This is GPS designed for Motorcycle use. There is a large price premium paid for motorcycle rated GPS devices. There are several reasons for this, the main being:
- Limited market. These are a category device targeting a small subset of the GPS market. The developing and marketing costs have to be recuperated over fewer units and like any neesh product, there is a higher cost.
- More rugged design. It’s much heaver and better built case to accommodate the harsher environment/handling these devices are exposed to.
- Water resistance design. This unit can be immersed in water one meter in depth and continue to function.
- Vibration. These units like other systems on motorcycle have to withstand considerable vibration stress over what a in-car unit would experience.
- The unit comes with a variety of mounting options including a DC/DC converter for wiring to the motorcycle electrical system.
- User interface options for ease of use on a motorcycle with gloves on.
Some of the points above can be accommodated by many of the cases/boxes available to protect a car GPS unit on a bike. Vibration on some bikes is better than others, and there’s also a trade off in durability vrs price. You could for example buy several basic GPS units for the price of this GPS. My decision to get a motorcycle rated GPS and pay the premium price for the 390LM was reliability and the ease of use.
The LM suffix refers to life-time maps. This means as map updates become available they are free to download. This extends the useful life of the unit. Map updates are not cheap if you have to pay for them.
Battery life is claimed to be 10 hours. I have not got anywhere near that since owning the unit. It is probably related to some of the options I have set. No time-out on the display and bluetooth is probably the main reason I don’t get the 10 hours claimed.
The routing is quick and directions work well. I like the routes chosen on the whole. If I chose to deviate from it the GPS unit recalculates the route quickly. The voice prompts are excellent, there is pre-warning of directions (for example in 1KM, turn right onto....) and as you approach the turn the directions given are clear and timely.
The map display is very good, there are several map options and the route is clearly highlighted on the map. There are choices for daytime and nighttime use, and the display is also resistant to water and petrol/oil etc. The display is advertised as readable in bright light/sun - I don’t agree.
The 4” touch screen has been optimized for use with gloves on, graphics are large enough to select with gloves on and there is also a on-screen keyboard for use with gloves. The icons functions are large & obvious.
The address book and points of interest work well and categories can be added as desired. The address entry is excellent, it is easy to enter and search for an address. It also reduces options to only those valid based on what you have already entered.
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 find some of the additional apps are quite useful. I use the service app to record fuel and maintenance for the bike. The unit converter is also very useful. I like being able to add additional information to the address book (phone numbers for example).
I have the GPS unit paired with my Sena 20s, pairing on the Garmin was was easy once I got though the Sens 20s setup.
The unit charges though it’s USB port. There is also two pad connections for the cradle to provide power. Power though the cradle is provided by the DC/DC converter which is provided in the box. I did not wire the DC/DC converter to the bike as it will always have some current draw from the bike. I could have wired it to a circuit only hot with the ignition on but I wanted to be able to continue to power the unit when the bike was off (fuel stop or trusted waypoint).
I checked the output of the DC/DC converter and as suspected it was 5v so I cut off the DC/DC converter from the cradle wiring and spliced in a USB cable. In my tank bag I have a Dewalt XR USB charger. As I have several slim XR battery’s I take a couple with me in the tank bag to power the GPS and my phone (this is several days of power).
Mounting the unit to the busa was a challenge. There was not enough room on the bars to clamp it so a RAM stem mount would be the preferred mount. I don’t know if these are available in NZ (if someone knows a place let me know). I mounted the GPS to my tank bag using a plate adapter which came with the GPS. I reinforced the mounting point in the tank bag with some particle board. The setup works well.
While riding I rely on the voice directions played though the helmet’s Sena bluetooth system. The voice directions are excellent and I almost never need to stop and look at the map.
There are a couple of issues if have had with this unit. It occasionally stops route guidance and I need to restart it. The other issue I had was the map display stopped being updated but voice navigation continued. When I stopped for fuel I noticed this and restarted it. I find if I restart the unit before every trip I do not have these issues. I updated the firmware a couple of days ago, perhaps these issues have been fixed but only time will tell.
Recently the Garmin Zumo 590LM has been released in NZ. It has a couple more options including music and a larger 5” screen (vrs 4” screen on the 390LM). The claimed battery life on the 590LM is much shorter than the 390LM. If I had to purchase again I would still chose the 390LM. I don’t see a need for a bigger screen and my phone has my music library on it.
Overall for my needs I am happy with the 390LM and would purchase again. I expect several years of use from the unit. The lifetime maps option will keep it current and it looks & feels well built. Excellent product for my needs, frequent map & software updates, couple of minor software glitches I’m sure in time will be resolved.
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Originally Posted by Bender
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