New phone mount accessory from BMW

[TriangleRider]

They're beating it up pretty good over on ADVRider:

https://advrider.com/f/threads/connected...r.1527501/

Same old phone vs. GPS debate.....

[Grumpy Goat]

They're beating it up pretty good over on ADVRider:

https://advrider.com/f/threads/connected...r.1527501/

Same old phone vs. GPS debate.....

Thanks for the warning ... I needn't bother to read it then.

[ESquared]

They're beating it up pretty good over on ADVRider:

https://advrider.com/f/threads/connected...r.1527501/

Same old phone vs. GPS debate.....

Thanks for the warning ... I needn't bother to read it then.

Not universal trashing, but when one of the anecdotes involves what happened when the bike went over a cliff, it puts the conversation in a bit of a different orbit vs. here.

[ESquared]

To answer your questions:

1) The bike shown in the pictures is not an RS. I believe it's a GS so the cradle above the TFT screen is the standard position.

2) The cradle can simply be moved and the cable relocated. The moto-mate mount does this and runs the cable behind the TFT - Moto-Mate

Good grief. Need more sleep. Thanks. Typical GS/GSA skew, I assume?

[Lee]

To answer your questions:

1) The bike shown in the pictures is not an RS. I believe it's a GS so the cradle above the TFT screen is the standard position.

2) The cradle can simply be moved and the cable relocated. The moto-mate mount does this and runs the cable behind the TFT - Moto-Mate

The bike in post #17 is a S1000XR. It has the same GPS mounting location as the GS.

[Lee]

They're beating it up pretty good over on ADVRider:

https://advrider.com/f/threads/connected...r.1527501/

Same old phone vs. GPS debate.....

I don't read much on the ADV forum. I use it mostly for the Fleamarket and the Photo threads.

[trudd]

To answer your questions:

1) The bike shown in the pictures is not an RS. I believe it's a GS so the cradle above the TFT screen is the standard position.

2) The cradle can simply be moved and the cable relocated. The moto-mate mount does this and runs the cable behind the TFT - Moto-Mate

The bike in post #17 is a S1000XR. It has the same GPS mounting location as the GS.

Not that it matters but I was referring to the pictures in the press release.

[ESquared]

This BMW cradle has me rethinking my navi mount. I know I'll use it someday, but I won't use it where it is installed from the factory. I'll have 'em move it up front with the Moto-Mate bracket, then figure out the BMW Cradle/Re-purposed Cell phone solution down the line. By the time I'm ready, they'll have had time to de-bug it a bit.

[SoCalR1200RS]

I ordered a ConnectRide Cradle from Sierra BMW - should hopefully have it by the end of the month. My R1200RS has the factory Navi-Ready install and mount, but I'm looking into options to relocate above the dash. The MotoMate option looks decent and the Wunderlich seems ideal but most expensive. I might just go with the stock tank option for now though, once the cradle arrives.

I don't love the limitations - that it only works with the BMW app which uses TomTom navigation. I'd prefer to be able to use other apps with the wheel as a controller, but at the minimum it's a wireless charging phone mount that locks to the bike which is what I'm looking for. I like that it cradles the phone offering more protection from the sun and overheating compared with a basic RAM mount. Wireless charging is a big plus and the fact that it all cleanly connects with factory hardware is a big plus over 3rd party holders. I'm looking forward to accessing the trip computer and diagnostic info from the app as well.

I have a solution for the perennial OIS camera death problem. Camera modules only really seem to take damage when the camera is powered on and in use while mounted on a motorcycle. The optical image stabilization system (OIS) used by modern smartphones are active systems; they float a lens and hold in place using precise mechanisms, which are sensitive to vibration. If the camera is not opened, with rare exception, no damage will occur to the OIS modules; when they are not in use,the floating objective is free to move around and vibrations will not cause damage.

Apple should work with BMW so that when the phone is paired with a cradle AND placed in that cradle (known via the Qi charging) any cameras with OIS are disabled and unusable. This protects the sensitive OIS parts from damage and accidental activation of the camera.

