Garmin 60csx not suitable for motorbikes?

Hi,

I've had a bit of problem with two Garmin 60csx units - they have both let water in that appears as numerous large drops behind the screen.

Today I've spoken with Garmin and arranged for it to be replaced under warranty and the guy on the phone said he has spoken with his supervisor and that the 60csx is not suitable for use on motorbikes. He blamed vibration and said that they are waterproof 'but not designed to have water hit them at high speed'.

Has anyone else had problems with the 60csx letting in water or have I just been unlucky?

Thanks

I've never had water get into mine; I'd say you are particularly unlucky with this particular unit.

The thing is, I've had two units and they've both had the same problem. That's some bad luck!

Well, the question I would pose to garmin, is "what is the definition of waterproof?"

They define that pretty well already. IPX7 is the spec they normally list, which is accidental immersion for up to 30 minutes. Immersion is very different to hitting water drops at 40+ MPH.

My 60 cx has survived many bad rainstorms over the past 4 years without getting any water in it. I don't think the screen has even fogged up.

It is pretty easy to take the unit apart. There about 6 small screws. The water seal seems to be a thin gasket that goes between the two case parts. If it were me I would smear some silicone grease on that gasket and put the cases back together and make sure the screws were tight.

A large thumper will take any 60 out. It take some time, but within a few rides the effects are there. If you want to use a 60 on a bike that shakes you need to isolate it.

I had them mounted on a Touratech mount which has rubber mountings to help reduce the vibration. The thing is both units got wet behind the screen as soon as it rained.

how large does the thumper need to be, I have thousands of miles on dirt roads with a 60 csx , ram mount KLR even in a rain storm so bad the noise of the rain on my helmet drowned out the sound of the bike....the gps did fine...

What is this statement based on?

Garmin 60 is BY FAR the most popular GPS at Dual Sport rides (50 to 500 riders) and there are very few reported problems. I like the 76 better but they both are quite reliable.

BryceB has also had 1 or 2 60csx models fail because of rain too. He's the only one I know personally that has had issues.

I've got one myself, and it certainly gets wet. Its rated as IPX7 so I surely expect it to stay dry inside.

I wonder in any of these cases was the USB port being used for power instead of the 4 prong plug? Also were the rubber covers over these ports closed if they weren't being used?

I've had my 60csx for a couple of years and no problems. I just got back from riding the Continental Divide where we got caught in a rain/hail storm. the next morning there was condensation on the inside of the screen and it was unable to get a satellite fix. I put it in a bag of rice and after three days it finally started working and everything seems fine now. I was fortunate I was in a group and not doing a solo trip. I'll look into putting some silicone around the gasket like was mentioned but I'll never trust it again in the rain.

I just had a quick look on the Garmin website and their motorbike specific Zumo models have the same IPX7 waterproof rating so I think what I was told on the phone is a load of crap.

You got some telemarketer who only thinks there Zumo models are for motorcycles.

You should have asked how the 276/376/478 models would work on a moto.

I use my 60 cx on a KLR and a KTM 450 (both thumpers). I probably put 6-8k miles a year on it and nearly all offroad. I have had my 60cx fail a couple of times where it would act like it was losing power - both external and battery.

I fixed it both times by taking it apart. For the battery there are two springy contacts that transmit power from the battery to the main board. I cleaned the contacts and bent them up a little and put dielectric grease on them.

For the external power I cleaned the connector contacts and put dielectric grease in them.

Maybe this is what Hair is talking about.

Had this happen to a well used 60 powered by batteries. Called Garmin and the cheerfully replaced it, the replacement has been trouble free.

The rain that did in the 1st unit was moderately heavy but short (30 minuets) and the speeds were low (off-road). This did shake my confidence somewhat. If I had it to do over again I would go for the 76.

Given most outdoor Garmin units meet the same standard for water proof I am also question the response from Garmin. If that is their stand do like a Doctors visit and never say it happened on a motorcycle.

Bruce

I lost one to moisture due to prolonged exposure to high speeds and hard rain. I purchased another and so far so good but if it's raining hard enough I will stick it in the gear bag. I kept the old one and it sounds like garmin may warranty it? It is worth a shot I suppose.

In emergency room ALWAYS take off all riding gear and say you were riding and fell or got kicked by a horse!

Otherwise you will never see a doctor.

Well, that's not quite true. At least in my experience.

Plus, if you want to go to the front of the ER line, just tell them you have chest pains.

I have had one mounted on my KLR for about 20,000 kilometres and it decided to quit. One day it started showing me off the coast of Libya (i think) - O lat - 0 long. The compass also stopped working. It was just 13 months old when it died. Garmin is charging me $110.00 to repair my almost $500 unit. I am just now sending it in having already paid for the repair (Garmins method) and will have to wait to see the results.
I have not had one fail like this before.
Has anyone tried Delorme for their bikes?