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nav v6


steveg

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Don't know what others thoughts are on the nav 6 but I think it is totally useless,  constantly recalculaing,  can't calculate long trips, replaced 2 times. You'd think that bmw a nd Garmin could do a better job than that, hell my 10 year old Garmin does better than that. I just use Google maps and have no problems at all.for what they charge for bmw nav they are surely lacking

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Zumo XT + the (Italian) e-nav-xt bracket   👍🍻

 

https://www.adapter3dmotorrad.com/prodotto/e-nav-xt-rt/

 

I bought the Zumo for about $400 on sale last November, if I recall.  So, that plus the bracket, total about $500. 

 

My Zumo snaps in and powers up just like the NAV6.  Just no wonderwheel connectivity, but I'm going to be stopped by the side of the road any time I do anything with a GPS device, anyhow.

 

Edit:  $423 including tax for the Zumo XT, $105 USD for the bracket, so, $530 total.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 1 year later...

One really needs both.   I have Nav 6 on my GSA and an iPhone on a Quadlock.   For city riding and finding addresses and the shortest, fastest way considering traffic, road closures etc, Google Maps is good and Waze is perhaps better.    Both work on my phone...which is paired directly to my helmet via Cardo PakTalk Slim.   Verbal directions cut into my music just like in the car.   I use verbal commands to change volume, skip tracks etc.   No pairing to the bike.   That gets in the way.     On a longer trip or when following GPX routes, Nav VI works just fine.  You have to follow certain protocols when downloading GPX files or they won't work properly, but once in, following routes with Nav VI is great.  

 

Let us not forget that Google only works if there is cell service.   If you go on a real trip, you'll find out how much of the country (the best part) still doesn't have cell coverage. 

 

I'm a fan of Garmin's "Curvy Roads" navigation.   If there are hills in the area, it will find some gnarly roads that you normally wouldn't travel.  Yes, it'll take 2 days to get somewhere that takes 4 hours by interstate highway, but you can do "Curvy Roads" for most of the day, then turn it off and go back to "Fastest Way" to get there, or just search for a motel.   It's a blast if you have time to kill.  I've started leaving a day or two early for rallies just so I can meander in hill country before arriving.  MSTA has some great routes, but there's something wonderful about following your muse around moto heaven.  Living in Chicago, I'll take the fast roads to S. Indiana/northern KY, then crank on Curvy Roads with a destination of Asheville or someplace.   One time, I ended up on a road with a 1-car ferry crossing.   Too cool.   

 

I'm on my 2nd free replacement Nav VI.  The little wires in back of the touch screen degrade over time.   I try to keep mine away from direct sunlight when I park.  So far, this one is working OK.  I'm on the list for their new version...an actual hardware change that should be a permanent fix.  I'm hopeful.   

 

One thing that drives me nuts about Garmin software is that they ask you address information in the wrong order.  The right way is to ask State first, then city or zip, then street, then number.  Instead, they ask the house number first and the thing starts searching for it.  Then the street and it's churning and finding streets in 4 states.  Then, city, but it might also be looking in cities of the same name in a different state....It's just dumb programming by people who don't understand how a data base searches.   I have plenty of other minor bickerings with Garmin, but I still want one on my bike...a real sat based one.   

 

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  • 5 months later...
On 5/29/2022 at 7:57 PM, steveg said:

Don't know what others thoughts are on the nav 6 but I think it is totally useless,  constantly recalculaing,  can't calculate long trips, replaced 2 times. You'd think that bmw a nd Garmin could do a better job than that, hell my 10 year old Garmin does better than that. I just use Google maps and have no problems at all.for what they charge for bmw nav they are surely lacking

I learned quite a bit of new-to-me info about Nav 6 from a Beach's tour of the Swiss/French/German/Italian Alps.   OMG, what a ride.  10 days of the most incredible twisties I've ever seen (see photo).  But that's another story.     Here's what I learned.  

 

1. 1st thing to do when you get on your GS/RT with Nav 6, press and hold the upper "menu" button on the left side of the bars until you see "Nav" appear where "TFT" once was.   This gives you Wunder-wheel control of your zoom.  

