Garmin 595 - what exactly can they do?

[VStarRider]

I am thinking about a GPS, one with as many features as possible.

I would like to be able to sit at the computer I am typing at right now, get on a website, select a route with roads I choose, and send that to my GPS which then gives me turn-by-turn directions on my route.

Does the 595 allow this?

What else can it do?

[2wheelsforme]

The 595 is in my opinion the best GPS you can get for a motorcycle. It can do the things you ask and many more. I like the tire pressure monitors and the stored music as well as the blue tooth abilities which play music from my phone in my pocket. That also includes any music stations you can access on line with your phone. Others may like the satellite radio abilities and weather or traffic info. It has a huge learning curve but is lots of fun once you can build custom routes. Keeping you on track as well as estimated arrival time and dozens of other info stats. I like recorded track, ability to share/e mail your routes and elevation and top speed read outs also. It is pricey and complicated but it is top of the line for a motorcycle GPS.

[motornerd]

I have a 595. I really really like it. I hooked it up to my satellite radio and my phone. They all work together great, I just connect my Bluetooth headset to the gps. The trip planning software on the Garmin site is HORRIBLE. I plan my route right on the unit and that works fine for me.

[olegoat345]

I like my 395, it keeps me from getting lost & tells me how to get home + my tire pressure. I'm sure it does more but that's all I need it to do. I rarely have music when I'm driving my cage, never when I'm riding my bikes. Different strokes, different folks.

[unsub]

Question for olegoat. Concerning your TP monitor system using the 395, did you swap your tire valve stems out for metal? Just curious.

[2wheelsforme]

You do not have to but you should. The Garmin sensors add weight to the end of the stem. I even make sure mine are on before balancing.

[unsub]

You do not have to but you should. The Garmin sensors add weight to the end of the stem. I even make sure mine are on before balancing.

Thanks for the reply. I don't think I'll ever use the TPS feature myself but never say never. Certainly a lot of riders like that feature. I thought I'd still be using my first gen. 660, so there you go.

One feature I do like on the 595 is the ability to store / track bike service. I keep a running Excel sheet for everything now, but I can see using the GPS to simplify process.

Maybe there's a way to export the records to Excel, or to see if I can import the Excel sheet I already have?...hmmm haven't spent enough time looking at the possibilities yet. :cheers:

[olegoat345]

Yes, I put in the metal 90 degree valves (like OEM). I use balancing beads, so I'm not concerned about out of balance issues.

[unsub]

Thank you for the info..

[unsub]

Vstar

This isn't really a feature but something I completely overlooked when I installed the 595.

Since I have my 595 connected to the switched power circuit under the left cubby, I assumed it would behave like my previous 660 and actually turn off with the ignition!

After turning the bike's ignition key off the 595 screen does give a message that it will turn off after 14 seconds if you leave it as is. However I don't think the 595 actually turns completely off. The 595 appears to be programmed to go into power saving mode instead, so that you have instant on when you start the bike. That comes at a price because it seems after a few days the 595's battery will run down if the bike is not started. I'm in the process of determining if the user can change that setting. If someone here knows please advise.

So for now the key thing to remember when you shut off your bike for longer than a day, even when connected to a switched power circuit, the user should **long press the power key until you get the message to turn off the device.

This kinda defeats the whole purpose of using a switched power circuit IMO.

-----From Garmin's Manual----------

Turning the Device On or Off

To turn the device on, press the power key, or connect the device to power.
To put the device in power saving mode, press the power key while the device is on.

While in power saving mode, the screen is off and the device uses very little power, but it can wake instantly for use.
TIP: You can charge your device faster by putting it in power saving mode while charging the battery.
**To turn off the device completely, hold the power key until a prompt appears on the screen, and select Off.

The prompt appears after five seconds. If you release the power key before the prompt appears, the device enters power saving mode.

