Garmin zumo 665 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Motorcycle Navigator Review

Garmin’s zumo 665 has been specifically designed for conditions associated with being mounted on a motorbike or scooter and for the ease of use of a rider wearing a helmet and gloves. Design features specifically for motorcycling include larger, wider spaced menu icons, IPx7 waterproofing and stereo A2DP Bluetooth for delivering navigation instructions and music streaming. The zumo 665 can also be used in the car.

Garmin zumo 665 motorcycle GPS navigator

The Garmin zumo 665 is near identical to the recently reviewed zumo 660. One difference is performance of the rechargeable battery which is good for 3 hours at best compared to 5 hours with the zumo 660. Most likely the battery performance is reduced by the inclusion of a GXM 40 XM antenna for receiving XM Radio satellite radio service (subscription required). Anyone who owns a Kindle would know how having the 3G receiver/transmitter on kills battery life. The battery life would only be an issue away from a charger connection on either the bike or in the car.

XM Radio provides a new dimension of functionality to the zumo 665 with 170 digital channels of commercial-free music, news, sports, talk and entertainment when you travel in the U.S. If you opt for the addition of XM NavWeather, you can access up-to-the-minute weather data and NEXRAD radar graphics from your 4.3 inch map screen to monitor potential weather problems. XM NavTraffic is also available to discover where the trouble spots are and route around them. If you travel the same routes regularly then traffic trouble spot avoidance can be one of the most useful functions of your GPS navigator.

Unlike the zumo 660, the unit is not MSN Direct compatible.

For more in-depth coverage of other features and features mentioned read our review of the Garmin zumo 660.