Should I buy an XT2?

[proofresistant]

Hi @stevedo
unfortunately, I don't have a 595, so I can't make a direct comparison.
But from what I can gather from your requirements, you can't go far wrong with the zumo XT2.

My objective with the XT2 would be to use it in exactly the same way as I do the 595

In principle, yes, even if the devices or the routing may differ slightly here and there.

i.e. all routes etc. created in Basecamp using both original and OSM maps and then transferred by cable to the XT2 which would have the same maps as on the PC (assuming I can install OSM maps on the XT2?).

Yes.
But even here, problems cannot be completely ruled out. There are so many OSM maps, but the ones I have tested work well.

Connect to my SENA for spoken directions only.

Yes.
But even here, problems cannot be completely ruled out. There are so many Senas on the martket, but that one I have tested works well.

No weather, traffic, music, phone calls, texts etc.

Yes.

Is it possible to use the XT2 as I currently use my 595 and ignore/disable/not install all of the connected Garmin stuff i.e. Tread App etc?

Yes.

[smfollen]

@stevedo I'll 2nd what @proofresistant said.
I think a lot of the issues come from the Tread App, rather than the XT2. I do not use the Tread App at all.

I plan routes with Basecamp and transfer them to the XT2 via USB cable. Trip Manager is also very useful for this.
Transfer to the XT2 also works well via sd card.

I connect my XT2 only to my sena 10c pro and have very few issues.

[jfheath]

I use the XT2 with my phone, with the tread app (installed but not set up to synch), and with Cardo packtalk Edge.
I use TripManager mostly and it solves most of the routing issues that I have identified as being issues for me.

Route points stay in place **
Route point names are not altered **
Route points and Waypoints are not separated (waypoints = saved location)
RUT routing behaviour is eliminated
Skip can be used without it affecting subsequent route behaviour

** These are issues that also existed on the 595. The only way that I found to fix this on the 595 was to make a waypoint for the main points of the route and use them in the route as via or shaping points. At the time my ‘595’ was a 590 running 595 software and I switched it back to a 590 because of this. Later I found a used - but looked new - genuine 595 and it did the same thing.

Most of the problems referred to above can be solved in other ways, but TripManager makes it so easy and so far has been foolproof.

Use of Basecamp is not a problem for most XT2 routes. I continue to prefer it to MyRouteApp (for which I have a lifetime gold licence)

I haven’t tried to use OSM maps on the XT2, but I can’t see why they would be a problem. I tried them on the 590, 595 and XT1 -all without issue as long as any Garmin maps for the same area were not selected. If you want weird routing behaviour, forget to untick the Garmin maps ! Note that OSM maps have no usable road speed information, so estimated times to reach the end or intermediate via points are not very good.

The biggest difference you will notice is that the XT2 very much prefers to head for faster roads if given the chance to recalculate. This is very different from the 595, so your use of route points when planning has to be modified slightly - Or simply have the track of the route displayed well as the route. If the two separate, follow the track. The route will adjust to the direction you are riding In the same way that the 595 does.

You’ll see what Zumos I have in my signature. All still usable, but it’s the XT2 that goes with me.

[stevedo]

Thanks all for the encouraging replies. I see a Zumo XT2 in my near future

[oldwobbler]

Just to finish this thread off, I've finally bought an XT2.
£407 from Infinity Motorcycles plus -£90 off in vouchers from previous purchases. Got to be worth a punt at £317.
Just got to work out how to get the thing to do what I want now!

[Oop North John]

Just to finish this thread off, I've finally bought an XT2.
£407 from Infinity Motorcycles plus -£90 off in vouchers from previous purchases. Got to be worth a punt at £317.
Just got to work out how to get the thing to do what I want now!

The fun now starts.

My top tip, it's a Garmin, but some things are very similar, and some are not to previous units!

[proofresistant]

Just to finish this thread off, I've finally bought an XT2.
£407 from Infinity Motorcycles plus -£90 off in vouchers from previous purchases. Got to be worth a punt at £317.
Just got to work out how to get the thing to do what I want now!

Congratulations on your great deal

And please don't worry if something doesn't work right away
Someone here will definitely help you

[Wenzudeg]

Same dilemma here. Currently use Zumo 395 (have used various Garmin products: automotive, hiking, other motorcycle specific devices) but it's been getting slower and slower and looking for a replacement. The last Garmin device I bought was a €650 hiking GPS, the GPSmap 67. It connects to Garmin Connect and Garmin Explore ( yes, two other Garmin apps, apart from the Garmin Connect iQ). The Garmin Connect is good(ish), although I do not let it sync with the device, but I uninstalled the Explore on mobile since I could not quite get hold of the way it worked. Do I get it right if I say that the XT2 works similar to the Explore in that it works with Collections etc?

[jfheath]

Do I get it right if I say that the XT2 works similar to the Explore in that it works with Collections etc?

The XT2 works with the Tread app rather than Explore, but it uses the same Explore Database. Explore was not very well implemented before the XT2, which made the collections unusable. The XT2 has a full set of tools to enable you to organise your data into one or more collections, the idea being that you can then display the data for just one collection on the screen - which keeps it nice and tidy. (You can have as many collections as you want, visible)

viewtopic.php?t=3361


You pair the XT2 with your phone running the Tread app and that allows you to access weather, upahead data, fuel, traffic, etc. But you don’t have to let it synch. At present, that seems to cause many operational and routing issues. Without synch, you can get the XT2 to behave perfectly.

[Wenzudeg]

Thanks for your reply, jfheath.

So, unlike other devices, for the XT2 to display up-ahead fuel stations/restrooms/restaurants it has to be connected to the Tread app (although not synced)?! Aren't these embedded in the map running on the device?

I can understand the need for a connection to display live info like traffic, weather and road closures but cannot think why Garmin would need to make the XT2 dependent on a mobile data connection for up-ahead fuel stations. Or am I missing something?

I always leave auto-recalc as prompted rather than enabled. When I deviate I just drive towards the magenta line. With this method I would assume that the RUT behaviour is non-existent... or not?

Reading the posts on this forum I have come to the conclusion that many XT2 users are frustrated (with good reason) that even though they plotted a route on BC using the exact map version installed on the device, this is sometimes recalculated in a different way when imported on the device. However, I have found this to be true even on the 395. In fact, on import, I always double checked that route did not deviate from what I plotted on BC and found that there was a good chance that it did. My solution was to put shaping points on the stretch where the device is deviating. To what extent does the XT2 exhibit this same behaviour? Do Shaping points force it to draw the exact route plotted on BC or these need to be Viapoints (which is not ideal since then you will get spoken alerts every few miles that you have arrived at the destination)?