I've posted this on Londonbikers forum, but I like to re-post it here to see if anybody has any ideas:

I bought a second hand zumo the other week and used it for the first time yesterday (recording routes so I can ride them again on my own ).

It seems like a really good build unit so far, but one thing that annoys the cr@p out of me already is that stupid little "security screw".
I managed to loose the "protection" half of the stupid little screwdrivery thing in the first 1/2 hour it was on my keyhanger (single cylinder vibes are probably to blame, but nevertheless), and I managed to drop the satnav as I was fiddling around trying to loosen the screw and take the unit out of the cradle at the petrol station.

So anyway, I thought everybody must have this problem and there must be something better. It looks like a lot of people have this problem and some guy in Holland is selling little thumb screws of the right size: http://www.boelis.nl/index_bestanden...ityscrewEN.htm
Fair play to him for making some money, but I think 5 euros + shipping is a bit steep for a screw. Particularly considering it's probably worth getting a couple in case you loose one (�10 for 2 including shipping).

Does anybody here know if/where I could find something similar? Anybody has a hardware store or machining company or something? I'd be happy to spend a lot more than the �5 to get a box full of them and re-sell them at cost or give them away to other forum members.

Maplin do a box of 330 m2,m3,m4 nuts and bolts for about a fiver. It is possible to build a reasonable facsimile of the security bolt using one of the longer m3 bolts and a couple of nuts. There is no threadless shoulder, so it does engage the top lever as well as the bottom.

You might want to put a screen protector on the Zumo, because eventually you will drop it face down, and the screen is quite soft. It makes it slightly less sensitive, but with gloves, who's to notice.

The Zumo is quite handy in how it records routes etc. Digging through the operating system of the Zumo, I found the track archives were all .gpx format, which was interesting as they could be viewed using Topofusion ( http://www.topofusion.com/). The free topofusion version is OK but limited. More worrying was that it showed what speed I was doing at the time.

I now use Google Earth (GE). I found a free online service ( http://www.gpsvisualizer.com) which converts .gpx files to .kmz /.kml, which drag and drop onto GE, so I can browse routes by map or satellite overlays, adding in photos where I have them.

Regards

Si

Ive a garmin 550 zumo but never use that secure screw as ive no wee screw driver for it so never bothered with it, but not had any problems with the gps with it not clipped in as i always take the GPS with me if i leave the bike.

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Plough on

Thanks, I had been wondering about fabricating one, but it'd be nice if it was a propper thumb screw.
I played around with Google Earth yesterday. Pretty good. It actually loads maps straight from the Zumo now, so you don't have to convert the files anymore.
I couldn't really work out how to edit a route effectively (wanted to ammend something I've Thanks for the tip on the screen protector. Where do you get them from?

As for not using the screw. I've read quite a few horror stories of the zumo jumping out of the cradle when hitting a bump (bye bye zumo) when not using the screw. That's why it's called a security screw, nothing to do with the safety of the unit (it takes seconds to remove the cradle from the ram mount).

I've used a Zumo for , well ages, since they first appeared, and I've never had a problem with the screw or loosing the driver.


Cut off the 'lugs from the RAM Mount, I did on one of mine, made it into a 15mm 'nut' with only two flat sides. 2 advantages, one being you can tighten it up far more effectivly, 2nd being it becomes much more secure.

You might want to conside making a new driver, rather than make a thumbscrew ? after all it's only a standard flat blade scredriver with a small slot missing ??

With the security screw in , it does become more secure against theft, it's still only anti-snatch, but they are the thefts you can protect against rather than the determined thief who set's out to get it.

Since moving to the Tenere I have fabricated my own mounting bracket and added this to a Touratech ant-vibration mount, this has an additional locking flap that adds a little more security (agianst vibration, bumps etc) for the unit.

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>-------<

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

I am not a fan of plastic "hand wheels", two seconds and the whole assembly is gone. I replaced the RAM mount lugged bolt with a machine head bolt and a nyloc nut. Much more secure.

Driesie - screen protectors can be got from Maplin or most computer shops, get the largest, generic one you can and cut it to shape.

Regards

Si