Garmin Zumo 590LM Motorcycle and Car Mounts

Garmin Zumo 590LM on BMW Motorcycle for twitterThe Garmin Zumo line first came out in 2006 and Garmin has enjoyed a lot of success.  Their latest entry is the Garmin Zumo 590LM.  These GPS systems are made for motorcycle use.  Unlike a car GPS, these are weatherproof, have glove sensitive displays are made somewhat more rugged than most other GPS units.  The Garmin Zumo 590LM provides lifetime map updates at no charge.  An interesting added feature is the ability to check your tire pressure using the optional TPMS accessory.  The GPS includes Bluetooth integration so that you can hear the directions through a Bluetooth enabled helmet.

The Garmin Zumo 590LM includes both a motorcycle and car mount which is a nice touch.  No reason why you can’t use these in a car as well as a motorcycle.  Saves some money in that you don’t need a second GPS for your car.  The car cradle has the standard 17mm socket on the back so a lot of the mounts that are available for a Garmin Nuvi that have a 17mm ball on the end will fit the car cradle for a Garmin Zumo 590LM.  We like the Arkon Suction Cup Mount for Garmin Nuvi as a suitable replacement that’s a notch above the Garmin entry and fits the cradle real well.  Don’t worry about it saying Nuvi, these fit the Garmin Zumo 590LM car cradle too.  There’s a vacuum lock to make sure it sticks firmly, just be sure to clean the windshield with the included wipe before use.  It also includes a dash disk if you would like to use it there instead of the windshield.

Garmin includes a very good Garmin RAM Mounting Kit for Zumo with the Garmin Zumo 590LM.  This is a mount that will attach to the back of the Garmin Zumo 590LM cradle using the bolts and screws that came with the motorcycle cradle that you likely received in the box with the GPS.  The square plate uses the standard 4-hole AMPS pattern.  Use the square metal top of the mount to line the screw holes up with the back of the cradle.  There is a metal arm that supports a ball and socket system.  The base has a dual mounting option.  Most will use the u-bolts that comes with the mount to attach to the handlebar and these will fit bars to 1.25 inches in diameter.  Some, especially those that ride Honda Goldwings as well as some Harley owners will use the brake or clutch options.  The brake / clutch options will require you to remove the factory installed bolts and replace them with the bolts that are included with the mount.  You may also use the spacers that are provided depending upon your model of bike.  Instructions to do this are included with the mount.  By the way, here’s a money-saving tip, consider the RAM Mounts U-Bolt with Short Arm and Adaptor for Garmin Zumo.  Garmin smartly has their motorcycle mount supplied by RAM.  My suggestion is to purchase the RAM Mount, save a few dollars and benefit from their lifetime warranty.

There are many other options for mounting a Zumo to a motorcycle.  Another popular option is to use the RAM Fork Stem Base.  This mount will attach to the stem hole on many motorcycles.  The mounting kit includes a bolt and a plastic cone that you can cut to fit the stem hole.  The plastic cone can be cut from 12 -20mm and 28mm or .5” – 1.10”.  You can replace the handlebar base with this fork stem base.

Another very popular option is the RAM Mirror Base.  This base is real popular on BMW models and features an 11mm hole that your mirror post can fit through or in some case, you can replace the mirror post with your GPS.  Like the fork stem base, the arm and AMPS plate will fit this base as well.

If you notice some glare once you have this mounted on your motorcycle, there are some nice inexpensive solutions available to shield your unit from glare and we recently reviewed the Glarestomper line of products which will help a lot.  You can read that review here.