The Garmin is a good unit. I used one before I got the Nav., but there's no comparison between the Garmin and the Nav. VI.
E.
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Navigator VI on sale
- Thread starter cadmanpilot
- Start date
The Garmin is a good unit. I used one before I got the Nav., but there's no comparison between the Garmin and the Nav. VI.
E.
jandhumphreyme
Member
Good deal, thanks for posting.
Sierra Nav VI
Got their email the other day and was immediately interested. I have a Bagger and GSA along with 1 Nav VI which I switch back and forth, easy enough to do. 20% off is $759.60 + free shipping + no tax ($62.87). A total of $252.67 savings for me, substantial but still a bit of $. Filled out the order form and was about to hit sent, but hesitated. I'm happy with my Nav VI, like the integration and have had one problem with it which Garmin replaced with a smile. The advantage of continuing to use 1 unit is that all my saved all my info on 1 unit and have it with me all the time. Yes, I know I can share the info but I'm not real tech savey and will spend the $ on something else. Just my 2 cents.
Got their email the other day and was immediately interested. I have a Bagger and GSA along with 1 Nav VI which I switch back and forth, easy enough to do. 20% off is $759.60 + free shipping + no tax ($62.87). A total of $252.67 savings for me, substantial but still a bit of $. Filled out the order form and was about to hit sent, but hesitated. I'm happy with my Nav VI, like the integration and have had one problem with it which Garmin replaced with a smile. The advantage of continuing to use 1 unit is that all my saved all my info on 1 unit and have it with me all the time. Yes, I know I can share the info but I'm not real tech savey and will spend the $ on something else. Just my 2 cents.
gsinnc
Well-known member
LOL .... THAT is why I bought my first Nav5 so that I could just use in on both bikes since both were BMW. Like you I had 2 Garmin GPS's and had to ensure I kept my favorites and POI's in synch along with any saved routes. But once I got the Nav it made life much easier as now I just pop the Nav6 onto which ever bike I am riding at the time.
I do agree the Garmin service has been great and the 5 year warranty is nice. I am not sure if the 5 year warranty is specific to the Nav or if that is standard for any Garmin. If I did not have a BMW Nav6 I would surely have a non-BMW Garmin unit. But all the little BMW specific features make it worth the extra cost for me. And my biggest reason for using the Nav was the display in bright sunlight. I was hesitating upgrading from my Nav5 because of the cost but my wife suggested I view it this way ... the Nav GPS is a tool or accessory I use on every ride and every trip I take on my bikes. In addition it enhances my rides so just spend the extras few hundred dollars. I am very happy with the performance and features of my Nav6 although I did have it replaced once already. So far the new unit has worked fine with no crazy stuff happening. But that is just my personal view and experience. There certainly are other GPS options out there besides the Nav that will work fine for less $$. They are simply just not as integrated to the BMW bikes as the Nav.
I've been a Garmin GPS user for a very long time time. I haven't been able to justify upgrading my Nav V to the Nav VI but that's me, each of us have that choice. I too have had great experience with Garmin support. It's great to be able to talk with a live person, not easy in today's world of technology.
I'm hoping BMW and Garmin continue to work together so all these good features mentioned continue to be available in the future. These are changing times, some good and some NOT.
I'm hoping BMW and Garmin continue to work together so all these good features mentioned continue to be available in the future. These are changing times, some good and some NOT.
I think he was talking about a Non-Nav Garman.
AjaxTheDog
New member
Typing in a destination address on the nav 6 is like trying to send a text on a flip phone, only harder. It has lots of other good features but fails miserably on this one, and it's the one I want to use most often.
gsinnc
Well-known member
WOW ... ironically I find the Nav6 much easier than my other Gamin GPS's to type in an address.
I love that it gives you options (guesses) as you type in road and city names along with POI'sBut honestly the display is just amazing and why I spent the $$. Yes I tried sunshields on my other GPS's but on the Nav6 the display is just amazing in any light conditions.
Yup, one thing I hate about it. I can see why they do it that way with the small screen. Fat fingers would have trouble if the whole alphabet were up at one time. Worse with gloves.
lkraus
New member
My zumo 595 is pretty similar to the recent Navigators, so I think you should have a choice of several different keyboards. You can select several options from many languages in Settings and then use the "Globe" icon on the keyboard to toggle between them. Mine is set for American English (QWERTY) with small buttons showing letters a-z and numerals 0-9 on one screen or large buttons with the alphabet and numbers spread across three screens. I pull off and stop anytime I need to enter text anyway, so taking off a glove to use one screen is usually easier than flipping screens to get to all the keys. I keep the big key option just in case it's too cold to take off a glove.
Thank you, Paul. I just ordered one!
