Thanks for the review. The turn by turn navigation is sufficient when combined with the smartphone. It actually doubles as a decent overview map. I used a quad lock bike holder that I set up on the left handle bar right next to the mirror and now I have the overview map and the arrows next to each other and can then also preview what kind of road I can expect the next few hundred meters ahead.
Cool! I'd be reluctant to stick my very expensive iPhone on the handlebar! If I'd tip the bike and hear something break, I'd pray it's only my leg and not the phone! :D
Great video. Thank you! I will buy a BMW 850 GS Adventure and I have a long road trip to my home. I think that the standard navigation will help me enough.
I am a new owner of a 2019 BMW R1250GS. TFT is ok for basic city navigation. However, for any long-distance navigation, it is not good enough. The Nav 6 is essential for any long-distance riding, such as we do here in Canada.
Yeah, I agree. I have the Nav VI and it’s the thing for cross country travel. For finding a particular address on your weekend trip, though, the TFT nav will save your butt when you randomly need a replacement side mirror (which you might suddenly find yourself in need of for reasons we’ll not go into :-)
Nice video, I'm thinking about buying this bike. I think this navigation would work for short trips in familiar settings. For the rest, I would buy a phone mount with built-in charger anyway and use Google Maps. Also to see estimated time of arrival, how far is the destination, where are speed traps, etc.
Thanks for the video, was waiting for that but bit short . I have the navigator V and I use it maybe once every 2 months. I think that option is just perfect for when I need that specific place I can’t found and could always stop to take a look on my phone.
Thanks for the feedback! It’s really valuable to us, and we appreciate you taking the time! Is there something you had wanted us to look more closely at or spent more time on to review?
Motorcycle Tourists hi, thx for the reply. would of been good to talk about the music system, possibility to navigate true radio channels. Is there any other type of map system ??also your opinion about if easy to select a contact or how it show when you are on the phone etc
That’s great feedback! Thank you! We’ll do a real in depth review of the display and all the features, not just the navigation. It might take a few days, so stay tuned :-)
Thx a lot for this video. The new 750 GS was my first choice to buy a new motorcycle. But then there were recalls here in Germany and a delayed start. That scared me off. However, this navigation solution would be completely sufficient for me. I would not need more.
Cheers, Kruisr! The recalls do (and should) raise at least a little warning flag for any potential buyer. So far BMW have taken good care of both the recalled bikes and affected buyers, and I can’t complain, but only time will tell how it works out long term. What did you end up getting, or still figuring out what to get?
@@MotorcycleTourists I learned on a 1200 GS. And a long time i ride a 1200 GS and it was always a solid good working bike for me. But i wanted something lighter and smaller. And i didnt need all the power of a 1200 Model. So my hope was to get a small middle class GS :) At the end i had the chance to test ride a KTM Duke 790 and there are worlds between them. The Handling and the power are insane for a 180 Kilo Bike. But anyway. The 750 GS is still on my Radar. Maybe i switch in the next Season after a test ride. :)
I always use my iPhone for navigation on my bmw. Very cheap, 50 euro for a holder. And I can choose between a ton of navigation apps and pick the one I like best. TomTom go in my case. And the screen of the iPhone is pretty big and of excellent quality. You just need to power the iPhone as the gps will drain your battery quickly on longer rides.
Just bought a 2023 750 gs and elected not to get the Nav 6 and just try my IPhone and app with the TFT. Let’s see how I do and will let you know if I change my mind and get the Nav 5. Thanks
Thank you for the very informative and well done video! Does the navigation also work with apps like google maps or only with the bmw one? Thanks in advance and cheers from Austria.
Exactly. If you’re lost inside a city, or need to find a specific address or off ramp from the highway, it does the trick, and that’s where it shines. Beyond that, it’s quite limited.
So far I’m loving it! With the old 700GS reving the engine over 4500 rpm was pointless and slightly unpleasant, but this one... this one roars at those rpms! The suspensions is a whole new generation and the improvement is very noticeable. We’re planning our first week long tour for end of the month, so I’ll be doing a more in depth part 2 review after that :-) Until then, I’ll try and do some reviews of the quick shift pro and cruise control.
