Satnav or CarPlay thingy

[sycomoto]

I’ve never been a massive satnav user as I’ve always enjoyed a good old fashioned map. But I’m looking at my GS and thinking it might be helpful. I’ve my phone attached via a quadlock and have on occasions used the google map function to help me find the odd place. The thinking is while the phones good the screen is a bit small to see while riding. Di I go full on satnav with a garmin or to Tom Tom or do I look at one of the current appleplay devices and run the google map function through that.
It’s not my area of knowledge so I’m lookin to you guys to enlighten me.

 

[Pepsi]

Which ever choice you go with, do consider that with a mobile phone if you have no network coverage, then you will have no route guidance, unless of course the mapping software permits you to download your route to negate this problem.

Personally for the cheap cost of a sat nav these days I would just buy a decent sat nav, something like the Zumo XT would be ideal. (Not the Zumo XT2), there’s no need to spend that much.

 

[Fluffmeister]

To be devils advocate, I did just over 2,500 miles a few weeks ago from home in Warrington, looping around France to the the south coast, up back through Vercors and through a few alps on my Guzzi Mandello. Did the whole trip using my Chigee CarPlay unit running MyRouteApp with offline maps downloaded for the regions I was using.

In areas with no data connection the routing was fine because of the offline maps. As a backup solution (that I never needed) I downloaded Google and Apple Maps offline for the regions I was in.

Everything worked perfectly, routes were spot on and exactly where I wanted to go and had no problems.

I’m not trying to say “Garmin is dead” or any such sensationalism, just saying it worked perfectly, with a little forward planning and downloading the offline maps. I had my IPad Pro with me and rejigged a few routes in the evening due to some additional locations that peaked my interest.

So far, I’m totally sold on the Chigee system for CarPlay, having both a lite and a play system on two different bikes. It is of course all horses for courses.

 

[icedfusion]

Could not agree more with this - Used a carplay device on a trip to Montenegro and back.
I use this device (carpuride 702B) as when a phone gets wet it can cause havoc to the screen - no such issue with the carplay device when I was caught in a heavy storm.
I took a garmin device with me for backup, but it was not needed and my phone sits safe and sound in my tank bag

 

[Arsey]

CarPlay on my Wing is fabulous. Got Chigee Play ready for new 450 Himmy.

Sold my XT when I realised it was pointless sending MRA routes to it when I could just use my phone instead .

Sat Navs have had their day for me .

 

[Mzokk]

I have the Carplay/Android auto thingy on my Africa Twin and still use a Zumo XT. Faster startup on the XT and no additional wiring between my phone and the bike. Hasn't stopped me testing it though and I have MRA lifetime membership for the route planning app and navigation. The NAV app is good with a few routing foibles at roundabouts and phone power consumption to be worked out. The XT has issues with its "Faster Time" routing logic compared to the older Garmin units (whose logic I preferred)........can't have too many directions
XT above MRA below...for simple point to point routing Google maps is best great as it will route you round traffic jams.

 

[Wapping]

I am currently using a GPS device AND my phone simultaneously. Why? Because doing so I can see how they differ and, not least, learning about them enables me to sometimes help others better. It also helps me to identify problems or quirks that I don’t understand, which I can ask for help on.

As to which is best? That’s like asking which helmet will fit your head. Every man and his dog has his favourites. The only real certainty is that, if you lose or smash your phone, you are double fecked, as you have lost your GPS friend, too. I use a cheap sacrificial mobile for exactly that reason and no other. I download the maps to it, along with the route(s) and can use it off-line, all be it, it does have a cheap Lebara phone card in it, too. Data usesge is pretty small, so even with EU roaming charges (thank you, Brexit) it’s not a fortune, when compared to the price of a hotel room or a simple beer. Bods who insist on using their phone and then get their knickers in a twist over potential roaming charges, when more than 100 yards from their front door, should take the bus…. And some should take a step back and remember what it is they voted for.

 

[Wapping]

I agree with Mzokk, all be it with very different motorbikes. On my 1600, I can run three devices and three softwares simultaneously. My XT, my sacrificial mobile (running say MyRoute Navigation) and a second phone, running BMW’s own navigation software, displayed on the bike’s TFT screen.

In theory, they should all work the same but they don’t. Sometimes the differences are small, start up waiting periods, for example. Sometimes more extreme, particularly on recalculation. Hey-ho, I still take a map.

Which do I like best? Difficult to answer. I like my XT, now I have got used to it. I like the phone, as it will link to MyRoute seamlessly. I like BMW’s own thing, as the whirly wheel controls it. I miss this function for controlling a GPS device and sort of miss the old BMW four button cradle. The phone is sometimes unresponsive to finger touches and a real bitch if I forget to power it up from the bike. I have got pretty good at plugging in a USB power lead on the move.

 

[Morety]

I carry a paper map for the area as a back up. Couldn't be arsed with extra electronics to lose, go wrong or spend the money on along with the clutter of additional holders for phones etc. My main nav remains my trusty Nav6, and despite it's rep, I've never once had an issue with it. It has stayed reliable, is easy to programme and route set the night before by using the paper map to pick the routes that I want, then plug in the way points to the Nav unit, and save as a favourite. I occasionally use apple maps to view satellite images of areas I'm interested in riding through or to zoom in for more detail than the paper map proves when route planning. Occasionally the phone is handy to check routes before leaving to see if there's any hold ups or road closures using a Waze app, just unsure of how reliable this is.

 

[Bumble-Bee]

I have my phone in the BMW cradle as primary source as can use any app i want then have an XT in my box as back up

i will wait until the hype dies down & has more proper reviews, not just people that as incentive to give good review about the new carplay devices

 

[casbar]

Have a XT on my RT, but thinking of a beeline moto 2 for my R100, no room in the fairing for the xt or a phone mount.

 

[chasr]

XT on my KTM, with the powered mount above the clocks.
Beeline Moto 2 on the Royal Enfield

Both are excellent. XT is the gold-plated solution, but the Beeline works so well and is more suited on a retro or when space is limited.

MRA for planning multi-day trips, though I find it unnecessarily complex, with too many menus and a clunky interface. That said, the integration of Routeplanner within the iOS/Android app is a major step forward. In contrast, Beeline’s app is simplicity itself.