I've been living with a TomTom 550 since February as a result of the following thread on the adventure riders forum. The price had gone down on Amazon to $326 and so I pulled the trigger. It is now below $300. Let me start with what I like first.
https://advrider.com/f/threads/new-tom-tom-550-rider.1323790/
The screen is bright and crisp in any light. It never looks faded.
The documentation is excellent. With both an extensive pdf file and also videos on youtube.
The online software makes it extremely easy to create trips or rides with stops. The site on my XP computer is slow but go to google maps for your locations and then plug them in and it automaticly wifis to your gps.
I like the way it bluetooths to my speakers so I can hear the directions using this bluetooth gizmo. Link below.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013QJ0W8Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It is very easy to set up by connecting it to the accessory connection in the fuse box with just two wires. It comes complete with everything you need to set it up on your Goldwing. The battery life is much longer than any Nuvi that I've ever had but it is so easy to set up it is a non-factor for me.
I like pinch and swipe.
What I don't like:
The screen is 4.3 inches which isn't a problem for me with the nuvi that I keep in my work van, but on the Tom Tom it is because the font is too small and some of the letters are hollow which makes them unreadable from the background.
When not in guidance mode, that is to say not actively giving directions, it provides much less on screen information than the 5 inch Nuvi I currently have on my bike. Again that information is also less readable than the info on my Nuvi because of the small font and hollow letters. In fairness I have a system that shields my Nuvi from all four sides making it readable but FADED in all light.
I don't like the POI feature because you have to type "restaurant" or whatever instead of just touching an icon as on my Nuvi. The POI search function has a not so bright small font on a black background making it difficult to read.
A funny story on this point. I was at a gas station and an old guy maybe sixty ish asked me for directions so I searched on my Tom Tom but I could not read the directions. So I apologized and asked him if he could read them and he couldn't either and he was wearing his glasses as was I. In fairness to the Tom Tom and the readability thing I'm 74. But the font size complaint is on the latter posts of the forum that I linked above. At 75 mph you are supposed to get your info at glance.
Another short coming is the Tom Tom does not give you your current coordinates as have all our Nuvis and we have had five. I feel this is important in the event of a breakdown.
I just wish Garmin would make a 5 inch Nuvi that was waterproof, as sun readable as the Tom Tom and bluetooth-able without all the gimmicks.
