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NAV VI Discontinued

iPhone I think doesn't have a SD card slot to expand memory? I've only ever had Android phones with that capacity, and with the large SD cards today, you could easily download all the coverage areas you need in one shot and not have to worry about losing connection during a long trip like that. AA or Car play would keep your phone charged while connected to the bike in a compartment.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
iPhone I think doesn't have a SD card slot to expand memory? I've only ever had Android phones with that capacity, and with the large SD cards today, you could easily download all the coverage areas you need in one shot and not have to worry about losing connection during a long trip like that. AA or Car play would keep your phone charged while connected to the bike in a compartment.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Thanks for that information. I am glad it works for you. It does not trip my trigger at all.
 
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely agree that there's a place for dedicated GPS units. I wouldn't have bought the Nav VI if I didn't think that. I can see dedicated units being used, especially on motorcycles, for many years yet. IMO, I think we will see the availability of technologies like AA and CarPlay overwhelmingly dominate that function in the not so distant future, even for motorcycles.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
I've been poo-pooing GPS units for a long time because of the outrageous (to me) cost of motorcycle-specific units. This new one changes the math to make it VERY tempting for me to dive in. I use Google Maps for all my navigation needs but I would rather keep the phone on my person in case the bike and I are, eh, "involuntarily separated."

Does anyone on here use Garmin's traffic data that can comment of its accuracy away from huge urban settings like NYC or LA? That remains one of Google Maps' best feature since they acquired Waze. I had an old Garmin unit with from FM-based traffic system that was total crap and so I'm wondering, now that their unit connects to the internet via your smartphone, if they tap into the same (or similar) traffic data source.
 
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Garmin "Smartlink" for Traffic on BMW NAV

Pappy - Garmin has an app (SmartLink) which is downloadable to an iPhone (and perhaps others). This app connects via BlueTooth to the BMW/Garmin Navigator and attempts to provide traffic information, and weather to the BMW Nav device. It collects the traffic information, then passes it along to the Nav unit. Around Boston it will attempt to rout me around bad traffic. I use Waze also which seems to be more adaptable, and faster at improvisation.

I made a screenshot of the main screen which I'll stick in below this text. If you have an iPhone you could look in the app store for "Garmin SmartLink" and see what it says there...

IMG_1915.png
 
Thanks. I was looking for info about where they get their traffic data from and how it compared with what Google does (Google bought Waze so you get speedtrap and accident data from them in near real time). Google has saved my bacon more than once by routing me around some HUGE, accident-related, traffic jams. If Garmin can do this to that degree of accuracy and timeliness, I'm going all-in.
 
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I've used google maps, waze, and Garmin Smart link app via Android. The Smart link app is no where close to the speed of information that is provided by Waze or Google maps. It has saved my butt though on long Interstate routes, both via traffic and weather reports.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
On one ride, Smart Link warned me of a delay on my route about fifty miles away, and then just a few minutes later let me know that the delay had cleared. As I continued on my route, I received two more delay warnings at ever closer distances, but again, they quickly cleared up. As I passed through an industrial area in a small city, traffic stopped for a railroad switch engine shuttling cars across the state route, I received a fourth delay warning and realized that this railroad crossing was the cause of all the warnings. When the crossing gates went up, I was just barely across the tracks when I received a final notification that the route was clear. I thought that was a pretty fast response.

Google/Waze may have an edge because it is easy for users to report accidents, speed traps, and other hazards before they actually affect travel.
 
Nav VI Update from BMW USA

Thank you for your patience in allowing me to further research your concerns with the discontinuation of the Navigator VI.

After further research, I can confirm that the Navigator VI has not been discontinued. There seems to be a conversion to a new part number on the Garmin website which is causing the Navigator VI to appear as "Discontinued." But don't worry, the Navigator VI is still available! We're sorry for any confusion this may have caused and are currently working to get this information updated on the Garmin website.

For your convenience, the BMW Motorrad Customer Relations and Services Department is available Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. You can reach us at 1-800-831-1117.

I hope you find this information helpful. Have a wonderful weekend!

