Who needs a BMW navigator.....

just a quick question(s)? The GS 1250 TE (just got a new one) is fitted with a sat nav cradle that will never get any use (by it's Luddite owner) and it is just a black square in the way. (a) does removing it have any effect on the wiring and dashboard display etc,because there is so much tech on this bike i don't want to "cock" anything up (it will be dealer removed at the 600 mile first service because they seem not to understand a simple removal request and forgot!!) it looks easy to remove and probably is. (b) has anyone done it,because sometimes "snap" connectors live up to their names.Maybe i will get used to it.

malcopopolo said:

Very good quality..
It just does the job well

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Click to expand...

Thanks


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firemanphil said:

just a quick question(s)? The GS 1250 TE (just got a new one) is fitted with a sat nav cradle that will never get any use (by it's Luddite owner) and it is just a black square in the way. (a) does removing it have any effect on the wiring and dashboard display etc,because there is so much tech on this bike i don't want to "cock" anything up (it will be dealer removed at the 600 mile first service because they seem not to understand a simple removal request and forgot!!) it looks easy to remove and probably is. (b) has anyone done it,because sometimes "snap" connectors live up to their names.Maybe i will get used to it.

Click to expand...

Removed of 1200 gs LC no problem. Should be ok with 1250

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Bounce said:

Not wanting to get into the debate of GPS unit vs. Phone......could the chaps with ram mount and/or quad lock set ups give me their thoughts on the following 2 set up options:

1. Quad lock (only) handle bar kit with extension arm

2. Ram mounts handlebar base + 3" double socket arm + quad lock 1" ball mount adaptor

I'm looking to attach this to my handlebars.

In addition, is there alot of vibration experienced?


Thx

Click to expand...

firemanphil said:

just a quick question(s)? The GS 1250 TE (just got a new one) is fitted with a sat nav cradle that will never get any use (by it's Luddite owner) and it is just a black square in the way. (a) does removing it have any effect on the wiring and dashboard display etc,because there is so much tech on this bike i don't want to "cock" anything up (it will be dealer removed at the 600 mile first service because they seem not to understand a simple removal request and forgot!!) it looks easy to remove and probably is. (b) has anyone done it,because sometimes "snap" connectors live up to their names.Maybe i will get used to it.

Click to expand...

If you get the Quadlock intended for mirror arm mount you will find that it will attach directly to the satnav prep mounting bar (if you have this) after removing the original BMW satnav prep mount, though in my case I wanted it mounted a little higher so have a Touratech extension arm which bolts to the satnav bar and provides a similarly dimensioned mounting bar a few cms higher up, though you could also use a suitable RAM mount attached to the satnav bar to get some extra height, though you would need a RAM mount intended for attaching to the smaller diameter mirror stalks rather than the handlebar type. I would find mounting on the handlebars far too low unless using a long RAM extension which I think would be more prone to vibrate.

Whichever way you do it the actual Quadlock mount is very secure, and does not vibrate at least not when attached to the satnav bar, and is far more stable and more secure than the fiddly X-mount type gadgets

Regarding removing the BMW mount, I found that detaching the Nav mount and unplugging its cable had no apparent effect on the bike, either on my previous 1200 or current 1250, and in fact have used this now redundant connector on the wiring loom to power the 12V to USB high speed charging adapter that runs my phone (using a connector from Nippy Normans). This has occasionally stopped charging, but I don't know if it a problem with the USB cable working loose, the USB adapter overheating , or maybe CANBUS shutting down the supply because it thinks the load is excessive compared with what it expects for the standard mount, though I think this is unlikely or it would probably not work at all.

Has anybody figured out a way of using the screen on the phone without the faff of removing gloves? Ive tried liking the end of the glove finger and that sort of works but is there a better way when you need to re-route on the fly?

shaunandco said:

Has anybody figured out a way of using the screen on the phone without the faff of removing gloves? Ive tried liking the end of the glove finger and that sort of works but is there a better way when you need to re-route on the fly?

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I bought a rukka airall suit & gloves 2 years ago ahead of an anticipated warm trip to RDGA & beyond. Turns out, these gloves (now called airium) will permit full functionality of touch screen smart phones, so no need to take them off (which I was doing constantly!!).

You can buy gloves with conductive areas, usually just on the ends of the index fingers. The ones I got do work but you have to be quite slow and deliberate, so not as easy as a bare hand. You can also get conductive patches to stick onto normal gloves, but I haven't tried those.

Bounce said:

Not wanting to get into the debate of GPS unit vs. Phone......could the chaps with ram mount and/or quad lock set ups give me their thoughts on the following 2 set up options:

1. Quad lock (only) handle bar kit with extension arm

2. Ram mounts handlebar base + 3" double socket arm + quad lock 1" ball mount adaptor

I'm looking to attach this to my handlebars.

In addition, is there alot of vibration experienced?


Thx

Click to expand...

Forget the complicated RAM X mounts - these simple ones for all iPhone (and I understand Android phones) are dirt cheap, really simple and totally rock solid on and off tarmac

Well i've stuck 150 miles on the bike now and that "sat nav" black cradle will have to go!!!

This is what I've done with mine.

This is my arrangement. Phone is powered from a 12V to USB fast charger adapter getting its 12V supply from the connector which was originally used to power the Nav cradle.

I tried with a Nexus 7 tablet on my hexhead,

as a Nav running copilot & spotty it was brilliant,

The only downside which i need to address at some stage is that the power supply to the nav is not enough and it eventually goes flat

Not sure if it's the USB dongley thing not putting out enough oomph, or the fact that the tablet draws more power than the dongle outputs

Santa-2512 said:

I tried with a Nexus 7 tablet on my hexhead,

as a Nav running copilot & spotty it was brilliant,

The only downside which i need to address at some stage is that the power supply to the nav is not enough and it eventually goes flat

Not sure if it's the USB dongley thing not putting out enough oomph, or the fact that the tablet draws more power than the dongle outputs

Click to expand...

I looked into using tablets, but I couldn't find one at reasonable cost that had GPS and also supported one of the USB fast charging protocols. I have found that standard USB charging tends to be unable to keep up with power consumption when running GPS and having the screen on high brightness which tends to be necessary, and so will not last for a whole day of riding as you have found.

I eventually decided on the Google Nexus 6 phone made by Motorola (not the 6P which is made by Huawei I think) which has a bigger and wider than average screen and also supports fast charging. Motorola do a fast USB car charger for it which only costs about £10 on eBay. Rather than fit this to a car type 12V socket I have just soldered its contacts directly into the 12V supply wiring. This will keep the phone fully charged even running the satnav app, though I have occasionally had issues with it not charging at all, which I think may be due to the USB cable working loose.

I also bought a second Nexus 6 phone as they can be had quite cheaply as refurbs so my satnav phone and main phone are now set up identically and either can takeover if one fails or is lost while on a trip.

firemanphil said:

just a quick question(s)? The GS 1250 TE (just got a new one) is fitted with a sat nav cradle that will never get any use (by it's Luddite owner) and it is just a black square in the way. (a) does removing it have any effect on the wiring and dashboard display etc,because there is so much tech on this bike i don't want to "cock" anything up (it will be dealer removed at the 600 mile first service because they seem not to understand a simple removal request and forgot!!) it looks easy to remove and probably is. (b) has anyone done it,because sometimes "snap" connectors live up to their names.Maybe i will get used to it.

Click to expand...

I have removed mine. It's a very simple process; the snap connectors are German (spec) and do not break that easily. The connection is on the RHS of the bike. Be sure to put a plug on the remaining plug or at least weatherproof it.