For example, you're in Neutral stopped at a gas station but the engine is running. You get a snapchat notification which you tap to open on the screen. When snapchat opens, it automatically starts your camera, which would power up the OIS system and could result in immediate and irreversible damage from the vibration. With this update, the camera is disabled by the operating system, so the snapchat API call goes unanswered and the camera remains powered down and safe from vibration damage. In another case, everything is the same except this time you remove the phone from the cradle and then check the notifications. Even though the device is still paired with the cradle, since the Qi charger is now out of range, the operating system knows it's now safe to enable the camera, and snapchat functions as expected.

The major advantage with this pairing, is that BMW and Apple could announce official support which would further boost BMW sales, and Apple loyalty among riders. There is precedent for this partnership as well. BMW was one of the first auto manufacturers to integrate with iPod and iPhone thru those horrible pre-lightning connectors. I'd imagine an exclusive partnership for at least the first year if not more, before Apple would start certifying more cradles; and all certified cradles would behave similarly, in that they would require BT and Qi charging to disable the OIS cameras. BMW will be able to expand it's ConnectRide app functionality, and I could see a form of CarPlay being developed specifically for motorcycles.

[OlieL]

I have the ConnectedRide cradle - have had it for a couple of months. I sold my NavVI a couple of weeks ago. I never liked the Nav6, the only really good thing about it was the route tracking. Trying to plan a route and then upload it to the Nav was a massive ball ache.

No problems with vibration so far on my iPhone 13 Pro Max (touch wood). I have it mounted on a Moto-Mate mount. The BMW Navigator app is genuinely good, but you can use Calimoto or another app if you prefer. It has wireless charging, but I use it to power my GoPro on the front of the bike (on a wunderlich bracket) from the cradle's built in USB C port most of the time. The connection to the phone and TFT is pretty much seamless. Control of the Navigator app through the jog wheel just works. It is genuinely a good, well thought out bit of kit, and less than half the price of a NavVI. If you are worried about the camera issue, a lot of people are using an old phone. I connect the phone to my Packtalk Slim as the phone, and the TFT to the Packtalk as a GPS. Seems to work nigh on all the time...

[Grumpy Goat]

...
I have a solution for the perennial OIS camera death problem. Camera modules only really seem to take damage when the camera is powered on and in use while mounted on a motorcycle. The optical image stabilization system (OIS) used by modern smartphones are active systems; they float a lens and hold in place using precise mechanisms, which are sensitive to vibration. If the camera is not opened, with rare exception, no damage will occur to the OIS modules; when they are not in use,the floating objective is free to move around and vibrations will not cause damage.
...

So I had 2 iPhone camera failures and in both cases the camera was not on - foreground or background - and there was no app that was activated which had access to / started the camera. So I believe that at least in my case it had nothing to do with the phone camera being on.

The solution I have for this is a dampened phone mount like the one from QuadLock. Have one for a long time now on both bikes and no failure. QuadLock has a charger mount that can integrate with the dampener so that your phone can be wirelessly charged as it is vibrated at a much lower / safer frequency. I don't have their charger.

[SoCalR1200RS]

Dang, and I really thought I was onto something! haha, oh well.

Did your phone die on a BMW boxer or different type of bike? I rode for years on my R1100R with an iPhone mounted to the tank with a RAM mount and never had an issue. My first bike, a Suzuki SV650 however did kill two phone cameras on the same RAM mount.

The thing I don't like about Quadlock is that it requires a case or big attachment stuck onto my phone. I like to use a clear slim case on my phone if any at all... That's why I originally liked the RAM mounts. I'm hoping the BMW cradle doesn't kill my phone, we'll see.

[OlieL]

...
I have a solution for the perennial OIS camera death problem. Camera modules only really seem to take damage when the camera is powered on and in use while mounted on a motorcycle. The optical image stabilization system (OIS) used by modern smartphones are active systems; they float a lens and hold in place using precise mechanisms, which are sensitive to vibration. If the camera is not opened, with rare exception, no damage will occur to the OIS modules; when they are not in use,the floating objective is free to move around and vibrations will not cause damage.
...

