Navigation » Is the BMW Nav 5/6 really relevant today

I'm not sure I get why owners will dash out $600 for a BMW Motorrad Nav 5/6 for their bikes. Perhaps, in the case of of global travel, or when you are really off the cell tower coverage area, the need for satellite enabled GPS make sense. I'm going to keep my Nav 6 in my bag if I ever run into a situation like this and require its use. But, for the most part, I think your cell phone and their available store apps, especially if you download the BMW Connected app, can do an exemplary job of providing routing, traffic, weather, and way station information.

I'm just curious what other members have elected to do. I just ordered the attachment that will provide a cradle to install my iPhone X to the BMW GPS cradle. It will lock it in and also provide power to my iPhone. Seems like a no brainier for $35 vs $600 for the BMW branded Garmin GPS.

I got the Navigator 6 for the RS when I bought it mostly because of how it integrates with the bike. Now that the TFT display is out, the need to buy a BMW nav system is rendered moot.

That said, the Navigator 6 is a disappointing piece of junk. It doesn’t work as well as my Zumo 660...which I still have. The lack of QC in production is obvious, and some features I think are useful are already rendered useless and are no longer supported by Garmin.

I find a GPS best on a trip so I don’t rely on being in cellular range. I prefer them to cell phones, but as smartphones get better and more kit is out there to use them as a GPS, I can see the motorcycle GPS market having issues in the future.

FWIW, I think my Zumo 660 (used) ran in the range of $500. Of course, it’s selling point was being IPX7 certified so it could handle exposure to the weather. Now that the have aqua boxes for various electronic devices, you can buy a much cheaper auto GPS and mount it to a motorcycle.

I got my 5 used for half the price, but I have a non TFT bike so I like the integration and instant bike data through the Nav.

Same here. I purchased a used Nav VI for my '16 RS.

If you can power and somehow waterproof your expensive phone, then it becomes a matter of personal preference.

For some, integration with the thumb-wheel may be important, along with showing extra info about the bike.

For others, it may be the ability to plan routes at the comfort of your computer, and then transfer them to the sat-nav (or share with others if doing a group tour).

As was pointed out, sat-nav devices don't depend on cell coverage, which usually occurs out in the back of beyond, or up in the mountains which is where you really need your sat-nav.

Personally, I'll keep my sat-nav; it can handle being jabbed with gloved hands whilst riding. Plus it connects to my phone so I can make/take calls whilst riding. [Only ever taken calls, not made them...]

Like I said, personal preference

Cheers

Paul B.

You don't need a phone signal for many smartphone satnav apps, as the maps can be downloaded to the phone, so that argument against them is not really valid.

I have both the TomTom app and the MyRoute Navigation app. I prefer the display on TomTom, but overall mainly use MyRoute because of the associated route planning software which makes it very easy to plan routes in advance on a PC but routes can also be created or modified on the phone if needed. The routes are stored in the MyRoute cloud and can be downloaded to the phone just as the maps can, so avoid any need for a phone signal while travelling.

Smartphones have more storage and more processing power than dedicated devices, and anyone who has faffed about trying to update a Nav V with the latest maps, and had to install an SD card to increase the storage will see the advantage of a more capable device. Also, most people already have a smartphone, so I can't see much of a future for dedicated devices.

Zitat von fred_jb im Beitrag #6

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You don't need a phone signal for many smartphone satnav apps, as the maps can be downloaded to the phone, so that argument against them is not really valid.

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Bought a used nav 6 from my brother when he sold his r1200, and I got my r1250rs, although can’t comment on how good it is or isn’t as only managed to travel to the local dealers and back On the bike before lockdown, and didn’t bother to put it on the bike for that, but will hopefully see how it goes over the next month or two, although always have a smart phone in my jacket with detailed downloaded OS maps of the uk, plus the standard google map feature just in case.

There's really no more info via the TFT screen vs the analog. I've been using the TFT now for 2 years on my '18 GSA. It's really a nice display.

Anyone of you in the USA that are disgruntled or dissatisfied with your Nav VI: message me. I'll buy every single one you're selling for $500.

The BMW branded Garmins are expensive it's true. And Garmin motorcycle sat-navs are not cheap to begin with, when you look at the equivalent made for cars without the additional ruggedization. But the partial integration with the wonder wheel and auto-brightness adjustment is worth paying a bit extra for. Oh and I got it on a deal when I bought the bike, £500 towards dealer-fitted accessories, plus the sat-nav is covered under the bikes warranty 'cos I bought it included.
In the car I use Android Auto and google navigation, because there I want point-to-point navigation with live traffic info. Its easy to find locations and it will sync up with searches for places you've done in Google on the desktop or on a mobile device.
But on the RS I use the Nav-6, and on my other bike I still have my trusty Zumo-350. I like the way they work and I like to plan routes on my PC - even if the PC is getting old and cranky and due for replacement (same goes for Basecamp). I don't care about live traffic info for weekend rides and I don't want to take any calls or even be bothered by text messages!

Zitat von Paul B im Beitrag #5

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If you can power and somehow waterproof your expensive phone, then it becomes a matter of personal preference.

For some, integration with the thumb-wheel may be important, along with showing extra info about the bike.

For others, it may be the ability to plan routes at the comfort of your computer, and then transfer them to the sat-nav (or share with others if doing a group tour).

As was pointed out, sat-nav devices don't depend on cell coverage, which usually occurs out in the back of beyond, or up in the mountains which is where you really need your sat-nav.

Personally, I'll keep my sat-nav; it can handle being jabbed with gloved hands whilst riding. Plus it connects to my phone so I can make/take calls whilst riding. [Only ever taken calls, not made them...]

Like I said, personal preference

Cheers

Paul B.

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Zitat von fred_jb im Beitrag #6

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I have both the TomTom app and the MyRoute Navigation app. I prefer the display on TomTom, but overall mainly use MyRoute because of the associated route planning software which makes it very easy to plan routes in advance on a PC but routes can also be created or modified on the phone if needed.

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Zitat von fred_jb im Beitrag #6

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You don't need a phone signal for many smartphone satnav apps, as the maps can be downloaded to the phone, so that argument against them is not really valid.

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Zitat von jmarnell im Beitrag #1

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I'm not sure I get why owners will dash out $600 for a BMW Motorrad Nav 5/6 for their bikes. Perhaps, in the case of of global travel, or when you are really off the cell tower coverage area, the need for satellite enabled GPS make sense..

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