Decisions -- Zumo 390 series vs 590 series | GTAMotorcycle.com

Decisions -- Zumo 390 series vs 590 series

conundrum

Well-known member
[FONT=&quot]Anyone ever directly compare the Zumo 390/395 to the Zumo 590/595? Wondering about screen visibility in sunlight. At first I thought the only major difference was size, but it seems the 390/395 uses a regular screen and the 590/595 uses a transflective screen.

Leaning towards the 3 series but I don't want to end up having a GPS I can't see if the sun hits it on a slight angle.

Thanks[/FONT]
 
Anyone ever directly compare the Zumo 390/395 to the Zumo 590/595? Wondering about screen visibility in sunlight. At first I thought the only major difference was size, but it seems the 390/395 uses a regular screen and the 590/595 uses a transflective screen.

Leaning towards the 3 series but I don't want to end up having a GPS I can't see if the sun hits it on a slight angle.

Thanks

Not sure there is any GPS device that will give you great visibility if the sun is shining on it. There are certain parts of the day where it will be difficult obviously.

Are you planning on using bluetooth audio with your GPS? From what I read the Zumo 390 does not have a media player. I load my music on an SD card and stream it from my Zumo 6600 and Nav V to my helmet. Great feature especially when touring to have music that you can control through the GPS.

Might be worth checking out the Zumo 660, price is not bad and it is a fantastic unit for about half the price.
http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/zumo-660.html
 
Not sure there is any GPS device that will give you great visibility if the sun is shining on it. There are certain parts of the day where it will be difficult obviously.

Are you planning on using bluetooth audio with your GPS? From what I read the Zumo 390 does not have a media player. I load my music on an SD card and stream it from my Zumo 6600 and Nav V to my helmet. Great feature especially when touring to have music that you can control through the GPS.

Might be worth checking out the Zumo 660, price is not bad and it is a fantastic unit for about half the price.
http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/zumo-660.html

The 395 does actually, and yeah I have a Sena and plan to use it with the GPS (although will probably just route music direct from the phone). My main concern is the screen technology really, and if they added anything between the 590 and 395 that's actually worthwhile, as I can currently get the older 590 for about $100 more than the newer 395.
 
Not sure there is any GPS device that will give you great visibility if the sun is shining on it. There are certain parts of the day where it will be difficult obviously.

Devices with transflective displays are actually easier to read in direct sunlight and are readable without a backlight on at all. It is something I really miss since I switched from an ancient Garmin Quest to using a smartphone as a GPS. I couldn't work myself up to paying for the 590 though
 
Devices with transflective displays are actually easier to read in direct sunlight and are readable without a backlight on at all. It is something I really miss since I switched from an ancient Garmin Quest to using a smartphone as a GPS. I couldn't work myself up to paying for the 590 though

did you try using a tinted/privacy screen protector
I think they come tinted in temper glass now but the plastic should help with the glare.
 
My Montana has a transflective screen and it's fine in sunlight. It cost a little bit less than the zumo but is a little more versatile and still totally weatherproof. Only downside is that you will need a Bluetooth adapter to hear Bluetooth commands but I found I don't really use them. The notification on the screen is fine.
 
What did you get in the end ? I`m looking at the 390 just for the price point .
 
What did you get in the end ? I`m looking at the 390 just for the price point .

Went with the 395 as my budget was already stretched. Didn't go on any big trips this year, but I did use it on and off throughout the summer to see how it worked. Overall it worked fairly well -- Paired fine with my Sena SMH10 and gave audio directions even when listening to music through my phone, could upload routes from their software (which is a pain to use, but tolerable once you get the hang of it), etc. Even though the screen isn't the same as the 5xx series, I never really had an issue seeing it in daylight. It wasn't 100% clear, but clear enough to see what I needed, even with both a smoke shield and sunglasses on.

Only annoying thing is really the car mount. I thought it would be like my older Nuvi and the power would plug into the mount, then the GPS to the mount...but you need to wire in USB power manually when using it. The bike mount is different, and provides power once you click it in. I was also able to wire the bike's power up through the OEM heated grip harness point on my bike, so it was a rather clean install (in my case), and works on switched power (bike on = GPS on, bike off = GPS off).
 
Glad to hear it worked out .
 
Picked up the 395lm today . For $550 with tax it was a pretty good deal .
 
I was in need of a new gps as my zumo 660 went with the Goldwing last year. On my trip in the summer, I used my Nuvi 2595lmt
but found I was looking at it too much, especially in and out of towns/cities and heavy traffic. So I decided to bite the bullet and
purchase a Zumo for the bike. I was on a limited budget and the Zumos are quite expensive. So I elected to purchase a refurbished
Zumo 390lm. Ordered it last Friday and it was here Monday. This was the only one in my price range. Will have to live without a
mp3 player, but I don not listen to music that often while riding.

