BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Casbar wrote:
Same poster said their was a better horn as well, how does he know that? Does he work for BMW

No I don't, but read /saw these items in one of the journalist reviews.

scunny12 wrote: TFT looks hideous, much prefer current instrumentation.

+1


I hate the look of the new TFT, but I really should see it for myself before firming up my views. 

I have a Yamaha MT-09 with a comparatively pathetic black/grey LCD screen. It has a digital speedo where the numbers flick around all over the place (an apparently steady 30 mph will often change between 29, 30 and 31 mph) and a horizontal bar tachometer which is also difficult to read.


The BMW colour dash is bigger and much better than Yamaha's early effort, but I have been using analogue instruments for 50 years and don't want to change. The digital dashes on cars provide round dials with pointers - so why not bikes?


If the younger generation want to find out what's showing on the cinema via their motorcycle dashboards, they're welcome to it.


The LED lights are an improvement that those who commute and drive at night (Bloodbikers) will really appreciate. I very rarely drive at night, so not a big deal for me personally.


However, I will be most interested to find out how BMW have installed an aerial to pick up DAB radio. [/size]


I also note that the price of an equivalently specc'ed bike to mine has risen from £18.8k to £20.8k.

Jury's out on the LCD screen topic, briefy rode a RS the other month and wasnt impressed with the dash, to be fair I wasnt on it for long and there may be settings to alter to suit your taste. Like a digital speedo but not the rev counter..... You would think that the dislay options would be endless.. if its just a screen it should be customisable fairly easily, if they wanted it to be that is.....

michaelc2710 wrote: I do like the option 719 paint and sport wheels with the brown seat.........maybe worth a look 

Just played about on the configurator, mineral white metallic (option 719) is a £1740 option. I know its got a few pinstripes but that's a bit steep.

And no doubt £1050 on top of that if you need the top box/case!  I assume you can still order a colour/color matched top box, I can't see it on the configurator.  ???

I’ve enjoyed the TFT on my GS for the last 1.5 years or so and I’m looking forward to the new one offered on the RT. I love that you can have your GPS map on the screen. I also love there isn’t wasted space for the poor excuse of a GPS that is well overpriced for what it is. I know there are those who find the Nav VI brilliant, I’ve just never appreciated what it offers when I can easily pop into an online app, download it to my phone and away I go. Additionally it’s much easier to share routes among friends on phone based GPS.

I don’t think the clocks look bad as they are but for me, I love the technology and simply wouldn’t consider the analog style, especially given the beautiful TFT BMW have. For a disclaimer, I haven’t had an analog dash on a bike for over 5 years.

I think what is really good about the new TFT screens is the ability to connect the BMW Motorrad Connect app to the bike. I have old style bike so it's going to be a few more years before I will upgrade but I did download the app to see what it does. Looks good. Very easy to both import and export GPX routes. Saves routes. Apparently then can connect to bike to navigate. There are a few videos showing how it works. If the navigation is accurate then its going to be the end of Garmin SatNavs. At the moment the navigation is by direction arrow and distance. However at the end of one of the videos the developer showed a glimpse of the future, showing a Map display on the righthand side of the big 10 inch screen. Think this could be really neat.

Levisp wrote: I think what is really good about the new TFT screens is the ability to connect the BMW Motorrad Connect app to the bike. I have old style bike so it's going to be a few more years before I will upgrade but I did download the app to see what it does. Looks good. Very easy to both import and export GPX routes. Saves routes. Apparently then can connect to bike to navigate. There are a few videos showing how it works. If the navigation is accurate then its going to be the end of Garmin SatNavs. At the moment the navigation is by direction arrow and distance. However at the end of one of the videos the developer showed a glimpse of the future, showing a Map display on the righthand side of the big 10 inch screen. Think this could be really neat.

I am also trying to figure out how the Navigation is going to work. Using the BMW Connect app isn't going to provide the MAP to the new TFT  screen via Bluetooth...too much data. So the maps will have to reside on the TFT system as I see it to provide the speed required to navigate with the map displayed.Nothing I can find that talks about how this function actually works.

All I know is when I tried the app I had to download a map first. I presume that map and all relevant data are on the phone. Maybe its transferred by cable rather than bluetooth.

Levisp wrote: I think what is really good about the new TFT screens is the ability to connect the BMW Motorrad Connect app to the bike. I have old style bike so it's going to be a few more years before I will upgrade but I did download the app to see what it does. Looks good. Very easy to both import and export GPX routes. Saves routes. Apparently then can connect to bike to navigate. There are a few videos showing how it works. If the navigation is accurate then its going to be the end of Garmin SatNavs. At the moment the navigation is by direction arrow and distance. However at the end of one of the videos the developer showed a glimpse of the future, showing a Map display on the righthand side of the big 10 inch screen. Think this could be really neat.

OK - I get this. Currently I use a 24" monitor connected to a PC to do route planning. What instrument does BMW envisage that I will be using in the future - presumably with the app loaded?

beemerboy9 wrote:
OK - I get this. Currently I use a 24" monitor connected to a PC to do route planning. What instrument does BMW envisage that I will be using in the future - presumably with the app loaded?

Route plan on anything you like and download route as a GPX file. Import file into app and save for future use. Simples. Or they may go down the MYDrive TomTom or Calimoto route and have a web planner sync to app. I planned a route on the Calimoto web planner and exported the file as GPX. Then moved the file to iCloud where my iPhone could see it. The app was used to import file and save within app. Very easy.


Another approach is to plan using Google. Copy URL. Then paste into Maps to GPX web page which can then convert it to GPX and download to hard drive.


Basically use any method that can produce a GPX file.

bighopper wrote: I am also trying to figure out how the Navigation is going to work. Using the BMW Connect app isn't going to provide the MAP to the new TFT  screen via Bluetooth...too much data. So the maps will have to reside on the TFT system as I see it to provide the speed required to navigate with the map displayed.Nothing I can find that talks about how this function actually works.

This isn't something new, we get that with Apple Car Play and Android Auto on car audio systems. Look at it as an app similar to Waze or Google Maps but BMW branded. The maps remain on your cell. The nice part, the BMW Connected app allows you to download the maps ahead of time through wifi so the app can be used even if you don't have cell phone connection or no data plan.

PatM wrote: This isn't something new, we get that with Apple Car Play and Android Auto on car audio systems. Look at it as an app similar to Waze or Google Maps but BMW branded. The maps remain on your cell. The nice part, the BMW Connected app allows you to download the maps ahead of time through wifi so the app can be used even if you don't have cell phone connection or no data plan.

Most good apps for navigation allow for downloading of maps for offline use. TomTom Go, Sygic, Scenic and Calimoto to name just a few I have tried. Of all these Calimoto is an interesting app and Web Planner for creating motorcycle curvy routes. The Web Planner can export a planned route as GPX. Useful if you want to navigate by another means other than their app.

Levisp wrote:
Most good apps for navigation allow for downloading of maps for offline use. TomTom Go, Sygic, Scenic and Calimoto to name just a few I have tried. Of all these Calimoto is an interesting app and Web Planner for creating motorcycle curvy routes. The Web Planner can export a planned route as GPX. Useful if you want to navigate by another means other than their app.

Waze and Google Maps will work with Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Will those apps do that?