[2wheelsforme]

I have a 590. At first I powered with switched power and did not like the unit shutting down every time I stopped for gas or anytime the key was turned off. That goofs up your route you are following requiring a restart. Additionally my 590 and I would think all are limited as to how many routes it will track. When it shuts down and you power back up it starts a new route so if limited to 20 you might have several tracks in one day and reach the max sooner as well as hard to save the route if following someone and you want to get a copy. The down side is you have to remember to turn it off at the end of the day. It is very noticeable when it is on and will not run the battery down even overnight. So noticeable when stored in a garage and if stored outside I would think the unit is coming off the bike anyway. So I changed mine to full time power and have only run the battery down once in several years.

[jmdaniel]

Vstar

This isn't really a feature but something I completely overlooked when I installed the 595.

Since I have my 595 connected to the switched power circuit under the left cubby, I assumed it would behave like my previous 660 and actually turn off with the ignition!

After turning the bike's ignition key off the 595 screen does give a message that it will turn off after 14 seconds if you leave it as is. However I don't think the 595 actually turns completely off. The 595 appears to be programmed to go into power saving mode instead, so that you have instant on when you start the bike. That comes at a price because it seems after a few days the 595's battery will run down if the bike is not started. I'm in the process of determining if the user can change that setting. If someone here knows please advise.

So for now the key thing to remember when you shut off your bike for longer than a day, even when connected to a switched power circuit, the user should **long press the power key until you get the message to turn off the device.

This kinda defeats the whole purpose of using a switched power circuit IMO.

-----From Garmin's Manual----------

Turning the Device On or Off

To turn the device on, press the power key, or connect the device to power.
To put the device in power saving mode, press the power key while the device is on.

While in power saving mode, the screen is off and the device uses very little power, but it can wake instantly for use.
TIP: You can charge your device faster by putting it in power saving mode while charging the battery.
**To turn off the device completely, hold the power key until a prompt appears on the screen, and select Off.

The prompt appears after five seconds. If you release the power key before the prompt appears, the device enters power saving mode.

My 550 does the same thing, but I don't leave either device on the bike it is set up for; the 595 on my B, or the 550 on my FJR. They are both in the house when I'm not riding, but if you didn't want to do that, the 595 is a one button push to remove, and fits easily in the cubby.

[unsub]

I have a 590. At first I powered with switched power and did not like the unit shutting down every time I stopped for gas or anytime the key was turned off.

No override button for that on the 590? Maybe the 595 going into power saving mode on key off fixes that? Hmmmm interesting.


My 550 does the same thing, but I don't leave either device on the bike it is set up for; the 595 on my B, or the 550 on my FJR. They are both in the house when I'm not riding, but if you didn't want to do that, the 595 is a one button push to remove, and fits easily in the cubby.

Yes, thanks JM. It was just my long winded way of sharing my observations that the 595 does not power down completely without rider intervention, even while on switched power AND the Garmin message telling the rider it is shutting down when clearly it's not.

Not a deal breaker. My take-a-way is that this unit no longer benefits from the switched power circuit.

Thanks all.

[VStarRider]

Thanks for the feedback. So, can I ...

1.) hard wire it into power supply in cubby?
2.) have GPS directions come through audio system while playing music through my phone? Or can I sync my phone to GPS and have music play through the GPS?

[tenxxx]

Thanks for the feedback. So, can I ...

1.) hard wire it into power supply in cubby?
2.) have GPS directions come through audio system while playing music through my phone? Or can I sync my phone to GPS and have music play through the GPS?
GPS through the phone. The phone it smarter, I think.

[2wheelsforme]

Thanks for the feedback. So, can I ...

1.) hard wire it into power supply in cubby?
2.) have GPS directions come through audio system while playing music through my phone? Or can I sync my phone to GPS and have music play through the GPS?

