Garmin Nav 6 on the fritz, should I just buy a Zumo XT?

[robofavo]

My trusty 2019 R1250RT has been great for the last 14,000 miles.  

However, Last year my Garmin NAV VI started having moments of weirdness, this year it's totally useless!  
I Should have shipped it off to GARMIN last for fall for repairs. Now that riding season is upon us, I'm not willing to go without it for who knows how long, plus I've heard stories of others who have received theirs back from Garmin but only to have he screen ghost return again & again . So, I pose this question to fellow readers, maybe I should just bite the bullet and purchase the new Garmin Zumo XT?

Has anyone found a way to mount it in the same location as the Nav VI?  
Or at least is there an adapter that you can use to pull power from the Nav-VI cradle without having to re-wire a new GPS to the battery? 

Thanks in advance for you comments - or please direct me to a previous subject thread.  Thanks!  

[wbw6cos]

I bought the Zumo XT, then sent my Nav VI in for the resolution.   I also purchased THIS adapter ahead of the Zumo XT arrival. It is plug and play.  It came pretty quickly from Italy and works great.   I believe there are other adapters online (Wunderlich comes to mind,) but I cannot provide feedback on any of those.

 

You will not be able to use the wonder wheel for changing the zoom, screens, etc on the GPS, but I never really utilized that function with the Nav VI.   You will also lose My Motorcycle function, where it gives you all the bike data  (speed, turns, braking, shift counts, and such as the like.)  I had that screen only up a few times on the Nav VI, so no big loss.

 

I sold the refurburished Nav VI once it returned, which help offset my Zumo XT and adpater costs.

 

Go for it!  You will not regret it.

[DBULL]

I also have a 2019 RT, but didn't even try to use the Nav 6.  PO was on his 10th unit (all refurb from Garmin and he wouldn't include it).

 

I opted for the XT without any hesitation.  But mounting it, I used the XT plate, and got 4 longer screws, and four spacers from the local hardware store-think it was less than $2.    I spliced into the BMW lead and soldered/taped and shrink wrapped it.  Works perfectly.  For removing the XT, I picked up a car auto body plastic tool and keep that in the tank bag.  You know there is no wonder wheel function, but for my use, this is just right.  

 

There are several YouTube videos that I used for inspiration.  I think it took only an hour.  If you have questions, and want any help, feel free reach out.  

[lkraus]

Garmin periodically drops the price on the XT by $100. You've just missed one sale in March, but I'd expect to see another sale around late May or early June.

 

A few users have temporarily fixed their Nav VI ghosting by heating them up with a heat gun. Maybe driving moisture out of the screen? Sometimes it works for a few days, sometimes for a few weeks, but it might give you a little more time. 

[robofavo]

I did find the thread about the adapter from an Italian company... so slick.  Plus the XT is a TFT, very bright.  My inclination is to just purchase the XT and move on from here, as soon as I see the next sale! Thanks everyone for their input. :-) 

[DBULL]

Not trying to be ornery, but the adapter is pricey compared to four screws and spacers and a few minutes of splicing.  Just saying.  

 

It was the first thing I had to do to my new to me RT, and I learned a bit about the front end of the bike.  

 

But, if you get the XT, you will love it!    Best GPS by far

[BamaJohn]

I was lucky.

After my 5th Nav 6 went bonkers, I talked with Garmin and told them I had no faith in another Nav 6 and asked for a replacement Zumo XT, instead of the Nav 6, and they did. 

[60Aviator]

If you really like the wonderwheel and want to keep Nav VI this company says they have a solution:

https://www.gps-station.net/en/

 

Featured here:

 

[Cap]

I also have a 2019 RT with a Nav6.  My Nav6 still has one year of warranty remaining and has been replaced once because of heat-related failure.  
 

I went with the adapter from Italy, and waited for a 24 hour sale on Amazon for the Zumo XT.  My plan is to sell the Nav6.

 

re the cost of the adapter vs a DIY… I like the adapter because I can still use the quick-detach feature, and stow the GPS when not in use… and swap it onto my other bikes.

[92Merc]

With the XT and Italian adapter, does the audio still come through the speakers?

 

Long story short, I'm hard of hearing.  Speakers in the helmet aren't convenient and hurt my ears.  Plus, I take out my hearing aides.  So I then would have to turn up headphones to compensate.  Which could hurt my hearing frequencies that are fine.  So I can't go with anything in the helmet.

 

When I plug in my GPS on the rare occasion, I like to just use the speakers.  I don't listen to anything else other than the GPS.  I setup my Garmin with my own voice as a custom voice.  And I can hear myself well enough over the speakers.  So yes, I am talking to myself.  :-)

[MikeB60]

45 minutes ago, 92Merc said:

With the XT and Italian adapter, does the audio still come through the speakers?

