BlackSheepLogic
31st October 2014, 19:40
There was some interest in my Garmin 390LM review about the Garmin 590LM. Time now permitting here are my thoughts on the Garmin 590LM which I have on my Busa now.
As with the Garmin 390LM, this unit has been designed for motorcycle use and the price reflects the specialized and limited segment of customers for this type of product.
From a design and build perspective it seems as rugged as the Garmin 390LM, it’s designed to withstand the harsher environment of bike use, is water resistant (more so than the 390LM was) and it came with an assortment of mounting options including a cradle for car use.
The battery on this this unit provides a very limited runtime between charges and this makes it unsuitable for uses when not powered by a car or a bike cradle. With the 390LM I could use it away from the bike for several hours. With this unit that’s not possible and I had to make use of the wiring harness it came with for the bike in order to use it at all.
I do like that the battery is user replaceable (battery door), and it also allows for a microSD card to be used which is also located in the battery compartment. Although it can use high density microSD cards, there are reports on the internet that if > 8GB of data is stored on the card the unit will keep rebooting itself and I did not see a fix for this yet from Garmin.
This GPS unit has an updated interface that is still very recognizable as Garmin, but it’s cleaner and less cluttered that the older style which was on the 390LM. It also includes a music player which I do not use. Music can be stored on the microSD card along with additional maps, routes, tracks etc.
For my use I have it paired to my Sena 20S helmet bluetooth headsets using the secondary phone/GPS option. I have my phone pair as the primary phone with the Sena 20S and my music library is on my phone. This pairing arrangement works best for me but it does not allow the GPS instructions to be overlaid with my music. You have the option to pair the phone though the GPS unit as an alternative if preferred.
As the phone is not paired to the GPS I cannot take advantage of the data streams which allow the 590LM to utilize the cell connection for weather and traffic conditions.
The larger screen on the 590LM is nice when navigating by GPS but it makes the unit larger when it’s off the bike compared to the 390LM. Whenever I park I always take the unit with me and space is at a premium for me.
Unlike the 390LM, the 590LM does not have a speaker inside it. It needs a powered cradle with a speaker or a bluetooth headset. This is not a big problem for me as I use a bluetooth headset on the bike. However it could be an issue for someone without a headset as the bike cradle does not have a speaker it it. The bike cradle does provide a speaker out socket, aux socket, and mic socket if you want to make use of those. I really like that the bike cradle also provides a USB charging port which was long enough to run to the tail compartment on the bike. The power leads were not long enough to reach the battery compartment on my bike so I had to link it to the power feed on my Powerlet socket. The speaker, AUX and mic lines were far too short for use on the Busa. When the 590LM is not docked in the bike cradle there is a cover which needs to be inlace to protect the contacts from the environment.
As with the 390LM the 590LM contains lifetime maps. On my 390LM there was a problem with the lifetime map options which Garmin support quickly resolved. Their support was excellent and gives me a lot of confidence that they will stand behind the 590LM should I have problem.
The routing is very quick and directions excellent. Mostly I like the chosen routes but if I do deviate from the route it auto recalculates quickly. I like the ability to touch the map title bar and get a list of the directions. The title bar also shows the next direction and the street name.
The voice prompts include pre-warnings on lanes and upcoming directions and so far the directions have been clear and timely. There seems to be a little more warring than I had on the 390LM, but I never really had a problem with the 390LM being late on directions anyway.
Their are several map options including day & night options, several themes and options to display various ancillary information on the map (for example gas stations, parking etc). The map also displays the current speed limit (mostly but not always correct) and the map screen has a warning if the speed limit is being exceeded…..
I was also able to chose the information shown in the info buttons (I chose current speed and current time). The tool menu in the map screen is much improved over the two tools which the 390LM offered on the map screen. The tools give access to common operations like cancel, trip data, next direction etc.
As with the 390LM there is an option to track fuel by distance and warn of low fuel (calculated by distance traveled). My bike has a fuel gauge and I don’t have a constant MPG thereforeI don’t make use of this.
With the 590LM I also purchased two TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system) sensors. Before being able to make use of these I had to have the valve stems changed to metal stems so I have only just started to use these. They give a reading down to a 10th PSI (I prefer PSI but you can also chose Bar or Kpa) The battery in the sensors last approx 18 months and is easily replaced. Pairing them to the 590LM was quick and in addition to giving the pressure it monitors a user settable low pressure and warns if tyre pressure drops below this. The sensors were very expensive and I could probably have bought a standalone TPMS systems for the bike with sensors for less than the cost of these two Garmin TPMS sensors. However I appreciate having the integrated TPMS with my GPS rather than having yet another system on my bike. I always ride with a GPS system so integrated into the GPS works for me.
