Bandit 1200 Garmin Zumo 550

Suzuki Bandit 1200 K1 with Garmin Zumo 550 and modified RAM mount

Having just bought the new Garmin Zumo 550 sat nav I wanted to fit it to my Bandit 1200. It comes with a very good quality cradle with power and audio connections specifically for a bike, together with various RAM mounts. These however only allow fitting to the bars or brake/clutch reservoir mounting points.

What I wanted to do was position the cradle above and between the speedo and rev counter so it was directly in line of site. In this position it would also be afforded some protection from the elements by the fly screen I had fitted.

As the fly screen mounts were of a fairly sturdy steel I decided to use them as a starting point. I fabricated a horizontal link using 20mm x 4mm mild steel to go between the two fly screen top mounting holes and then, to add a third dimension of stability, I fabricated another brace using the same flat mild steel which went between one of the headlamp mounting bracket bolts and the central hole made on the first bar.

Extra long metal bolts were used to mount the fly screen instead of the plastic ones supplied and a longer bolt was needed at the point where the second brace mounted on the headlamp bracket.

At the centre where the two bars met part RAM-B-252 was fitted and all three parts held together with one bolt. Fitted to the RAM-B-252 was a 3" RAM arm which holds the Zumo cradle at it's ther end.

The Fly screen was refitted and the cradle wired to the bike for power picking up a switched live within the headlamp body.

The whole solution is very rigid and will be tested out in June when we go to France.

At the moment I have only used the Zumo in the car but have been very impressed with it's ease of use, clarity of screen and it's excellent receiver sensitivity. It even got a satelite lock sat at my dining room table!

Having now used the Garmin Zumo 550 on the bike throughout France and the Uk I can report that it's a brilliant piece of kit. It's easy to use with your gloves on and the screen is easy to read except if you have very strong sunlight directly behind you when there is a bit of a problem. However, because I had the unit connected to my Starcom unit there were no real problems because the voice guidance is clear. It never seems to lose a gps lock either, not even in towns. It was also tested for waterproofing as we spent a day riding through heavy rain in France with no problems at all. Overall I would highly reccommend it, definitely over any Tomtom, given the poor after sales service you get from Tomtom compared with the excellent service you receive from Garmin. 9/10