Thanks, Yang! We appreciate it! It would be very cool if they did, but what makes you say it's coming? Has BMW announced it? That would be very, very cool.
Thanks for the video. nice job.... I"m with you on the benefit from the navigator feature: works pretty good but you still need a regular gps (I have bmw navigator V). wonder when bmw will just scrap all of the peripherals and just put the gps/ mapping system into the TFT display. one thing that I hate about the new updated to BMW connected app is that the phone display needs to remain active/ on for the app to maintain connection with the bike- or at least I havent figured out how to use it any other way. So the phone needs to be plugged in and charging in order to use the feature for any distance/ time. Maybe I need to try to download the current map for it to work while phone display is asleep?
Hey, David! Glad you liked it! I haven’t had to have the display on, for it to work. Also, BMW doesn’t make their own navigator - it’s actually a regular Garmin with a BMW logo slapped on, so I think the move to integrate it directly with the TFT won’t happen anytime soon :-)
I love your videos, really informative and well made. I was wondering if you could recommend Bluetooth helmets? to be able to connect to the display for navigation, as well as to communicate between the driver and the passenger.
Sure, Scala Rider PackTalk Bold (or slim). Works great with the bike and iPhone (not sure about Android, but I’m guessing it works well there too). Great audio, great connection, virtually no static or wind noise. Very happy with ours. And best of all, you take it with you to your next helmet and the one after that. Glad you like our videos :-)
Hey! That's the GPS mount for BMW's own navigator (rebranded Garmin). It was part of one of the available packages (which also gave a bunch of other stuff). It doesn't seem like that package is available anymore, but the mount is available as a separate accessory, in case you want to ride with BMWs navigator.
Great video series! What charging options for the bike have? Have BMW finally realised that nobody has those weird miniature plugs? Is there a USB charging port?
Hey! It still features the pinky-finger plug nobody sells adapters for. I’ve heard the plug is popular on navigators for boats, though that’s unconfirmed. BMW do sell an adapter to dual USB which is rain proof and comes in around €50. I have one and it’s great. The problem with usb plugs directly on the bike is that you can’t hook up an air pump to a usb plug if you get a flat tyre in the middle it f nowhere. That said, I’d have preferred a usb plug on the dash and maybe a 12v plug under the seat instead, for that air pump. Also, I think you can keep the bike’s battery charged when not in use for extended periods, like over the winter, using the pinky-plug (I read that in the catalogue).
Motorcycle Tourists I seem to have been through the same path as you. I’ve got one of those BMW twin USB adaptors, but they are a work around. I was hoping for at least a standard 12v socket. Triumph Street Triples have a socket under the seat so you can charge your phone while riding. This would be handy for the BMW TFT navigation. I wonder if there’s a spare CANBUS plug somewhere like there is on my 800GS under the fake tank cover.
Touratech offers a plate to place around the dials of the F700GS with a USB plug. It costs two or three peanuts and solves the problem. It wouldn’t surprise me if they offer a similar solution for the TFT display for the F750GS/F850GS with a USB port in the near future. On my previous bike I had fitted like 4 USB ports, to charge my phone, DSLR camera, and GoPros :-D That setup got a few dubious looks from the mechanics! :-D
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and impressions. I want to order my F750GS this week (am currently making my license). Not sure about Dynamic ESA though - I can only order either with lowered height or with Dynamic ESA, not both. Do you have any thoughts about the dynamic suspension? Is it important?
