Ownership Review of Garmin Zumo 595LM GPS Guide

All you motorcycle lovers know how important a GPS guide is! You can no longer rely on a paper map or the maps on your phone because of several reasons like difficulty in management and network-related issues.

Gramin made a lot of GPS guides, and today we have picked the Garmin Zumo 5956LM for our review. We have tested this device for more than 4 months and here are the things that we found about this product.

Garmin 595LM’s comes with 5 inches of screen, easy to see even in sunlight, but the fonts are small, it comes with Bluetooth for connecting to headphones, has decent battery life, it has all the important features that are needed for a GPS guidance unit. 

This is where a GPS guide comes into play. Beyond offering navigation, it will also provide alerts related to a few essential situations like low fuel, a dangerous curve, etc. A GPS will be the best companion in all your adventures! 

We all know Garmin and its dedication to provide the best, high-quality GPS guides. The Zumo 595LM is yet another one of Garmin’s GPS guides that will make riding even better! Let’s find out more about the 595LM in detail; we promise you’ll love it!

Review of Garmin Zumo 595LM GPS

Garmin launched the Zumo 595LM in April of 2016 and forever changed the world of motorcycle GPS with its advanced, useful technology. It is more up-to-date compared to the 305LM, its predecessor. 

It is no pain to install the GPS in your motorcycle as the U-shaped bracket is versatile and mounts on various handlebars. 

Garmin also includes a suction cup mount which lets you place it in a car! Garmin’s free app, BaseCamp, updates the 595LM every now and then. The LM stands for Lifetime Map updates that automatically download via the internet. 

The most impressive feature in this GPS guide seems to be the Garmin Adventure Routing that offers routes passing through hills, terrains, curves by avoiding highways to feed the adventurer in you. It also allows you a sliding scale to set the intensity of the adventure with three settings. 

If you choose the left one, you can ride through fewer terrains and more highways, and the middle one gives you a balance of both. However, the one on the right allows you to travel through more terrains, curves, and hills, and fewer highways! 

But that does not mean that the Garmin Zumo 595LM is unsafe; instead, it prioritizes safety so much that it warns you of traffic, railroad crossings, animal crossings, school zones, dangerous curves, etc. 

You can receive these alerts either through the built-in speakers or by connecting the Garmin to a compatible Bluetooth-enabled helmet! Garmin truly cares for you, as the 595LM gives out fatigue alerts that suggest rest periods and send notifications during long rides. 

Additionally, if you link your phone to the Zumo GPS, you can stream music from Spotify or Pandora through your phone’s data. This will enable you to make and receive calls hands-free! 

No more listening to your boss yell at you on a long getaway! You can also connect the device to the Smartphone Link App that provides you live weather updates as well alerts about nearby traffic. 

The design of this Garmin GPS guide is simply stunning! With a high-resolution screen and large icons, you can easily view the screen while riding a motorcycle. 

The 5inch touch screen has excellent sensitivity settings that allow you to tap on the screen with the riding gloves still on your hands. Say goodbye to abrupt stops on random roads! 

Thanks to the quad-core processor of Zumo, the unit is fast and offers an intuitive display. As for the build, the Zumo 595LM is weatherproof, so the device works well even in rains. It can survive being exposed to 1m of water for close to 30 minutes! 

The rugged body of 595LM ensures that it withstands high vibrations while driving. We mean, of course, the GPS guide has no helmet around to protect itself, hence the rugged, durable body! 

The Lithium-ion battery used in this Garmin GPS lasts for about 3.3 hours during our testing, but the company claims 4 hours, and you can easily recharge it through various methods. You can use the vehicle power to charge it or connect it to a desktop using a USB wire. 

When you enable fuel tracking, the GPS will estimate the distance you can cover in the current fuel capacity, warn you when the fuel runs low, and also suggest nearby gas stations so that you can refill with no inconveniences. 

Moreover, the route logging feature lets you record the ride information that you can view later. The trip information page in the settings stores and displays data relating to speed and other related statistics. 

You can preview the major roads in your trip through the Route Preview feature and can also set the appropriate preferences to avoid toll roads and toll stickers. In the Restricted Mode, it disables those features that may distract you from riding; you can still view the map, though. 

Garmin has a pre-stored database of points of interest organized by various categories. So, the 595Lm will suggest restaurants, hospitals, gas stations, airports, etc., at a given location. You can save your favorite location so that you can easily find them later. 

Needless to say, the Garmin Zumo 595LM is an improved, advanced version of the basic 395LM. Although comparatively expensive, the 595LM has top-notch features that will make every adventure lover fall for this GPS.