Regards,

Heather Pargeon
BMW Motorrad US
 
... Garmin SmartLink is "HERE Traffic." ...
John, HERE is owned by BMW, M-B, Audi-VW, Intel, Garmin, Bosch, Japan's national telephone company and many others. It started out as a US company Navteq, that pioneered and developed the largest share of car-based maps and navigation. That was bought by Nokia and then by the current large consortium.

I have a 2019 Ford with their Sync-3+ that uses it (HERE) for the OE Navigation unit as well as allowing me to run Google Maps, and Waze (owned by Google). This has allowed me to compare all 3 in real-time and my experience is that they all have pros and cons and no one is head-n-shoulders above the others. If I could only run one system for the car, it would be the OE Nav in the Ford, and for my RT the Garmin Nav-VI with SmartLink. Both allow far deeper routing and planning as well as much broader utilities while mobile. When I'm stationary, at home, I typically use Google Maps to do the rough planning and then my Nav-VI when I get past the practical abilities of Waze and Google Maps (which doesn't take long).

In side-by-side testing, I have seen different traffic situations where both Waze and the Nav-VI outperformed the other at different times. I've had both screw up routing in frustrating ways and both save me significant time in other situations. For simple Point-A to Point-B directions/routing all of them work well. For detailed route planning, especially multi-day trips to Rallies, etc., I much prefer the Nav-VI/Zumo option. YMMV
 
Thank you for your patience in allowing me to further research your concerns with the discontinuation of the Navigator VI.

After further research, I can confirm that the Navigator VI has not been discontinued. There seems to be a conversion to a new part number on the Garmin website which is causing the Navigator VI to appear as "Discontinued." But don't worry, the Navigator VI is still available! We're sorry for any confusion this may have caused and are currently working to get this information updated on the Garmin website.

For your convenience, the BMW Motorrad Customer Relations and Services Department is available Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. You can reach us at 1-800-831-1117.

I hope you find this information helpful. Have a wonderful weekend!

Regards,

Heather Pargeon
BMW Motorrad US

By the way- ANYTIME I have called Garmin for support, I've gotten a HUMAN BEING who speaks ENGLISH and they have always been beyond helpful...whatever beyond helpful is...
 
Thank you for your patience in allowing me to further research your concerns with the discontinuation of the Navigator VI.

After further research, I can confirm that the Navigator VI has not been discontinued. There seems to be a conversion to a new part number on the Garmin website which is causing the Navigator VI to appear as "Discontinued." But don't worry, the Navigator VI is still available! We're sorry for any confusion this may have caused and are currently working to get this information updated on the Garmin website.

For your convenience, the BMW Motorrad Customer Relations and Services Department is available Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. You can reach us at 1-800-831-1117.

I hope you find this information helpful. Have a wonderful weekend!

Regards,

Heather Pargeon
BMW Motorrad US

Thanks for the update.
When I click on my link in post #3 it no longer shows discontinued.
 
Everything great except...

... I started my bike from its winter slumber the other day and it started like it was parked yesterday not last November.
I brought the NavVI in to run an update and the Garmin Express app would not recognize that it was even connected to the computer
much less actually run an update. The battery charged up which was a small plus. Tried again to connect to the computer but still the
same issue. Oh well, not like I'm going very far on my first ride of the year. So yesterday I went for that first ride and for 311 klix the
screen showed an image of a road I wasn't on and stayed that way all afternoon. When I tried to turn the screen off with the
Wonder Wheel the screen kept coming back on. And the unit would not respond to touch. Anybody have an idea what's going on there?
 
Thank you for your patience in allowing me to further research your concerns with the discontinuation of the Navigator VI.

After further research, I can confirm that the Navigator VI has not been discontinued. There seems to be a conversion to a new part number on the Garmin website which is causing the Navigator VI to appear as "Discontinued." But don't worry, the Navigator VI is still available! We're sorry for any confusion this may have caused and are currently working to get this information updated on the Garmin website.

For your convenience, the BMW Motorrad Customer Relations and Services Department is available Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. You can reach us at 1-800-831-1117.

I hope you find this information helpful. Have a wonderful weekend!

Regards,

Heather Pargeon
BMW Motorrad US
Glad to hear that esp after buying a new one last year!
 
GPS that will connect to the BMW GPS Mount for Power

Will any other Garmin motorcycle GPS mount on my F850GSA using the BMW installed mount? :scratch
 
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