BMW Connected Ride Navigator

[Hugg727]

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0433978EN/bmw-motorrad-presents-the-connectedride-navigator?language=en

I was hoping for something that would do Apple Carplay or Android Auto.  Instead they are coming out with this.  Still using the phone connection via WiFi, but it can also use its own Sim card.  Its basically a tablet that will only run the BMW app.
The $1100 USD price tag will be a tough sell for this limited type of functionality.  I would gladly pay $600 for a "tablet-like" device of this size that could do the Apple/Android piece that was BMW branded and just snapped into the Nav prep cradle.

I can see a paid subscription for the maps in the future.

[surik116]

The Navigation software itself is provided by TomTom. however I am not sure if it is manufactured by them. car play/android auto are optimised for cars not for motorcycles. besides google maps or apple maps don't cater for motorcycles.

https://www.tomtom.com/customers/bmw-motorrad/#intro

[Antares]

Originally Posted by surik116

The Navigation software itself is provided by TomTom. however I am not sure if it is manufactured by them. car play/android auto are optimised for cars not for motorcycles. besides google maps or apple maps don't cater for motorcycles.

https://www.tomtom.com/customers/bmw-motorrad/#intro

They moved to TomTom now? Their previous navis were basically Garmin Zumos and they're great. In all honesty I'd rather have a nav tuned for bikes like the Nav 5/6 was, they worked extremely well and provided useful features.

I had an Africa Twin with Andoid Auto/Apple carplay and it was alright but didn't provide any useful functionality over any old TFT to phone connection aside from seeing your maps, but on the africa twin the maps took away the entire dash board, even speed, (fortunately there is a 2nd mini LCD for speed and gears below the main dash, i suspect for this reason) so at that point might aswell just have your phone out.

Regardless $1100 is steep for what is a glorified TomTom or Garmin

[jlparsons]

TBH I've used BMW Navigator and this would have to be a dramatic improvement for me to want to use it over my phone.  Google Maps just can't be beat by anything these days.

[Antares]

Originally Posted by jlparsons

TBH I've used BMW Navigator and this would have to be a dramatic improvement for me to want to use it over my phone.  Google Maps just can't be beat by anything these days.

Gotta disagree with that. Google maps has been absolutely horrible finding good roads. The BMW navi found some of the most amazing roads for me without making huge detours.

[jlparsons]

Haven't found either to be particularly successful TBH, I've always relied on doing some homework on an area before a tour.  I recently used the connectedride navigator app and specified winding roads for a trip back to Cardiff from Cheltenham, specified no motorways and no single tracks and it took me all the way on muddy single track roads.  Wonder if the data there is a big thin? 

[jlparsons]

Well here's an oddity - went out for a pootle last night (still running in  ) and the audio quality was perfect and uninterrupted.   
Edit:  also it now shows me the name of track and a progress bar where previously it was just a stop and start button.

[Hugg727]

Originally Posted by Antares

Gotta disagree with that. Google maps has been absolutely horrible finding good roads. The BMW navi found some of the most amazing roads for me without making huge detours.

I understand what you are saying here but in the States the difference in what types of roads it routes us to is not that much different.  I used the app once to find me a curvy route home once and it took me down a gravel road.  If youre not "touring" and you just want to go from pt A to pt B the ease of use with Google maps/Waze/Carplay /Android Auto far outweighs the benefits of the app routing.  This fact combined with the stories of folks phone cameras getting damaged is the reason why I am considering this new $1100USD brick.

[jlparsons]

Well, have now done 500 miles with the connectedride cradle and unfortunately I've decided to ditch it.  When it works it's great - easy to clip the phone in and you can control the satnav from the handlebar.  However it's very inconsistent.  Sometimes it's perfect, sometimes the sound quality is bad, sometimes the audio skips, sometimes one of the two Bluetooth connections craps out.  There's also the vibration issue, with no fix like the quad lock damper to add in, and the handlebar audio controls are very limited.

Unfortunately I've had to conclude that a combination of an android auto box and quad lock wireless charging phone mount is the better solution, with the bike Bluetooth disconnected.   Android auto can't be controlled from the wheel but the touchscreen and format works great with gloves and you can control media apps easily as well as satnav.  I also prefer Google maps to the motorrad sat nav, though if course I can still use either with this setup.  Generally android auto just feels a much more mature system which makes sense when you consider how much more time and money Google will have spent developing it as compared to BMW.

So now I'm going to use the GPS preparation bar clamp (which uses standard 38x30mm bolt spacing) to mount an android auto unit up top and in going to put in a quad lock with vibration damper and wireless charging on the bar clamps.  Will report back!

[capt cf]

Will be curious what you end up with.  I switched to the "two phone model" with one dedicated nav phone in the cradle and my primary phone in my jacket pocket.  I connect both to the TFT on my gen 2 and use the wonderwheel to control Spotify on my pocket phone and the map zoom/features on the nav phone.  I migrated to the cradle from RAM mounts and originally used it with my primary phone until I knackered one (an S23+) a couple months ago.  I'd consider Quadlock or something, but would want to bodge an adapter or remove the OEM nav mount so it can sit in that location.  After years of RAM mounts (stem, handlebar, etc.) it's REALLY nice to have the map right in front of your face above the dash and not have to look down at the bars to see it.