Hey, Thomas! That's a tough call. We actually debated this to absurdity when we ordered our bikes. One of us wanted the lowered suspension, and we argued if the lowered suspension (20mm lower) without the Dynamic ESA was really needed, or if just a lowered saddle (25mm lower) was a better option, and if the Dynamic ESA was worth the trade-off in seat comfort (sitting on the BMW lowered seats are about as comfortable as sitting on a bakelite phone from the 80s). In the end we settled for a lowered saddle on that bike, even though it may feel about as soft and plush as a church pew. It all comes down to what kind of driving you will be doing. The Dynamic ESA works together with the riding modes to configure the suspension. So, when you're in the riding mode "Enduro", it will change up the suspension for you, to be more off-roady. Also, with the Dynamic ESA, you can select between different load conditions; solo rider, with passenger or with luggage. This will raise/lower the suspension accordingly. I'm a big guy, so I have it set for riding with passenger at all times, and it makes a big difference for me. If you're average weight, it will matter less for you, and if you don't plan on doing any off-roading or riding on broken asphalt or gravel roads, it may matter even less. Since we plan on going all over the world with them, we wanted to keep the full suspension travel and have the Enduro option there. So, if you're okay with sitting on a really firm seat, then I'd say go for the lowered saddle and don't compromise on the suspension. But if you don't plan on doing any off-roading and the roads where you will be driving are in good condition, then lowered suspension might be the way to go, so you can get a more comfortable saddle. If you're on the heavy side (or spherically inclined, as I call it), you'll definitely want the full suspension travel and the Dynamic ESA just for the load settings. If you need both the lowered suspension as well as the lowered saddle, then there's not much to do :-) But the best thing you can do really, is visit a dealer and try sitting on one of them, and see if you can reach the ground, and maybe try out the lowered saddle (since it will lower the bike even more than the lowered suspension) if they have one, just to feel if it's okay or if it's too hard to sit on. I hope this helps! Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions.
Couldn't you simply mount your smart phone to the bike and open it to either the BMW Motorad App or the Map App? With an iPhone and a bluetooth connected helmet, it seems that all my needs could be met by simply asking SIRI to "get directions home" or "get directions to nearest coffee shop" or "play songs by The Police",...etc... I suppose the TFT integration makes the handle bars less cluttered, but, as you mentioned, it has some draw backs with regard to showing the map.
All good points! Not sure I want to stick my €1000 iPhone on the handlebar for rain and mud or loose gravel, though. If I fall over and hear something break, I pray it’s only my leg and not the phone 😅 You could put it in some sort of protective case of course, but then it’ll clutter up the handlebar. But sure, you can, but would you want to? A rugged navigator is the way to go, I think, but the TFT nav will get you out of a pinch when you took a wrong turn somewhere. Not a whole lot more, but still a nice feature, considering they could have just left it out entirely 👍
I currently use my phone as a navigation device mounted on the bike. Is there any reason you can see why you can't simply just do that with the BMW app. Start it off with the route of your choice and then follow the TFT instructions but looking at the map part of the app when required???????????????
What a pity. Was expecting you to tell us what a great job BMW had done. Why don’t they just do what they do in their cars and give us what we want - a navigation system that works.
If I were to guess, I'd say it's so as not to compete with the BMW navigator. I can't be sure, but that's my gut feeling. If anyone knows better, feel free to speak up!
Best video on this subject I have seen so far! Tack för det!
Cheers! Glad you liked it :-) Varsogod!
I have a wireless phone connector on my Nav space and love it. I have watched all your videos several times and bought the f750gs low.
Thanks for the review. The turn by turn navigation is sufficient when combined with the smartphone. It actually doubles as a decent overview map. I used a quad lock bike holder that I set up on the left handle bar right next to the mirror and now I have the overview map and the arrows next to each other and can then also preview what kind of road I can expect the next few hundred meters ahead.
Cool! I'd be reluctant to stick my very expensive iPhone on the handlebar! If I'd tip the bike and hear something break, I'd pray it's only my leg and not the phone! :D
Excellent video . Thanks taking the time to film it and of course for positing it. Keep up the good work!
I had a turn by turn sat nav on a 2003 Honda CRV car once. its still the best car satnav I've ever had.
Excellent and informative video thank you. I will stick with the full navigator for now, at least until BMW give an Africa Twin 1100 type TFT.
