The 5 Best Motorcycle GPS Systems As Of June, 2018 (And 4 Other Models)
All motorcycle GPS units have specific features that cater to motorcyclists, the ruggedness being the most common one, for obvious reasons -- protection from dust and water is usually standard. But other features include special bike routing or even music playback features.
Displayed in this list are GPS units that rival in bike-centric innovations, including UV ray resistance and traffic and weather radars designed specifically for bikers. For routing, there are features like Route Management, which lets you create, edit, and upload routes, and Trip Planners for a more personalized road trip, including a feature that favors curvy roads -- as seen in some Garmin zumo models. Some bike GPS systems also offer entertainment via built-in media players and compatibility with other devices, such as iPods and iPhones and we saw other interesting ideas, such as a special carrying case or a digital fuel gauge.
Some of the bike GPS models listed here can also be used in cars, but all the units shown here are above all bike GPS systems.
The List:
Garmin Zumo 590LM
Averaging a rating of 4 stars after 258 reviews, the Garmin Zumo 590LM is a motorcycle GPS (although some buyers also use it for their cars) touting a 5-inch 800 x 480 (WVGA) display with dual orientation support -- a facade that Garmin claims to be brilliant even in sunlight and glove-friendly. It also comes with an IPX7 casing, making it withstand constant fuel vapor and ultraviolet (UV) rays, which may not be a very rare facet in the world of outdoor GPS units, but is still highly welcome.
Ironically, most reviewers who gave the Zumo 590LM bad scores found its readability to be quite problematic, especially under direct sunlight, a complaint that would paint any 5-inch motorcycle GPS in a bad light (pun intended). Moreover, a couple of users complained that its maps took forever do download and often came either incomplete or outdated. Another buyer protested that the unit he received came with a defective mount, although this case should easily call up the Zumo 590LM's 1-year warranty.
Fortunately for this Garmin GPS unit, a good number of its reviewers loved its responsive screen and handy voice prompts feature. Typical GPS facets like traffic and weather warnings are also on board, with a view of speed limits joining in as well, the latter usually overlooked by many older units. Several others buyers even found its sunlight readability convenient, contrary to what a lot of unhappy buyers mention. A few more of its added-value features include a trip planner and a Where Am I function. It is also compatible with tire pressure sensing systems -- the required sensor is sold separately.
With all that said, the Garmin Zumo 590LM winds up as our number one choice (Learn how we rank items) for a motorcycle GPS system, especially with its 99 confidence level (More on confidence levels) -- it ranked number one, by the way, after our review crawler weaved itself through a total of 2026 reviews in this GPS category.
Garmin Zumo 395LM
With its star rating of 3.5 over 154 reviews, we rank this Garmin model second best Motorcycle GPS. * Btw, our choices are based on an in-depth analysis of hundreds of Motorcycle GPS reviews from multiple sources.
Display size is 4.3 inches
Garmin Zumo 390LM
Included accessories: USB cable, automotive mount, automotive power cable Special: Trip Planner via Base Camp, Curvy Roads
TomTom Rider 400
Included accessories: USB cable
Garmin zumo 665LM
Included accessories: motorcycle mount, automotive suction cup mount, GXM 40 antenna, carrying case, dust cover, USB cable
Garmin Zumo 595LM
The Garmin Zumo 595LM GPS adds Spotify and Pandora music players to biker-inclined specs, such as an above-average 4-hour battery time, a 3D terrain feature, maintenance logs and tire monitoring, and an IPX7 rating for water resistance.
Display size is 5 inches Included accessories: USB cable, Automotive suction cup mount and power cable (for occasional car use)
More Motorcycle GPS systems, sorted by the latest model first:
TomTom Rider
A motorcycle GPS with the Tyre Pro PC Route Management feature, winding routes, IPX7 ruggedness rating, a 4.3-inch sunlight-readable display and a mounting kit which, according to TomTom, should fit almost all bikes.
Included accessories: Charging bike dock, RAM mounting kit (which, according to the manufacturer, fits nearly all bikes), USB cable Special: Winding Routes, Tyre Pro Route Planning, Charging bike dock
Garmin zumo 660LM
The Garmin zumo 660LM has a built-in trip computer with compass, a trip planner by BaseCamp, and a digital fuel gauge.
Included accessories: automotive suction mount, carrying case, USB cable, dashboard disk
Special: Where Am I? feature
Garmin zumo 350LM
The zumo 350LM sports a waterproof (IPX7) rubber case which Garmin claims is resistant to fuel sprays and UV rays.
Included accessories: motorcycle mount (with mounting hardware), car suction cup mount, power cable, USB cable Special: Service HistorygLog, trip computer
