There is a BMW mechanic I follow on YouTube that posts daily of his shop musings and test rides. His shop just received 2 BMW R1250R's for the US market, model year 2020!!
Interesting because BMW's US website doesn't list a Shift cam R here as yet. Good video if you have a few minutes to spare. He does get the shift cam to trigger on the factory test ride. TFT and a fly screen are the externals I noticed, as well as no luggage rack, but there was side pannier rails.
I’ll have to watch the whole video later, but I hate people who do motorcycle reviews while riding the bike. You really don’t get a good look at anything...just someone rambling about how it rides as you watch them zip through traffic.
It kinda has GS styling with the Shark fin and sculpted tank and pannier mounts. Not a bad thing at all, just an observation.
Nice looking bike and the TFT is way cool! I saw "navigation" as a menu item...does this replace a Garmin infection?
Yes, it is over the top on this one, however, I like the Missenden Flyer's posts, and he does the same thing, but it is stuff that is germane to the review, albeit mostly for the GS
Yes and no. The TFT display lets the bike integrate with a phone and Bluetooth sound system. This lets you place and receive calls via an app on your phone and the software on the bike. Navigation is basic, but good enough if you are on a short trip or need guidance to find a place...using the app on your phone.
So, if you want the bike without the Nav cradle, this lets you opt out or at least not need the Nav system on the bike to use your phone and basic navigation aid when the Nav's at home.
More so, there's been some "glitches" getting the system to work seamlessly. Maybe a software patch will correct this for all models, but....
1. Getting the Nav AND the bike to talk to your phone and Bluetooth system is complicated. You have to connect them in a particular order so that you don't negate one when connecting the other...which it shouldn't be that complicated.
2. The bike's software DOES NOT let you scroll from the Nav to the App navigation and phone features. You currently must exit to the "top menu" to select which device you're using, and that's complicated to do while riding. Again, this is a software fix, but it just shows that someone didn't think through the whole process before coding.
So, as nice as the TFT looks, I'm not sure I'd want to upgrade unless they resolve these minor issues. I'm perturbed as it is about the Navigatory VI having the flaws it has (which prior Garmin models did not exhibit) and Garmin won't address them. Granted, this is Garmin's failure and not BMW's but for almost $1,000 USD, I expect a GPS unit to be flawless and come with patches to the firmware if a fault is found.
The overpriced Zumo 660 has a built in speaker but the $1000 Nav V I have does not. Put BMW on anything and you can just about double the price. Might have to look into the Wunderlinq. Garmin for motorcycles, including the NAV V is a big rip off IMHO. Good grief!
I got a WunderlinQ since I am a Google Maps and Waze nav fan. You can specify which nav app you want your WunderlinQ to interface with, including Open Source apps like osmand. I've been playing with the trip log function lately, and exporting the .CSV file with all the data to various apps, including https://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map_input
The main features it has are practical, of course and not total-geekage.
"Go Home" = navigate to your home address
"Call Favorite Contact" = Call pre-selected number
And others.
Great support for hardware and app, too.
I'm working on a way to evaluate my riding at an upcoming track day. I'm taking the R1200R this time, and leaving the KTM at home. I can collect all sorts of data, and match it to GPS coordinates, braking, lean angle etc. Totally useless, of course, since I am not Marc Marquez, but might give me some clues on how well I am doing lap to lap.
We'll see... Not sure if they'll even allow it to be on my bike, but it connects via bluetooth, so it can go in to my inside pocket in my leathers.
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