TomTom Rider 550 Motorcycle GPS Navigation Device, 4.3 Inch, with World Maps, Motorcycle Specific Winding and Hilly Roads, Updates via WiFi, Traffic and Speed Cams, Compatible with Siri and Google Now
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Questions & Answers
Yes, you can use the rider 550 as a backup.
Yes. I've had mine for about a month and have yet to connect it to either of my bicycles. Between trips, I recharge, and my unit's battery has lasted more than 8 hours on several occasions. Because 1) you can't hear it on a moving bike and 2) it's transmitting into my helmet, or will be if I can ever get the two to pair up, I have the sound turned off to save battery life.
No, you'd have to create a custom route in Tyre and then upload it to the 550. Alternatively, search on Tyre for a custom route that has been uploaded by someone else.
Selected User Reviews For TomTom Rider 550 Motorcycle GPS Navigation Device, 4.3 Inch, with World Maps, Motorcycle Specific Winding and Hilly Roads, Updates via WiFi, Traffic and Speed Cams, Compatible with Siri and Google Now
This is a very nice product in terms of hardware and functionality, and it appears to be durable and high-quality. quality. **** UPDATE: br>br>br>br>br>br>br>br>br>br> Everything in this section is taken from my original review, which I stand by. But I've started reading the lengthy user manual and have already figured out a lot of things. It's a fantastic GPS device that I would recommend and purchase again. However, for the reasons stated, I am leaving this review at 4 stars. There's a reason why the user manual is so large - it contains a lot of information. The 550 can do a lot of different things, it's versatile, and it's of good quality. This also means that there are a lot of words/images to explain everything, which takes a long time to read and understand, and I believe that many of these things could be simplified and/or consolidated in logical ways. ***
br>However, there is a steep learning curve to figuring out how to actually use it. [END OF UPDATE] The user interface screams European design. Things that should be basic are executed in multiple, convoluted steps due to abstract symbols with no clear logical connection to basic functionality. For instance, I've given the 550 access to my Contacts and set up a few "My Places. " "However, when I try to build a route using the basic address/POI search field as the starting point and destination, the search does not cross reference the entries in My Places or Contacts. " Instead, you must go to the separate My Places or Contacts data sets to use either as a starting point/destination if you want to use a Contact or My Place as part of a route. It's fine to have these as separate data locations, but having the search look at those data sets to identify route locations is a simple functionality. br>br>This is just one example of how a simple, logical concept can be turned into a pointless, multi-step process. When creating a route and selecting My Places as the starting/finish location source, the search interface includes Dutch or German language options for hotels/racetracks/etc. br>br>Another odd (if not disturbing) thing is that when selecting My Places as the starting/finish location source, the search interface includes Dutch or German language options for hotels/racetracks/etc. br>br> I don't have a European map installed on the device, so I'm not sure why I'm seeing options/locations in another language (I believe it's Dutch, but it could be German). The only language I've set is English, and the only map I've installed is the United States of America and Canada. br>br>The "edit" function in My Places is greyed out when I try to delete those strange Dutch or German "My Places. " Even stranger, these German destinations do not appear on my list when I go to the My Places data directly (not during the route creation process). I only made two of them. In other words, the 550 appears to use two different sources of data for My Places: one is My Places itself, and the other is a separate list of My Places that appears when you create a route. br>br>The user interface has a few more quirks to it. I'll figure it out eventually, but the UI designers could use a refresher on KISS, or Keep It Simple, Stupid.
I was planning on getting the Zumo, but the design appears to be a few years old, so despite mixed reviews, I went with the Rider 550 instead. It took a few tries to get wifi and bluetooth working properly, but I was able to do so. I like how well-designed it is. a well-designed clamping mechanism, excellent search and routing capabilities, and a quick re-entry response routing. Best of all, if I prefer, I can find scenic routes (along the Pacific Coast Highway) by searching for 'bicycle route' among other options. The feature of a road trip appears to be useful, but it is primarily international in nature, rather than being specific to the United States. It would be fantastic if there were more road trips in the United States. So far, the Rider 550 has impressed me in every way. After I've spent enough time with it, I'll provide an update.
It appears to be in excellent condition, and the screen appears to be bright and clear. It did, however, have one major flaw. The screen would respond to my finger before I even touched it. When I get within 1/8" of the display, it reacts as if I actually made contact, making it unusable and frustrating. br>br>Also, the menu didn't seem very intuitive to me, but that could just be because I'm new to this device; the real problem is the display malfunction. And yes, I did use the least sensitive screen sensitivity setting. It didn't matter in the slightest. So, despite the low price, the device isn't. I immediately sent it back.
I needed a GPS on the motorcycle because I no longer wanted to rely on my phone for navigation. I took this unit home to see if it would suit my requirements. It was very close, but it had a significant flaw, so I had to send it back. Here is my take on the book. br>br>Let's start with the positive aspects. The machine is well-made and simple to operate. WiFi is used for updates and route transmission from the computer. It has a great power to AUX connector and uses the excellent RAM mounting system that I already had on my bike. The user interface is intuitive and responsive, and the online route planner (myrouteapp) makes it simple to plan and send routes to the unit via WiFi. The unit has two drawbacks. br>br>The unit has two drawbacks. The first is a minor issue that can be overcome. Over WiFi, the updates are extremely slow. You should schedule that first update for the next day. My unit updated in about 4 hours. I, too, have a high-speed internet connection of 200 megabits per second. It's not a big deal; just give it some time to finish and you'll be fine. br>br>And now for the Massive Negative that caused me to return the unit. The sound quality is terrible. It sounds like you're conversing with someone on a CB radio or worse. Your phone's connection to the unit is also unreliable, and your phone will lose contact with it. I tried the AD2P setting, which improved the quality, but it made your phone and headset connections extremely unreliable. I used an iPhone XR and tested two headsets: the Sena 20S and the Cardo Paktalk Slim. The Cardo was a little better, but it was still really bad most of the time; I looked it up online after I bought it, and it appears that this is a common problem with no solution. Will give the competing Garmin unit a try and see if it works better.
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