 

2. Turn off Autozoom and all other processor-heavy whiz-bang automated display features.  Control the zoom with the wheel to see corners and find your way through the crooked little French mountain towns.  Zoom out to for the big picture after your pass the technical bits.  The idea here is to take away all the processor-heavy functions so that the GPS can keep up.  From there, it's a matter of training yourself to use the wheel.  Otherwise, the turn has often passed before the GPS shows it to you.   

 

3. I was using pre-made routes given by Beach's for this ride.   I've, before and since, used pre-made routes from MSTA and even made one myself using Rever, sending the file to BaseCamp and translating it to GPX from there.  There are other apps out there to create routes.  Whatever you use, it's good to send the file to Basecamp for translation to GPX before you load it into the Nav 6.   My self-made routes were only partially successful...(unproven route took me on some unplanned unpaved roads in MO because MO (and many other state's) digital mapping doesn't differentiate paved from unpaved.)   I didn't really want to include 25 miles of unpaved road, but it turned out to be the best part of the ride for me.  Just gnarly enough without being truly scary.   3 water crossings too!  

 

I think the new Garmin hardware upgrade oughta work for the next 100 years or so:  

 

The original Nav 6 has a flex plastic screen with tiny wires behind the screen.  When you press on this screen, screen deforms and a couple of the tiny wires touch each other making the selection you want.   Temp changes, repeated pressings and maybe decomposition of whatever they use to attach the little wires happens over time and the wires sag and/or stretch out.  The result of that is that tiny loose wires bang into each other when you hit a bump or vibration.   The GPS makes selections on its own.  Another symptom is that you try to push a button and you have to aim low to get what you need.  The very bottom buttons can't be used at all...and that makes the thing near useless.  

 

The new glass screen version uses induction and not pressure.  The screen doesn't deform and there are no wires suspended behind the screen to stretch.   I think this one will work.   I was concerned that it might not work well with gloves, but even with the anti-glare covering I installed, it works just great.   I'm hopeful this defect is finally done.  

 

I pair my phone directly to a Cardo Pak-Talk Slim helmet thingie.  The 1200RT's interface with Cardo was awful.  Sound was distorted and it's just a lot of menus to muck around with, especially if you're using the wheel for zooming.   So, I learned to by-pass all that.  I just use the Cardo verbal commands for music, volume etc.  I use Siri commands for making and receiving calls.  It works really well and I save the wheel for zooming.   The 1250 interface's sound is a bit better than the 1200, but it's still one more filter between the sound and the earpieces.   It's also more dorking around with menus while riding compared to verbal commands.  It takes a little bit of practice to get it, but it's not difficult.   The reward is tunes when you want them at the volume you want, easy shut-off of tunes, auto shut-off of tunes when a call comes in and the ability to receive calls without flailing through menus etc.   

 

I got a Quad-Lock with the vibration damper and inductive charger at the beginning of last season.  That is a very good gadget.   I have my phone in view on the bars with this.  I can see who's calling.  I can use Google Maps for local address finding where cell service is good.   I have it set for verbal GPS instructions.  (I have sound turned off Nav 6). It's good to have a satellite based GPS when you're out in the wild.  Google Maps or Waze is better in the city.  I can set both if I want.  

 

Quad-Lock works well, is easy to attach and remove and my phone doesn't get damaged from vibrations.   Some Apple phones' cameras don't like moto-vibes.  The little camera zoom mechanisms can get damaged.  I'm good with this Quad-lock.  No problems after a year of riding with iPhone 13 pro.  They require a phone case that fits the Quad-Lock fixture.  I do wish they'd make their case in another color besides black.  I'm leaving my phone everywhere because I just don't see it.   In the off-season, I change to a clear case.  Easier to see the edges of the phone when it sits on a dark surface. 

 

Another thing...Garmin has the wrong order for putting in addresses.  Just ignore that and put in State, then Zip, then Street then House #.   Otherwise, it starts searching for numbers and streets in different states before you've finished entering the address.    Finally figured that out after years of use. Doh!

 

Happy Trails! 

GPS.jpeg

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