Over the winter months going to see if paring ym ipod touch to Sena SMH10 then the 390 to the Sena and see if the 390 will override
the ipod.

John
 
Gotta ask. With todays smart phones why bother with dedicated GPS unit. Its a dying business. Use a app like scenic, download maps so no using up of data. Your music is there, search function is easy to use and best of all we all have one already. I get that cell service can be an issue but so rarely. Seems like a waist of $500-$600.

Am I missing something?
 
Gotta ask. With todays smart phones why bother with dedicated GPS unit. Its a dying business. Use a app like scenic, download maps so no using up of data. Your music is there, search function is easy to use and best of all we all have one already. I get that cell service can be an issue but so rarely. Seems like a waist of $500-$600.

Am I missing something?

Ive tried the cell phone route briefly and found it couldn't compare to a dedicated, waterproof, Motorcycle GPS especially considering most phone screens wont work with my gloves on.

If you're just riding around the area I don't see spending that much on a GPS worth it but if you do frequent long distance trips it's a must IMO
 
Gotta ask. With todays smart phones why bother with dedicated GPS unit. Its a dying business. Use a app like scenic, download maps so no using up of data. Your music is there, search function is easy to use and best of all we all have one already. I get that cell service can be an issue but so rarely. Seems like a waist of $500-$600.

Am I missing something?

Off the top of my head, here is a list of advantages of a dedicated MC GPS. I agree that the price exceeds the benefits for many riders.

Transreflective displays make visibility in sun much better. In the past, MC GPS had large buttons that were easy to press (not sure if this has been removed from all models). Most phones don't like getting wet. I like to have my phone in my pocket in case I end up in a ditch away from the bike and unable to move. Potential to semi-permanently secure GPS to bike so you don't need to remove it every time you get off (a positive side effect is the mount is incredibly secure). Touchscreens that cooperate with gloves. A screen that doesn't turn itself off by default requiring user interaction to wake up. You know for sure all maps are loaded in memory and you aren't going to find an area you missed and need to use data to download.

I am sure there are more. I don't bother with a dedicated car GPS anymore as the cell phone is more useful (and already paid for), but there are still some significant advantages to MC GPS.
 
I am sure there are more. I don't bother with a dedicated car GPS anymore as the cell phone is more useful (and already paid for), but there are still some significant advantages to MC GPS.

I'm the same.

Have not found a cell phone app that offers the same functionality and on the fly ease of use as my dedicated gps.
 
Over the winter months going to see if paring ym ipod touch to Sena SMH10 then the 390 to the Sena and see if the 390 will override
the ipod.

John

It should....I have both my Zumo and iPhone paired to my SMH10 (phone uses both the A2DP stereo profile and a HFP profile for calls/Siri, and the Zumo uses a HFP for navigation). Whenever the GPS wants in, it just cuts the other feed and says its piece, then the music resumes. Actually been using Spotify since June (downloaded playlists to save on bandwidth), and so far so good.
 
Gotta ask. With todays smart phones why bother with dedicated GPS unit. Its a dying business. Use a app like scenic, download maps so no using up of data. Your music is there, search function is easy to use and best of all we all have one already. I get that cell service can be an issue but so rarely. Seems like a waist of $500-$600.

Am I missing something?

There is a whole thread about it somewhere as it can be a heated debate. Personally I prefer a Garmin over a phone for a few reasons:

1) With Garmin I can use Basecamp, have all maps and POI offline, no need for an internet connection to plan a route. No one else does this and I have been in places with no internet connection and needing/wanting to adjust and alter routes for the next day. Sure you could do it on the phone itself but working on such a small screen and trying to make any complex changes or even see a large view of what you have going on just does not compare

2) GPS devices are starting to be integrated into the bike. My BMW gives me hand controls over my GPS without needing to take my hands off the bar. I can switch songs, zoom in and out of the map, find fuel, one button click to go home, see all my bike stats i.e. speed, temp, voltage, fuel consumption and a million other things.

3) New devices when connected with your phone give you the features that were only found on phones before, i.e. weather and traffic. When out in Utah and Colorado last summer my Nav routed me past a few heavy congested areas and saved me a fair bit of time.

4) Music directly on the Nav, no worry about battery life of the phone when riding all day and wanting to play music all day long. The limitation here is the battery in my helmet, though I think that is good for 12 hours or so.

These are just my reasons and they work for me, might not and probably not what everyone else wants or needs. Thankfully we have choice and people can find what works for them.
 

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