Cheers, Nick! Glad you liked it!
Great video. Thank you! I will buy a BMW 850 GS Adventure and I have a long road trip to my home. I think that the standard navigation will help me enough.
Thanks for this informative vid. My F850GS is on order for May
Sweet!
Good thank you
Cheers!
I am a new owner of a 2019 BMW R1250GS. TFT is ok for basic city navigation. However, for any long-distance navigation, it is not good enough. The Nav 6 is essential for any long-distance riding, such as we do here in Canada.
Yeah, I agree. I have the Nav VI and it’s the thing for cross country travel. For finding a particular address on your weekend trip, though, the TFT nav will save your butt when you randomly need a replacement side mirror (which you might suddenly find yourself in need of for reasons we’ll not go into :-)
Nice video, I'm thinking about buying this bike. I think this navigation would work for short trips in familiar settings. For the rest, I would buy a phone mount with built-in charger anyway and use Google Maps. Also to see estimated time of arrival, how far is the destination, where are speed traps, etc.
Thanks for the video, was waiting for that but bit short .
I have the navigator V and I use it maybe once every 2 months.
I think that option is just perfect for when I need that specific place I can’t found and could always stop to take a look on my phone.
Thanks for the feedback! It’s really valuable to us, and we appreciate you taking the time! Is there something you had wanted us to look more closely at or spent more time on to review?
Motorcycle Tourists hi, thx for the reply.
would of been good to talk about the music system, possibility to navigate true radio channels.
Is there any other type of map system ??also your opinion about if easy to select a contact or how it show when you are on the phone etc
By the way, good job.You are by far the person giving more information about that bike
That’s great feedback! Thank you! We’ll do a real in depth review of the display and all the features, not just the navigation. It might take a few days, so stay tuned :-)
(I’ll write down your questions and make sure to include them in that video)
Thx a lot for this video. The new 750 GS was my first choice to buy a new motorcycle. But then there were recalls here in Germany and a delayed start. That scared me off. However, this navigation solution would be completely sufficient for me. I would not need more.
Cheers, Kruisr! The recalls do (and should) raise at least a little warning flag for any potential buyer. So far BMW have taken good care of both the recalled bikes and affected buyers, and I can’t complain, but only time will tell how it works out long term. What did you end up getting, or still figuring out what to get?
@@MotorcycleTourists I learned on a 1200 GS. And a long time i ride a 1200 GS and it was always a solid good working bike for me. But i wanted something lighter and smaller. And i didnt need all the power of a 1200 Model. So my hope was to get a small middle class GS :) At the end i had the chance to test ride a KTM Duke 790 and there are worlds between them. The Handling and the power are insane for a 180 Kilo Bike. But anyway. The 750 GS is still on my Radar. Maybe i switch in the next Season after a test ride. :)
KTM is coming out with their 790 adventure, which I suspect might kick BMW right in the clutch. Quite curious to see how that compares.
I always use my iPhone for navigation on my bmw. Very cheap, 50 euro for a holder. And I can choose between a ton of navigation apps and pick the one I like best. TomTom go in my case. And the screen of the iPhone is pretty big and of excellent quality. You just need to power the iPhone as the gps will drain your battery quickly on longer rides.
Just bought a 2023 750 gs and elected not to get the Nav 6 and just try my IPhone and app with the TFT. Let’s see how I do and will let you know if I change my mind and get the Nav 5. Thanks
Thank you for the very informative and well done video! Does the navigation also work with apps like google maps or only with the bmw one? Thanks in advance and cheers from Austria.
It's a good tool to get somewhere, like using a car. But for touring, get a nav system.
Exactly. If you’re lost inside a city, or need to find a specific address or off ramp from the highway, it does the trick, and that’s where it shines. Beyond that, it’s quite limited.
Excellent video! Thanks a lot!!!!! So, it is working. Thats good! What is yor all around impression about f750 till now?
