BSing with the dealer a couple days ago. Said he learned at the recent BMW conference that the Navigator V will be based on the zumo 665. He didn't have a release date. Is it worth the wait or is it better to just go with the 665?
If it is based on the 665, why not get the real deal? Also, why pay more for the BMW name? In my experience, if something is based on another item it is usually not as good. What is it about the previous BMW Navigators that made them so good? Just my .02
I have not owned a BMW Nav, but I admire those cradles with the big (real) buttons on the side. This is the first I have heard of a Nav 5.
I have the Zumo and have seen the BMW. I would not pay a premium to get the BMW version. Yes, it has some dials/buttons the Zumo doesn't. But are you really going to be manipulating the device while riding? If the answer is "No" (you'll program it at stop and follow the directions), I can't see where the extra buttons are worth the expense.
They may or may not be worth the expense, but here is my thinking: I tend to zoom in and out a lot. I like to keep a sandard zoom at, say .2 miles, so I get the most detail. Then, if I see a side road or some other interesting thing, I like to zoom out to see where the road connects to, or if the road I am on goes all the way around the lake, etc. This means I am touching the screen a lot and the more you touch it, the more it abrades. Additionally, sometimes I fumble touching the + or - to zoom and instead it drags the map and then I have to "go back" and then try to hit zoom again, which is kind of a pain. So, although I have not made any decision to spend the extra $ to get the BMW Nav, the cradle with buttons does make it attractive to me.
I do it all the time on the old ones, love the buttons. Especially when playing music through it. Much easier than trying to use the touch screen. Buttons make it worth it for me.
I purchased a BMW Nav III, but I don't really find myself using the four buttons on the cradle much, if at all. I would rather have the "civilian" version in a lockable Touratech cradle. Which is what I did. I picked up a used 2820 (civi version of the Nav III) and loaded the BMW dealer list onto it. I just use it at rest stops, very, very rarely when I am riding.
You have the room for the GPS and XM puck? I don't so I run the 660 with a big micro-SD loaded with 1000 or so songs played in random order. I have the BMW m/c dealer database updated by me (in MS Excel) where dealers give there NAV coordinates on the websites. It works!
If you are ordering the new wethead 1200GS with GPS prep, the Zumo 660/665 will not work with it. It will power up but that's it. You cannot control it from the switch gear (zoom in, zoom out, change pages and select various options) also the GPS will not set the clock on the bike, or receive a signal from the bike that the bike has hit reserve and it begins to display nearby gas stations... among other Nav IV exclusive features.
This is significantly better than previous BMW modified Zumo's The integration with the GS switchgear allowing GPS control is getting closer to a reason to overpay for the BMW version. That said they would have to give me a great deal on the GS to make it happen, like throwing in the GPS like they have done in the past with promotions....maybe not likely with a new product, but down the road who knows...
Yes, that's right it needs to be the BMW navigator to be controlled by the spinning wheel on the bar, the standard garmin will only charge on the cradle.
I've often wondered if you could just get the latest BMW Nav firmware and load it into the equivalent 660/665 and then have your 66x work correctly with the BMW mount. It seems pretty unlikely that Garmin is actually modifying the hardware of the 66x for BMW. It seems much more likely that it's just a matter of having the correct firmware.
Yes, I bought it only because I wanted to have full functionality on my K1600 with the bike's GPS prep. The GS has the same arrangement. On the K1600 there's another feature, if you enable the security feature on the GPS of VIN match, the unit will remain locked unless it's in the bike's cradle and receives the VIN from the bike on which it's intended to be used on. (Dunno if this feature is available on the LC GS). If you're getting GPS prep on the LC GS, I would hold my nose and order a Nav IV, then purchase lifetime map updates. The BMW exclusive cradle that I use on another bike with dedicated hard buttons is nice to have over screen positioned buttons. I wouldn't spend the extra $$ to use it only as a stand alone gps.
