I am posting this in the road trips section because I value the advice and input from real travelers as opposed to weekend only riders. I have never owned a GPS device and can still use my maps very well, but have been thinking that a GPS would be handy for route planning and especially for those times you must go through the city and be on the big slab. I am looking at either a Garmin zumo 395LM for $600.00 or a zumo 590LM for $800.00. I do want to be able to connect my phone to the GPS unit and Bluetooth the signals to my Cardo rider earphones. I almost always travel 2 lane low density roads on trips and enjoy mountain riding. ? is the larger screen worth the extra money? And please include any and all of your thoughts on the device choice. It is a major purchase I have avoided and can only afford one unit. Thanks in advance.

 

We use iPhone maps to plan short routes. If your phone has that option, I would suggest trying it on some known roads/trips and see if the screen size needs to be larger or not. Really don't have any advice regarding either of the units. Just thought might help with size question! Good luck, ride safe, we like the two laners also!
Jim

 

their is a learning curve, i use it by site so the larger screen is a plus for me,but many learn to use em for turn by turn. either way once u learn it it does come in handy. u dont need to memorize a route. just sit back and enjoy the ride and if u miss a turn no need to panic it will reroute. just keep going it will turn u on the next through road. same goes if u come up on bad road or construction take a turn to avoid it ride a couple miles and it makes a new route.

 

one way to go get a cheep one learn what u like dont like then get a pricey bike one and move the cheepy to the car.

 

I highly recommend everyone have a gps on their bikes and cars. It is a safety device. When I am traveling in areas I don't know, the gps with lane assist almost always gets me through complicated interchanges and streets with much less distraction then if I had to try to read all the road and street signs. Traffic is heavier then ever now and a quick glance at the gps takes a lot less time then trying to navigate without it. I don't know about those two models but if you have a choice, go with the bigger screen. Again, it will take slightly less time to read the info off of a larger screen then a smaller screen.

 

I have the 590LM. The main reason I purchased the larger one is that some of the screen is taken up with menu items. So the larger screen is preferable for me. I also mainly stick to secondary highways/backroads and avoid the major centres. I use it mostly to find gas stations and for motels/campgrounds as I do not preplan each day's drive when I head off on trips.

 

You don't say what bike you are riding. If you have a bike with factory HD Harmon Cardon I would suggest the Zumo 660 Road Tech. It is Bluetooth, intergrates with your stereo so you receive turn by turn through your speakers and can also play MP3's through your stereo system. If you have a fairing bike there is a inner fairing mount that makes the instillation very clean. They were factory equipment on CVO's through 2013. They come with an Auto mount so you can use it in your car Cost is 649.00 from HD.

My wife and I, as well as several friends have used these for several years and they are very good units. We have traveled extensively the last few years and have found these units to be very reliable and accurate, and they have a 2 year warranty.

Bill

 

Flatlander74...

My bike came with a Zumo 660, and it comes in very handy when I want to make some adjustments to my route. As Michael P says, it is a safety device, and it can be much more. However, I think the GPS as a device to PLAN your ride is not going to be super helpful. If you want to plan your ride, use google maps, figure out your key spots, then enter them into the GPS before your trip.

As far as the cheaper Garmin devices, that can work fine, and I don't think the value comes from the added list of Harley Dealerships embedded in the Zumos at a premium price. These devices are made to be ridden on a motorcycle and have better workmanship than a car-based GPS... hence the added cost.

Personally I use the Garmin and Google Maps together to highlight a route I took. Examples and write ups are here: http://www.arpaia.com/journey.html.

Although if you called Garmin, they might ship one to you at a reasonable discount.

 

30+ states & a handful of provinces; Zumo all the way...weatherproof & reliable.
I don't use voice, do like it for finding my way into & out of major centres if required. I do much of my route planning with Butler maps (if they cover where I'm riding). Another benifit of gps, I zoom it in on curvey roads and get an idea of how tight and which direction curves coming up might be; also good to show potential blind entrances ahead...

 

They are way to handy not to have one.