Garmin Zumo 660 Installed (w/photos)
Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:14 pm
After weighing how to connect to the bike's battery, I'm happy to report successful installation this afternoon. Got a 100-mile ice cream cone afterward, the first test ride, and so far everything works. I like how the 660 streams navigation prompts wirelessly to Etymotic ER-6 headphones, which are plugged in to a Jabra BT3030 headset. It's elaborate, but you don't have to remember to plug in/out. The 660 also streams music in stereo Bluetooth, an upgrade from the 550, and auto-pauses music for navigational prompts. Wilco never sounded so good. And thanks to POI Factory, I uploaded every BMW Motorrad dealer in the USA, every U.S. Rest Area and all of the locations — updated weekly — of speed traps and red-light cameras in the Washington, D.C., area. You can customize the audio clip warning to slow. I like the British lady.
I used Posi-Tite connectors to link the bare wires of the 660 power cord to the BMW CAN-BUS plug. I used Posi-Taps with P3 and Photo Blaster installs, and Harry Costello mentioned Posi Lock in another thread. Straight forward for a wiring newbie and as complicated as mending a button.
Finding the accessory power connector for that CAN-BUS plug was a bear, even with the BMW illustration pinpointing connector's location. Bright light is a must with this part. You have to turn the handlebars all the way to the left, and I had to remove the black, plastic fuel-tank cover to reach the connector. Then I used pliers to cut away the cable tie that fastens the accessory connector to the down-frame. I felt, rather than saw, the plastic protective cap of the connector and struggled to fish it out. Here is the damned thing in the light of day:
One of the design virtues of our bikes is its decluttered look. I'm fearful of corrupting the clean lines, of committing farkle creep, especially with wiring. I try to keep as many of them out of view as possible. I felt uneasy about the 660's new 4-in-1 power cable and how it would look. In the end, no worries. I'm using only the power cable, and as another rider suggested, bundling the other three connectors in a plastic bag and feeding them under the gas tank to the area under the seat works fine.
To load routes onto the 660 I use Garmin's Roadtrip mapping software with Mac OS X. The software is slower and less intuitive than Google Maps, but there's a bookmarklet that will convert Gmap routes to GPX, the file format that Roadtrip can import and then send to the 660.
I bought the navigation mount, four $8-handlebar screws (!) and the BMW power socket from Chicago BMW. They offer a 20-percent discount.
Overall, I'm pleased with the 660, particularly its stereo Bluetooth, and the widescreen is attractive on the R12R. I wish the water-tight battery cover wasn't so difficult to remove and that USB access was easier, but I guess that's the price to pay for rain-ready gadget. Also, sign up with the AMA, and you get a discount for Garmin stuff. I think it was 15 percent.
Thanks to everybody in the bare wire thread for feedback that helped me complete this project. Where To?
I used Posi-Tite connectors to link the bare wires of the 660 power cord to the BMW CAN-BUS plug. I used Posi-Taps with P3 and Photo Blaster installs, and Harry Costello mentioned Posi Lock in another thread. Straight forward for a wiring newbie and as complicated as mending a button.
Finding the accessory power connector for that CAN-BUS plug was a bear, even with the BMW illustration pinpointing connector's location. Bright light is a must with this part. You have to turn the handlebars all the way to the left, and I had to remove the black, plastic fuel-tank cover to reach the connector. Then I used pliers to cut away the cable tie that fastens the accessory connector to the down-frame. I felt, rather than saw, the plastic protective cap of the connector and struggled to fish it out. Here is the damned thing in the light of day:
One of the design virtues of our bikes is its decluttered look. I'm fearful of corrupting the clean lines, of committing farkle creep, especially with wiring. I try to keep as many of them out of view as possible. I felt uneasy about the 660's new 4-in-1 power cable and how it would look. In the end, no worries. I'm using only the power cable, and as another rider suggested, bundling the other three connectors in a plastic bag and feeding them under the gas tank to the area under the seat works fine.
To load routes onto the 660 I use Garmin's Roadtrip mapping software with Mac OS X. The software is slower and less intuitive than Google Maps, but there's a bookmarklet that will convert Gmap routes to GPX, the file format that Roadtrip can import and then send to the 660.
I bought the navigation mount, four $8-handlebar screws (!) and the BMW power socket from Chicago BMW. They offer a 20-percent discount.
Overall, I'm pleased with the 660, particularly its stereo Bluetooth, and the widescreen is attractive on the R12R. I wish the water-tight battery cover wasn't so difficult to remove and that USB access was easier, but I guess that's the price to pay for rain-ready gadget. Also, sign up with the AMA, and you get a discount for Garmin stuff. I think it was 15 percent.
Thanks to everybody in the bare wire thread for feedback that helped me complete this project. Where To?
