Garmin Zumo 396 LMT-S Motorcycle GPS, Rugged Design

As usual, the Garmin GPS does not disappoint for the most part as far as features go, but the split screen keyboard is awkward and cumbersome. Makes no sense to have it that way. Honestly I would not buy another knowing how the keyboard is, but am keeping this one since it’s already installed. Perhaps using voice or map searches makes things better, but the split keyboard really disappoints. Still overall the unit is solid and has other great features that make up for the lack of a good keyboard setup. The quick release bracket and weatherized/ruggedized housing is really nice. Includes plenty of mounting options and proper wiring connections. Did I mention that I really don’t like the keyboard? Other than that, it’s a great unit just the same.

Was super pumped to have a dedicated GPS while on my motorcycle L’s. Unfortunately the one I got was faulty on arrival- screen randomly shuts off, randomly would select menus and take me out of the map while riding and navigating. Often cancelled its own navigation route and go into the media menu. I believe it may be a faulty digitizer along with some other circuit related issue that caused it to shut down whenever it pleased. It also would dim the screen to barely visible at random points even if it was wired in correctly or on battery, with settings to not dim. Other than these issues that had me decide to return / refund, it was speedy for a small gps and found locations relatively quickly. The keyboard was… unusual but easy to get used to. I do recommend it, honestly. Hopefully you don’t get unlucky like me. Safe riding!

Easy to install, easy to use. This GPS for motorcycles allows me to toggle between getting there fast or finding the winding roads we seek as riders.

I was looking for something to replace an older Garmin 1300 GPS that I have used on past motorcycles. I was using a Ciro perch mount and really liked it, so when I opened the box for the Zumo 396 and saw how thick it was, I was seriously considering returning it as it would not fit the Ciro mount. As I looked through the contents of the box, much to my delight I found that it contained a perch mount option too. It was really easy to swap out the Ciro mount for the Garmin mount. Note: There is also a handlebar mount included.
The next step was to route the power cable. I routed it under the tank and up to the handlebars. There’s plenty of cable, and once I determined where everything would fit, I assembled the mount. The included instructions are black and white are not very clear, I downloaded the owner’s manual from the Garmin website and the color illustrations and text were much easier to follow. There is an in-line fuse on the end of the cable that attaches to the battery. I ended up trimming off about eight inches of wire to connect to the battery terminals.
Before I mounted everything on my bike, I had used the GPS just to see how it worked. With the brightness on 100% and the display timeout on Never, the battery lasts about 3 hours of continual use. The GPS mount is always hot, even with the ignition off. I guess a mechanic could wire it into the ignition circuit, but I’ll just pull the GPS out of the mount and not have to worry about the battery draining.
I’ve used Garmin GPS units since the late 90’s and I’m very satisfied with their performance. I’m hope this one will be just as good as the others.
One last thing, there are a lot of extras on this unit including BlueTooth compatibility, alerts, etc., some which you have to pay for. It would be best to download the owner’s manual before you buy to see if this is what you want/need.

Could be so much better. Will not, under any circumstances, take you via the most direct route to the address you entered. My first initial thought was “what a piece of crap”. After using this GPS for over 1500 miles my thought now is “what a piece of crap”. No matter what you do with this, it will always take you somewhere off the most direct path so you can ride the rough roads. Recently went on a 175 mile trip.. took me 6 hours via this GPS. At one point, I could see a 4 way stop sign approximately 200 ft in front of me. The GPS had me turn left at which point 4 miles and 12 minutes later I was sitting at that same 4 way. After tinkering with this thing, I discovered it was set on “most adventurous route”. I turned that off and not much changed. Still takes the long and “adventurous” route. All I want any GPS to do, is take me to my destination and avoid all major Interstates. Highways are what I want.. not country roads, not interstates.. just highways. Can this be done? I don’t know… (and yes, I do have it set in the middle of curves and hills, avoid 4 lane highways – stick closer to 2 lane highways, and take me on the fastest route available) So, until I can get a better route.. I will continue to thinkg.. “what a piece of crap”