Proper connection of a non-BMW provided GPS receiver to specific BMW plug

[Mer2020]

Question to the group:  The R1250RS which I bought last winter (with less than 10K miles) did come with that three-pin BMW connector that is used to connect with the Navigator cradle.  My bike did not come with the cradle, or at least it did not have it at time of purchase.  In any case I did by a mating connector to fit the one the bike comes with (it is behind the front right hand side fairing. I am pretty sure many of you are familiar with it.  See photos.

So here is the short of it: I went ahead and routed a cable from that connector to above the dashboard and there I connected the cable to a Garmin cradle to which I inserted my Zumo XT GPS receiver.  Everything seemed to work fine for a few rides until very recently when it stopped charging thru the cradle.

Observation: I saw quite a few videos showing that one could connect the Garmin Zumo, thru its own DC-to-DC converter to that BMW GPS connector.  But now that mine is not working properly I am thinking that perhaps by doing so I am actually messing with the CANBUS system.   On top of this I learned that Denali is selling a product called "Switched Power Adapter" for BMW bikes.  In the description of this product, it says:  "...it connects to your BM's GPS power connector on bikes with Nav preparation to provide CANbus safe switched 12V power source for triggering a relay to power electronic accessories..."

In other words, it appears to me Denali Electronics designed a product that interfaces between said BMW GPS plug and other accessories needing 12V source/supply.  (In the Zumo XT case the 12v would feed the DC-to-DC converter such that 5 volts be present at the Zumo XT cradle contacts/pins. 

Question: Does anyone have experience with connecting a Garmin GPS cradle to that BMW GPS plug?  I am thinking that after all, Denali is very experienced with the topic of CANbus and thus they may have a point in that connecting the Zumo 12 Volt-to 5 volt DC-to-DC power converter may indeed screw up the CANbus system and thus it stops charging my Zumo XT GPS receiver. Thus, the need for an isolation relay which can be driven by that specific DEnali product ("Switched Power Adapter").

Any thoughts/advice regarding the proper connection of a non-BMW provided GPS receiver to that specific BMW plug??

Thanks much!

[runnerhiker]

https://www.s1000xr.uk/index.php/topic,8253.0.html

The link above will show you two alternatives. I am "runnerhiker" in that forum, just like here.

The Wunderlich adapter is the easiest way to mount the XT if you have the OEM BMW GPS mount.

The MotoPump will be a sturdier mount because it has fewer parts, less weight, and more rigid mount. I ordered the BMW plug pigtail mentioned in the YT video but I don't have it yet, I'll get it tomorrow. When I get it, I'll compare it to your picture to see if it matches.

One comment about the CanBus. On my S1000XR, the BMW Nav looses power immediately upon turning off the ignition. The Zumo XT mounted on the BMW GPS OEM mount does not loose power immediately upon turning off the ignition, it takes a variable length of time, 30-60 seconds. That means the CanBus recognizes the BMW Nav as a GPS, but it only sees the Zumo XT as an accessory connected to the electrical system.

[Grumpy Goat]

One comment about the CanBus.  On my S1000XR, the BMW Nav looses power immediately upon turning off the ignition.  The Zumo XT mounted on the BMW GPS OEM mount does not loose power immediately upon turning off the ignition, it takes a variable length of time, 30-60 seconds.  That means the CanBus recognizes the BMW Nav as a GPS, but it only sees the Zumo XT as an accessory connected to the electrical system.

Hmmmm ... that is not the behaviour on my RS with its BMW GPS Prep. 

My BMW Nav VI does not lose power immediately after the bike is shut off. It does its countdown, and I can elect to keep it on. The behaviour is the same as on my Tiger where the CAN-Bus system is bypassed, and the Nav VI is powered directly from the battery, via a Healtech Thunderbox power distribution module. 

In other words, on both my bikes, the Nav VI's own battery power controls its shutdown after the bike is shut off, and the CAN-Bus system is not involved.

[Grumpy Goat]

The MotoPump will be a sturdier mount because it has fewer parts, less weight, and more rigid mount. 

I am [casually] looking for a lockable mounting solution for my Nav VI that I can use on my Tiger, which has the Garmin windshield mount car adapter as a basis. I do not like the lockable one from Touratech.

I like the idea of the MotoPumps adapter (for the reasons you mentioned) but that is only for GPS units like the XT/XT2 which have the AMPS type connector and not the Nav IV/V/VI type connector.