So far I’m loving it! With the old 700GS reving the engine over 4500 rpm was pointless and slightly unpleasant, but this one... this one roars at those rpms! The suspensions is a whole new generation and the improvement is very noticeable. We’re planning our first week long tour for end of the month, so I’ll be doing a more in depth part 2 review after that :-) Until then, I’ll try and do some reviews of the quick shift pro and cruise control.
Good job , hope bmw update TFT software with build in map gps soon . It's coming 🍻
Thanks, Yang! We appreciate it! It would be very cool if they did, but what makes you say it's coming? Has BMW announced it? That would be very, very cool.
Thanks for the video. nice job.... I"m with you on the benefit from the navigator feature: works pretty good but you still need a regular gps (I have bmw navigator V). wonder when bmw will just scrap all of the peripherals and just put the gps/ mapping system into the TFT display. one thing that I hate about the new updated to BMW connected app is that the phone display needs to remain active/ on for the app to maintain connection with the bike- or at least I havent figured out how to use it any other way. So the phone needs to be plugged in and charging in order to use the feature for any distance/ time. Maybe I need to try to download the current map for it to work while phone display is asleep?
Hey, David! Glad you liked it! I haven’t had to have the display on, for it to work. Also, BMW doesn’t make their own navigator - it’s actually a regular Garmin with a BMW logo slapped on, so I think the move to integrate it directly with the TFT won’t happen anytime soon :-)
I love your videos, really informative and well made. I was wondering if you could recommend Bluetooth helmets? to be able to connect to the display for navigation, as well as to communicate between the driver and the passenger.
Sure, Scala Rider PackTalk Bold (or slim). Works great with the bike and iPhone (not sure about Android, but I’m guessing it works well there too). Great audio, great connection, virtually no static or wind noise. Very happy with ours. And best of all, you take it with you to your next helmet and the one after that. Glad you like our videos :-)
What is the mount on the handlebar for ? Great Review !!
Hey! That's the GPS mount for BMW's own navigator (rebranded Garmin). It was part of one of the available packages (which also gave a bunch of other stuff). It doesn't seem like that package is available anymore, but the mount is available as a separate accessory, in case you want to ride with BMWs navigator.
wich modus did you have in your Navi-setting?
BMW F750GS 👍👍😎
Great video series! What charging options for the bike have? Have BMW finally realised that nobody has those weird miniature plugs? Is there a USB charging port?
Hey! It still features the pinky-finger plug nobody sells adapters for. I’ve heard the plug is popular on navigators for boats, though that’s unconfirmed. BMW do sell an adapter to dual USB which is rain proof and comes in around €50. I have one and it’s great. The problem with usb plugs directly on the bike is that you can’t hook up an air pump to a usb plug if you get a flat tyre in the middle it f nowhere. That said, I’d have preferred a usb plug on the dash and maybe a 12v plug under the seat instead, for that air pump. Also, I think you can keep the bike’s battery charged when not in use for extended periods, like over the winter, using the pinky-plug (I read that in the catalogue).
Motorcycle Tourists I seem to have been through the same path as you. I’ve got one of those BMW twin USB adaptors, but they are a work around. I was hoping for at least a standard 12v socket. Triumph Street Triples have a socket under the seat so you can charge your phone while riding. This would be handy for the BMW TFT navigation. I wonder if there’s a spare CANBUS plug somewhere like there is on my 800GS under the fake tank cover.
Touratech offers a plate to place around the dials of the F700GS with a USB plug. It costs two or three peanuts and solves the problem. It wouldn’t surprise me if they offer a similar solution for the TFT display for the F750GS/F850GS with a USB port in the near future. On my previous bike I had fitted like 4 USB ports, to charge my phone, DSLR camera, and GoPros :-D
That setup got a few dubious looks from the mechanics! :-D
Motorcycle Tourists I’ve got a plate for my 800 made by a guy in Turkey. He just makes plates for 800’s. Will see in the future if he gets a 750/850 😉
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and impressions. I want to order my F750GS this week (am currently making my license). Not sure about Dynamic ESA though - I can only order either with lowered height or with Dynamic ESA, not both. Do you have any thoughts about the dynamic suspension? Is it important?