 

Long story short, I'm hard of hearing.  Speakers in the helmet aren't convenient and hurt my ears.  Plus, I take out my hearing aides.  So I then would have to turn up headphones to compensate.  Which could hurt my hearing frequencies that are fine.  So I can't go with anything in the helmet.

 

When I plug in my GPS on the rare occasion, I like to just use the speakers.  I don't listen to anything else other than the GPS.  I setup my Garmin with my own voice as a custom voice.  And I can hear myself well enough over the speakers.  So yes, I am talking to myself.  :-)

No, the adapter only uses the power from the motorcycle. 

[92Merc]

It looks like the XT has it's own speaker.  Is it reasonable audible?

[TSConver]

2 hours ago, 92Merc said:

With the XT and Italian adapter, does the audio still come through the speakers?

 

Long story short, I'm hard of hearing.  Speakers in the helmet aren't convenient and hurt my ears.  Plus, I take out my hearing aides.  So I then would have to turn up headphones to compensate.  Which could hurt my hearing frequencies that are fine.  So I can't go with anything in the helmet.

 

When I plug in my GPS on the rare occasion, I like to just use the speakers.  I don't listen to anything else other than the GPS.  I setup my Garmin with my own voice as a custom voice.  And I can hear myself well enough over the speakers.  So yes, I am talking to myself.  :-)

 

If you pair the XT to your bluetooth on the bike it should come across the speakers just fine.

[Bill Murray]

Here's another response from a Nav 6-to-Zumo XT convert. The XT is a great GPS. I am using the adapter from Italy and have not experienced any issues with it. I miss the wonder wheel integration, but that has been a fair trade off for the improved screen and several other features on the XT.

 

I still have my Nav 6, which began exhibiting occasional ghosting issues. It still works --- sometimes. At some point, I plan to send it in to Garmin for refurbishment. Afterwards, I will make a decision on whether to keep it (as a backup) or sell it.

 

Meanwhile, the XT has become my go-to.

 

[Bernie]

Don’t be shy guys. I have returned my Nav 6 at least 5 times. Don’t worry, just do it.

I also never been asked when I bought the unit. I don’t really know when the “warranty” expires in the USA.

Also note that Garmin has the XT on sale again.

[mickeym3]

32 minutes ago, Bernie said:

Don’t be shy guys. I have returned my Nav 6 at least 5 times. Don’t worry, just do it.

I also never been asked when I bought the unit. I don’t really know when the “warranty” expires in the USA.

Also note that Garmin has the XT on sale again.

Bernie, I can’t find the XT on sale.  Have a link?  Thanks 

[Bernie]

10 minutes ago, mickeym3 said:

Bernie, I can’t find the XT on sale.  Have a link?  Thanks 

I guess it expired again. Sorry v

[MachineJoe]

On 4/10/2023 at 6:09 AM, BamaJohn said:

I was lucky.

After my 5th Nav 6 went bonkers, I talked with Garmin and told them I had no faith in another Nav 6 and asked for a replacement Zumo XT, instead of the Nav 6, and they did. 

Hello John,  I'm guessing you had to add some shillings to the trade?  

[lkraus]

Garmin drops the price periodically, usually for a week or two at a time.  I expect the next drop will be in June.  Data from https://camelcamelcamel.com/:

 

[BamaJohn]

10 hours ago, MachineJoe said:

Hello John,  I'm guessing you had to add some shillings to the trade?  

Actually, the price of the ZumoXT is much less than the Nav6, and I didn't pay anything (keep the secret!)

[rounder jim]

I sent in my 7th Nav6 and was told that Garmin is coming out with an updated version sometime this summer. The rep on the phone told me he would send me a refurbished unit and put my name on the list for a new second generation unit. When it came it was a brand new unit in a sealed Garmin box. This was back in January I believe . This"new" unit has been trouble free so far and I am hoping this is one of the second generation units he mentioned

[longjohn]

I’m on nav vi #2. 
 

One of the inmates on adv gently took a a heat gun to his nav vi and it worked glitch free for months. Not having a heat gun I tried wrapping mine in a heating pad while I was gearing up for a ride a couple of weeks ago and lo and behold, no glitches. 
 

im not saying it’s a permanent fix, but it was quick and easy and I had a glitch free ride. We’ll see how long it lasts.  

[EdM]

I had a very random and strange issue this weekend with my Nav VI. I seldom use the GPS to create routes, when I do use a route it's usually created in Basecamp and loaded up to use. Saturday I was heading for an residential address and just plugged it into the GPS to make the route. As I started off through the city, I found the GPS had for some reason decided Canada's driving rules had reverted to English rules and it was directing me to drive on the opposite side of all the divided roads including following ramps the wrong way. As a secondary effect of this reverse driving direction, the route was plotted far out of the way. Fortunately I had a good idea generally where I needed to go and only really needed the last few blocks of actual guidance. Later after I was home again, I re-tested the unit with the same address and the routing had reverted back to North American driving rules. I did nothing to change any settings so not sure what the glitch was.