[runnerhiker]

One comment about the CanBus.  On my S1000XR, the BMW Nav looses power immediately upon turning off the ignition.  The Zumo XT mounted on the BMW GPS OEM mount does not loose power immediately upon turning off the ignition, it takes a variable length of time, 30-60 seconds.  That means the CanBus recognizes the BMW Nav as a GPS, but it only sees the Zumo XT as an accessory connected to the electrical system.

Hmmmm ... that is not the behaviour on my RS with its BMW GPS Prep. 

My BMW Nav VI does not lose power immediately after the bike is shut off. It does its countdown, and I can elect to keep it on. The behaviour is the same as on my Tiger where the CAN-Bus system is bypassed, and the Nav VI is powered directly from the battery, via a Healtech Thunderbox power distribution module. 

In other words, on both my bikes, the Nav VI's own battery power controls its shutdown after the bike is shut off, and the CAN-Bus system is not involved.

You are correct, let me clarify.  I think the Nav VI message with the countdown to shut down happens as soon as the GPS has lost power from the motorcycle.  This sequence is powered by the GPS battery.

When I turn off the ignition on the XR with the Nav VI on the BMW mount, the CanBus turns off power immediately and the Nav VI shutdown message appears on the Nav VI right away, powered by the Nav VI battery.

The Garmin XT has a similar sequence for shutting down as the Nav VI.  But shutting off the motorcycle ignitions does not begin this sequence right away, the XT is still fully powered on as though the ignition had not been shut off.  The appearance of that sequence does not happen for 30 seconds, 1 minute, maybe 2-3 minutes later.  The CanBus is leaving that circuit on for a short time, it is definitely not shutting down this circuit as soon as the ignition is turned off.

I think this is a CanBus design.  A person that install a not BMW GPS on a CanBus controlled circuit will think they have done something wrong because the GPS is not going to its shutdown sequence right away.  If the battery on the Garmin XT is very low, the CanBus will leave this circuit on for 10-15 minutes and then you'll think you did something really wrong on the installation.

This topic has been discussed at length in the K1600 forum, my 2022 K1600 cannot be fitted with a BMW GPS cradle, many, like me, have installed a Garmin XT powered by a CanBus controlled circuit, and this different behavior has caused some concern until the installer understands what's going on.  If the OP installs an XT on a CanBus circuit, he will run into this and wonder what is going on.

The CanBus is like black magic because we don't know how BMW coded the controls.  But BMW has definitely coded something that leaves CanBus circuits on after the ignition is turned off.

[colirv]

I did exactly what you did. I used this lead. I imagine you used something similar. My setup has been in constant use for nearly a year in all weathers without problems. FWIW, on turning off the ignition the XT's shut-down procedure is delayed, as expected. If your XT has recently stopped charging through the cable I suggest you look for a poor connection first of all.

[Mer2020]

To all of you who responded to my initial inquiry regarding problems I experienced with connecting my Zumo XT using the BMW provided plug: Thanks very much and sorry for my late response as I have been away for quite some time with no access to this forum.

Thank you for the enlightenment on the subject of late shutdown/powering off of the Zumo XT.

And to sum up what I did: I ended up ordering an original mating plug from BMW as opposed to the one I originally ordered from EBay (a product from China that had same pin arrangement but mechanically I am not sure it made sn absolutely positive electrical connection/continuity with the Mari g plug that comes with the bike. I also had another new Garming power cable with the DC-DC converter and used it instead of the older one…All this to eliminate any faulty connections/soldering and such. The short of it is that system now works well. Indeed the Zumo will shut down when switching off the bike. However I have noticed it took no less than about a minute for the Zumo to also shut down following turning off bike’s ignition.

Again, thank you alll!!

[Lee]

 The short of it is that system now works

[runnerhiker]

However I have noticed it took no less than about a minute for the Zumo to also shut down following turning off bike’s ignition.

This time will vary.  I have seen a few seconds, a minute, and as long as 5 minutes.  It's still working, all is well, if you notice the variation, it's still ok.

[Mer2020]

However I have noticed it took no less than about a minute for the Zumo to also shut down following turning off bike’s ignition.

This time will vary.  I have seen a few seconds, a minute, and as long as 5 minutes.  It's still working, all is well, if you notice the variation, it's still ok.

Got it!! Thanks!