Yes hard wire in the cubby or even better wire direct to batt with it's own fuse. Yes you can get directions thru the audio system on the bike. Yes you can sync your phone with the GPS and receive phone calls or access on line stations like Pandora or the music you have on I-tunes etc. Garmin has an app you put on your phone as least for an I phone I do. You will know when you get a call even with caller ID but can not talk unless you add a mike or a Bluetooth headset and microphone. It is a little complicated as you also can also listen to music stored on the Zumo, the USB port in the left bag and the radio as well as on the phone and on line.

[VStarRider]

Yes hard wire in the cubby or even better wire direct to batt with it's own fuse. Yes you can get directions thru the audio system on the bike. Yes you can sync your phone with the GPS and receive phone calls or access on line stations like Pandora or the music you have on I-tunes etc. Garmin has an app you put on your phone as least for an I phone I do. You will know when you get a call even with caller ID but can not talk unless you add a mike or a Bluetooth headset and microphone. It is a little complicated as you also can also listen to music stored on the Zumo, the USB port in the left bag and the radio as well as on the phone and on line.

Thanks a bunch. I will likely pick one up. Amazon and RevZilla basically have it for the same price, all factors considered. Not interested in calls, but am interested in turn-by-turn directions on a route I pre-select, streaming music via my I-tunes, Pandora and Sirius XM possibly, tire pressure monitoring; sounds like it can do all this.

I will ask more questions once I get the unit, but do you run the Garmin through your 3.5mm audio jack or do you use a Bluetooth receiver device that are available online, that you plug your 3.5 mm jack into?

[unsub]

I will ask more questions once I get the unit, but do you run the Garmin through your 3.5mm audio jack or do you use a Bluetooth receiver device that are available online, that you plug your 3.5 mm jack into?

If you're referring to the 595 which is what I'm familiar with, you can simply connect the Garmin audio out jack (on the existing Garmin wire harness) to the Honda OEM 3.5 jack that resides in the left cubby. That will push turn by turn and other audio cues ( and there are others like music and speed warnings etc..) from the Garmin to your bike speakers or your Honda comms system.

Or if you prefer Bluetooth connectivity it is available out-of-the-box in the unit. No need for adapters for any compatible devices.

Happy trails..

[JGF6B]

I had the 595 for a season. A lot of nice features, I especially liked the TPM. However, the curvy road feature was horrendous and trip planning was very tedious and frustrating.
I now use Kurviger on my phone. The route planning is fantastic. The curvy road feature is outstanding. This is a very low cost app with a free trial version. I highly recommend this app especially for day trip planning in the North East.
I'll add alternate TPM. Bright sun display is marginally better on 595 than on my phone and I think the 595 is waterproof which may be a significant factor for some.

[2wheelsforme]

Choosing curvy road and hoping the unit tells you where to go is not what a GPS excels at. What it does excel at is you telling it where you want to go and on what roads and it will remember all your choices and lay them out in a planned trip for you to follow along with estimated arrivals etc. Looking at every road on Google Earth in you planning stages eliminates the need for a curvy road feature. Use it as an assistant rather than a guide. Yes there is a learning curve to build routes in Map Source because of the all the things they think you might want to do. Once you learn the basics of building your route on the home computer then downloading it onto the Zumo you are good to go, no way a phone can compare. A good GPS beats a phone like a phone beats a paper map like a paper map beats a friends voice directions. All do kinda the same thing in the long run.

[jmdaniel]

Choosing curvy road and hoping the unit tells you where to go is not what a GPS excels at. What it does excel at is you telling it where you want to go and on what roads and it will remember all your choices and lay them out in a planned trip for you to follow along with estimated arrivals etc. Looking at every road on Google Earth in you planning stages eliminates the need for a curvy road feature. Use it as an assistant rather than a guide. Yes there is a learning curve to build routes in Map Source because of the all the things they think you might want to do. Once you learn the basics of building your route on the home computer then downloading it onto the Zumo you are good to go, no way a phone can compare. A good GPS beats a phone like a phone beats a paper map like a paper map beats a friends voice directions. All do kinda the same thing in the long run.

+1000