There are not many offers of GPS for motorcyclists, but Garmin Zumo 595LM and some other Zumo 5xx series navigators are exceptions.
Before I dive into the details of Zumo 595LM, I would like to say that nothing is perfect and by reading one-star customer reviews you need to be careful to make an immediate conclusion.
Yes, the price is a bit less than $1K, but it is powerful and very functional GPS for motorcycles. Actually, I even cannot find significant shortcomings. Also, the price is not so high when we count together all features separately.
One more reason why I decided to explore this device is that five people have already bought the Garmin Zumo 595LM through my Amazon affiliate link. I believe that this is a good indicator because the product is relatively expensive and it has to be quite sure that it is worth to buy it.
Here is a short overview.
Garmin Zumo 595LM is a Premium GPS for motorcycles.
It is glove-friendly, sunlight-readable 5-inch dual-orientation touchscreen with rugged design water resistance for (IPX7). It means that almost in any water conditions expect dropping directly to the deep river. You can drive rain for hours and drop it in muddy puddles without issue.
Garmin Adventurous Routing™ for winding or hilly roads.
By Hands-free Calling you can synchronize your GPS with a compatible smartphone and a Bluetooth-enabled compatible headset or helmet, and you can make and receive wireless calls without having to remove your gloves or helmet so distracted driving is eliminated.
Rider Alerts. To enhance road awareness and encourage a safer ride, zūmo 595LM provides important alerts for sharp curves ahead, speed changes, railroad, and animal crossings, school zones, red light and speed cameras and more.
Trip computer with digital fuel gauge comes standard. You can easily calculate how many miles you can ride before will run out of gas and stop alerts prompt you about refueling stopover.
Service History Log to help you keep track of service dates, mileage and performed maintenance on your motorcycle or ATV.
Guidance Using Recognizable Landmarks. Garmin Real Directions™. In addition to speaking street names, Zumo offers guidance using recognizable landmarks, e.g., „Turn right after McDonald.“
Livetrack. Allow your friends and fellow riders be in touch and track your location during your ride when using the free Smartphone Link app.
Tire pressure sensor function is another cool feature of Garmin Zumo 959 LM GPS for motorcycle device.
I probably missed something, but you can read more here.
Physical & Performance
Physical dimensions: 5.9″W x 3.8″H x 1.3″D (14.9 x 9.7 x 3.3 cm)
Display size: WxH 4.25″W x 2.55″H (10.8 x 6.5 cm); 5.0″ diag (12.6 cm)
Display resolution: WxH 800 x 480 pixels
Weight: 13.2 ounces (374.5 g)
Battery: rechargeable lithium-ion
Battery life: up to 4 hours
Headphone jack/audio line-out
Maps & Memory: Preloaded street maps
Includes lifetime map updates
Built-in memory internal solid state, microSD™ data card
What is in The Box (may vary per version).
zūmo 595LM
Preloaded City Navigator® NT for North America
Lifetime maps (indicated by “LM” after model number on the box)
Battery pack
Motorcycle mount and hardware
Motorcycle power cable
Automotive suction cup mount
Automotive power cable
USB cable
Quick start manual
In conclusion here is the real customer review
„I was really torn whether or not to buy the 595LM. I literally bought it and canceled the order 6 times due to buyer’s remorse from the sticker shock. Eventually I decided to bite the bullet and just do it. After you get over the fact you just dropped close to $900 on a portable GPS, you really start to realize it’s worth every penny. Sure, you could just get a waterproof case and mount your phone, but it’s not the same….“
Take care and enjoy motorcycle and ATV tracks.
Owner’s Manual and Important Safety and Product Information
Hello Andrejs,
The benefits which you describe on the short overview section justifies the price. I see as a bargain instead, especially reducing the inconvenience like removing apparels like gloves as well as easy communication while having the focus on the road not being distracted. More, landmark recognition is the one I am impressed much, primarily because the driver knows the whereabouts. As if a person who has been staying with that particular destination and direct the way through visible location points based on buildings and known spots such as McDonalds.
Thanks Tar for stopping by.
You are right and this is the case when the when a large price pays off. Zumo is Garmin product so a quality and service at a high level. Only because of Tire Pressure Monitoring feature it is worth the money.
Nice, this Garmin Zumo sounds pretty cool – So the price isn’t cheap, but for a motorcyclist this has to be a great buy.
The fact that its glove friendly, has hands free calling, rider alerts and tyre pressure sensor, seems to me that this has a lot of practical usage.
Do you think this would be ok on a standard bicycle?
Thanks Marley for the comment.
I think that it could be used on the bicycle as well, why not? Just battery life can drain quickly when using zumo on full power. I do not believe that four hours, as stated in performance specification list, is the real value.
But you can use Quick Charge 3.0 Zendure A8 QC Portable External Battery Charger or similar. It charges MacBook for three times, so enough for day trip and even more.
In this modern world everything is being controlled by smartphones because of that people do tend to not see the important things like an actual GPS can offer. Garmin Zuni 595LM even though it seems bit pricy I would be totally down to invest my money in this.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Hello Suyandar. I respect your attitudes and beliefs.
I, too, use smartphone mostly for a variety of purposes, not just to call friends. You are right that you can use an iPhone both on a bike and motorcycle in extreme conditions. AppStore and Google Play are full of a variety of even relatively good apps.
Try driving your motorcycle through the gorges and rocks, when you’re rocking all the time, and then you’ll re-evaluate or want to use your precious iPhone the next time.
Good luck!
Dear Andrejs,
Thanks for introducing this product. It is comparatively high-priced, but its features outweigh its price. The one feature which it can be connected via bluetooth to the mobile makes it easy to use without distractions. Tire Pressure sensor is a great feature. But I guess its an accessory and not a standard part. Service History Log is another good feature to keep a track of the Bike’s service history. And to top it, it comes loaded with the map and locations to guide you using recognisable landmarks. Its a great product to have and will read more about it.
Thanks Rudolph for the excellent comment.
You’re right that Garmin Tire Pressure Monitor Sensor isn’t included in the price. Garmin offers a suite of four Garmin Tire Pressure Monitor Sensors for $64.
I think any Bluetooth tire pressure sensors can be used.
Dear Andrejs,
Thanks for introducing this product. It is comparatively high-priced, but its features outweigh its price. The one feature which it can be connected via bluetooth to the mobile makes it easy to use without distractions. Tire Pressure sensor is a great feature. But I guess its an accessory and not a standard part. Service History Log is another good feature to keep a track of the Bike’s service history. And to top it, it comes loaded with the map and locations to guide you using recognisable landmarks. Its a great product to have and will read more about it.
Thank you for this article it is really entertaining, i really love gps and I will really love to get this zumo gps I love what is capable of doing, it will really makes a lot of things easier if I install it in my vehicle thanks for sharing this useful post, I will definitely share this site with My family and friends i believe this information will be useful to them. Thank you once again for this post it was really useful.
Thanks for the comment. It’s not really a big offer specifically designed for motorcyclists GPS devices. Garmin Zumo 595LM is a costly but great assistant to real bikers.