So I had 2 iPhone camera failures and in both cases the camera was not on - foreground or background - and there was no app that was activated which had access to / started the camera. So I believe that at least in my case it had nothing to do with the phone camera being on.

The solution I have for this is a dampened phone mount like the one from QuadLock. Have one for a long time now on both bikes and no failure. QuadLock has a charger mount that can integrate with the dampener so that your phone can be wirelessly charged as it is vibrated at a much lower / safer frequency. I don't have their charger.

I used the SP Connect vibration damping mount with their wireless charger for over a year - it was good and my phone camera survived the experience. My old bike, a Honda CB1000R, did kill a phone camera (thankfully replaced under warranty); I wonder whether the lower frequency vibrations of a boxer engine vs an inline four mean our bikes are less likely to kill a camera anyway...

[Grumpy Goat]

Dang, and I really thought I was onto something! haha, oh well.

Did your phone die on a BMW boxer or different type of bike? I rode for years on my R1100R with an iPhone mounted to the tank with a RAM mount and never had an issue. My first bike, a Suzuki SV650 however did kill two phone cameras on the same RAM mount.

The thing I don't like about Quadlock is that it requires a case or big attachment stuck onto my phone. I like to use a clear slim case on my phone if any at all... That's why I originally liked the RAM mounts. I'm hoping the BMW cradle doesn't kill my phone, we'll see.

The iPhone XR was mounted via "hard mounts" (mounts without any vibration dampening) to the RS and also to the S1000R when they failed. So a boxer and an inline 4. The vibration characteristics seen at the tank would be drastically different from the handlebars, as the latter has less mass and is likely less rigidly mounted. Also the ram mount may have been "softer". It all has to do with the natural frequency of the support as seen by the phone.

I too like a slim case with my phones, and have not ever bought a QuadLock case. QuadLock has a stick-on adhesive mount that you can attach to any case you like. That is what I use and it works perfectly.

[Grumpy Goat]

... I wonder whether the lower frequency vibrations of a boxer engine vs an inline four mean our bikes are less likely to kill a camera anyway...

See my post above. The iPhone camera can be killed by both the WC boxer or an inline 4. Maybe it is BMW bikes ... (JK)

[Bimmerman]

I have a cradle mounted on my R1250RS and have had no camera issues so far with my iPhone 14 Pro but I've only got 400km on the bike. The issue I'm having is the phone getting very hot when charging wirelessly in the cradle. Anyone else have this issue?

[kmbbmw]

Anytime my phone is wirelessly charging and on it seems to gets hot. The cradle is the same. Outside in the sun doesn't help, and the cradle doesn't vent air around the phone at all which exacerbate it.

Usually I charge it when I'm not using it otherwise, but in this case I've just been living with it

[Grumpy Goat]

I have a cradle mounted on my R1250RS and have had no camera issues so far with my iPhone 14 Pro but I've only got 400km on the bike. The issue I'm having is the phone getting very hot when charging wirelessly in the cradle. Anyone else have this issue?

I don't have a wireless charging setup for my iPhone XR so when I do charge it while riding, it is usually wired. I use the 12V socket that I installed on my bike next to the instrument cluster and that is wired directly to the battery. The phone charges but also does get hot, so I keep an eye on it and unplug the charging cable as soon as the phone is topped up, i.e. I don't leave it plugged in all the time or beyond when the charge is full. I did that once and the phone got warm to the point where it shut down.

I can only guess that the input current was too high for the phone. However, if you are using a dedicated wireless charging dock and the input current rating is the same as what is recommended for the phone when on an Apple wireless charger, then maybe getting hot is expected.

[pej7445]

Can you disable the wireless charging on the connected cradle? I'd rather control this via a USB cable to avoid overheating.

[Bimmerman]

Can you disable the wireless charging on the connected cradle? I'd rather control this via a USB cable to avoid overheating.

If you use the USB-C port on the right side of the cradle with a cable to charge your phone it bypasses the wireless charging and it charges much cooler.