Hey, Thomas! That's a tough call. We actually debated this to absurdity when we ordered our bikes. One of us wanted the lowered suspension, and we argued if the lowered suspension (20mm lower) without the Dynamic ESA was really needed, or if just a lowered saddle (25mm lower) was a better option, and if the Dynamic ESA was worth the trade-off in seat comfort (sitting on the BMW lowered seats are about as comfortable as sitting on a bakelite phone from the 80s).
In the end we settled for a lowered saddle on that bike, even though it may feel about as soft and plush as a church pew. It all comes down to what kind of driving you will be doing. The Dynamic ESA works together with the riding modes to configure the suspension. So, when you're in the riding mode "Enduro", it will change up the suspension for you, to be more off-roady. Also, with the Dynamic ESA, you can select between different load conditions; solo rider, with passenger or with luggage. This will raise/lower the suspension accordingly. I'm a big guy, so I have it set for riding with passenger at all times, and it makes a big difference for me. If you're average weight, it will matter less for you, and if you don't plan on doing any off-roading or riding on broken asphalt or gravel roads, it may matter even less. Since we plan on going all over the world with them, we wanted to keep the full suspension travel and have the Enduro option there.
So, if you're okay with sitting on a really firm seat, then I'd say go for the lowered saddle and don't compromise on the suspension.
But if you don't plan on doing any off-roading and the roads where you will be driving are in good condition, then lowered suspension might be the way to go, so you can get a more comfortable saddle.
If you're on the heavy side (or spherically inclined, as I call it), you'll definitely want the full suspension travel and the Dynamic ESA just for the load settings.
If you need both the lowered suspension as well as the lowered saddle, then there's not much to do :-)
But the best thing you can do really, is visit a dealer and try sitting on one of them, and see if you can reach the ground, and maybe try out the lowered saddle (since it will lower the bike even more than the lowered suspension) if they have one, just to feel if it's okay or if it's too hard to sit on.
I hope this helps!
Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions.
Couldn't you simply mount your smart phone to the bike and open it to either the BMW Motorad App or the Map App? With an iPhone and a bluetooth connected helmet, it seems that all my needs could be met by simply asking SIRI to "get directions home" or "get directions to nearest coffee shop" or "play songs by The Police",...etc... I suppose the TFT integration makes the handle bars less cluttered, but, as you mentioned, it has some draw backs with regard to showing the map.
All good points! Not sure I want to stick my €1000 iPhone on the handlebar for rain and mud or loose gravel, though. If I fall over and hear something break, I pray it’s only my leg and not the phone 😅 You could put it in some sort of protective case of course, but then it’ll clutter up the handlebar. But sure, you can, but would you want to? A rugged navigator is the way to go, I think, but the TFT nav will get you out of a pinch when you took a wrong turn somewhere. Not a whole lot more, but still a nice feature, considering they could have just left it out entirely 👍
Whats the top speed of the 750 and is it stable at that speed?
I currently use my phone as a navigation device mounted on the bike. Is there any reason you can see why you can't simply just do that with the BMW app. Start it off with the route of your choice and then follow the TFT instructions but looking at the map part of the app when required???????????????
Not off the top of my head, no... Should work, I think?
What a pity. Was expecting you to tell us what a great job BMW had done. Why don’t they just do what they do in their cars and give us what we want - a navigation system that works.
If I were to guess, I'd say it's so as not to compete with the BMW navigator. I can't be sure, but that's my gut feeling. If anyone knows better, feel free to speak up!
Does Sena working with it?
I’m sorry, I don’t know. I have the Cardo system. But I would guess it does, since it’s just standard Bluetooth.
will it work in offline mode ?
Supposedly! I haven’t tried it, but since you can download the maps to your phone, I assume that’s the idea.
@@MotorcycleTourists Thank you for the response, I am a considering getting a f750
yuck .. I want to mount my cell and use Google maps