The display is advertised as readable in bright light/sun which like the 390LM is not particularly good in my opinion. I navigate primarily by voice so it’s not a big deal to me. The 5” touch screen has been optimized for use with gloves on. The screen is also resistant to petrol and oil.
The address book works well and using the Garmin basecamp software I was able to copy these from the 390LM to the 590LM. I also really liked that Garmin’s software works on both a MAC (OSX) and PC (Windows). I use a MAC so this is a feature important to me. The main rival in this category is the TomTom Rider which is PC only.
Once an address has been entered (or selected from the address book) information like distance and route plans are available before starting the trip. I think the 390LM was better in this regard, previewing the proposed routes was an easy feature to use on the 390LM.
I do not use the additional apps (except the TPMS app) as I use these on the 390LM and have not found a way to copy and sync these between the two units.
The unit can charge though USB or it’s cradles which come with the unit. The cradles contained the wiring harnesses and mounting hardware but as discussed above the battery life on the 590LM is very minimal.
Mounting the unit to the Busa was though the use of a RAM stem mount kit. This was the only way I could get it mounted on the Busa and it works really well for me.
I have had no real issues with this unit. I did update the maps and firmware when I got the unit and both of my units have the same map revisions so they route identically. One minor annoyance was that after changing the map detail I had to power the unit off before the changes seemed to take effect. Also keep in mind the reported issue regarding using > 8GB of data on the microSD. I don’t use the microSD card so it is inconsequential to me and I also have not tested to see if it really is a issue on my unit with the current firmware.
Overall for my needs I am happy with the 390LM but for me there was a place for the 590LM as well. The 590LM is the unit I have on the Busa (my main bike) and is used exclusively for long rides. Yesterday I did a 670Km ride, for this length of time a unit which draws it’s power from the bike is a necessary and I did not require a portable unit for that trip. I do like the more portable aspect (battery run time & size) of the 390LM and moving the 390LM between vehicles is a real plus for me.
The other unit I considered was the TomTom Rider but it was bulky, looked outdated, and had a smaller screen. There’s a lot of dedicated users of TomTom products but I have a brand biases towards Garmin despite the extra cost. The Garmin units feel more refined and familiar to me. After spending some time with the 590LM I feel I made the right choice and I’m very happy with the unit.
I hope this review and the prior review I did of the 390LM is helpful if you are looking at either of these two units.
As with the Garmin 390LM, this unit has been designed for motorcycle use and the price reflects the specialized and limited segment of customers for this type of product.
From a design and build perspective it seems as rugged as the Garmin 390LM, it’s designed to withstand the harsher environment of bike use, is water resistant (more so than the 390LM was) and it came with an assortment of mounting options including a cradle for car use.
The battery on this this unit provides a very limited runtime between charges and this makes it unsuitable for uses when not powered by a car or a bike cradle. With the 390LM I could use it away from the bike for several hours. With this unit that’s not possible and I had to make use of the wiring harness it came with for the bike in order to use it at all.
I do like that the battery is user replaceable (battery door), and it also allows for a microSD card to be used which is also located in the battery compartment. Although it can use high density microSD cards, there are reports on the internet that if > 8GB of data is stored on the card the unit will keep rebooting itself and I did not see a fix for this yet from Garmin.
This GPS unit has an updated interface that is still very recognizable as Garmin, but it’s cleaner and less cluttered that the older style which was on the 390LM. It also includes a music player which I do not use. Music can be stored on the microSD card along with additional maps, routes, tracks etc.
For my use I have it paired to my Sena 20S helmet bluetooth headsets using the secondary phone/GPS option. I have my phone pair as the primary phone with the Sena 20S and my music library is on my phone. This pairing arrangement works best for me but it does not allow the GPS instructions to be overlaid with my music. You have the option to pair the phone though the GPS unit as an alternative if preferred.
As the phone is not paired to the GPS I cannot take advantage of the data streams which allow the 590LM to utilize the cell connection for weather and traffic conditions.
The larger screen on the 590LM is nice when navigating by GPS but it makes the unit larger when it’s off the bike compared to the 390LM. Whenever I park I always take the unit with me and space is at a premium for me.
Unlike the 390LM, the 590LM does not have a speaker inside it. It needs a powered cradle with a speaker or a bluetooth headset. This is not a big problem for me as I use a bluetooth headset on the bike. However it could be an issue for someone without a headset as the bike cradle does not have a speaker it it. The bike cradle does provide a speaker out socket, aux socket, and mic socket if you want to make use of those. I really like that the bike cradle also provides a USB charging port which was long enough to run to the tail compartment on the bike. The power leads were not long enough to reach the battery compartment on my bike so I had to link it to the power feed on my Powerlet socket. The speaker, AUX and mic lines were far too short for use on the Busa. When the 590LM is not docked in the bike cradle there is a cover which needs to be inlace to protect the contacts from the environment.
