BMW Navigator 11
The new BMW Navigator 11 is based on the Garmin 26xx series of GPS units which have been slightly modified so that they are more suitable for motorbike operation. The units are fully water and petrol proof. The basic GPS unit can be operated either via the touch screen or by using buttons and the BMW unit comes supplied with a mounting cradle which offers more buttons which can be used easily for riders wearing gloves.
The mounting unit fits easily on the bar on the handlebar and plugs into the power socket of the bike. There is a full colour screen. As supplied in Europe, the unit comes with a built in map covering most of the world and is also supplied with a CD containing a detailed European City Navigator map which ends just east of Ankara at Corum/Yozgat. This CD is loaded into a computer and the unit connects to the computer by means of a USB port.
Much of Western and Central Europe is mapped in very great detail and I have just planned a trip from Vienna to Prague and then to Brno (for the MotoGP) using this map which identifies streets and even found the hotels I have booked along the way. Another useful feature in Europe is the “Find” function which shows you the nearest hotels/bank ATMs/ petrol stations and even restaurants sorted by kind of food. The planned route is then transferred to the unit which has a 512MB flash card, and the unit will then tell me when to turn etc. It can also provide verbal instructions if connected to an earpiece.
As far as riding in Turkey is concerned, there is not yet such detail but I have just used the unit to guide me from Tbilisi, across Turkey to Istanbul and then to Sofia without any difficulty. Though coverage of Georgia, Turkey and Bulgaria is not as detailed as other countries, all roads are included. There is a very useful function which enables you to download into the computer the actual trip you have just made and so update the records for any new roads etc. The trip can also be saved for future reference. Other functions include estimated time of arrival; distance and time until next turn; automatic recalculation of route in the case of deviations; overall average and driving average; compass bearing and altitude. There is also a current speed reading which is far more accurate than that provided by the bike speedometer. On my forthcoming trip to Brno I shall be using the unit in a rental car as it is very easy to remove from the bike and requires no set up for use in another vehicle.
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