Why Riders Should Use a GPS Sat Nav for Their Motorbikes

22 Apr, 2024

The Garmin zūmo series motorcycle GPS provides many benefits for adventurous motorcyclists. Here are the top features that come with the top-of-the-line motorcycle sat navs.

Are you a rider looking to venture off the beaten path? Whether it’s three days or 30 minutes, on- or off-road adventures, discover the route of your dreams with the rugged Garmin zūmo® series. Designed to withstand the elements and rough terrain, Garmin motorcycle sat navs such as the zūmo® XT2 are jam-packed with features designed for riders and engineered for motorcycles.

The zūmo XT2 allows the solo and group rider to enjoy any adventure. And that’s just the beginning of its offerings.

Taking your motorbike for a spin and going off the grid doesn’t have to mean you’ll be “off the grid.” With the zūmo XT2, tap into your adventurous side with unique trip creation features such as simple map switching to access street maps, topographic maps and BirdsEye Direct Satellite Imagery so you know where you are and where the curviest, most scenic routes are.

Continue reading to learn about the unique benefits a zūmo XT2 provides for motorcyclists of all kinds.

Top Flight Features

What makes the zūmo XT2 special? Sure, it looks great and is easy to read with its ultrabright, sunlight-readable 6” display. And no doubt it’s durable and built to last in all elements, but you’ll be surprised by the capabilities the many features provide.

• Garmin Adventurous Routing™: Life is full of twists and turns. With Adventurous Routing, you get to decide how many. Plus, you can pass on the straight — and boring — routes, meaning fewer highways. Select road preferences through Adventurous Routing to ensure a true motorcycle adventure with all of the hills, curves and sights. So leave it to your zūmo to provide a more enjoyable ride.
• Great rides: Before you head out for your next ride, use the great rides feature to discover new and popular routes on the Garmin Tread® app downloaded on your compatible smartphone. Bookmark the route that suits you best, and it’ll sync to your motorcycle sat nav automatically. After your journey, add difficulty ratings and upload photos to share with other riders within the Tread app.
• MICHELIN Scenic Roads: Discover unforgettable rides with MICHELIN Scenic Roads and know what’s worth stopping for with the preloaded Green Guide from MICHELIN with pictures, detailed descriptions and ratings.
• Popular paths: Sometimes it’s best to copy other people’s homework. Whether you’re still learning your motorcycle sat nav, or if you’re in a new area, check out popular moto paths discovered by others through the popular paths feature.
• Group ride mobile: Perfect day for a ride with your crew? With the group ride mobile feature¹, track where your buddies are directly on the zūmo XT2 display (requires mobile coverage).  Take it a step further with the group ride tracker accessory² (sold separately), where you can track your fellow riders, send pre-defined messaging and route tracking between you without the need for mobile coverage.
• Ride summaries: Want to relive a recent journey? Know how fast you were going, acceleration and decelerations, elevations and more stats within the Tread® app. How? Once you arrive at your destination, your device will automatically display all of the details surrounding your ride — aka your ride summary. Save your summary to improve your next adventure and consider sharing it with a friend.

Supporting Features

Not to be outdone by the previously stated features, you can get even more out of your motorcycle sat nav with music streaming, alerts and connectivity.

• Music: Get in the zone while riding. Stream your favourite tunes from the sat nav or a compatible smartphone directly to your helmet or headset.
• Rider alerts: Stay up to speed on hazards along your route. From sharp curves to speed changes and more, you’ll be notified about the unexpected ahead of time.
• Connectivity: Remain connected through a variety of features, including wireless updates, live traffic and weather, inReach® satellite communicator³ (sold separately) compatibility, BLUETOOTH® connectivity, incident notifications and more.

Plan Your Route

Your next route can easily be planned on the latest zūmo motorcycle sat nav via the visual route planner or within the Tread® app on a compatible smartphone or tablet. Just like your life can be smoother with a little planning, so can your next ride. To learn more, check out the video on route planning below.

¹Tracking via Group Ride Mobile requires the Tread app running on your and each friend’s compatible smartphone with BLUETOOTH®