As with the 390LM the 590LM contains lifetime maps. On my 390LM there was a problem with the lifetime map options which Garmin support quickly resolved. Their support was excellent and gives me a lot of confidence that they will stand behind the 590LM should I have problem.
The routing is very quick and directions excellent. Mostly I like the chosen routes but if I do deviate from the route it auto recalculates quickly. I like the ability to touch the map title bar and get a list of the directions. The title bar also shows the next direction and the street name.
The voice prompts include pre-warnings on lanes and upcoming directions and so far the directions have been clear and timely. There seems to be a little more warring than I had on the 390LM, but I never really had a problem with the 390LM being late on directions anyway.
Their are several map options including day & night options, several themes and options to display various ancillary information on the map (for example gas stations, parking etc). The map also displays the current speed limit (mostly but not always correct) and the map screen has a warning if the speed limit is being exceeded…..
I was also able to chose the information shown in the info buttons (I chose current speed and current time). The tool menu in the map screen is much improved over the two tools which the 390LM offered on the map screen. The tools give access to common operations like cancel, trip data, next direction etc.
As with the 390LM there is an option to track fuel by distance and warn of low fuel (calculated by distance traveled). My bike has a fuel gauge and I don’t have a constant MPG thereforeI don’t make use of this.
With the 590LM I also purchased two TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system) sensors. Before being able to make use of these I had to have the valve stems changed to metal stems so I have only just started to use these. They give a reading down to a 10th PSI (I prefer PSI but you can also chose Bar or Kpa) The battery in the sensors last approx 18 months and is easily replaced. Pairing them to the 590LM was quick and in addition to giving the pressure it monitors a user settable low pressure and warns if tyre pressure drops below this. The sensors were very expensive and I could probably have bought a standalone TPMS systems for the bike with sensors for less than the cost of these two Garmin TPMS sensors. However I appreciate having the integrated TPMS with my GPS rather than having yet another system on my bike. I always ride with a GPS system so integrated into the GPS works for me.
The display is advertised as readable in bright light/sun which like the 390LM is not particularly good in my opinion. I navigate primarily by voice so it’s not a big deal to me. The 5” touch screen has been optimized for use with gloves on. The screen is also resistant to petrol and oil.
The address book works well and using the Garmin basecamp software I was able to copy these from the 390LM to the 590LM. I also really liked that Garmin’s software works on both a MAC (OSX) and PC (Windows). I use a MAC so this is a feature important to me. The main rival in this category is the TomTom Rider which is PC only.
Once an address has been entered (or selected from the address book) information like distance and route plans are available before starting the trip. I think the 390LM was better in this regard, previewing the proposed routes was an easy feature to use on the 390LM.
I do not use the additional apps (except the TPMS app) as I use these on the 390LM and have not found a way to copy and sync these between the two units.
The unit can charge though USB or it’s cradles which come with the unit. The cradles contained the wiring harnesses and mounting hardware but as discussed above the battery life on the 590LM is very minimal.
Mounting the unit to the Busa was though the use of a RAM stem mount kit. This was the only way I could get it mounted on the Busa and it works really well for me.
I have had no real issues with this unit. I did update the maps and firmware when I got the unit and both of my units have the same map revisions so they route identically. One minor annoyance was that after changing the map detail I had to power the unit off before the changes seemed to take effect. Also keep in mind the reported issue regarding using > 8GB of data on the microSD. I don’t use the microSD card so it is inconsequential to me and I also have not tested to see if it really is a issue on my unit with the current firmware.
Overall for my needs I am happy with the 390LM but for me there was a place for the 590LM as well. The 590LM is the unit I have on the Busa (my main bike) and is used exclusively for long rides. Yesterday I did a 670Km ride, for this length of time a unit which draws it’s power from the bike is a necessary and I did not require a portable unit for that trip. I do like the more portable aspect (battery run time & size) of the 390LM and moving the 390LM between vehicles is a real plus for me.
The other unit I considered was the TomTom Rider but it was bulky, looked outdated, and had a smaller screen. There’s a lot of dedicated users of TomTom products but I have a brand biases towards Garmin despite the extra cost. The Garmin units feel more refined and familiar to me. After spending some time with the 590LM I feel I made the right choice and I’m very happy with the unit.
I hope this review and the prior review I did of the 390LM is helpful if you are looking at either of these two units.