Key Features

• 5” touchscreen with large icons
• Weatherproof works well in every weather
• Bluetooth compatibility
• Rider alerts for sharp curves, state helmet laws, speed cameras
• Control music from an MP3 player or smartphone & stream Pandora and Spotify music services

PROs & CONs

Our take on the product: We loved testing the Garmin Zumo 595LM! The adventure routing has three intensity settings on a sliding bar (left, middle, and right) that lets you choose among different routes. 

On the left setting, it suggested a rocky route via hills to the location we entered. We chose the middle one as it was a shorter, less curvy route. 

We knew Garmin wouldn’t disappoint us, but we weren’t expecting to be blown away either. All desirable features that one seeks for in a GPS, the 595LM has it!

Final Thought

Garmin has only upped its game since its beginning, and this GPS is a work of devotion. Oh, a beautiful ride will be made even better with this Garmin Zumo 595LM! It suggests routes based on the intensity we choose and lets us enjoy an adventurous ride without any inconvenience. 

Bluetooth compatibility of the Zumo 595LM enables us to connect our phones to make and receive calls hands-free! Obviously, the world does not stop for us; we can’t ignore the boss’ call; we’re all hanging by a thread there, aren’t we? As we said, hands-free calls for convenience!

The Smartphone Link app provides live updates about weather and traffic so that you can take the best route and enjoy the journey. Pandora internet radio lets you stream music via Pandora and Spotify! An awesome ride just became epic! 

Features like fuel tracking and other rider alerts ensure that you get the best experience. It tells you when you are low on fuel, calculates the approximate distance that you will cover in the given fuel, and suggests gas stations around you. 

It also sends alerts about railroad crossings, animal crossings, school areas, dangerous curves, etc., to ensure the safety of the riders! 

The GPS is super useful with features like TracBack that records your recent movements, and a route logging feature that records the ride for you to view later. You can also check your speed and other related statistics from the trip information page in the menu. 

The Live Track feature lets you share location details with your contacts or on social media, which makes it easy to track in situations of emergency. Using the compass feature in the apps menu, you can navigate using the compass.

Because installing and using the GPS guide is super-easy, most people prefer the Zumo 595LM! Although the GPS guide is expensive, the expansive set of features make every penny worth it! 

Important Things to Keep in Mind Before Buying a GPS Tracker

• Size and Sensitivity of Screen: It will be challenging to read small texts or icons on a small screen while riding. It calls for a hazard! It is always better to go for large screens as you can easily read the text while you are driving without losing sight of the road. 

Additionally, the touchscreen display should be accessible even with gloves on. Most motorcycle riders wear gloves, and removing them each time you want to touch the screen makes it pointless. 

• Durability: Well, all adventure lovers know how much the motorcycle trembles in off-road terrains or hilly regions. A flimsy GPS guide will be prone to damage soon enough, so always remember to buy those navigation systems that are weatherproof, UV-resistant, and robust. 

A waterproof GPS guide is highly recommended because come on; nothing matches a long trip in the rain! 

• Mount: If you own multiple vehicles, you do not want to purchase a separate navigation system for the other vehicle. Go for those GPS trackers that have a universal mount to use the same tracker in all other vehicles. This will save money and make more sense. 

• Anti-glare Properties: If you want to view the screen clearly under sunlight, make sure that the screen does not create glares. It becomes vital to consider anti-glare properties, especially when you have sensitive eyes and a smaller screen. 

You wouldn’t be able to see anything that the screen displays, thus, distracting you from the ride completely. 

• Points of Interests: POI is all those popular locations that become crucial during a ride. For, e.g., hospitals, service stations, gas stations, airports, restaurants, etc. 

An excellent guide will suggest all places of interest or other necessary locations closest to you. This way, if you want to eat or use the washroom during the ride, you can rely on the GPS to suggest the nearest place. 

• Map Options: Go for those GPS guides that include maps to all the places that you wish to travel. Most manufacturers keep updating the maps as new places keep opening up. 

A few of the GPS guides have LM after their name, suggesting that you get lifetime access to free maps. Hooray!

• Bluetooth Compatibility: When the GPS guide has Bluetooth compatibility, it can easily connect to your mobile phone, Bluetooth-enabled headphone, etc. This makes it easy for you to attend hands-free calls and control the music. 

I mean, do you want to abruptly stop amidst your ride just to hear your boss rant? Hands-free calling allows you to continue your call as you enjoy the ride! 

FAQ