660 or Nav IV ?

D K

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It's come down to these 2...
What I have found so far is that the Nav IV is an upgraded version of the 660. What I'm looking for, is to see if the 660 has anything that the Nav IV doesn't?
I am curious about the maps and such. Are they interchangeable?

D
 
Multi vehical usage

The 660 comes with a car bracket so i use mine on the bike in the car and even in my truck:clap

Much more versatile cant remember the technical difference, sure someone will come along shortly with that.
 
660 and NavIV are essentially the same unit. In terms of hardware, the 660 has a motorcycle cradle with buttons down the left hand side. This row of buttons blocks the 3.5mm stereo jack and the MCX connector for an external GSP antenna when the unit is in the cradle. That means that on a motorcycle, you can't use an external antenna (it doesn't need one) or use a hard-wired output for sound from the 3.5mm jack. The power supply cable to the cradle comes with a connector to fit the dedicated power supply on CANBus equipped bikes. That cable also has an audio out connection which is designed to interface with the sound system on R1200RT.

The NavIV doesn't come with a car cradle but the Zumo 660 cradle works.

The only software differences are that the NavIV comes loaded with a database of all BMW Motorrad dealerships (not all of them are accurate) in Europe and that you don't appear to be able to change the splash screen which appears when you boot up the unit.
 
John is right More Money
I would stick with the 660.

1. Easier to upgrade software and ask questions here or on the Zumo Forums.
2. Upgrading BMW dealers easier using standard methods instead of OEM method.
3. Garmin website has all updates and tech help for the 660.
4. Easier to resell and better price to purchase.
5. No buttons to break or interfere with cables.
6 Comes with car cradle.
 
azone said:
1. Easier to upgrade software and ask questions here or on the Zumo Forums.
Click to expand...

No, there's no difference. For the purposes of upgrading firmware and maps, the NavIV is, to all intents and purposes, just a Zumo 600.

2. Upgrading BMW dealers easier using standard methods instead of OEM method.
Click to expand...

There's nothing to prevent you adding POIs to the NavIV in exactly the same way as you would to the vanilla 660.

3. Garmin website has all updates and tech help for the 660.
Click to expand...

Equally true for the NavIV.

4. Easier to resell and better price to purchase.
Click to expand...

Arguable and that depends upon how much one pays for the NavIV - in that order. ;)

5. No buttons to break or interfere with cables.
Click to expand...

I don't know that there's any record of button breakages on the NavIV and the mount certainly doesn't interfere with the cables.

6 Comes with car cradle.
Click to expand...

True - NavIV doesn't come supplied with a car cradle but ISTR I paid £28.00 for a new one on ebay.

Also, the NavIV comes with the connector for the dedicated power supply on BMW motorcycles, commonly referred to as the "CANBus connector". It doesn't, however, come with any kind of motorcycle mount, other than the cradle.
 
I have experience of Garmins knowledge of BM rebranded Garmin GPS's. I'll not take the leap into the unknown of Garmin Tech Support not knowing what BM have done to their GPS, and BM saying that they don't make GPS's.
 
John Armstrong said:
I have experience of Garmins knowledge of BM rebranded Garmin GPS's. I'll not take the leap into the unknown of Garmin Tech Support not knowing what BM have done to their GPS, and BM saying that they don't make GPS's.
Click to expand...

That reminds me - the NavIV also comes with the usual two year BMW Motorrad warranty.
 
Schtum said:
Which is, I believe, the only place that you can buy a new one.
Click to expand...

And you would be wrong :blast

I had the happy chanve to buy a new BM GPS from the "sadly" missed Motorrad Concepts. So I'd suspect that you can still possibly get them from someone like BVM. BTW I can't find an "irony" smilie hence the "sadly" is in quotes :thumb2
 
John Armstrong said:
And you would be wrong :blast

I had the happy chanve to buy a new BM GPS from the "sadly" missed Motorrad Concepts. So I'd suspect that you can still possibly get them from someone like BVM. BTW I can't find an "irony" smilie hence the "sadly" is in quotes :thumb2
Click to expand...

I suspect that was in the days when Motorrad Concepts had graduated to being based in the same premises as Motorrad Central East, ie the Edinburgh BMW Motorrad dealership. I'd guess that the redoubtable Mr Holland came to some sort of arrangement with the then proprietors of that establishment that enabled him to supply NavIIIs (or was it IIs...?).

I'd be very surprised if you can source a new NavIV from anywhere other than a BMW Motorrad dealership. If you could, it would raise obvious questions about the warranty offered on the unit. Having had some discussions with Garmin UK about the warranty position on mine, I was told that it would need to be dealt with by the original supplying dealership.
 
Excellent info indeed, gents

Nav IV = 575; Zumo 660=413
I like the BMW's hardwired buttons, but at the same time I'm hearing so much good feedback on the 660, that it might not even matter. I like the cradle mount, but I'm sure the 660 has something equivalent??
Anyway, both seem to be good units, so there is no 'wrong way' really.
Just the price at this point.

Cheers.

DAvid
 
Schtum said:
660 and NavIV are essentially the same unit. In terms of hardware, the 660 has a motorcycle cradle with buttons down the left hand side. This row of buttons blocks the 3.5mm stereo jack and the MCX connector for an external GSP antenna when the unit is in the cradle. That means that on a motorcycle, you can't use an external antenna (it doesn't need one) or use a hard-wired output for sound from the 3.5mm jack. The power supply cable to the cradle comes with a connector to fit the dedicated power supply on CANBus equipped bikes. That cable also has an audio out connection which is designed to interface with the sound system on R1200RT.

The NavIV doesn't come with a car cradle but the Zumo 660 cradle works.

The only software differences are that the NavIV comes loaded with a database of all BMW Motorrad dealerships (not all of them are accurate) in Europe and that you don't appear to be able to change the splash screen which appears when you boot up the unit.
Click to expand...

Re. your comment about the motorcycle cradle blocking the 3.5mm audio o/p on the 660 but there being an audio o/p in the power lead; is that audio o/p, effectively, a remote connection to the same feed as appears at the 3.5mm audio socket? Presumably any inappropriate connectors can be replaced with others.

The reason I ask is that I find the BT audio level too low (on my 550 with an external BT receiver) and use the 3.5mm audio o/p as a direct feed to my helmet. To be unable to have a direct audio feed makes the 660 undesirable - unfortunate as I am screwing up my courage to replace my 550 with one.

Cheers

Richard
 
RSavage said:
Re. your comment about the motorcycle cradle blocking the 3.5mm audio o/p on the 660 but there being an audio o/p in the power lead; is that audio o/p, effectively, a remote connection to the same feed as appears at the 3.5mm audio socket? Presumably any inappropriate connectors can be replaced with others.
Click to expand...

Oops....did I really post that. :blast

To rectify that and to clarify - the BMW Navigator IV has a cradle which blocks the 3.5mm audio jack on the casing of the GPS unit.

The 660 3.5mm jack should function fine when the unit is installed in the Garmin motorcycle cradle.

HTH.....:blush
 
Schtum said:
Oops....did I really post that. :blast

To rectify that and to clarify - the BMW Navigator IV has a cradle which blocks the 3.5mm audio jack on the casing of the GPS unit.

The 660 3.5mm jack should function fine when the unit is installed in the Garmin motorcycle cradle.

HTH.....:blush
Click to expand...

Indeed it does. I may have entirely misunderstood what you wrote in the first place!!

Do you use the BT connection with your 660 (I assume that you have a 660)? What do you have at the receiving end i.e. in your lid?

Richard
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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