch your online allowance.
2. Web page asks you to install a plug-in in order to access your map download, after it’s installed; it continues to ask the same thing.
3. Web pages to create a support request do not work properly. (expect to lose some hair)
4. The "Express" software is all but useless.. A direct comparison to the Tom-Tom makes it look even worse. None of the Garmin software will work over a proxy server, and there are no settings you can alter to make it work.
5. The unit must be attached to the computer to download the map.
6. A Bluetooth pin number of 0000 is hard coded into the unit and cannot be changed!! Bluetooth setup sends the unwanted pin and fails without information or chance of user intervention.
7. Support services simply confirm what you already know, things do not work, no solution available..

Suffice to say my old TT Rider suffered from none of these problems.. It just worked.

OK, if you need anymore detail read on, I will expand on how my disillusionment grew as I tried one thing after another.

1 My 1st communication with Garmin was about the size of the download, after some back & forth I received this:

"We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Garmin is currently investigating a potential issue with 2013.40 and has decided to remove the update and downloadable content until that investigation is completed. We will endeavour to make a new version of maps available as soon as possible; current estimated availability is May the 1st."

2 You cannot just register your unit and then download the latest map, even though you are logged in to the Garmin "My" space with the registered unit on screen, when you click on download you are told..

"To continue, you must install the Garmin Communicator Plug-in so we can detect and communicate with your device."

No matter how many times I did so, and checked that it was installed, this is the only response I ever got trying to download from the website.

3 Even when logged in to the Garmin site and using Chrome, IE or Firefox and attempting (numerous times) to send support requests. The support web page has a drop down combo box to select your registered device. On any of the above browsers this element does not work, it has never once displayed my registered device. All three web browsers are patched and up to date but that selection list has never shown me a registered device.
Further, on many frustrating occasions the second choice of narrowing down a device model using three selection lists fails on the last one, leaving the user unable to select either a registered device OR the appropriate model because the last list fails to display.
When after much frustration in getting the last selection list to finally display and choosing the model (this HAS to be done before you can move on) then moving on to describe the issue needing support and finishing the process of filling in the required fields on subsequent pages, you will be dumped back to this 1st screen asking me to select a registered device that I cannot select as it will not show up in the web page. Cue loss of hair.

4 Garmin Express, IF you can get it to launch, I spent a lot of time trying to find out why when starting this software there is no discernable change in your PC screen.. (Longwinded way of saying "it doesn’t start very well")
It has a fraction of the functionality of the Tom-Tom Home2 software and will not work with a proxy server and has no provision to get it to work with one. So if you’re a business buying one or are attempting to update your maps (with permission) on a works internet connection… forget it, Garmin don't support it.
5 You must have the unit connected to your PC to download the maps (bye the way I have still not managed this awesome feat of technological wizardry :o( and part of my work is IT management) and yes, I am good at it….
As the map is memory based you cannot stick the SD card into a reader and work on it like you can on Tom-Tom.
As I have yet to get the entire sum parts working together I do not know if the Express software allows a download and later transfer of map to the unit.

6 I have an AGV Helmet with the AGV Voice Bluetooth fitment. To pair with a Bluetooth device a pin number of 1234 must be entered when pairing. This was not even an issue on the Tom-Tom rider.

I now have the Garmin Zumo 350 and when attempting to pair with the headset the Zumo transmits 0000 by default which is being rejected by the AGV Voice software.

As the Garmin has a keypad and the helmet does not I expected to be able to enter the correct pin when it is requested. This is not the case as each time the Zumo reports a failure to connect after it sends the 0000 pin without the intervention of the user. I contacted Garmin support to find how to change the 0000 pin. Below is the reply, helpful as you can see:

"Thank you for contacting Garmin Europe.
I am happy to help with your enquiry.

I'm afraid this is the default PIN and cannot be changed. I would
recommend speaking with the manufacturer of the headset to see if they can provide any assistance towards this. I am sorry for any inconvenience."

I now have a �350 motorcycle satnav that will not pair to a �300+ blue-tooth helmet simply because Garmin think it's acceptable to build in a default instead of a flexible user intervention using the keypad present; you don't often find a keypad on a Bluetooth device...

7 My experience in supplying user support services is that you try to find a solution for your "customer".

The Garmin take on this is to state baldly that (whatever does not work) does not work and is unsupported.
At least it makes for short sharp exchanges..

Garmin... Never again.

It does everything you want.
Clear and concise and quick recalculating of routes.
Yet to get to grip with the Base Camp system.