OGOBRacing
New member
I realize you would lose some functions, such as the Wonder Wheel, but will a Garmin Model at least mount in the Nav VI cradle?
gsinnc
Well-known member
I believe the Garmin 660 will mount in the cradle. My buddy had a K1600GT and did not want to spend the $$ for a Nav and used his 660 in the cradle. However, when he traded it for a 2016 GSA he went for the Nav.
stooie
Member
Yup, my 660 does indeed fit in the cradle and accept power from the mount. This was highly useful when I took an RT for a test ride in an unfamiliar area. It does not gather the data from the bike the way the Nav 6 does nor respond to zoom in/out commands from the wonderwheel.
My own decision to buy the Nav VI was based on:
1. Life is short.
2. I liked the additional capability it has.
3. I could afford it.
I like it but would never argue it's the most cost-effective navigation solution. Then again, those are the three reasons I used when I decided to trade in my perfectly capable FJR for the delightful but not particularly cost-effective RT.
Ride long and prosper!
alancoles
Dress for fall & avoid it
Vark, you've asked a good question and gotten some good reasons for and against paying the money for a Nav-VI, but I feel many of those miss some very real points that should be considered.
The BMW Navigator VI (made by Garmin for BMW), should not be compared to the Garmin automobile GPS units that others have referred to (the ones where people say you can get a Garmin GPS for 1/5th to 1/3rd the price of a Nav-VI. These are not the same or similar products.
Garmin does make products that are similar to the Nav-VI, such as their Zummo 660/665 etc. These are "motorcycle" GPS units and they cost approximately the same new as a new Nav-VI (but have smaller screens than the Nav-VI). Why are they a similar price? Because of what they are. Garmin also make units for Marine and Aviation applications.
Garmin pricing for New GPS units by application:
Automotive GPS - $130 to $300
Motorcycle GPS - $400 to $700
Marine GPS - $300 to $3,000+
Aviation GPS - $5,000 to $15,000+
The first two things one must remember when looking at the pricing above are:
A) Garmin doesn't have a monopoly on the market, they are competing with many other manufacturers
B) Garmin is very successful in these markets
What I'm trying to show is that the pricing of these units reflects (in most segments) strong competitive pricing, not a monopoly or unique special market pricing.
Each segment has different requirements. A true motorcycle GPS will typically have at the bare minimum:
- glove-friendly touchscreen
- readable display in sunlight
- Resistant to fuel spills, UV rays
- IPX7 water-rating
- 2-way Bluetooth technology for hands-free calling, comms systems, music, etc.
Here's a good, impartial, expert review of the Nav-VI. Dan Townsley is one of the true experts on Navigation and a No BS guy http://www.globeriders.com/article_pages/article11_gps/article11_nav6.shtml
No need to try and recreate the work others like Dan have done in outlining the benefits and pitfalls of the Nav-VI. Read Dan's review.
I own a boat GPS, a Nav-VI, 2 Garmin Automotive GPS units, and have 3 cars with OE GPS units. I've been using GPS units since they were in their infancy and in quite good depth often running 2-3 GPS units side-by-side to identify strengths and weaknesses including SmartPhone GPS Apps (both Paid and Free). I do a lot of driving and riding and use GPS units very frequently. In the past twelve months, I've used GPS units in approximately 8 different countries (approximately 3,000 miles), 5 provinces and 15 or16 states.
I have yet to find a SmartPhone based GPS that gives me what I want and is quick enough and stable enough to be practical for anything other than short-trip applications. Anything past that and I employ the application appropriate GPS. To coin an old phrase I have GPS units that are "Jacks of all trades" and others that are specialists. There are real differences that often are not readily apparent to the casual user or to someone just wanting to use the basic features, but once you get to in-depth navigation, especially multi-day trips, you start to appreciate the value of a Specialist GPS.
I have a 2019 Bullitt Mustang that has a built-in OE GPS, plus Google Maps and Waze. I use all three and can tell you that I've not found one that is best at everything. I would not give up the Ford OE GPS for Waze or Google Maps. If you use them enough you'll likely come to the same conclusion, but perhaps not, each of us has different takes on things and that's okay.
I will agree that if you like all the integration with the motorcycle, bluetooth for music/phone connection the the Nav VI is a good GPS.
As far as the "casual user", use a GPS everyday, I drive 40,000 miles a year and I find a simple off the shelf Garmin suits me just fine. I don't even use all the options my cheap Garmin offers. All I want in a GPS is how far to the next town and how to get there.
Years ago when I bought my first GPS I bought into all the extras and spent the time to get everything to work through Bluetooth and I found I never used it. I don't even use voice instructions.
As for multi day trips I go on a couple one or two week trips a year.
I have fooled around with my Nav VI on my RT and I see what it does, but don't really see the need.
