I just bought a used 550 and the canbus cable (BMW) didn't have a fuse inline. How power stable are GPS as a whole? I know there is no blanket answer but best guess if I should cut and place a fuse in this cable? Thanks!
I think you can put away your worry beads. I have no issues with my Zumo 450 powered through CANbus. 5 years maybe Oh Yeah, when I was making a power cord for my Zumo 220, the guys at GPScity confirmed I did not need a fuse when going through CANbus, well, from the GPS plug or an accessory outlet
I powered a Zumo 550 via the BMW CanBus accessory connector for four year, without the inline fuse, with no problems. The fuse is there to protect your GPS from a voltage surge from the bike. The accessory CANBus source is only rated to provide 5 amps. (I now power my Montana 650 via the from CANBus connector.) Try to keep the Zumo 550 mount dry. There is a seam that allows water to enter the mount, which eventually can cause corrosion and failure of the mount. I never experienced that problem, but you will see online accounts of this.
Nope, the computer controls the electrical system on your BMW. There are no fuses. If a system draws more then the proscribed amount it is shut down by the computer. The GPS plug and accessory ports shut down if the draw exceeds 5 amps. I have my GPS powered from an accessory port on the left hand beak. I have a short power cable from the GPS unit which I can unplug easily, so, when I am parked in wonky areas, I just remove the GPS from the bike. It takes about 30 seconds.